The Rest of the Best of the 1910s

After reviewing the best teams of the decade I'd like to highlight the best players, coach and game from 1910-1919.

The Best Game

The 1910 game between state champion Oshkosh and Marinette was a battle between two titans. Not only were the two teams evenly matched but it was a game that featured two of the best linemen for the first 30+ years of Wisconsin high school football. Junior Arlie “Hercules” Mucks for Oshkosh and senior Richard “Jab” Murray of Marinette faced each other. Oshkosh featured three all-state players and Marinette had two that season. Also playing for Oshkosh were three more future all-state payers so there was a lot of talent on the field. Playing on an inch and a half of snow, per the Appleton Post-Crescent, both teams struggled to hold onto the ball. Marinette struck first but a blocked punt and return tied the game for Oshkosh. Oshkosh's Archie Slover secured a safety on the subsequent kick-off by Mucks. In the third quarter, a fumble recovery, scoop and score (the second for end John Rasmussen) for Oshkosh put them up 13-6 which is how the game would end. Oshkosh's offense never scored but Muck's booming punts and Rasmussen's two fumble returns were enough to defeat Marinette.

Oconto fell to Marinette two weeks before this prime matchup. Chippewa Falls, the 1909 state champion, had an opening in their schedule and they challenged the Marines to a game but their only opening was the next week, one that Marinette was to play Oshkosh. Marinette asked the Titans to move their match back a week so it was agreed and Marinette went on to beat Chippewa Falls 11-8. With an open date of their own, Oshkosh challenged Oconto, who was also without a game that week and they prevailed easily over the smaller school 33-0. After beating Marinette, Oshkosh set up a title game with Eau Claire which ended in a 0-0 tie. Oshkosh then claimed the state title due to their not having been beaten by a high school team that year. They ended with a 5-2-1 record after having lost to Ripon College and Oshkosh Normal.

Despite all the talent from Mucks, Simpson, Murray and others, John Rasmussen was the star of this game with his two scoop and scores for Oshkosh. He went on to play for Nebraska and was eventually named an All-American in 1917 while playing at Camp Grant and starring in a victory over Camp Custer. Two World War I army training facilities:

Spalding's 1918 Official Football Guide

The Best Coach

Ira "Irl" Tubbs coached at Superior towards the end of the decade to two state titles as the Vikings dominated the northwest part of Wisconsin and the northeast part of Minnesota. He was a great innovator utilizing the pass to help his powerful ground game. He was also an inventor who developed the needle that is used in sports balls to inflate them. He also developed better pads and footgear for the football field. He left in 1922 to coach at Superior Normal and later as the head coach at Iowa and Miami (FL).

His 1918 Superior team ranked 3rd on my list of the top teams of the decade.

The Best Players

Yes, I know that the main Best of the Best team has seven linemen and four running backs with a total of 14 members as well as 10 very talented honorable mentions. One of those players was a tackle from Fort Atkinson named Earl Pottinger who earned first team all-state as a center on three separate press teams and on a fourth team he was named as a guard. he was hard not to put on the main all-decade team and was relegated to the honorable mention list. Note that the 1911 Fort Atkinson team has four players on that honorable mention list. I included John Hancock to the Best team as he was a super fullback for Superior as a sophomore in 1918 and a junior in 1919. He led the state in scoring for those seasons as well as in 1920. Making the selections for players whose careers overlapped decades is difficult to decide what year to show as their season on the list. For almost every list I have just the player's senior year. Arlie Mucks from Oshkosh started as a freshman in 1908 and played until 1911. He was most dominant from 1909-1911. I actually could have added him to my 1884-1909 list even as a freshman. he was that good.

Many of these players, coaches and teams are profiled in more detail in my book!

Final Note

I want to thank Dana Bertelsen of the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson who did some very helpful research in getting the first names of seven players and coaches from the local high school for the 1902-1911 period. Those names are Coach George Lloyd who coached Fort Atkinson from 1902-1908 who directed them to the 1902 title and Coach Allen Vosberg who coached the 1911 state title team. Two of the star members of the 1911 team were already known, those being Howard Lee “Whitey” Woodin and three-year starter at halfback Earl Beach. First names were found for Earl’s brother, Burns Beach who was also a three-year starter at the other halfback spot. Other first names were found for star center Earl Pottinger, end Arthur Mussehl, guard Ralph Owens and quarterback/kicker John Dickoff. Thanks Dana!

