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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:
“Bumps” Crawford was a tough, intelligent football player
Albert M. “Bumps” Crawford Jr. (1895-1961)
Sophomore quarterback from Riverside, Calif.
Not many tough-nosed football players become a tremendously successful scientists and attorneys. Crawford was all of that. Nicknamed “Bumps” by Arizona coach J.F. “Pops” McKale for his ability to take a hit, Crawford later became a widely-known Phoenix attorney and former speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. Born in Riverside, Calif., he enrolled at Arizona after graduating from Prescott High School. An intelligent player, he started at quarterback in the fateful game at Occidental in 1914 despite being only a sophomore. He earned a bachelor of science degree in 1917. He later became a chemist and metallurgist for the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C., during World War I.
Crawford returned to Arizona in 1929 to enter the College of Law. He received his law degree in 1931 and was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1932. he practiced law in Prescott until he moved to Phoenix in 1953 when he was named general counsel for the Arizona Railroad Association.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— 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
— No. 53: McKale introduced spring practice
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He served on the Arizona Board of Regents from 1935-1943 and was president of the board in 1942. He was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives three terms from Yavapai County and was Speaker of the House in 1927 and 1929. He served two years on the governor’s educational committee beginning in 1951 and was a member of the Arizona Colorado River Commission from 1927 to 1929.
Crawford, who passed away from complications after a heart attack in 1961, was also once a chief of the Smoki Tribe in Prescott.
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
Tuesday, July 14, 1914
The family and close associates of Mexico dictator Victoriano Huerta escaped Mexico City late at night on a train bound for Vera Cruz, a sign that the embattled leader was about to be overthrown by revolutionary forces led by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. Running ahead of the family’s train were two trains occupied by military consisting of 800 men. Behind the family was a train occupied by 500 military members.
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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.
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