A FAMILY AFFAIR RELATING TO THE 1897 MADISON CHAMPIONSHIP…PART 2

Thanks for coming back to PART 2.

Here is where the story gets very interesting.  Lucius Sr.’s great-granddaughter Cammy Baker, was engaged to a man who was raised in Madison, where his parents still lived.  A year before the wedding Cammy was in Madison with her fiancé, Adam McCaughan and his Madison friends Scott Grogan and Pete Albrecht, and, out of curiosity, they searched for the championship trophy and found it at Madison Memorial HS.

A year later but before the wedding, Pete remembered how much the trophy meant to Cammy's mom and thought it would be a really nice gesture to see if he could get the trophy loaned to him to be taken to the wedding.  He contacted the athletic director at Madison Memorial High School, and he was very supportive of the plan as long as it was properly packaged for travel. Although Pete lived in DC, he arranged for his parents in Madison to get the trophy and pack it very safely.  Scott then took it with him to the wedding as a checked item. Pete and Scott were both groomsmen for Adam as lifelong Madison friends since elementary school.

They all presented the trophy to Cammy's mom, Bonnie, right after the wedding ceremony and she was ecstatic!  Her joy was equally shared by the other three great-grandchildren of the team captain that were present at the wedding.

1897 MHS National Football Championship trophy and plaque in Naples, Florida with four descendants of team captain, Lucius Donkle Sr.  All three of his children were represented. Lorraine Donkle Weatherby by Lee (on left), Donna Donkle Baker by Bonnie (holding plaque), and Lucius Jr. by Lucius III (holding trophy) and Heidi (on right).

The “traveling” Trophy visits the beach in Florida.  A forerunner pose to the Heisman?

The “traveling” plaque

The wedding went well and the trophy and plaque were returned without any problems.

Today, in 2026, it is on display in Madison at the MMSD office in the Doyle Administrative building near the Kohl Center.  I met with Jeremy Schlitz (MMSD District Athletic Director) who first showed me the trophy.  The area where it normally stored is being remodeled so it was brought into a side room and set on a table.  I looked it over and the wooden stand for the trophy is worn.  The stand needs refurbishing along with the two-name plates and the trophy itself could use polishing.  Originally the trophy was attached to the wooden stand but over the nearly 130 years since the Detroit Athletic Club presented the championship award it has, well, seen some better days.  The trophy has been moved around a bit over the years.  It had several locations at Madison High School, then to the school district offices, being moved from room to room.  In the 1997 celebration it was mentioned that a display case was being donated but it isn’t to be found now.

You can see the bumps and bruises of the stand.  The trophy is loose.  The metal stays have come loose.  Compare this picture of the trophy and stand to the one above taken in Florida. I didn't take a picture of the plaque, but it was in better shape.

There were two other trophy’s that Jeremy brought out for me to view.

The one in the center (Sorry, my picture cut the top off a bit) is from Wisconsin High School for winning the 1960-61 basketball championship of the Badger Conference.  The team had a 16-1 regular season record and finished 17-2 overall.  The award on the right is also for Wisconsin High School, winning the Southern Wisconsin -Six Conference football title.  The school posted a 5-1-0 record.  Both trophy’s show some wear but with some polish they might shine more brightly.  Opening in 1914 and eventually closing in 1962, WHS was a school for university students to get classroom teaching experience.  The classes that did not graduate in 1962 moved to Madison HS which was a short distance away.

So, there you have it.  A story about a family very proud of what their football heritage. 

One final not on the trophies.  The MMSD would really like to find a more permanent home for the three items since their schools don't exist anymore.  They usually sit in various offices at the MMSD building.   I’ve been told that the State Historical Society, on the campus at UW isn’t interested in housing/displaying them. Could the WIAA, WFCA or WBCA be interested?  I volunteered to take them if nobody wants them.  I’ll make room in my house.  I’ll even refurbish them.   Lou, do you have room for the 1897 trophy?

Thanks to Lucius "Lou" Donkle III and his family for all the family info and to Jeremy Schlitz at MMSD who was gracious. enough to show me the trophy's.