Interesting Illinois High School Names-- Part 2: Cobden Apple-Knockers

This small southern Illinois town of 900 had quite a thrill back in 1964 when its high school basketball team made a dramatic run in the state tournament before teams were divided into classes. The school at the time had 147 students. They played in the championship game before losing. (Hebron High School near me here in northern Illinois, went all the way in 1952 with an equally small school. Real "Hoosiers.") Today, the town's population is 1,157 according to the 2010 census. //// The area is known for its peaches and apples and named for a British politician and free-trade advocate Richard Cobden. //// A strong packing industry thrived for decades. The high school did not have a nickname so other schools began derisevely calling them the Apple-Knockers and the name stuck, so much it became the official name. //// Knock Me If You Must. --RoadDog