Is the timing right for a Spartans revival?

For several decades, the Sudbury Spartans (nee Hardrocks) were as much a part of Sudbury summers as black flies and blueberries.

After 53 straight seasons of play within the Northern Football Conference, the local senior gridiron squad took a one year leave of absence in 2007, a move that would eventually lead to the team closing up shop altogether over the course of the next few years.

But four seasons after local fans last assembled at Queen’s Athletic Field, rattling their support for the silver and blue, football is clearly enjoying a revival in the city.

The high school loop — now eight teams strong — is welcoming attention that has likely not been seen since the 1960s, with up to a thousand or more in attendance when the lads play under the lights.

The Joe MacDonald Youth Football League is benefiting from the return to the coaching ranks of countless gentlemen, more than a little familiar with the game, developing a solid base of talent by the time the teenagers begin their secondary school careers.

And the Sudbury Gladiators see each new year of Ontario Football Conference competition as an opportunity to out-do the accomplishments of the previous summer.

So with all going well in the land of the linemen, the timing would seem ideal for a revival of the most history-rich football franchise in the area, right?

Not so fast, according to many who are well-acquainted with the countless challenges that faced the Spartans at the time of their demise. While a return to play is never impossible, most surveyed deem it unlikely at best — an assessment with which I agree.

And that is no slight against those who would like to see it happen. It is simply the reality of the environment facing any group wishing to revive past glories of NFC championships — 18 in all — covering 1954 to 1992.

“The reason the other NFC teams are so strong is that they have a senior pool (of talent) to pull from,” current Gladiators head coach and 13-year NFC veteran Brent Richer said. “They have university teams in all of these towns (except North Bay) — we don’t have that luxury here.”

In truth, the starting point of any reasonable conversation about the feasibility of NFC football in the Nickel City starts and ends with player availability. While the Hardrocks may have started as a “senior” team, built around a core of talent that would range primarily in range from 20 to 35, that was not the situation the late Sid Forster faced through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

During the latter stages of the Spartans’ history, the legendary coach found himself trying to piece together a mix of far too young high schoolers (at least “far too young” to be lining up opposite men in their late 20s, with both university and CFL training camp experience behind them) with a ever-decreasing segment of hard core veterans.

After the passing of Forster in the mid-1990s, the downward spiral eventually became too difficult to escape. “The problem with the Spartans has always been trying to get guys out to practice,” former CFLer and current Lasalle Secondary coach Mike Derks said.

“Guys have to work, make hay while they can during the summer. You have to find players who understand their role and the discipline needed.”

Derks was part of the Spartans’ staff in the last championship season back in 1992.

Although the increased competitiveness and positive atmosphere surrounding the Sudbury Gladiators is good news for the sport locally, it removes at least a segment of players who might have suited up with the Spartans.

Some might contend that the young footballers of today simply do not have the same “intestinal fortitude” of Spartans gone by, gentlemen who might play into their 40s, while still dealing with all of the other responsibilities of family and work.

But Sam Cuomo, a man who spent 10 summers waging NFC combat, disagrees. The coach of the Gladiators varsity squad maintains the kids of today are not all that different than those who have come before. “I do see some kids who really have that talent and drive to continue playing football,” Cuomo said. “There are a few, but it’s not everybody.”

So in the end, the jury is still out. But regardless of whether the Sudbury Spartans live to fight the NFC battle of another day, they will always have a special place in the hearts of all those who appreciate the rich tradition of the sport in northern Ontario.

Randy Pascal is the voice of Eastlink Sports and the founder of SudburySports.com.