RoadTrip America A Sports Fan's Guide to Route 66

By Ron Clements and RoadTrip America

Get Your Balls, Bats, and Sticks on Route 66!

Immortalized in countless books, songs, and movies, Route 66 is a timeless icon of American culture. Until now, however, no guide to this historic byway has focused on another beloved part of American culture: sports. That all changes with RoadTrip America A Sports Fan's Guide to Route 66. In this groundbreaking new book, sports writer and lifelong sports fan Ron Clements goes beyond nostalgic buildings and classic cars to highlight historic sports venues, storied sports professionals, and current sports events along the Mother Road.

Rolling west from Chicago to Santa Monica, the author shares inside information about the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB teams who are based in the cites and towns that around on Route 66. In addition, enjoy anecdotes gathered from auto and horse racing tracks, rodeo areanas, golf links, and the magnificent lineup of high school and collegiate sports programs to check out along the way.

The book has more than 300 photos and maps showing the various attractions in each of the eights states covered: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. And because no book about the Mother Road would be complete without it, there's plenty of info about the iconic roadside attractions that have entertained and enthralled travelers for the past century.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Imbrifex Books
• Release date: Aug 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781945501746

Ron Clements

Ron Clements is a Wisconsin native and Green Bay Packers fan who married a Chicago Bears fan from Peoria, Illinois. Despite the rivalry, Ron and Patti make it work and have been living fulltime in an RV since March, 2018. They travel the country in search of new adventures and love attending baseball games and exploring national parks. They visited all 30 MLB stadiums in 2018 and have taken their RV to each of the lower 48 states. Ron is a veteran journalist of more than two decades and a summa cum laude graduate of East Carolina University, which he attended following his service in the United States Marine Corps. Ron has written for USA Today, Sporting News, CBS Sports, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Omaha World Herald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Fresno Bee, the Montgomery Advertiser, and many other media outlets. Ron and Patti have two adult sons, RJ and David, and a four-legged travel companion named Maverick. While Ron's home base is in Florida, he is on the road in his RV twelve months a year.

Book preview

SFG66-ebookCVR.jpg

IMBRIFEX BOOKS

8275 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 200

Las Vegas, NV 89123, USA

Text and photos copyright © 2021 by Ron Clements, Maps copyright © 2021 by Imbrifex Books. All Rights Reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the express written permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy, and theft of the author’s intellectual property. For further information, please contact the publisher, Imbrifex Books, 8275 S. Eastern Avenue, Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89123, USA.

Editors: Vicki Adang & Patricia Clements

Book and Cover Designer: Sue Campbell

Maps: Chris Erichsen

Author Photo: John Harrington

All cover and interior photos by the author except as noted on page 344.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Clements, Ron, 1974- author.

Title: A sports fan’s guide to Route 66 / Ron Clements.

Other titles: Route 66

Description: Las Vegas, NV : Imbrifex Books, [2021] | Series: Roadtrip

America | Includes index. | Summary: "In this groundbreaking new book,

sports writer and lifelong sports fan Ron Clements goes beyond nostalgic

buildings and classic cars to highlight historic sports venues, storied

sports professionals, and current sports events along the Mother Road"--

Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021013748 (print) | LCCN 2021013749 (ebook) |

ISBN 9781945501739 (paperback) | ISBN 9781945501746 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Sports--United States. | United States Highway 66.

Classification: LCC GV583 .C54 2021 (print) | LCC GV583 (ebook) | DDC

796.0973--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021013748

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021013749

This publication is provided for informational and educational purposes. The information contained in the publication is true to the best of our knowledge. However no representations or warranties are made with respect to its accuracy or safety, and the publisher and author assume no liability for its use. Understand that driving and outdoor activities are always potentially dangerous. Preparing yourself and your vehicle with the proper equipment and skills will lead to the most enjoyable and safest experience. Know your vehicle and how to drive and maintain it. Be aware of local road, weather, and terrain conditions. Obey all posted rules and regulations. Things can change after a guidebook is published: roads undergo construction, attractions and businesses close, jurisdictions change, etc. All these things can affect the sports venues described in this book. Check locally whenever you can. Seasonal weather will have an effect on roads and routes described in this publication. Corrections, updates, and suggestions may be sent to the author at [e-mail].

First Edition: August 2021

Printed in Canada

IMBRIFEX® and ROADTRIP AMERICA® are registered trademarks of Flattop Productions, Inc.

