ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Elk Grove High School football’s Blue & Gold Kick-Off Dinner at the Elk Grove SES Hall celebrated the start of the football season and 100 years of football. 

Coaches, boosters, families and former players showed support on Saturday, Aug. 15, giving back to the program they have been a part of for years so the program can continue to grow. 

After the Varsity football team’s seniors served dinner came raffles and silent auctions, followed by dancing, ensuring everyone had a good time.

A table sold shirts and commemorative coins that celebrate a century of Elk Grove High School football.

“This event helps the Elk Grove Quarterback Club, so we can afford to buy the stuff they need that school can’t afford in their regular budget,” said Doug Remedios, president of the Elk Grove Quarterback Club.

The funds help with equipment, training gear or any other necessities for the team, as well as supporting the Herd tradition of team dinners on Thursdays before the games. 

Elk Grove High School has been building football tradition since 1926, when football was introduced by Head Coach Harold Cunningham. 

It slowly built over time to what the tradition-enriched football program is today. 

Elk Grove became a powerhouse football program in the 1980s. In 1984, the Thundering Herd, coached by Steve DaPrato, led a third-place league team to win the San-Joaquin Section Division I title. 

There was a historic season in 1998, where they went undefeated (14-0) on the season. That team was led by linebacker Lance Briggs and quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie, both of whom went on to play in the NFL. 

“It’s crazy to think that we have been doing football for 100 years, and the school itself has been around even longer. It's a great honor to be a part of that tradition and carry it forward,” Remedios said. 

Head Coach John Heffernan, on the job since 2017, is looking to keep that tradition of Elk Grove High School football growing.

He brought in a triple-option offense, where it took time for players to transition. But when they did the offense started to run like a well-oiled machine.

And they have been for nearly a decade, making it extremely difficult for defenses to stop as it is fast-paced and has a lot of misdirection.