Before each Bridgeport High School home football contest, about a half dozen very enthusiastic volunteers assemble about 300 hotdogs. Set up in assembly line fashion, the production includes dropping a steamed wiener into a bun, adding a generous dollop of chili and a sprinkling of onions, carefully wrapping the dogs in foil then tucking them into a cooler – with a warming blanket - to stay warm until the very last Indian fan has purchased his or her game-time dog.

 

It’s not rocket science, but the chemistry between these folks might just be the secret ingredient. You see, as the years have rolled on, parent volunteers have joined this team. Long after their gridironers graduated, these hotdog wrappers have stuck around; some for as long as 25 years.  

 

Let’s meet the team:

 

Barry Buffington, dad of kicker and punter Robbie Buffington, who played for the Indians from 1991-1994;

 

Vicki Huffman, mother of middle linebacker Tyler Morgan, who played 2010 through 2013. (Huffman’s husband Jay Matthews was spotted in the lineup, but he said he prefers to stay on the sidelines.)

 

June  Hineman, mother of defensive lineman Todd Hineman, who completed his high school football career in 1988 with a Class AA championship.

 

George Davis, dad of Phillip Davis, who ran hurdles for the BHS Track Team and graduated in 1996. 

 

Also part of the special team are various BHS Booster members and concession stand coordinators, who will likely remain as key players in the coming years. The night I stopped by, Sam Olivio – dad of the Tribe’s #85 Christian Olivio - was wrapping away, laughing as he listened to story after story. Boosters President Brenda Friel, mother of linebacker #36 Seth Friel, was also buzzing around as she prepared the concession stand for a busy night of business.

 

The crew gathers at the concession stand at about 4 p.m. on nights the Indians host their opponent. They get a rhythm going; assembling a predetermined amount of hotdogs with and without chili and onions. The dogs are then wrapped and stored for warmth. The process takes about an hour, but the team has been known to break its own record. They’ve also been known to fumble a time or two. The most dreaded phrase to hear, they say, is “wiener down.”

 

After the dedicated volunteers finish their job, they typically take their spot in the stands to cheer on the Tribe. If needed, they sometimes return to the concession stand to help with the halftime rush. 

 

Though many have remained constant, the team has included other key players through the years, including “the Duke girls,” Mary Jo Lanzy, Donna Caroli, Melinda Lindsay and their mother Virginia.

 

Compared to “the old days,” the current concession stand is like the Taj Mahal. 

 

“Years ago, the early concession stand was about a fourth of this size,” Hineman said. “We had three people in the back doing hot chocolate and coffee and we could hardly move.”

 

Through the years, these community members and countless others have been involved with the concession stand; serving up pizza, drizzling cheese on nachos and tallying up order totals in their heads. Each year, a booster club president oversees the operations.

 

“There have been many, many chiefs through the years, but they aren’t here in name only,” Hineman said. “They work very hard.”

 

The crew has put in a lot of work through the years, but they’ve also had some tremendous times. 

 

“What else would you want to do on a Friday evening?” Hineman asked.

 

Editor’s Note: BHS football concessions is the booster club’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in thousands of dollars each season to support the school’s athletic programs. 

 

Julie Perine can be reached at 304-848-7200, julie@connect-bridgeport.com or follow @JuliePerine on Twitter. 

 

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