When Mike Maloney was hired as the head football coach at Johnsburg High School prior to the 2012 season, he sought not only to instill the norms that most new coaches bring into a program, such as schemes and playbooks, but also traditions that would help unite his team and community. One such tradition that was born for the Skyhawks is the annual placement of the decals on the helmets by the players and their mothers during the week of the first game.

“I thought it was important to honor the moms in our program,” said Maloney. “Because the father-son identity in the sport of football is so strong in our society, everyone kind of overlooks what the moms do for our players.”

Maloney preps his players for the event by talking about his own family experiences and reiterates to his team the “precious nature of the relationships they have with their parents and loved ones.”

Below are photos of moms and players decaling helmets prior to the start of the 2013 season...

   

  

Maloney is also quick to point out that the dads aren’t shut out when it comes to tradition in Johnsburg. For over 20 years, fathers on the team have united to paint the team’s field each week. A look at what the head coach calls an “amazing job” can be seen below, along with the finished product helmet...