Another thanks goes to Jerrod Roll, the Director of the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum (Sparta) and his Volunteer Researcher, Barb for their sending me great information on both the 1907 and 1913 Sparta squads. Without their help the information here and in several other stories would not have been complete.

The Best Teams of the 1910s

As the decade began, Oshkosh was THE team in Wisconsin. The school claimed six state titles (though I and non-local contemporary papers only credited them with three in 1908, 1910 and 1912). After losing to Eau Claire in 1907 (11-0), Oshkosh didn't lose to another high school team until falling to Green Bay West (10-0) in 1914. The 1912 team came closest to going undefeated at 7-1-0 having lost their first game to Ripon College. The school produced many future college athletes and was truly a feared team to be faced. Things changed as the decade progressed and while Oshkosh still produced good teams, none matched the heights of the 1908-1912 era.

In the middle of the decade La Crosse, Delafield St. John's and Edgerton rose to the top ranks and as the decade ended, Superior was the terror of the north and the best overall program from 1918-1920. These teams were also loaded with great talent.

#10: TIE

MILWAUKEE EAST - 1915 - 8-1-0

MARINETTE - 1919 - 7-0-0

Milwaukee East, also known as Riverside, beat Ashland 14-3 for the state title in 1915. The team's only loss was the season opener against the Alumni team, 13-0. Clinton Miller at guard and Walter Kuehn at end were the stars. East tied with 1919 Marinette for 10th place on my list. The two teams were that good that I couldn't leave either off the list.

1919 Marinette ruled the state as they cruised to the title, posting seven wins in a season still feeling the effects of the great influenza epidemic. The Marines shutout six of their opponents and allowed only one score on the year. They totaled 258 points, beating Kaukauna 52-0, Oconto 82-0, Green Bay East 19-0, Green Bay West 36-0, Escanaba (MI) 34-6, Menominee (MI) 20-0. They met Appleton, playing at Lawrence College, for the title and won 14-0.

#9: OSHKOSH - 1912 - 7-1-0

The 1912 Oshkosh team was the state title team that defeated Janesville for the title, 28-0. An impressive score considering they only scored 178 total on the season. They featured four all-state players, quarterback Eber Simpson, center Farrand Rideout, halfback Covey (first name unknown) and end DeVinney (first name also unknown).

#8: MARINETE - 1917 - 6-0-0

Marinette started to become a power in the northeast as well as the state late in the 1910s and then on to the 1920s. A smaller city about half the size as others in the area, Marinette rivaled the Green Bay football programs for area supremacy. The team went undefeated, untied and unscored upon as they scored 274 points in only six games for a 45.67 point per game average.

#7: LA CROSSE - 1914 - 8-0-0

La Crosse in 1914 scored 283 points and allowed only 13 with five shutouts. When St. John's decided to play Chippewa Falls, the top team in the northwest for the title, La Crosse couldn't find a high school to play and so they set a match with La Crosse Normal. They beat the team 13-0 and because St. John's was a private school some discounted their record despite their obviously superior competition. Still, La Crosse dominated the western part of the state.

#6: Fort Atkinson - 1911 - 7-0-0

The end of the 1911 season was full of controversy but Fort Atkinson won the hearts of most sports writers from around the state, except for those in the northeast. After going undefeated, untied and unscored upon while scoring 138 points with a 7-0-0 record, Fort had a right to claim the title, even though a firm title match could not be set up. Fort Atkinson was prepared to play Green Bay West after they dispatched Green Bay East on Thanksgiving Day but despite having a poor record, upset West. Fort beat Racine on the same day and so, Oshkosh now claimed to be the best team in the northeast even with a 4-3-2 record. Bad weather throughout the state set in on the day before Thanksgiving and was expected to get worse. Fort Atkinson refused to meet Oshkosh and so the claims for the title went to the press to decide.