ScenicSideTrips.com | Imbrifex.com | RoadTripAmerica.com

INTRODUCTION: What This Book Is All About

Many books have been written about Route 66, the 2,400-mile historic highway that stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles. Most of those books focus on travel tips about where to eat or sleep and the nostalgic locations along what John Steinbeck in his classic 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, called the Mother Road. Route 66 is an iconic part of American culture, and people travel from across the world to drive the historic byway and experience something uniquely American.

But what if some of those visitors want to check out NBA, NHL, or MLB games? See some minor league baseball? Watch a NASCAR or drag-racing event? Experience Texas high school football under the Friday night lights? Watch some college football, basketball, or baseball? If you really want to get your kicks on Route 66, why not see some soccer or rugby? All of this is covered in A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66. This book is for the people who have driven past a high school, college, or professional stadium and thought, I wonder what it’s like to see a game there.

Connecting Route 66 and sports may seem counter to the road’s folksy, hometown reputation. When you think about Route 66, you think about everyone sharing the unique experiences up and down the entire highway, California Historic Route 66 Association President Scott Piotrowski said of sports and the Mother Road. You think of mom-and-pop motels with the neon glowing. Sports is not that. Sports is the ‘us-versus-them’ mentality.… It’s not something that by nature gets tied together with 66.

But if you look deeper, you’ll find at the heart of Route 66 the same thing that’s at the heart of every town and city: community. Most books about the Mother Road focus on how things were—a noble calling to be sure, said Texas Old Route 66 Association President Nick Gerlich. But while they examine obscure alignments, historical artifacts, and even the mighty people of the road, they overlook one of the most unifying activities along its 2,400 miles. From high school to the highest level of professionals, sports provide the cement that keeps communities glued and coming out for the spectacle of it all. It is no different along 66.

No Shortage of Places to Visit

Along Route 66, you’ll find mainstream sports like baseball, football, and basketball, but also a bit of the obscure. Outdoorsmen who might want to catch their own dinner as they camp can find hunting and fishing spots along the route. Want to get in a round of golf along the Mother Road? A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66 will tell you where courses are along the highway and give you an idea of the cost as well.

Some nostalgic Route 66 sites—gas stations, eateries, murals, and motels—are mentioned, but in the context of their proximity to a sporting event or venue. Several schools, gymnasiums, and stadiums along Route 66 are on the National Register of Historic Places.

A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66 not only takes you to various sporting events and explains what the atmosphere is like at those venues but also features interviews. You’ll hear from the Chicago Blackhawks team historian, the track president at Chicagoland Speedway, various coaches and athletics directors at the high school and college levels, media members connected with cities and teams, as well as pro athletes like LeBron James.

What You’ll Find in the Book

Whether you’re doing all or part of Route 66, this is your comprehensive guide to sports along the highway. The book begins where the Mother Road does, in Chicago, and travels west to Santa Monica, California, where Route 66 comes to an end. Most venues are within 5 miles of the present-day route; those that are farther out are well worth the visit if you have time to spare. Places of interest are printed in bold to help you identify potential stops during your travels. Addresses are listed at the end of each chapter.

At the beginning of each chapter is a state map with the alignment of Route 66 that I used while working on this book. Icons on each of the eight state maps indicate where some of the venues that are mentioned in the text can be found. Not every sporting venue or place of historical significance that I wrote about are found on these maps, but I have included a variety so you can navigate to the ones I’ve highlighted. On the inside front cover is a map that shows the entire highway path of Route 66, along with some of the sports locations identified in greater detail in this book.

I hope you enjoy A Sports Fan’s Guide to Route 66, the first sports-related book about America’s Main Street, and that it inspires you to go see a game or two along the world’s most famous road.

February 2021

Ron Clements

ILLINOIS

The Illinois segment of Route 66 may not be as scenic as the portion that runs through the fabled landscape of the American Southwest, but it has a little bit of everything for travelers. Beginning and ending in major cities, the 301 miles through the Land of Lincoln are dotted with small towns that embrace their Route 66 heritage. You’ll also find a lot of sports diversity with NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB teams, as well as auto and horse racing tracks in addition to a slew of high school and collegiate sports along the way.

CHICAGO

Chicago is one of just 12 U.S. cities to have at least one team in each of the four major North American professional sports leagues, but only two play near Route 66. Major League Baseball’s Cubs make their home at venerable Wrigley Field, but it’s 7 miles north of the Route 66 starting point. The White Sox are at Guaranteed Rate Field 5 miles to the south. The NFL’s Bears are a little closer, 2 miles south of the Chicago Art Institute at Soldier Field. But the home of the NBA’s Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks is United Center, and it’s only two blocks off the Adams Street portion of Route 66.

