Sports
BGHS Names Stadium for Former Football Coach
Hall-of-Fame coach Grant Blaney and members of his 1986 state champion team were in attendance for Friday night's dedication.
Former football coach Grant Blaney has a favorite story from his 1986 season.
“We had about eight guys put together a poster of themselves with their muscles flexed. I told them if you do something like that, you better be able to back it up.”
The 1986 Bison football team was no fluke. Buffalo Grove had reached the state finals two years in a row. Heading into the '86 season, the Bison were a confident group.
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There was a 27-19 win over Proviso East to open the campaign. Buffalo Grove edged Conant 20-14. And then in the final three games of the season, the Bison outscored their foes 95-6.
Blaney's '86 club won a state title on Nov. 29 that season. They completed a 14-0 perfect run.
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On Friday night, 25 years later, the coach made a speech to the crowd at Buffalo Grove .
“The coach did a great job,” said Chris Griffin, a starting center on the state champions. “We got better as the season went on. That team was really a team.”
Buffalo Grove Assistant Principal Mark Schaetzlein helped put the event together. Players and coaches met prior to the game in the library to reminisce.
“It took a lot of people,” Schaetzlein said. “To get the stadium named after Grant, we had to have a formal meeting.”
Principal Carol Burlinski checked in with a speech in which she recalled admiring the Bison even though she was attending Hersey High School at the time.
Along for this ride as well was Dave Sczepanski, who was the freshman coach in 1986. He was flattered when Blaney asked him to join the team at the state championship game at Illinois State University.
“We did all the scouting back then,” Sczepanski said. “We felt that this might be the year. Grant really made us young coaches feel good.”
Blaney was a big believer in the two-platoon system. That is, no one played on both sides of the ball. That and some luck kept his players healthy the whole year.
“That's the beauty of the platoon,'' Blaney said. “The top 22 players who started the first game also started the state championship game.”
Also joining the party was Barrington assistant coach Rich Roberts. He guided the Buffalo Grove defense during the state title run.
“He was the best defensive coordinator,” Blaney said. “He was very smart and a great motivator.”
Blaney's children and grandchildren were in attendance on this special night.
“It doesn't feel like 25 years,” he said. “But some time has flown by. It's a dream come true and a little bit flattering.”
