Johnny Chung Rides Again!
One of my favorite sports stories is the football hoax created by a couple of New York stockbrokers almost 85 years ago. They invented a fictional college football team that played in a fictional league comprised of made-up teams. The Plainfield Teachers College Comets were led by a hard running, slashing halfback named Johnny Chung. The stockbrokers reported bogus game scores that were dutifully published by New York newspapers. The Comets were unbeaten and untied late in the season when the hoax was discovered. Then, the story got smothered by other events in the news. About three weeks after the hoax was exposed… the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
The faux success of the Plainfield Teachers College Comets and Johnny Chung was fun while it lasted. The stockbrokers paid for a separate phone line that supposedly rang at the desk of the college’s sports information director, Jerry Croyden. During my first year teaching US History at a private high school, I had a chance to resurrect Jerry Croyden.
I was hired, along with a half dozen other educators, to teach during the 2007-2008 academic year. The other new teacher hired to teach in the history department was a recent Princeton grad named Heather Jackson. She was adored by her students. Unfortunately for her students, Heather only taught for two years. Fortunately for Heather, she left teaching to begin pursuit of her dream to become a professional athlete. Not many folks would abandon a secure and stable job to start a new career with a lot of unknowns, but Heather did. She moved from the Bay Area to San Diego to train for triathlons, and in a relatively short period of time, Heather began moving up the ranks of international triathletes.
Another popular teacher was hired that same year… Andrew Irvine. Like Heather, Andrew was in his twenties, and the youthful exuberance he brought to his chemistry classes endeared him to his students.
In the second semester of my first year teaching US History, I signed on to coach offensive and defensive line for the varsity football team beginning in the fall of 2008. Andrew was also bitten by the coaching bug. In the spring of 2008, he signed on as an assistant coach for the school’s newly formed girls lacrosse team. He didn’t have any real experience coaching or playing lacrosse, but he was willing to learn.
Heather, Andrew, and I became fast friends. The school made intense academic demands of its students and intense demands of its faculty… but you can always find a way to have some fun.
Enter Jerry Croyden…
I created an email account for my new nom de plume… Jerry Croyden. Once again, Jerry was “working” as the Plainfield Teachers College sports information director. “Jerry” emailed Andrew and asked him if he would be agreeable to meeting with two graduate assistants who were researching start-up sports teams on the secondary school level. The assistants were Hannah Jensen… code for Heather Jackson… and Raoul Flores… code for Ray Fowler. Andrew, ever the accommodating soul, said he would be glad to help.
Then, Andrew became a little worried. He asked “Jerry” if Andrew’s school’s athletic director had referred the Plainfield Teachers College to him, but Jerry did not respond. Andrew sought advice from his school’s AD (Athletic Director). The school’s AD said it would be OK to help the grad assistants during their visit to the West Coast in a few weeks… if Andrew could verify their credentials. The lacrosse head coach said the grad assistants could observe team practices as long as the visitors’ research project did not take too much time away from Andrew’s coaching duties. Neither the AD nor the head lacrosse coach was part of the prank. Andrew was becoming worried because all he had from Jerry and Plainfield Teachers College were a couple of vague emails.
This is where the plot thickens…
At private schools, the person performing the duties most people associate with a school principal is often designated as “Head of School.” You know… like Albus Dumbledore. I contacted our Head of School… who was coincidentally a successful high school basketball coach… and asked him if he would like to be part of the prank. His eyes lit up and sly smile appeared… he was all in. So, we set up a bogus campus visit by a couple of bogus grad assistants.
Jerry sent Andrew an email to advise him that Hannah and Raoul planned to interview him using a questionnaire they had developed for coaches of start-up high school sports teams. Jerry’s email continued by saying Hannah and Raoul planned to present Andrew with some complimentary Plainfield Teachers School athletic gear to thank him for helping with the project. The email closed by saying Hannah and Raoul were en route to meet Andrew. At this point, Andrew was becoming very nervous as he had not been able to verify the grad assistants’ credentials. Things were spinning out of control for Andrew. This is where the Head of School… Andrew’s boss… stepped up like a trooper. He called Andrew to his office after Hannah and Raoul had allegedly checked in with the Head of School at the school’s main office.
Anndrew rushed over to the Head of School’s office. Upon arriving, he tried to explain that he had not been able to verify Hannah and Raoul’s credentials largely because Jerry Croyden had not answered Andrew’s emails. The Head of School sternly instructed Andrew to locate the visitors and complete the questionnaire developed by the Plainfield Teachers College researchers. He read a sampling of the questions to Andrew. They included queries like… would a lacrosse stick with baskets on both ends increase team scoring? Do molded cleats perform better on artificial turf than cleats attached individually to the soles of field sports footwear? The questions became increasingly obscure. What was going on? The Head of School set aside the questionnaire and reached into a bag next to his desk. He pulled out a Plainfield Teachers College sweatshirt and tossed it to Andrew who had just realized he had been pranked. There is no Plainfield Teachers College or Jerry Croyden or Johnny Chung.
For years, Andrew kept that sweatshirt in a drawer in his classroom, and every once in a while, he would show it to his students and tell the story. Andrew is still teaching chemistry with that same “youthful exuberance” seventeen years after two Plainfield Teachers College grad assistants stopped by to interview him. Andrew promised he would get even with Heather and me one day. He never did. I’m guessing there’s a chance that sweatshirt may still be in Andrew’s classroom.
Copyright © 2025 by Ray Fowler
