The Hinsdale South 2025 homecoming game kicked off September 19 and fans were excited to witness this matchup between Hinsdale South and Addison Trail. Many believed the Hornets would come up with the win, but Addison Trail proved victorious 21-7. This was just one of 60 yearly homecoming games at Hinsdale South. But this begs the question: Where did homecoming tradition originate?

In the early 1900s, colleges like University of Illinois, University Missouri, and Baylor all claimed to have the first homecoming. These colleges invited former students to return for a football game and the schools hosted parades and rallies.

University of Missouri athletic director Chester Brewer invited all alumni to come home to watch a football game in 1911. This was a massive success as tens of thousands of former students attended the game making it one of the most populated college football games at the time.

This turned into a tradition for many colleges and universities. Soon, high schools adopted the practice. The idea of homecoming was twisted and turned until it became the version of it we know and love today.

High schools faced the problem with alumni not being able to return to these games as most were far from home at college. They decided to make the tradition a celebration of getting to watch their team play on their home turf after weeks of playing away.

“Homecoming games and dances are always fun,” sophomore Andrei Dirlevski said. “It’s nice because it takes the stress from school away.”

Homecoming today looks way different from how it started, but the purpose is the same. Now we’ve added spirit week, dances, royalty, parades, sashes, and plenty of traditions. If the creators of the first homecoming had known what it would turn into, they’d probably have been surprised but still recognize the point of it. No matter how much it changes, it’s still about coming together as a school and celebrating where we belong.