Cornjerker
Encyclopedia
In a time before modern machinery, when work was done by hand and horsepower was measured in mules, sweet corn was pulled or jerked from the stalk. The leaves were shucked off and the golden ears were thrown in a wooden wagon pulled by a team of mules. This was Cornjerking, In other parts of the United States
, this harvest
ing process may have been known as corn snapping, corn shucking, or corn husking. The many laborers who walked the fields to harvest the crops
were called Cornjerkers.
The invention of the corn picking machine has made this hand harvesting process obsolete. By using modern machines, a farmer is capable of tending larger fields, thus producing more food with less effort. As a result, the term Cornjerker as used in the agricultural industry has become a colloquialism
.
has long been known as the "Sweetcorn
Capital of the World." In the 1920s the term Cornjerker was first applied to the athletic teams of the school just as the Pittsburgh Steelers
got their name from that town's steel-mills. Bob Poisall, a sports writer for the Commercial-News (Danville, Illinois
), is credited with first coining the team name. From the information available, the name was a joke that stuck.
In the fall, the team buses to games were often late in leaving because the teams' members were still in the fields jerking corn. Per the custom at that time, Mr. Poisall was riding the team bus in order to cover the game for his newspaper. In exasperation on one of these occasions, he told them they would never get anywhere, they were just a bunch of cornjerkers. Glenn Brasel, coach of Hoopeston High School from 1922 through 1946, must have liked the term and felt it would be an appropriate team name. The emblem of an ear of corn first appeared on the team uniform in 1930. In 1963, the mascot known as "Jerky" was born. This walking ear of corn was created by coach and athletic director at that time,Dick Hobbs and drawn by student Curt Ellis.
Cornjerkers come in all shapes and sexes. Brawny football players, lanky basketball players, speedy track team members, petite cheerleaders - all of these students are Cornjerkers. Coaches, faculty, and fans are also a part of the Cornjerkers.
Originally, Cornjerkers were from Hoopeston. One of their rivals were the East Lynn Hornets. In 1973, the Hornets were turned into Cornjerkers - Hoopeston and East Lynn schools consolidated. Later, with the addition of nearby towns Cheneyville, East Lynn, Wellington and Rankin, the name was changed to its current form, "Hoopeston Area".
On March 16, 1985, the best known Cornjerkers were members of the varsity basketball team. The team was ranked number three in the state of Illinois in Class A basketball. According to Don Dukes, then-Mayor of Hoopeston, " After this past weekend, there should not be anyone in the state of Illinois who doesn't know what a Cornjerker is and where one comes from."
Herb Neathery, Hoopeston High School class of 1948, went on to play NCAA class football at the University of Illinois. Herb was on the Illini team that beat Stanford 40-7 in the 1952 Rose Bowl. Neathery was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
David Theobald, class of 1968, went on to play NCAA football for Western Illinois University. In 1980 his Master's thesis "Learning the Concept of Trajectory and Performance in the Shot Put," was selected as one of the top pieces of research for 1978, by the University of Oregon. Theobald is the author of the books Cornjerkers and Turquoise.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, this harvest
Harvest
Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...
ing process may have been known as corn snapping, corn shucking, or corn husking. The many laborers who walked the fields to harvest the crops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
were called Cornjerkers.
The invention of the corn picking machine has made this hand harvesting process obsolete. By using modern machines, a farmer is capable of tending larger fields, thus producing more food with less effort. As a result, the term Cornjerker as used in the agricultural industry has become a colloquialism
Colloquialism
A colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
.
Hoopeston
Hoopeston, IllinoisHoopeston, Illinois
Hoopeston is a city in Grant Township, Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Danville, Illinois, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,965 at the 2000 census, and 5,602 in 2009.-History:Hoopeston was laid out in 1871...
has long been known as the "Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn
Sweet corn is a variety of maize with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel...
Capital of the World." In the 1920s the term Cornjerker was first applied to the athletic teams of the school just as the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
got their name from that town's steel-mills. Bob Poisall, a sports writer for the Commercial-News (Danville, Illinois
Danville, Illinois
Danville is a city in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is the principal city of the'Danville, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Danville and Vermilion County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 32,467. It is the county seat of...
), is credited with first coining the team name. From the information available, the name was a joke that stuck.
In the fall, the team buses to games were often late in leaving because the teams' members were still in the fields jerking corn. Per the custom at that time, Mr. Poisall was riding the team bus in order to cover the game for his newspaper. In exasperation on one of these occasions, he told them they would never get anywhere, they were just a bunch of cornjerkers. Glenn Brasel, coach of Hoopeston High School from 1922 through 1946, must have liked the term and felt it would be an appropriate team name. The emblem of an ear of corn first appeared on the team uniform in 1930. In 1963, the mascot known as "Jerky" was born. This walking ear of corn was created by coach and athletic director at that time,Dick Hobbs and drawn by student Curt Ellis.
Cornjerkers come in all shapes and sexes. Brawny football players, lanky basketball players, speedy track team members, petite cheerleaders - all of these students are Cornjerkers. Coaches, faculty, and fans are also a part of the Cornjerkers.
Originally, Cornjerkers were from Hoopeston. One of their rivals were the East Lynn Hornets. In 1973, the Hornets were turned into Cornjerkers - Hoopeston and East Lynn schools consolidated. Later, with the addition of nearby towns Cheneyville, East Lynn, Wellington and Rankin, the name was changed to its current form, "Hoopeston Area".
On March 16, 1985, the best known Cornjerkers were members of the varsity basketball team. The team was ranked number three in the state of Illinois in Class A basketball. According to Don Dukes, then-Mayor of Hoopeston, " After this past weekend, there should not be anyone in the state of Illinois who doesn't know what a Cornjerker is and where one comes from."
Notable former Cornjerkers
- Thad MattaThad MattaThad Matta is an American college basketball coach. He is the current head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team. He was hired as the 13th head coach in Ohio State history on July 7, 2004 after the school had fired previous coach Jim O'Brien...
, 1980s Cornjerker basketball star and current NCAANational Collegiate Athletic AssociationThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
head men's basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach (Ohio State)
Herb Neathery, Hoopeston High School class of 1948, went on to play NCAA class football at the University of Illinois. Herb was on the Illini team that beat Stanford 40-7 in the 1952 Rose Bowl. Neathery was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
David Theobald, class of 1968, went on to play NCAA football for Western Illinois University. In 1980 his Master's thesis "Learning the Concept of Trajectory and Performance in the Shot Put," was selected as one of the top pieces of research for 1978, by the University of Oregon. Theobald is the author of the books Cornjerkers and Turquoise.