NFHS Voice: Football Continues to Thrive
September 25, 2019
By Karissa Niehoff
NFHS Executive Director
When the annual High School Athletics Participation Survey was released by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in August, many headlines across the country focused on the drop in the number of boys playing 11-player football. After all, the report showed 30,829 fewer participants than the year before. However, perhaps the most important number was overlooked – 14,247.
Yes, 14,247, the number of high schools with 11-player football teams. While there was a slight decline in the number of participants in many states, the number of schools sponsoring the sport was the highest in five years. In fact, the number of schools last year with 11-player teams has only been topped twice in the survey’s history – 14,262 in 2013-14 and 14,279 in 2010-11.
In addition, smaller schools in some states have shifted to 6-player, 8-player and 9-player football and have had good responses. The survey indicates an additional 156 schools and 1,594 participants involved in these alternate forms of the sport; and, in the past 10 years, participation by girls in 11-player football has doubled, with more than 2,400 participants this past year.
These numbers express the desire by high schools to keep alive one of the oldest and most treasured traditions in our nation – Friday Night Football Under the Lights. Although there are many options today for the entertainment dollar, nothing surpasses supporting the local high school football team on Friday nights. The No. 1 fan base in America? The answer is that number again – 14,247.
In Week 2 of the National Football League season, just under 1.1 million fans attended the 16 games. While impressive, it doesn’t come close to the number of fans who watched high school football during the corresponding week. It’s all in that number – 14,247.
With approximately 7,123 games every Friday night (14,247 divided by 2), and with a conservative estimate of 1,000 fans per game, there are more than 7 million fans in high school football stadiums every week. An unofficial attendance survey conducted by the NFHS in 2011 indicated about 165 million fans attended high school football games during that season, which included up to five weeks of playoffs and a weekly average of 11 million fans. Either way, the number of fans at high school football games dwarfs the numbers attending professional football games.
Early season crowds have been strong in many areas of the country with terrific fall weather – filled by current and former students; parents, grandparents and friends of players on the team; and longtime fans and supporters in the community. Unlike crowds at the college and professional levels where fans have little, if any, identity with the players, there is a connection between the players and fans at the high school level.
With concussion protocols and laws in place in every state, with a reduction in contact levels before the season and during practices, and with teaching of proper tackling skills at lower levels, we believe people, including parents of high school student-athletes, are seeing and believing that the sport of football at the high school level is as safe as it ever has been.
We urge you to support your local high school football team this Friday night.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her second year as executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
Century of School Sports: 200+ Representatives Fill All-Time Council Roster
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 6, 2025
When Plymouth-Canton Community Schools superintendent Monica Merritt attended her first meeting as a member of the MHSAA’s Representative Council on March 21 in East Lansing, she became the 203rd voting member to serve on the association’s legislative body since the first Council convened Dec. 13, 1924.
We covered how the Council is comprised in our Dec. 3 installment – “MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council.” Briefly, the Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
During a typical school year, the Council meets three times, and convened for the third time for 2024-25 this past Sunday and Monday in Gaylord.
The first Representative Council included 11 members, from Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, Eaton Rapids, Escanaba, Flint, Grand Rapids, Ishpeming, Otsego, Petoskey and Saginaw. While it’s difficult to say how many high schools specifically have been represented over the years – for example, Detroit Public Schools as a district has one representative, and there are multiple statewide positions – it’s accurate to say at least 130 communities (made of one or more schools) have sent at least one delegate over the last century.
Total, 54 Council members have served at least a decade, and 11 of those 54 have served at least 20 years: Detroit’s George Mead (1930-62) and Roy Allen (1976-96), Gwinn’s Leo P. McDonald (1930-52), Saginaw’s Roy J. McMurray (1932-50, 1952-57), Escanaba’s Dan Flynn (1988-2010), Grand Haven's Scott Grimes (2001-24), Deerfield, Beal City, Hartford and Cheboygan’s Paul Ellinger (1985-2007); Gaylord, Benzonia and Bear Lake’s Karen Leinaar (2000-2021); Clare, Maple City and Sanford Meridian’s William Newkirk (1988-2007), Trenton and Gibraltar Carlson’s Eric Federico (1986-94, 1996-2009) and current director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit Vic Michaels, who has represented non-public schools on the Council since 2003.
A total of 17 Council members have served multiple terms but not entirely consecutively, with Petoskey’s Robert Doctor the only one with two breaks; he was on the Council from 1972-80, 1988-90 and 1994-95. As noted by his 32 years above, Mead was on the Council longest, representing Detroit Public Schools during his tenure as health and physical education director.
At least eight Council members have represented multiple schools, including current member Fred Smith, who has served a combined 15 years over two tenures while employed at Comstock, Buchanan, Benton Harbor and currently Bangor.
Michigan Department of Education representatives are not counted in the totals above as they are non-voting members – but they has provided an invaluable viewpoint during Council proceedings over the years. The current MDE representative on Council is Ross Fort, who serves as special assistant to the deputy superintendent.
The photo above was taken Monday morning. Front row, from left, are MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl, Michaels (who also serves as Council secretary/treasurer), Midland athletic director and Council president Eric Albright, and Brighton athletic director and Council vice president John Thompson.
Second row, from left, are Gobles athletic director Chris Miller, Freeland Middle School principal Jennifer Thunberg, Kingsford athletic director Chris Hartman and Camden-Frontier superintendent Chris Adams.
Third row, from left: Boyne City High School principal Adam Stefanski, Harbor Springs athletic director Anna Novak, Wyoming Godfrey-Lee Public Schools superintendent Arnetta Thompson, Mt. Morris athletic director Jeff Kline and Fenton High School principal Mike Bakker.
Back row, from left: Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy, Smith, Merritt, Fort, Detroit Public Schools executive director of athletics Jay Alexander and Calumet assistant principal Sean Jacques. (Portage Northern athletic director Chris Riker is not pictured.)
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
April 29: MHSAA Programs Prioritize Health & Safety - Read
April 23: Patches Signify Registered Officials' Role in MHSAA Story - Read
April 16: Student Advisory Council Gives Voice to Athletes - Read
April 9: State's Storytellers Share Spring Memories - Read
April 2: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA Success - Read
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read