#5: Sparta - 1913 - 9-0-1

Sparta returned to the top in 1913 after taking the title in 1907. The Spartans beat all of their opponents except for a 0-0 tie against Oshkosh. The team scored 462 points and allowed only 25 with six shutouts. Their smashing 60-2 win over Grand Rapids (Wisconsin Rapids), a team that posted seven shutouts and allowed only 72 points, showed the state that they were a force to be reckoned with as the Milwaukee Sentinel crowned Sparta as the champ nearly a week before they played their final game, a 13-10 win over La Crosse.

#4: Delafield St. John's Military Academy - 1917 - 6-1-0

Ralph Fletcher (St. John's Head Coach from 1914-1927) - from 1920 yearbook

The 1917 St. John's team is the only school in the top 10 list that didn't win the state title. Their schedule was VERY tough as it was becoming harder for the Lancers to find Wisconsin public high school opponents willing to play them. The school scored 428 points, a 61.14 per game average and allowed only 14. They beat three college teams, Oshkosh Normal 61-0, St. Norbert 55-0 and Milton 122-0. They also played the Murray Athletic Club of Milwaukee and won 63-0 and a team called the Racine Professionals (a.k.a. the Racine Regulars, a forerunner of the NFL Racine Legion team) 36-0. They also played Chicago Phillips High School and won 84-0. Their only loss was to Shattuck Military Academy of Minnesota, 14-7. The oldest player on the St. John's team was 19 and many of their opponents were 21-years old or more. They again won the North Central Academy Association Championship.

#3: Superior - 1918 - 8-0-0

The Superior Vikings ravaged the north west part of the state in 1918. Their schedule had five Minnesota high schools, one college (Superior Normal) and only two Wisconsin high schools. They played Eau Claire for the state title and won 19-0. On the season they scored 427 points and allowed only seven. The Vikings defeated Duluth Denfeld (MN) 117-0. Sophomore John Hancock led the state in scoring with 26 touchdowns and 21 extra points. End Ted Whereatt, a senior, was a great receiver and sophomore star Ernie Nevers, a future all-time college great at Stanford and professional hall of famer, played tackle. The team was named the 'Twin Cities Champion' (Superior and Duluth) and the Northern Minnesota State Champion as well as gaining honors as the Wisconsin State Champion. Hancock would terrorize opponents for the next two seasons while Nevers and his family moved to California after the 1919 year and became a powerful running back.

You can read more about John Hancock's 1918 scoring record and other scoring records here.

#2: Delafield St. John's Military Academy - 1914 - 7-1-0

1914 St. John's was co-state champion with La Crosse for the state title in my book but they played a much tougher schedule. They could have been considered the sole state champion. Yes, they lost one game while La Crosse went undefeated but St. John's beat five college teams...Oshkosh, Carroll, Lawrence, Lewis of Illinois and Beloit. They lost the season opener to Whitewater Normal 13-0 but regrouped and sailed through their next seven games. St. John's beat Chippewa Falls for the state title, 18-10. On the season, St. John's scored 224 points and allowed 51. The school was again, as in 1904 awarded the National Military Prep Championship, the Western Prep Championship and the North Central Academy Association Championship.

#1: EDGERTON - 1916 - 10-0-0

In my Thanksgiving story, I talked at length about 1916 Edgerton and their season. You can read that story here. They scored 310 points and allowed just six. Rollie Williams was the star that season...a super star. He was a much sought after athlete by many colleges. The rest of his teammates were nearly as outstanding and they played a very tough schedule.

The top 10 Teams for 1910-1919:

1) Edgerton…1916…10-0-0

2) Delafield St. John’s Military Academy…1914…7-1-0

3) Superior…1918…8-0-0

4) Delafield St. John’s Military Academy…1917…6-1-0

5) Sparta…1913…9-0-1

6) Ft. Atkinson…1911-7-0-0

7) La Crosse…1914…8-0-0

8) Marinette…1917…6-0-0

9) Oshkosh…1912…7-1-0

10) (TIE) Milwaukee East…1915…8-1-0

10) (TIE) Marinette…1919…7-0-0

• Top Teams prior to 1910

Controversy in 1913

Like a number of state titles in the early years, because there were no playoffs, it was hard to determine who was really the top team. The press usually helped crown the champion.

