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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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Rich Rodriguez (right) is coaching Arizona 100 years after J.F. “Pop” McKale started his first season with the Varsity
Arizona’s 2014 team reports today and begins fall camp tomorrow for the upcoming season. They will undergo four weeks of practices and intra-squad scrimmages to prepare for the opener Aug. 29 against UNLV at Arizona Stadium.
No preseason games. No exhibitions. Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff have only the practice sessions to determine who will emerge as the starting quarterback and leading ball-carrier to replace B.J. Denker and Ka’Deem Carey, respectively.
Conversely, Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller and his team will host a closed scrimmage against St. Mary’s before the season starts in November. The Wildcats scrimmaged at St. Mary’s last year before the season.
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THE LAST WEEK IN THE SERIES:
— No. 29: The “Wildcat Yell” hits Arizona’s campus in 1914-15
— No. 30: Update of player size then and now
— No. 31: Raymond Miller, left tackle
— No. 32: Lawrence Richard Jackson, right end
— No. 33: Albert Condron, left tackle
— No. 34: Richard Meyer, quarterback
— No. 35: Harry Ellsworth Turvey, fullback
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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, Aug. 1, 1914
Four nations declare war against each — Austria-Hungary and Germany against Serbia and Russia, respectively. Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany declares war on his nephew Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. French troops, allied with Russia and Serbia, also mobilize into position. All-out war is about to begin. Diplomatic peace efforts by England and Italy are fruitless.
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Some may argue that Arizona’s first three games this year — UNLV, Texas-San Antonio and Nevada — classify as a preseason schedule because none of the teams are from a Power 5 conference (SEC, ACC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12). The games should allow Rodriguez to break in his new quarterback and have the team prepared for Pac-12 play by the time Arizona hosts Cal on Sept. 20.
One hundred years ago, J.F. “Pop” McKale, in his first year as a collegiate head coach, had the opportunity to use three games as a precursor to what was considered the 1914 regular season. ASU fans will not like this but one of Arizona’s games against Tempe Normal (the Sun Devils’ school name at that time) was one of those preseason games.
RELATED IN THIS SERIES: Student body shows little interest in Tempe Normal (Andy Morales)
According to published reports in 1914-15, McKale (with no assistant coaches) used Arizona’s freshman-sophomore game and matchups with Douglas Y.M.C.A. and Tempe Normal to pare his roster for the regular-season opener at Occidental on Nov. 7, 1914, the fateful day Arizona’s Varsity became the “Wildcats”. Arizona presently lists the 1914 record as 4-1, including wins over the Douglas Y.M.C.A. and Tempe Normal, but actually, the Varsity was 2-1 with wins over New Mexico State and Pomona (Calif.) College and the loss at Occidental.
“With the Fresh-Soph game out of the way, the season commenced with a lively competition for places,” Arizona’s 1914-15 yearbook The Desert reads. “Through stiff scrimmages between the first and second teams and games with Douglas Y. M. C. A. and the Tempe Normal School, Arizona’s Varsity was chosen with many new men filling places, but showing the form necessary to train for the Coast Tigers (Occidental) and the Sage Hens (Pomona).
“It took these preliminary practice games for the squad to strike their stride and the coach had the chance to look over a large bunch of fellows, all working like demons to make the trip to Los (Angeles) for the first intercollegiate game of the season. Nor was the squad alone in their efforts to send over the best possible team, for the Student Body had been stirred to confidence and its spirit was much manifested in the fight of the Varsity.”
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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