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— General history
— J.F. “Pop” McKale
— The games
— Comparisons then and now
— Wildcats nickname
— Military service
— Rankings
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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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They not only were members of Arizona’s first “Wildcats” football team in 1914, but three players from that roster were also part of the initial run of the “Pride of Arizona” marching band.
The band was formed as a military unit in 1902 but its existence was sporadic until 1913, when the “Pride of Arizona” became a common tradition at Arizona. The band has played on since without interruption.
Franklin Alfred Luis, Ernest James Renaud and George Albert Clawson broadened their horizons from the football field to play music in the band. Luis and Renaud played clarinet and Clawson played bass.
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The 19-member 1913 Arizona band (Arizona yearbook “The Sahuaro” picture)
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, June 24, 1914
The U.S. Supreme Court makes a ruling in the intermountain rate case that rates of commodities from the east to points in Arizona will be practically the same as those to the Pacific coast. State leaders viewed the news as a boost to the state’s economy, thereby opening the possibility of more jobs in Tucson and Phoenix and other places in the state.
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Wearing military uniforms, the band varies from three to 20 men, mainly trumpeters and percussionists. Luis, Renaud and Clawson were part of the 19-man 1913 band.
Luis went on to star at halfback as a junior for Arizona in 1914. Clawson started at left guard as a senior that year. Renaud was a junior halfback reserve.
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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.
