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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:
George W. Seeley was involved in the Tucson government in the 1940’s
George Wesley Seeley (1895-1967)
Junior right end from Ramirana, Texas
Seeley, who became Tucson’s city manager in 1940, lived until he was 72. A native of Ramirana, Texas, his family moved west in 1902 and settled in Douglas. He passed away in Benson where he had lived since 1946. Seeley served as city manager in 1940-41 before resigning to serve with the Army in World War II. He also was city field engineer in 1931, commissioner of streets from 1931 to 1937 and city engineer. Seeley founded the American Legion Post in Benson and was director of the town’s civil defense program. He also served as chairman of the Cochise County draft board. Seeley was a member of the 1914 team, serving as a reserve right end. He earned letters in 1914 and 1915. He captained the freshman track and basketball teams in 1912-13.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 41: Emzy “Swede” Lynch, center
— No. 42: Verne La Tourette, left halfback
— No. 43: William Asa Porter, quarterback/fullback
— 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
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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
Monday, July 20, 1914
A semi-pro baseball team called the Tucson Groves, comprised mostly of Mexican-American players, loses both games scheduled in Hayden on July 19 and July 20. The Groves lost to the Hayden Smelter 6-2 on July 19 and the Hayden Ray Cons 14-0 on July 20. The Arizona Republican (Phoenix) account of the excursion to Hayden: “The Tucson boys had a very trying trip over the mountains. One of their cars turned turtle near Mammoth, badly injuring one of their number, who was placed in the hospital on their arrival here. Further difficulty was encountered in crossing the San Pedro river, which is quite high just now.”
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A 1914 picture of the Tucson Groves baseball team, a semi-pro team mostly comprised of Mexican-Americans
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.