Before I get into this, I need to thank Jerrod Roll, the director of the Monroe County Local History Museum (Sparta) and his volunteer researcher, Barb as well as Lori Brost of the South Wood County Historical Museum (Wisconsin Rapids) for their outstanding efforts in getting me needed information.

There were a lot of contenders from around the state to charge for the title after the first four games that season. Marinette, Chippewa Falls, Oshkosh, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee North Division, Milwaukee South Division, Racine and Sparta were all in the running. The fifth week saw many of these teams fall and when it was finished it appeared that only three teams were strong enough to surge for the title matchup. But there were problems with all three remaining teams. Who would be the two finalists? Check out the schedules below and you can see that each of the contenders had blemishes.

When you look at the three contenders' schedules you will see that I matched up the schedules as closely as I could. Both Sparta and Oshkosh started the season in mid-September. Grand Rapids' first game was the last Saturday in September but they caught up with three games in the first 8 days of November, playing La Crosse on Saturday November 1, Nekoosa mid-week and Merrill on Saturday, November 8. Oshkosh only played seven games and had a long stretch between their next matchup after the Sparta game. Sparta and Oshkosh met on October 18 and following that battle the newspaper wars began. But perhaps, for the Oshkosh Northwestern it just continued as it had in previous years. The paper was always an unapologetic 'homer' for their local 11. The Northwestern was known for bashing opponents and making excuses for the hometown squad.

Alumni Games

Before I go on, I have to talk schedules a bit more. Were Alumni games really games? In some cases, they were, and in other cases they were just a scrimmage. I feel that if the Alumni game is listed in school yearbook, in their game schedule/scores or, in the case of Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper gave a full game report then the game was official. Hopefully, schools have recorded these games in their all-time list of total wins/losses. Now, the problem is the Alumni games were not always reported to newspapers when they requested a list of games played. Sparta reported their Alumni game, Grand Rapids alluded to the game but didn't include it in their list to the press and in another issue about schedules, Oshkosh didn't count college games as part of their score list. Since the Alumni games were in the yearbooks (Sparta and Grand Rapids) or covered extensively in the paper (Oshkosh) I've included them as part of their overall record. But the question of how seriously either side took the competition at a given school in a given year can be endlessly debated.

In the story about the Sparta-Oshkosh game, the Northwestern said that their team was listless, maybe because of the trip to Sparta. Only three of their starters did their part to keep the team in the game. In the third period Oshkosh tried a drop-kick that fell short. A Sparta player grabbed it but fumbled the ball to Eddie Brand of Oshkosh who crossed the goal line. Sparta claimed to the umpire that their player had never touched the ball. The officials agreed and the touchdown as nullified. The umpire, as it turned out, was Earle "Runt" Jefferson, an assistant coach at Sparta who played for that school from 1906-08. Later in the game, Sparta had the ball with a first and ten on the six-inch line. Four runs failed to score as they were thrown for losses on each play. By the way, "Runt" Jefferson's brother, Roger, was the starting quarterback for Sparta.

Ten days following the game, it was reported in the La Crosse Tribune that Oshkosh Coach Glyer stated that his team would be glad to play Sparta in a re-match. He said that he preferred to play Sparta on any neutral field, preferably in Ripon or Appleton. Quoting from the Tribune, Glyer said,

"We have it pretty straight,' he says, ' that our boys were tipped off to the Sparta boys, because of the rumors current, and from what we learned afterward. The umpire favored the Sparta boys on every play in the false calls of the ball, when the Sparta boys drew us off side we were penalized, while this year's rules call that a foul and we didn't see why we should be penalized, nevertheless we got the penalties."

"I was under the impression that our manager, Mr. Lane, had written Sparta in regard to a return game, upon asking him I found he had not, but Nov. 15 is open and we are willing to play. There was talk of a return game when we left the grounds and I think that is where the misunderstanding came in about the return game."

Well, maybe "Runt" Jefferson had favored his home team or maybe it was sour grapes on Oshkosh's feelings about the outcome. One thing is sure, someone should have pointed out to Coach Glyer that they were scheduled to play Ashland on November 15. Or were they? The information in the papers is muddled. As it wasn't until the WIAA outlawed state championship matches after 1924 and insisted that schools set schedules prior to the start of the season. Before then, many schools were added and dropped from schedules as the season went along. It was known that Marinette was trying to schedule Sparta and Grand Rapids while Oshkosh did drop a game with Racine in order to play Green Bay West.

