Most of us take a warm winter coat, hat, or gloves for granted, but that’s simply not true for thousands of Illinois children.  Please help Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops with their Snug Hugs for Kids™ winter clothing drive by donating new and like-new winter gear to benefit the children served by Children’s Home + Aid  (childrenshomeandaid.org/).

Items needed most include coats, hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters, and boots for children aged newborn to 18 years old. You can drop these items off at your local Merlin 200,000 Miles Shop from November 1 through December 6, 2011. 

Two additional Snug Hugs for Kids™ support programs are also taking place to assist in the collection of winter outerwear.

1.    The Kids Helping Kids program encourages Girl and Boy Scout troops and youth groups to collect and earn an embroidered badge for their efforts.  Registration forms can be printed at www.merlins.com/news.php.

2.    The Crochet & Knit-A-Thon encourages talented individuals who knit and crochet to handcraft items for the children.  Participants can register for the program at www.childrenshomeandaid.org/snughugs.

For more information, please visit www.merlins.com/news.php

A portion of the proceeds will be given back to the American Heart Association.

For more information call 815-748-0000 or go to tinyurl.com/goredforwomendekalb.

The answer is:  Linda Hamilton. In 1985 Hamilton was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress for “The Terminator”, in 1992 she won for “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”. She received special weapons training from former Israeli commando Uzi Gal before making “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

1. Who did NIU defeat in 1899 for their first collegiate victory?

a] North Central College

b] DeKalb High School

c] Eastern Illinois

d] Illinois State

2. Who did NIU not defeat in the 2003 season?

a] Nebraska

b] Alabama

c] Maryland

d] Iowa State

Do you know the answers? Here they are:

1.  b] DeKalb High School.  Northern Illinois with a roster of 14 players defeated DeKalb High School, 16-0 on November 10, 1899.

2. a] Nebraska.  On the opening weekend, NIU beat #14 Maryland 20-17 in overtime. Then, the Huskies traveled to Tuscaloosa and beat #21 Alabama 16-13.They followed with a 24-16 victory over Iowa State.

1. True or false: The origin of American football can be traced back to early forms of rugby.

2. The first intercollegiate football game was played between which two teams?

a.] Rutgers & Princeton

b.] Harvard & Yale

c.] Buffalo Prospects & Canton Bulldogs

3. Who was the first professional football player?

a.] Jay Berwanger

b.] William “Pudge” Heffelfinger

c.] Charles Follis

4. The first television broadcast of an NFL game aired in 1939 on what station?

a.] ABC

b.] CBS

c.] NBC

d.] ESPN

5. True or False: The first Super Bowl champions were the Dallas Cowboys.

6. True or False: John F. Kennedy was the first President to attend an NFL game while in office.

7. Who is the oldest player in NFL history, who was 48 at the end of his last season with the Oakland Raiders?

a.] Ray Brown

b.] John Nesser

c.] George Blanda

Think you know the answers? Here they are:

1.  TRUE.   American football resulted from several major divergences from rugby, most notably the rule changes instituted by Walter Camp, considered the “Father of American Football.” Among these important changes were the introductions of the line of scrimmage and of down-and-distance rules.

 2.  a.] Rutgers & Princeton.  On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University in a game that was played with a round ball under “Football Association” rules (i.e. soccer) but is often regarded as the first game of intercollegiate football.

 3.  b.] William “Pudge” Heffelfinger.  Heffelfinger was paid $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association on November 12, 1892.

 4.  c.] NBC.   The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-14.

5.  FALSE.  The National Football League (NFL) champion Green Bay Packers (14–2) scored 3 second-half touchdowns en route to a 35–10 win over the American Football League (AFL) champion Kansas City Chiefs (12–3–1).

 6.  FALSE.  Lyndon Johnson attended a pre-season game at D.C. Stadium on August 3, 1966.

 7.  c.] George Blanda.  Blanda’s final year was 1975 for the Oakland Raiders.

It’s time for football! Check out the September issue of New Values Magazine for NIU and local High School football schedules. Test your knowledge with our Football Trivia! The magazine is loaded with other great information like puzzles, trivia and community annoucements. Check out DeKalb County’s leading monthly coupon magazine.

And be sure to visit our web site throughout the coming weeks — we’ll have great stories and articles from our advertisers, updates on community events and much, much more.