The Story of the Barrow High Whalers Continues

Longtime readers of this site are familiar with the story of the Barrow (Alaska) High football team. In case you are not, here is a quick refresher.

Back in 2006, we got a tip from a reader that Barrow was starting a football program. School officials took the unusual step to combat high dropout rates and drug and alcohol issues. Note that Barrow is 340 miles north of the Arctic Circle and because it's too far north for anything to grow, the team played its first season on a gravel field.

ESPN's Wayne Drehs saw our coverage and pitched the story to editors. A few weeks later, he was on a plane to chronicle the Whalers' first game.