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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:
Verne La Tourette continued the family name within the Arizona program
Verne Gerald LaTourette (1891-1952)
Senior left halfback from Phoenix
LaTourette followed in his brother Lyman’s footsteps by lettering in football with Arizona in 1914. He was a reserve player when Arizona played at Occidental. Lyman Tourette played with the Varsity from 1910-12. They were the first brother combination to letter for Arizona. Verne, a lifelong Arizonan, was an educator most of his life after serving three years in the U.S. National Guard at the time of America’s involvement in World War I. His son Verne LaTourette Jr. played basketball at ASU in 1942-43.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 44: Bill Hendry, right tackle
— No. 45: James Vinton Hammels, left end
— 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
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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, July 18, 1914
Former President Theodore Roosevelt writes a letter to Arizonans published in the state’s newspapers that is intended for citizens to follow his progressive movement. Roosevelt is very critical of President Woodrow Wilson’s foreign policy, which he considers too passive and blameworthy for the “humiliation” of Mexico during its revolution. “There is an urgent need for a firm American policy in foreign affairs in order that the American citizen, and the flag that should protect the American citizen, may be restored to international respect,” Roosevelt writes in the letter.
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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.
