Evansville has had many debates over the years, some personal, political, and some memorable, and on the other hand it has had some amusing ones. The great debate of the WIAA over the Evansville-Albany football team has to go down in history as a sad but amusing one in retrospect.
For review. Evanville and Albany had combined their football programs with the Albany players coming to Evansville. Albany did not have enough players to field a team. It was a way they could play. It sure worked well. The Blue Devils were winning. The players loved it. The coaches loved it. Everything seemed to be fine. However...
The WIAA did receive some complaints from other teams in the conference that the reason that the Evansville team was winning was because of the Albany players. Other teams complained that the Albany players made the team so big that well, it was just unfair competition.
The debate went on for a couple of years. Finally, one newspaper asked one of the Albany lineman what he thought of the controversy. "Well," he said, "Whoever thinks the team is great because of the guys from Albany is just an idiot." "The team is great because of the great coaches we have."
Anyone who watched the Blue Devils step up in the first half against Brodhead last Friday night, or anyone who has watched the guys train twelve months a year in the weight room knows that the Evansville-Albany lineman told it like it is.
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I am of former a lineman from Albany that is still heartbroken the EA Blue Devils were disbanded. I met my wife and owe life long friendships to the Blue Devils. When I come home in the fall my dad and I always go to an Evansville game (Belleville-Albany football just doesn't seem right). I still can't help but wonder if a few key players from Albany would have put the Devils in a championship game last year. Go Devils!!!
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