Following the tie to Sparta it was reported in the Oshkosh Northwestern that Lawrence College had accused some of the high school players of sending information about that college's game plays to Beloit College and that is why Lawrence lost to Beloit. The paper termed the reports wrong but then accused some Lawrence players of sending special information about Oshkosh to Sparta so they knew how to deal with their opponent from the eastern part of the state. It seems that the messages that were sent to Sparta were from a Lawrence student originally from the western end. Was this just a sort of good scouting or was it cheating or revenge? The paper called the match between Oshkosh and Lawrence a 'practice game'. Lawrence doesn't feel that it was practice as the score is in the school's all-time list of scores against opponents.

Wausau Controversy

About this time there was controversy in the central part of the state. Grand Rapids would later change it's name to Wisconsin Rapids in 1920 to avoid confusion with Grand Rapids, Michigan. The local paper, the Wood County Reporter read: "GREAT FOOT BALL GAME" and "First Team Plays Wausau to a Tie," (The Second Team beat Wausau's Second in the season and in Grand Rapid's yearbook for that year the game was listed as a 2-0 victory over Wausau. Grand Rapids felt strongly that they had converted a safety. On a punt play just before the end of the half, the Wausau punter, and right guard H. Hill kicked the ball backwards behind his own end zone line. It was caught by the fullback who was tackled in the end zone resulting in what was initially called a safety. Wausau protested and after much debate the officials seemed to have changed the ruling to a touchback. Grand Rapids proceeded to fumble on multiple key plays in the second half, preventing them from taking a proper lead and the game ended in a tie according to three different papers between the two towns. Though the Wood County Reporter called the game a tie, they did say that "The decision was left entirely with the officials and they have left the matter in abeyance". It's unknown if the play had any sort of later ruling or if Grand Rapids just felt strongly enough that they decided to claim the 2-0 victory.

Whether there was a rule in 1913 that specifically addressed this, is unclear but the officials at the time seemed to have been spared the true implications of their decision to regard it as a touchback thanks to the end of half. If it were truly a touchback, where would the ball be placed? The kicking team's 20 yard line? No other situation results in a touchback of this sort. The receiving team's 20 yard line like a normal touchback? This would completely flip the field and be a massive benefit to the kicking team. The kicking team certainly wouldn't keep the ball. The only possible solution is to rule it a safety. So whether an official ruling ever came down, it seems clear that Grand Rapids was correct to claim the 2-0 victory.

Prior to meeting Sparta, Grand Rapids claimed that the game between the two was a battle for the state title. Both teams were unscored upon by high school teams to that point. Oshkosh submitted to newspapers their game results before the Sparta-Grand Rapids showdown. They reported a 3-0-1 record, omitting their games with Lawrence and Ripon. In the same story, Grand Rapids shows that they were undefeated, untied and unscored upon in seven games (but they omitted the loss to their Alumni and the game score). Oshkosh stated that Sparta should meet them on Thanksgiving. They discounted the Grand Rapids schedule. That request to play Oshkosh was refused as Sparta had a firm contest scheduled for that day with La Crosse. Sparta came back and suggested a game in very early December to be played in Madison. Oshkosh turned them down.

When the proposed Thanksgiving date was rejected, Oshkosh approached Oak Park High School in Illinois to play a home game. Oak Park had beaten Toledo (OH) Scott in a matchup for the National Championship. They were no slouches as they were four-time (1910-13) National Champs under the tutelage of Bob Zuppke (1910-12) and Glenn Thistlewaite (1913). Coach Zuppke left Oak Park after the 1912 season to coach at the University of Illinois and won four college national championships. Many teams besides Oshkosh tried to get a Thanksgiving or later game with Oak Park including Aurora West who was undefeated for the past 3 seasons. Aurora West, according to a Chicago Tribune snippet had clinched the "downstate title". I guess I can't read a map because to me Aurora is west of Chicago, not downstate. Anyway, the potential match with Oak Park fell through and Oshkosh played a game with their Alumni and the Sparta-La Crosse game went forward.

