Downers Grove South Mustangs V Hinsdale South Hornets Soccer teams Battle For the Bell!!!

The Battle of the Southern Bell History.

Downers Grove South Mustangs vs. Hinsdale South Hornets.

The rivalry began when Downers Grove South started its varsity soccer program in 1976.

A year later Hinsdale South began playing soccer. The Hornets coach Larry Foss and then Mustangs coach Chuck Novotny put their heads together and found a way to make the game special!

Inspired by the cannon awarded to the winner of the Downers South-Hinsdale South football game, the coaches came up with the idea of the bell-the Southern Bell. At a Sears store in Chicago, Foss bought the bell for about $50 at nearly a dollar a pound.

Since then it’s been the symbol of the unique relationship between the players on both teams!