The Codger Pole is a prominent attraction in the small town of Colfax, Washington. It’s unique, at least in my experience, in that it commemorates a high school football rematch. This rematch game was played fifty years after the original game, by many of the same participants.
As many of the players from the original game had died or were physically unable to play, the rules were relaxed to include those over 60 years old who had attended either St. John or Colfax. Also, the rematch was a “touch” and not “tackle” game. 4,000 people turned out to watch the rematch — a big event in this small community. The Colfax Bulldogs lost to the St. John Eagles in 1938 (14 – 0), but won the rematch fifty years later (6 – 0).
The “pole” is comprised of five separate cedar logs with the 51 busts of all of the senior citizen players carved into them, topped by a sculpture of a generic bearded “codger.” It’s claimed the pole is world’s largest football monument, standing 65 feet tall. It was carved by Jonathan LaBenne, a resident of Idyllwild, California.