But Oshkosh wasn't through claiming to be the State Champion. In a December 11 story they stated that Sparta should have played them and they, Oshkosh, were the champs. Why could they claim to be the state champs? Oshkosh discounted Sparta's domination of Grand Rapids. They felt Sparta played a weak schedule while they had played tougher foes. Oshkosh felt that since no high school had defeated them in six seasons that they retained the the mythical title until some one did. Since 1908, Oshkosh had defeated or tied every high school opponent with their only losses coming against college or alumni teams. In the six years from 1908-1913, Oshkosh had an impressive 27-0-5 record against high schools and was 31-11-5 against all foes. That means they were 4-11-0 against college or their alumni. I don't have any school's entire game by game record for this period except for Delafield St. John's Military Academy. In comparing their six-year record against that of Oshkosh , St. John's posted a 32-10-4 overall record and was 16-2-0 against high schools/academies (one of those losses was to Oak Park in 1910) and only four of those high schools were in Wisconsin. They posted a 16-11-4 record against college or club teams. So who played the tougher schedule? Hard to say as there was little overlap in opponents. Was Oshkosh good? Yes, clearly. But were they deserving of six straight state titles? The answer I gave in my book is no. I have awarded Oshkosh three state championships in these years, 1908, 1910 and 1912 which aligns to the consensus in the press (outside of the Oshkosh Northwestern) at the time.

So who was the real state champion in 1913? It was Sparta. After they defeated Grand Rapids the Milwaukee Sentinel wrote:

“Sparta, WIS. Nov. 22--Sparta Highs have added a still stronger grip to the state championship by defeating the heavy Grand Rapids team on Saturday, 61-2.* Outweighed about ten pounds to the man, the locals put up an aggressive and varied attack that the visitors were routed at the very start. Open style play in all its stages featured the game. Sparta scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, one in the second, and the balance in the last half.

The score for the Rapids came in the last half minute of play, when the ball had been forced to Sparta’s one yard line by three successive penalties of fifteen yards each. The punt was blocked and a Sparta man recovered the ball behind the goal line, there by scoring a safety for their opponents.

The Rapids concedes the championship to Sparta, as Oshkosh has refused to play them on two separate dates. Sparta winds up their successful season with La Crosse at Sparta.”

While far from decisive, Sparta's case was further bolstered by being able to claim very strong transitive victories. The Sparta yearbook pointed out that,

"In beating Tomah we accomplished a great deal. Besides just being able to get revenge on Tomah we advanced a step bearer to the title. Tomah defeated West Milwaukee, who defeated Madison. Madison defeated Beloit and Beloit defeated Janesville. This really gives us the championship over the southern part of the state."

The 1913 Sparta 'Spartins' Championship Team**

Additional notes:

*The Wood County Reporter had the score wrong at 61-0 in the Grand Rapids loss to Sparta and so that's what the Milwaukee Sentinel reported. Both school's yearbooks had the score at 60-0.

**Look at the team photo for Sparta. I've been asked how teams were able to score over 100 points in a game in the old days. The simple answer is, count how many players were on the team. Fifteen. This was the norm for almost all teams from the 1890s until the early 1920s. You didn't have a complete second or third string to send into the game to hold the score down. Injuries happened and so some players would have to gut it out because there wasn't a comparable position replacement. More often school's had a separate "second" (junior varsity) team.

Finally, I've included the alumni games as part of the team's schedules even though some schools only briefly mention them in their yearbooks or newspapers briefly mention the games in passing. The games could go either way in the records in different parts of the country. For instance, I have records of all the National Champions game-by-game. Looking at the 1912 Oak Park (IL) record it is listed as being 11-0-0 as they counted their 8-0 win over the alumni. But in 1913 they posted a 10-1-0 record according to a wikipedia post but their 'official ; record sent to the Chicago Tribune, in the November 25 edition, didn't show the alumni game loss at the beginning of the season and instead listed it as 10-0. So it may have just been a matter of good when you win, but not counted when they lost. In other parts of the country, the alumni games were considered practice and are definitely not in the records. What do you think?