A helicopter used to film a parade scene crashed during production on 30 June 2006. Witnesses said the helicopter was carrying the pilot, a producer and a photographer when it hit power lines and crashed into a field about 10 miles southwest of Cedar Rapids. The cinematographer, Roland Schlotzhauer, was killed in the crash.
Mike Boddicker who played for Norway High School and in the major leagues with Boston and Baltimore had his son James Boddicker play Richie Iverson. His daughter also sang the national anthem at the final game.
The bridge where Kent and Polly go for lunch is in Sutliff, IA which is about 45 miles from Norway.
The actual school the Norway merged to is Benton Community High school, located in Van Horne, IA.
Eliza Dushku was originally cast as "Polly Hudson" in this film, but dropped out. She was later replaced by Rachael Leigh Cook.