by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
An old tradition has been reborn. Friday night, Thief River Falls football fans once again heard the audible roar of the Prowler Football Van after big plays made by the Prowlers during the game.
The original Prowler Football Van debuted in 2007. Lee Plumbing & Heating donated an old work van to the Thief River Falls football program.
“We raised some funds among the parents and had it painted at the college,” said Jim Mattison, whose son Billy was a senior on the 2007 Prowler football team. “In ’05 and ’06, there were a lot of the students who were backing their cars up to the fence and revving their engines after scores. The parents got together and decided to get them a support vehicle.”
John Weets at Big John’s Muffler donated pipes for the van. The original Prowler Van was up and running, and it led the chorus of loud engines game after game.
Jeff Mumm, head football coach at the time, said the goal of the van was to get support from non-athletes.
“We had a spot at the MEC where all the kids who had trucks would park together at the south end,” Mumm said. “Mr. Lynn Dyer had it coned off, so no one could park there except them. Big trucks, loud trucks, flags, tailgating, etc. Not sure what else was going on back there, but we left them alone. When the National Anthem was done, they’d rev up their trucks. They’d do the same after we scored. Loud, obnoxious, but a great tradition that just pissed off our opponents. The Prowler Van would lead it.”
The tradition of the Prowler Van continued for the next 11 seasons. Each year, the van was entrusted to one of the senior captains and his family. The family would insure the vehicle for the year. Following the season, that player would pass the torch, or, in this case the van keys and title to the van, to a junior who would take responsibility for it for the subsequent winter, spring and summer.
The original Prowler Van met its demise this past winter, when the shed it was stored in collapsed due to the excessive snow volume. It appeared that the tradition had died … at least for the first few weeks of the current season.
The new Prowler Van
Jeff Brouse, owner of The Shop and father of sophomore lineman Jaxon Brouse, was recently approached by DHL for some work. The delivery company wanted to retire a pair of vans and they inquired about the cost to have the logos removed. They also asked Brouse what he thought the vans could get if they were sold to a junk yard.
Brouse estimated that the cost to de-badge the vans would be about $500 each. He also figured they’d also get about $500 at a junk yard. Based on those numbers, DHL basically decided to give the vans away.
“They said, ‘If you de-badge the vans, then you can have them,’” Brouse said.
Brouse started removing the DHL logos from the first van and the yellow color caught the eye of his wife, Lesley.
“She’s the one that said that would be a good Prowler Van,” Jeff Brouse said.
Brouse agreed with his wife’s idea and he began making calls, contacting Jerod Kolden and Jill Johnson, who both have seniors on the current team.
“I fixed up the rust on the bottom and painted it quick, and cleaned it all up,” Brouse said. “Then, I called Big John and he donated the pipes on it. Then Jerod Kolden called Adam at Universal Screenprint and Adam donated all of the decals. Kolden gave me a little bit of money for doing the work on it. I told him I’ll donate the van, just give me a little something to pay my guys for doing the work on it. I don’t want to make any money off of it. That’s how we got it together for nothing really.”
The new van was unveiled toward of the end of the Prowlers’ practice Thursday afternoon and Brouse had the honors of driving the van to the field.
“We took it out to their practice [Thursday] and I whipped around the old practice field and had some fun,” Brouse said.
Overall, the process took about three weeks from the initial donation until completion. Only a few players had knowledge of the van and they kept the new van’s existence under wraps until its unveiling Thursday. Mumm said he teared up at the sight of the new Prowler Van when it arrived at practice.
“What a great surprise at practice,” Mumm said. “Things may come and go in time, but I’d sure love for this tradition to be a part of Prowler football long after I’m gone.”
Prior to the start of Friday’s game, the van was driven by seniors Cole Johnson and Matthew Kolden to its usual spot just outside the south end zone prior to Friday’s game against Pequot Lakes. The van roared when the Prowlers took the field to start the game, and after big plays on both sides of the ball. Sadly, the van’s engine did not get revved for any touchdowns, as the Prowlers fell to the Pequot Lakes Patriots 18-0.