When we think of Galesburg High School sports teams, we think of the GALESBURG SILVER STREAKS. There is pride in the nickname Silver Streaks. It is unique and it is fitting with our connection with the railroad.
Galesburg sports teams have not always been called the Silver Streaks. GHS teams have gone by a variety of nicknames thru time- Red Devils, Tigers, Tiger Cubs, Volks, and Ponies.
If you are proud of the “Silver Streaks”, you will have even more pride in the nickname when you hear how Galesburg became the Silver Streaks.
Up until 1935, GHS used the nickname of the Red Devils for the basketball team and Tigers for the other sports.
The first use of the nickname of the Silver Streaks is credited to be introduced by student, Bob Hatfield in a boys basketball game on January 25, 1935. Hatfield at the time was a junior at GHS. According to the GHS Reflector, Hatfield was not involved in sports but was part of a couple of service clubs.
The CB&Q Pioneer was a big, big deal in 1934. It was the “future of travel.” To promote rail travel, it was taken around the country for people to see. One estimate was that in its stops, over 2 million people had come out to see the train at various locations.
The Zephyr went thru Galesburg on the 26th. The Register-Mail in the paper the day before had the time estimate of when it would come thru Galesburg.
In 1934, Hollywood produced the movie, ”The Silver Streak.” While the movie was filmed in Hollywood, the train that they used was the Pioneer Zephyr. For the movie, instead of it saying “Burlington Zephyr” on the front of the engine, they changed it to “Silver Streak.” The movie was a hit, playing on the excitement of the “Dawn to Dusk” run.
There was no TV yet, so entertainment came in movies or radio shows. In 1934, one of the most popular radio shows was the Lone Ranger. On the radio show, each episode ended with the Lone Ranger urging his horse, Silver with the yell of “Hi Yo Silver.”
It is doubtful that a team of MBA’s in marketing could have put everything together the way Hatfield was able to do. He chose the movie name of “Silver Streak” instead of the name “Zephyr.” And he recognized the connection with the radio show, and it is claimed he attached the “Hi Yo Silver” as a cheer to start games. The combining of all three elements was sheer genius.
“Silver Streaks”, “Hi Yo Silver”, and the lightning bolt have been part of GHS basketball for over 90 years- and it all started with a train, the Chicago World’s Fair, a movie, a radio show, and a very clever GHS student.
Up until 1935, GHS used the nickname of the Red Devils for the basketball team and Tigers for the other sports.
Through the 1930’s, it seems that many schools did not have formal nicknames. This was era when newspaper writers took license and gave teams their own nicknames.
GHS basketball for two seasons was referred to as the Volks in 1928 and 1929. After seeing headlines of “Volks Win,” I went thru Google and AI to see what a Volk was. It turns out that the local reporter used the name because the GHS basketball coach was Coach Volker.
The first use of the nickname of the Silver Streaks is credited to be introduced by student, Bob Hatfield in a boys basketball game on January 25, 1935. Hatfield at the time was a junior at GHS. According to the GHS Reflector, Hatfield was not involved in sports but was part of a couple of service clubs.
Most Galesburg fans know that the name Silver Streak came from the sleek Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad’s Pioneer Zephyr. This makes sense but it should be realized when Hatfield first introduced the nickname in January of 1935, the Zephyr was not running a route thru Galesburg.
The big question is why in January of 1935 would a Galesburg student pick out the Zephyr train, and why would the Galesburg community jump on this idea? The answer lies in the 1934 Chicago World’s Fair, a popular movie, a popular radio show, and a marketing genius.
The CB&Q Pioneer was a big, big deal in 1934. It was the “future of travel.” To promote rail travel, it was taken around the country for people to see. One estimate was that in its stops, over 2 million people had come out to see the train at various locations.
As a promotional gimmick, the Pioneer Zephyr on May 26, 1934 made a famous “Dawn to Dusk” run from Denver to Chicago. This was done in conjunction with the Chicago World’s Fair. The intent was to set a record for the speed of a non-stop trip. It was such a big deal that people lined throughout the route to see the Zephyr come thru.
The Zephyr went thru Galesburg on the 26th. The Register-Mail in the paper the day before had the time estimate of when it would come thru Galesburg.
Thousands of Galesburg people went out to see the train. The train came thru between 3pm and 4pm. On that afternoon according to the newspaper, there were no cars on Main St. in Galesburg. The seven miles between Galesburg and Wataga was lined solid with cars waiting for the Pioneer Zephyr to come thru.
It took the train just over 13 hours to go the 775 miles from Denver to Chicago. The train averaged 77mph and reached speeds in excess of 112mph. All other trains were put on side tracks so the Zephyr did not have to stop. The Register-Mail reported that to go thru the side yards in Galesburg, the train slowed to only 50mph, still pretty fast.
So the Pioneer Zephyr was very big in 1934, and Galesburg happened to be in the middle of this historic run.
In 1934, Hollywood produced the movie, ”The Silver Streak.” While the movie was filmed in Hollywood, the train that they used was the Pioneer Zephyr. For the movie, instead of it saying “Burlington Zephyr” on the front of the engine, they changed it to “Silver Streak.” The movie was a hit, playing on the excitement of the “Dawn to Dusk” run.
There was no TV yet, so entertainment came in movies or radio shows. In 1934, one of the most popular radio shows was the Lone Ranger. On the radio show, each episode ended with the Lone Ranger urging his horse, Silver with the yell of “Hi Yo Silver.”
So this is where the genius of GHS junior student, Bob Hatfield comes in. Evidently he was a fan of the local GHS basketball team, which was called the Red Devils. Hatfield had the ingenuity to put the excitement of the Pioneer Zephyr together with the movie, the Silver Streak, and add in the Lone Ranger.
It is doubtful that a team of MBA’s in marketing could have put everything together the way Hatfield was able to do. He chose the movie name of “Silver Streak” instead of the name “Zephyr.” And he recognized the connection with the radio show, and it is claimed he attached the “Hi Yo Silver” as a cheer to start games. The combining of all three elements was sheer genius.
The boys basketball team after January 25, 1935 became known as the Silver Streaks. And a lightning bolt was soon after added to center court of Steele Gym.
The other sports at GHS did not immediately change to Silver Streaks, for several years they remained the Tigers before changing to the Silver Streaks.
According to the 1941 GHS Reflector, that year was when the other sports at GHS dropped Tigers as a nickname and also became the Silver Streaks.
It also was in 1941 when GHS began calling their JV or sophomore teams the “Ponies” for the first time. Before 1941, off and on the younger teams were referred to as the “Tiger Cubs.” The assumption would be that the nickname of Ponies came in connection to be the younger, smaller version of the horse, Silver of the Lone Ranger.
“Silver Streaks”, “Hi Yo Silver”, and the lightning bolt have been part of GHS basketball for over 90 years- and it all started with a train, the Chicago World’s Fair, a movie, a radio show, and a very clever GHS student.
A big thanks to Bob Hatfield, GHS class of 1936!! I nominate Bob for the GHS HOF.
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