You'd swear it was the NFL

CROWN POINT -- It isn't the NFL, but considering the time and energy Bob Crowder devotes to it, you'd swear it was.A typical fall Sunday finds some guys attending church in the morning, and many more watching football in the afternoon. Crowder is no exception, but instead of sitting at home watching Fox or CBS, he's off somewhere in the Midwest scouting the Lake County Steelers' next opponent. - NFL Football -
Other times, Crowder is busy trying to get the Region's former blue-chippers (linemen in particular), to come out for the six-year-old semipro team. That's probably the hardest part of his job."It's hard to make chicken salad when you don't have all the ingredients," said Crowder, a 1974 Morton grad who coached Pop Warner football for about 10 years before getting involved with semipro. The players he works with now have to be at least 18 and through high school."With all these teams doing so well -- Crown Point, Merrillville, Andrean, Lake Central -- you'd think a few of those guys would be interested in coming back to play a litle football," Crowder said. - NFL Football -
The Steelers were 1-1 in preseason play, having been swamped by the Bolingbrook Stallions in their exhibition finale, 32-0."We were pretty flat," Crowder said. "Plus we were missing 10 or 12 guys (who have committed to play this season but couldn't make it because of work or other commitments)."Semipro football is a funny thing -- you can be league champs one year and out of business the next. Thanks to shrewd, aggressive promotion, the Steelers have surpassed the average life span of a semipro franchise.The Steelers are one of the few semipro teams with a Web site, and it's updated on a regular basis. - NFL Football -
They enjoy excellent support from the business community, especially since moving to Crown Point in 2003. The team plays at the old Crown Point High School stadium, which remains standing even though the school itself has been torn down."We have lights, a scoreboard, a concession stand and bleachers," Crowder said. "Basically, that's all we need."The Crown Point Community School Corp. still owns the property and is planning to build a new middle school there. - NFL Football -
"We have a very good relationship with the school corporation," said Crowder, who credited assistant superintendent Rick Grandberry with helping accomodate the team.The Steelers have averaged about 100 fans a game, a number Crowder would like to see improve.
Meanwhile, Crowder is trying to enhance the team's visibility in the community. The Steelers are members of the Crown Point Chamber of Commerce, ran a food booth and handed out stylish pocket schedules during the city's Hometown Square Festival, and hosted a "Crown Point Night" at a preseason game to which residents of the city were admitted for free.The Steelers are playing six home games in Crown Point this season. - NFL Football -
Their opener is Aug. 6 against the Kankakee Bisons, and the season finale is Sept. 24 against the Indiana Titans.

DAVID SMEAD