With your starting point on South Michigan Avenue in front of the Chicago Art Institute, head west down Adams Street about 3 miles before hanging a right on Damen Avenue. Before you even get to Monroe Street one block north, you’ll see United Center towering over Madison Street.

Larger-than-life United Center

The first impression you get as you approach United Center is that it’s enormous. With a spectator capacity of more than 22,000 for sporting events, United Center is the largest NHL and NBA arena. Because of its size, it’s also a popular venue for NCAA events and a regular host for the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament in March.

United Center opened in 1994 and replaced the old Chicago Stadium, which opened in 1929. The Blackhawks were the first tenants of Chicago Stadium, with the Bulls moving in for the 1967–68 NBA season. Known as The Madhouse on Madison, Chicago Stadium could cram 18,000 people into tight seats and steep rows and was known as the loudest arena in the NHL and NBA. Blackhawks team historian Bob Verdi said United Center is the new Madhouse on Madison, except with suites and dessert trays.

Route 66 begins at the Chicago Art Institute at the Corner of Michigan Avenue and Adams Street.

One of the theories is that the noise at the old Chicago Stadium, one of the great old buildings, would never translate across the street to United Center, which is about three times as large, Verdi said. But there’s no lack of atmosphere at the United Center.

Jordan and the Bulls’ Kingdom

Two decades—the 1990s and the 2010s—were especially exuberant at United Center. Michael Jordan led the Bulls to three straight NBA championships twice. Chicago claimed the NBA crown from 1991 to 1993 and again from 1996 to 1998. The gap between the three-peats occurred when Jordan stepped away from basketball for two seasons to pursue a baseball career with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan never rose above Double A and returned to the Bulls in 1995.

Michael Jordan helped build that building, Verdi said. There’s no doubt about it.

A 12-foot statue of a soaring Air Jordan, known as The Spirit, was unveiled in 1994 outside the arena, but was moved into the United Center atrium in 2015. It’s now a popular meeting spot for fans before finding their seats. The atrium is lined with shops, cafes, ticket offices, and bars with His Airness in the center of the 190,000-square-foot space. Even for the casual sports fan, United Center is a can’t-miss experience.

A statue of Michael Jordan soaring over an opponent is in the atrium of United Center.

You can go to a game at any of these arenas now, never see a minute of the game, and still have a great time, Verdi said. It’s not just a game; it’s an event.

The Bulls and Blackhawks do a wonderful job of paying tribute to the franchises’ respective histories. Photos, plaques, and signs line the concourses on every level. Banners of each team’s retired numbers as well as their championship banners are draped from the ceiling—Bulls on one end, Blackhawks at the other.

Blackhawk wins through the decades

Like the Bulls, the Blackhawks have won six championships. While the Bulls won all six of their titles in a single decade, the Stanley Cup championships are spread across more than 80 years. The Blackhawks won their first title in 1934—the club’s seventh season of existence when the NHL had just 10 teams. Another championship followed in 1938 and again in 1961 with Hall of Famers Stan Mikita, Al Arbour, and Bobby Hull leading the way. The Blackhawks didn’t win another Cup until the 2009–10 season, but won two more in 2013 and 2015.

Mikita and Hull are immortalized with bronze statues outside of United Center. The 7-foot-tall bronze sculptures, unveiled in 2011, show the two in full color with red sweaters and leggings, sticks in their hands, and skating in still-motion atop 5-foot-tall black granite pedestals.

The Blackhawks were one of the NHL’s Original Six—along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers. Verdi said that distinction is still recognized by today’s young players.

We all assume the millennials don’t have an appreciation for what came before them, but for some reason, the ‘Original Six’ is implanted in the new players, Verdi said. If you’re a 25-year-old and you get traded here or to the Toronto Maple Leafs, that’s a big deal.

Verdi said ending the 49-year championship drought in 2010 was similar to when the Hawks ended their 23-year drought in 1961.

When Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita arrived in the late ’50s, it kind of rescued the Blackhawks from a dark period, Verdi said. "They were drawing nobody and played neutral-site games because the crowds were so bad. They played in St. Louis, Omaha, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis.

At one time, the situation was so bad, the NHL talked about moving the Blackhawks to St. Louis. But obviously it never happened.

Banners of each team’s retired numbers as well as their championship banners are draped from the United Center ceiling—Bulls on one end; Blackhawks on the other.

Winning fixes everything, and Verdi said the Blackhawks now have one of the best game environments in the NHL. Since 2008, the alternative rock song Chelsea Dagger by the Fratellis has been played after each Blackhawks goal and victory.

