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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
— General history
— J.F. “Pop” McKale
— The games
— Comparisons then and now
— Wildcats nickname
— Military service
— Rankings
— The players
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Clipping of actual L.A. Times article published Nov. 8, 1914
Excerpt from L.A. Times, Nov. 8, 1914, authored by Bill Henry:
“Arizona’s cactus-fed athletes, despite heroic efforts on the part of their two halfbacks, (Asa) Porter and (Franklin) Luis, went down to defeat before the Occidental Tigers yesterday afternoon, the tally with all precincts heard from being 14 to 0 in favor of the Tigers.
Confident of rolling up a big score, the Tigers took the field with grins on their faces, but before the game was 10 seconds old they knew they had a battle on their hands.
The Arizona men showed the fight of wild cats and displayed before the public gaze a couple of little shrimps in the backfield who defied all attempts of the Tigers to stop them.”This site will conduct a countdown in a 100-day period, leading up to Arizona’s 2014 football season-opener with UNLV on Aug. 29 at Arizona Stadium. The 100 Days ‘Til Kickoff countdown will include information daily about the historic 1914 Arizona team that helped create the school’s nickname of “Wildcats” because of how they played that fateful day against Occidental.
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In the next few days, the series will provide multiple quick facts of each player. Today’s player is:
Vinton Hammels played one year at Michigan in 1919 after attending Arizona from 1913-15.
James Vinton Hammels (1894-1984)
Sophomore left end from Glendale
Hammels, nicknamed “Brute” by coach J.F. “Pop” McKale, was one of the more physical players (at only 6’1″ and 163 pounds) at left end. He was a multi-sport star who also excelled in baseball for McKale. After lettering for two years at Arizona, Hammels enlisted in the Army and served in World War I in France. Upon his return in 1918, Hammels attended Michigan, where he played for one season in 1919.
After completing his graduate work at Michigan, Hammels returned to Glendale and operated the Glendale Ice Plant. He and his wife Jeannette Steinberg later owned the Vinton Manor Apartment Hotel in the downtown Phoenix area. Vinton also became a renowned bridge player in the Phoenix area. He traveled several times to the national bridge tournament in Asbury Park, N.J., to compete. He was often consulted by newspapers, which covered bridge extensively in the 1940s, to offer pointers on bridge playing.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 46: Albert “Bumps” Crawford, quarterback
— No. 47: Leo F. Cloud, halfback
— No. 48: George Clawson, left guard
— No. 49: Charles Pablo Beach, senior right guard
— No. 50: The Father of the Arizona Wildcats
— No. 51: Captain makes claim for 1914 All-Southwestern Eleven
— No. 52: Add-on game against Tucson High at end of 1914 season doesn’t materialize
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The 1914 Arizona football team that earned the honor of being named the first “Wildcats” was composed of (front row, left to right): Verne La Tourette, George Seeley, Leo Cloud, Richard Meyer, Asa Porter. Second row: Franklin Luis, Lawrence Jackson, Ray Miller, J.F. “Pop” McKale (coach), Turner Smith, Harry Hobson (manager), Orville McPherson, Albert Crawford, Ernest Renaud. Back row: Albert Condron, Emzy Lynch, Charley Beach, Vinton Hammels, Bill Hendry, George Clawson, Harry Turvey.
(AllSportsTucson.com graphic/Photo from University of Arizona Library Special Collections)
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What they were talking about on this day in 1914
Wednesday, July 15, 1914
General Victoriano Huerta resigned his presidency of Mexico under pressure from revolutionary forces. He fled the country to Europe with 2 million pesos. Moderate Francisco Carvajal, the country’s foreign minister, was appointed the temporary president by the Mexican government.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
