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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 Friday 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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Asa Porter was responsible for all of the scoring in Arizona’s 10-0 win over New Mexico in 1914
Upon Arizona’s return from Los Angeles where it lost 14-0 to Occidental, the campus was abuzz because of the description of how the Varsity “showed the fight of wild cats”, penned by Los Angeles Times correspondent Bill Henry.
Arizona was not only motivated by how it took the favored Tigers to the final minutes of that game. The Varsity was also motivated by the New Mexico Aggies (now New Mexico State) coming to town. A rivalry formed between the teams since the Aggies won three consecutive games against the Varsity.
“Our eastern neighbors had carried the bacon home since 1911,” Arizona’s Desert Yearbook from 1914-15 reads. “So the question of the hour was: Can the Aggies repeat history? The dope seemed to favor us, but the sister state boys had always had tricks up their sleeves.”
Back then, “dope” was a word used to describe a preview or forecast of a game or event.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 4: Occidental holds off last challenge of Arizona’s men who “showed the fight of wild cats”
— No. 5: How long can Arizona’s opportunistic defense last against Occidental?
— No. 5: Arizona remains confident despite Occidental’s repeated failed attempts to score
— No. 7: Arizona’s “cactus-fed athletes” convincingly introduce themselves to Occidental
— No. 8: Overconfident Occidental suits up for Arizona without head coach, who scouts elsewhere
— No. 9: Varsity’s busy pregame preparation against Occidental includes reading letters from co-eds
— No. 10: Enthusiastic Varsity travels to Los Angeles to face Occidental
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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, Aug. 26, 1914
Eleven die, and four others are feared dead, off the coast of Seattle after two ocean steamers crash in the fog. The Admiral Sampson was rammed and sunk by the Canadian-Pacific liner Princess Victoria 20 miles north of Seattle. The Admiral Sampson included might members of the crew, two passengers and one person who is believed to be a stowaway who perished.
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Arizona’s Lawrence Jackson won the coin toss, a good sign off the bat, and the Varsity defended the west goal at what was then called “Arizona Field”.
Lawrence Jackson suffered a season-ending broken arm in the New Mexico game
New Mexico put up a tough challenge and the game remained scoreless into the second quarter. Charles Beach and Albert Clawson stopped the scoring threat by penetrating the line and stopping runners before any substantial gain. An attempted field goal fell short and the game remained a scoreless tie heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, Arizona coach J.F. “Pop” McKale decided to have Asa Porter try a 35-yard drop kick for a field goal to put Arizona ahead 3-0. Porter’s kick was perfect between the goal posts.
A punt by New Mexico was later blocked and Ray Miller recovered for Arizona at the New Mexico 7-yard line.
“We made a few yards on center line bucks, but New Mexico fought too hard for any play to get by,” the yearbook reads. “Porter bucked tackle for the only touchdown, and Crawford kicked a difficult goal Score, 10-0.”
The quarter ended with the loss of Jackson, who broke his arm trying to recover another blocked punt.
The final quarter became a punting duel with Orville McPherson keeping the Aggies at bay with his ability to keep kicking into their territory.
“The Arizona Wild Cats had regained the lost banner and vanquished the Crimson players with a goose-egg,” the yearbook reads.
Tomorrow: Arizona completes 1914 season with rousing win over Pomona (Calif.) to claim Southwestern championship.
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.