You’ve got standing-room-only crowds, Verdi said. They’ve made the in-game experience and presentation really spectacular.

It doesn’t get much better than when the Blackhawks are playing the St. Louis Blues because of the cities’ natural sports rivalry. When the Blues entered the NHL in 1967 as an expansion team, they went to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with a roster full of former Blackhawks players led by Arbour. Verdi said United Center is very intense and rocking when the Blues and Blackhawks face off.

A club level view of a Chicago Blackhawks game in 2019.

Before seeing a game at United Center, you can have dinner at historic Berghoff Restaurant on Adams. If you’re staying in Chicago for the night after a game, grab breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s on Jackson on your way out of the Windy City.

HINSDALE

From Interstate 290 in Chicago, rejoin Route 66 at Harlem Avenue and head south 4 miles to Joliet Road. Joliet Road winds through the villages of Lyons and McCook before intersecting with 55th Street. Located just 3 miles west of where Route 66 splits from 55th Street and turns south onto Brainard Avenue in Countryside is the Hinsdale high school with more state championships than any other school in Illinois.

The gymnasium at Hinsdale Central is impressive with banners for the 103 state championships (through 2020) in the 31 sports in which the Red Devils compete. The entirety of the gym is encircled with banners from each of the school’s state titles. The school’s most prosperous sports are tennis and swimming, which won a combined 70 titles from 1955 to 2019. Central set a state record with state championships in eight events during the 2014–15 school year.

Hinsdale Central’s swim program is one of the best in the nation, and the Red Devils have equally impressive facilities.

We’re in an area where both [tennis and swimming] are very popular with parents and the community itself, so the kids get involved at an early age, said Dan Jones, Hinsdale Central’s athletics director. We have a lot of clubs in the area that give lessons. We have three swim clubs that feed into our school.

Olympic gold medalists John Kinsella and John Murphy came out of the Central swim program, and Olympian Robert Nieman was also a Red Devils swimmer. The Central tennis program helped Marty Riessen become a professional player. Former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, also attended the school when it was simply known as Hinsdale Township High School.

The Red Devils’ primary rival is Lyons Township High School, 4 miles northeast on Brainard Avenue in LaGrange.

It’s a heated rivalry in every sport, Jones said of the Central-Lyons rivalry. He added that basketball and football games are standing-room-only events when the two schools face off. It’s heated, but competitive. There isn’t a lot of tomfoolery. There is some good-natured ribbing and pretty good student chants.

The gymnasium at Hinsdale Central is truly impressive with banners for the 103 state championships (through 2019) in the thirty-one sports in which the Red Devils compete. The entirety of the gym is encircled with banners from each of the school state titles.

Central and Downers Grove North also have a friendly rivalry, and the two teams have played for the Old Oaken Bucket every year since 1935. The scores from each of the games are written on the bucket and its wooden pedestal.

When it comes to big-time high school sports in Illinois, it really doesn’t get any bigger than Hinsdale Central. Three miles due south from Central is the iconic Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket on Route 66, which again merges with Interstate 55 along Highway 83. Six miles later, take Exit 268 for Joliet Road and head west for 3 miles until you connect with Illinois Highway 53.

ROMEOVILLE

Traveling south on Highway 53 will take you through Romeoville, a town originally named Romeo while Joliet was called Juliet as a tribute to the tragic Shakespeare lovers. The current names were adopted in 1845, when Joliet was renamed to honor French explorer Louis Jolliet. Romeoville High School sports teams have not been the most competitive, but the community has produced former NFL players Oliver Gibson and Byron Stingily; former NHL goalie Gerald Coleman; and professional wrestler Robert Anthony, who is also known as Egotistico Fantastico.

Lewis University

The Chicago suburb is also home to Lewis University, a Catholic school that competes at the NCAA Division II level in each of its 23 sports with the exception of men’s volleyball. The Flyers have a solid Division I volleyball program that started in 1994 and defeated BYU in 2003 to win a national championship.

At a time when there really weren’t a lot of men’s volleyball programs in the Midwest outside of Ohio State, Illinois, and Ball State, Chicago has always been a hotbed of volleyball, said Luke Rinne, the director of athletic communications at Lewis.

When Lewis defeated Southern California in 2019, a Los Angeles newspaper noted that USC’s enrollment was more than the entire population of Romeoville. The paper wasn’t wrong. USC has an undergraduate enrollment of 44,000, and Romeoville has a population of 39,000.

Volleyball is king at Lewis, and you may want to take in a match before or after having some fried chicken at The White Fence Farm.

