Connections Murals Public Art Project
THE FOOTBALL TEAM

Mural Location:
Brown’s Shoe Fit, 937 Main Street
North wall

The Grinnell High School football team poses for a photo in 1932, the same year of Edith Renfrow’s high school graduation.

The names of the student participants on the 1932 football team were not recorded with the photo. Two of the coaches are identified as Mr. Frank and Mr. Starbuck. At this time, Grinnell High School was located on Fourth Avenue between Park and Broad Streets.

Football has been a part of Grinnell life since the public schools and Grinnell College began fielding teams. In fact, the high school and college teams both played their games on the college’s Ward Field from 1911 until 1961, when the current Grinnell High School was built.

Today, the high school is located at 1333 Sunset Street in northwestern Grinnell. The old high school building was demolished in 1980, but its connected middle school building was renovated and opened as Hotel Grinnell in 2018. Friday night games at Grinnell High School and Saturday Grinnell College games are still popular community events.

A project of the Grinnell Area Arts Council.

A special thank you to Brown’s Shoe Fit for hosting this mural.
Thank you to Monique Shore for her collaboration and support of this project.

Support for this project is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority, as well as by Grinnell College, the City of Grinnell, Friends of Drake Community Library, Drake Community Library and Grin Cupola.