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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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Arizona’s Varsity had a special bond 100 years ago with the unprecedented success on the football field.
That camaraderie extended to the student body with members of the Varsity being part of the school’s other sports, battalion, theater clubs, student newspaper staff and fraternities.
Arizona had only three fraternities consisting of 69 members in the 1914-15 school year. Of the 19 members of the Varsity, 17 were part of fraternities. Only reserve quarterback Leo Cloud, active with many sports, and right guard George Clawson were not part of a fraternity.
Presently, the “Greek Life”, as it is called Arizona, includes 31 fraternities after the FIJI Fraternity shut down Phi Gamma Delta earlier this week because seven members allegedly were facing charges, including false reporting to law enforcement following the death of a member last year.
Fraternities consist of members ranging from 12 to more than 200, so it is likely that more than 3,000 students are members.
Here is a list of the fraternities in 1914-15 and the members of the Varsity who were part of them:
DELTA PHI (Established in 1900)
Class of 1915
Franklin Luis (halfback)
Lawrence Jackson (left guard)
Class of 1917
Albert Crawford (quarterback)
Ernest Renaud (fullback)
Class of 1918
William Hendry (right tackle)
Emzy Lynch (center)
Richard Meyer (quarterback)
Raymond Miller (left tackle)
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 22: University of Arizona’s seal among firsts of 100 years ago
— No. 23: Rifle popular sport in 1914, football player captained teams
— No. 24: 1914 team members part of required military program on campus
— No. 25: More 1914 love for the “Wild Cat”
— No. 26: Formation of “A” Club also evolved 100 years ago
— No. 27: McKale established identity for Arizona in first season
— No. 28: Unlike Rodriguez today, McKale afforded three preseason games in 1914
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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
Saturday, Aug. 8, 1914
The activity of the American government in World War I (then called the European War) is confined to the issuance of new instructions for the
clearance of foreign ships and the development of plans for the relief of Americans in Europe. Large sums of money have been cabled by the state department for the immediate use of its diplomatic officers in aiding Americans in various European capitals. The Americans deploy neutral vessels abroad to bring Americans home. Efforts are also made to secure the release of Americans arrested in Germany on charge of spying.
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SIGMA PHI BETA (Established in 1911)
Class of 1916
Harry Townsend Hobson (1914 team manager)
SIGMA PI ALPHA (Established in 1913)
Class of 1916
Charles Beach (right guard)
Albert Condron (left tackle)
Class of 1918
Vinton Hammels (left end)
Verne LaTourrette (halfback)
William Porter (halfback)
Turner Smith (left guard)
Orville McPherson (fullback)
George Seeley (right end)
Harry Turvey (fullback)
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.
