Orphans – Centralia (IL) High School

So, that’s what an orphan looks like, huh?

Centralia is actually not all that central. The town of 12,000 is in southern Illinois. It was actually named after the Illinois Central RR, way back in 1859.

Centralia has a couple of claims to fame. For one, it used to produce the PayDay candy bar. Second, it was the site of a terrible mining disaster, with 111 casualties. The town also has its own philharmonic, hosts a Balloon Fest, and is also the site of a state prison. An odd collection of facts, I know.

Plus this tower thing

Of their 28 “notable people” on Wikipedia, I actually know a couple. Do note, though, that that does not include Ora A. Oldfield, Dottie Wham, and Smiley Quick.

Smiley was a golfer

The high school has over 800 students. On the athletic side, it was the first high school in Illinois to win 2,000 games (in basketball).

Now, about that mascot … Turns out it originated in the 1940s when a sportswriter commented that the team looked like orphans because of their mismatched uniforms. Previously, the team was known as the Cardinals, Redbirds, and Troutmen.

I have no idea about that last one. A quick search on Google Images gives me lots of pix with fish and fishermen, but also a bunch for a Swedish rock band,

By the way, the Orphans are only for the boys teams. The girls are called the Annies.

Finally, the Orphans were once voted Most Unique Mascot in the country by USA Today.