Bison football's founding

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed (Walt Sehnert's column) about the beginning of football. I have a little information on the beginning of football at McCook High School. I think it will be of interest, as some of the names you mention in your article were of interest to the McCook students in the year 1891-92.

The following is taken from the autobiography of James Fowler. He was a 1893 graduate of McCook High School.

"During the late days of the preceding year, another high school student, Clarence Whittaker of the class ahead of me* had secured permission to organize a football team. Neither of us had ever seen a football game; and I do not remember that we had seen a football; but we had been reading a lot about it and thought that our school ought to have a team. Amos Alonzo Stagg was then starring as halfback on the Yale team, and "Pudge" Heffilfinger was coming up, all of which stirred our imagination.

"This fall we enrolled our eligible players and secured the free services of a young clerk in the division railway office, who had been a player on the Suracuse** University team, to be our advisor and give us some of his spare time coaching. Our equipment was rudimentary and mostly homemade. We had shin guards but no helmets, letting our hair grow long and sometimes using a heavy cotton bandage two or three times around the head, above the ears. We padded a jersey over the shoulders and upper arms and-wore over it a long-sleeved, tightly laced canvas jacket. Under the rules of that time, we had three downs to make four yards or carry the ball back ten yards, in which the downs started over again. Pushing and pulling were allowed but no forward passing. I captained the team and played an end; Whittaker played left tackle.

"Among the other players on the team were Oliver Thorgrimson, who played the other tackle and afterward became attorney for the city of Seattle, Washington, and J. Raymond MoCarl­ -- Windy, we called him -- later Auditor General of the United States, who was our quarterback. Two of the members of the team, Clark, a guard, and Fowler an end, entered the medical profession. Our football was as rudimentary as our equipment; but we really learned the game; and I, at least, developed an interest in it that has lasted all my life and which has enabled me to keep up with all the changes and developments that have come about since that day."

(*This was 1891 **Taylor's spelling)

If the readers take the time to Google the names Amos Alonzo Stagg and Pudge Heffilfinger they will see that their pick of player in the early days was a good choice. Mr. Taylor had many others interesting things to say about McCook High School and the McCook area and its citizens. This information is available at the High Plains Museum.

Respectfully submitted,

John Hubert

McCook