JOLIET

Route 66 may begin in Chicago, but the essence of what Route 66 is—a road full of nostalgia and Americana—really starts in Joliet. The city, which is home to a minor league baseball team, NASCAR track, and high school on the National Historic Register, largely identifies itself with the Mother Road.

Route 66 is a big part of the town, said Curt Herron, a longtime sports columnist with the Joliet Herald. "Joliet is the first big town you get to if you’re coming from Chicago. Joliet has always been a very important transportation hub with the steel and industries they had here. And then, along the route, you really don’t run into any bigger towns until you get to Bloomington-Normal.

Route 66 is a unique chapter of Americana, Herron added. Any town that can associate with that should be proud of it and highlight the strengths of the community. There’s a lot of pride here. It’s who we are. That’s the history of this whole area, being on a main thoroughfare. This whole county is as vibrant as it’s ever been.

The Joliet area has an abundance of limestone, which is why many of the city’s buildings were built using the yellow material. The famous Joliet Correctional Center, which closed in 2002 and is now open to tourists, is perhaps the best example of the limestone construction. The prison has been featured in various movies and television shows—most notably The Blues Brothers in 1980, the 2006 comedy film Let’s Go To Prison, and the Fox television crime drama Prison Break.

The historic Joliet prison has been used in movies and television shows.

Joliet Central High School

About a mile from the prison is Joliet Central High School, which was originally the lone public high school in Joliet. It is now one of three high schools (two public, one private) in the city of 150,000. The sprawling four-story, castle-like complex has layers of limestone bricks used in its original construction in 1901.

The school has expanded eight times to meet the needs of a growing community, and each addition was constructed using the same limestone. But as much as limestone means to Joliet, the steel industry helped build the city. For this reason, the Central sports teams are known as the Steelmen.

Several professional athletes have come out of the Steelmen sports programs, most notably former Major League Baseball player Jesse Barfield, who led Joliet Central to a state runner-up finish in 1975. R&B singer Lionel Richie was a standout tennis player for the Joliet East Kingsmen. Joliet East was the third public high school in Joliet and was in existence from 1964 to 1983 before merging with Joliet Central.

Joliet Central’s castle-like original building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Folks in Illinois take their basketball seriously. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) was the first to coin the term March Madness back in 1939. The IHSA had trademarked the phrase by 1973. However, it failed to adequately defend the trademark, and it was officially registered by the NCAA in 1986.

Although the boys’ basketball program may have just one state title, the Steelmen are regular playoff participants. The Steelmen play in a spacious gymnasium that has hosted more IHSA postseason games than any other arena in the state.

Joliet Central’s 3,000-seat gymnasium has hosted more IHSA playoff games than any other venue in the state.

The primary seating area holds about 3,000 spectators, and a balcony that encircles the gym floor used to provide a bird’s-eye view of games for overflow crowds. On the baseline walls and in the center of the floor is the Steelmen logo, a metal figure leaning forward with its head facing the floor.

The Steelman was created for the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. The Steelman is a 500-pound sculpture called Science Advancing Mankind and is constructed of what is believed to be white bronze. It was designed by former Joliet Township student Louise Lentz Woodruff, who donated the statue to her high school alma mater in 1935. The Joliet Township athletics teams took the Steelmen name the following year. The statue is on display near the principal’s office and stands on a base constructed of marble slabs and stainless steel.

The Joliet Steelman was unveiled at the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Joliet Catholic Academy and University of Saint Francis

While Central has had some success in various sports, the most successful Joliet high school is Joliet Catholic Academy. Playing their home games at Joliet Memorial Stadium, the Hilltoppers have won 14 state football championships—the most of any other school in the state. Since Illinois began a state football tournament in 1974, Joliet Catholic has been a participant 42 times through the 2019–20 school year. The baseball team has won a trio of state titles, and the volleyball team won four state championships from 2003 to 2010.

With 10,000 seats, Joliet Memorial Stadium hosts football and soccer games for Joliet Catholic and the University of St. Francis, which competes at the NAIA level. The St. Francis Saints baseball team shares DuPage Medical Group Field, formerly known as Route 66 Stadium, with the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League.

The old Joliet Township marching band gained national recognition and that tradition continues today at Joliet Central.

Herron, the Joliet Herald sports columnist, noted that the strongest Saints sports are basketball and volleyball. That said, St. Francis has two NAIA national championships, and neither are in basketball or volleyball. The baseball team captured a national title in 1993 under Gordie Gillespie, and the men’s cross country squad claimed a national championship in 2012. When Gillespie, who died at the age of 88 in 2015, retired in 2011, he was the all-time winningest college baseball coach at any level with 1,893 victories. He also coached football