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20 Days until the high school football season kickoffs in Southern Arizona: McKale wins the first state championship in 1911

By Andy Morales

Posted on August 3, 2024

James Fred “Pop” McKale in 1911 at age 24. (Arizona Collections)

SATURDAY, NOV. 25, 1911: TUCSON 24, BISBEE 6

What is believed to be the first high school football championship, Tucson High beat Bisbee 24-6 behind the play of Peterson, Wakefield and Meyer (news reports didn’t give full names at the time). The win put James Fred “Pop” McKale at 5-0 on the year with wins over Phoenix, Phoenix Indian, Bisbee and two wins over the University of Arizona junior team. For some reason, McKale agreed to a rematch with Bisbee on Dec. 9 and that didn’t go too well with the Badgers losing 17-6.

Bisbee then claimed it was the state champion but Bisbee finished the year 3-1-1 with a 1-1 record against Tucson High and a 2-0-1 record against Douglas. The Badgers finished 5-1.

McKale (June 12, 1887 – June 1, 1967) was a high school standout in Lansing, Michigan, a catcher and tight end for Albion College and the “Father of High School Athletics” in Tucson. After graduating from college in 1910 and teaching in Wisconsin, McKale took a teaching job in Tucson in 1911, coached the Badgers to state titles and was hired away by the University of Arizona in 1914 and the rest is history.

McKale wrote to his father after he beat Bisbee to claim his first state title. (Lansing State Journal Dec. 1 1911)

McKale hired at Tucson High in May of 1911. (Arizona Daily Star May 27, 1911)

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
1911: Tucson
1912: Tucson
1919: Bisbee
1929: Tucson
1937: Tucson
1941: Bisbee
1942: Tucson and Amphitheater
1943: Tombstone
1944: Tucson and Tombstone
1945: Tucson
1946: Benson
1947: St. David
1948; St. David
1949: Benson and Willcox were runners-up
1950: St. David
1951: Tucson
1952: Tucson
1953: St. David
1954: Benson and Bisbee
1955: Benson
1956: Douglas runner-up
1957: Patagonia
1958: St. David

BEGINNING OF AIA PLAYOFFS
1959: Patagonia runner-up
1960: St. David
1961: Pueblo
1962: Tucson runner-up
1964: Marana
1965: Tucson and Santa Cruz
1966: Tucson and Santa Cruz
1967: Marana
1968: Marana
1969: Santa Cruz
1970: Tucson
1971: Tucson
1972: St. David
1973: Palo Verde
1974: Douglas runner-up
1975: Amphitheater and Flowing Wells
1976: Canyon del Oro and ASDB
1977: Canyon del Oro and St. David
1978: Santa Cruz
1979: Amphitheater, Santa Cruz and St. David
1980: Santa Cruz
1981: San Manuel
1982: Willcox and Suffolk Hills
1983: Flowing Wells runners-up
1984: Sahuaro runner-up
1985: Valley Union
1986: Valley Union
1987: Patagonia
1988: Patagonia
1990: Sabino and Santa Cruz
1991: Patagonia
1992: Sabino
1993: Sahuaro runner-up
1994: Sahuaro
1997: St. David
1998: Sabino and St. David
1999: Sabino runner-up
2000: St. David
2001: Sunnyside and St. David
2003: Sunnyside
2005: Palo Verde
2006: Sunnyside and Sabino runners-up
2007: Valley Union
2008: Santa Rita runner-up
2009: Canyon del Oro
2010: Canyon del Oro runner-up
2011: Cienega runner-up
2012: Ironwood Ridge
2013: Salpointe
2015: Pusch Ridge
2016: Catalina Foothills and Sabino runners-up
2017: Salpointe, Pusch Ridge and Santa Cruz runners-up
2018: Salpointe runner-up
2020: Santa Cruz
2021: Salpointe and St. David runner-up
2023: Canyon del Oro and Sabino

We have 20 days until the high school football season gets underway in Southern Arizona and we are attempting to highlight some of the championships won over the last 112 days. The AIA started to recognize state champions in 1959 but teams like Tucson High claimed ten “mythical” state championships before then, starting in 1911 under McKale.

Like last year, the season will roll out with 1A, 2A and 3A starting early on Aug. 23 and the bigger school will start a week later. Flag Football will start on Sept. 17 with Sunnyside, Buena, Tucson, Mountain View and Palo Verde playing on that Tuesday.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

3A CONFERENCE
Coolidge at Sabino, 7 p.m.

2A CONFERENCE
Phoenix Christian at Tanque Verde, 7 p.m.
Willcox at Arizona Lutheran, 7 p.m.
Catalina at Highland Prep, 7 p.m.
Benson at Shadow Mountain, 7 p.m.

1A CONFERENCE
Lincoln Prep at San Manuel, 7 p.m.
Fort Thomas at Baboquivari, 7 p.m.
Desert Christian at Bagdad, 7 p.m.
St. David at Cicero Prep, 7 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

Tucson High (15)
1911: (James Fred “Pop” McKale)
1912: (James Fred “Pop” McKale)
1929: (Charles McFarland)
1937: (Rollin T. Gridley)
1942: (Rollin T. Gridley)
1943: (Rollin T. Gridley)
1944: (Rollin T. Gridley)
1945: (Rollin T. Gridley)
1951: (Jason Greer)
1952: (Jason Greer)
1965: 5A (John Mallamo)
1966: 5A (John Mallamo)
1970: 5A (Ollie Mayfield)
1971: 5A (Ollie Mayfield)

St. David (13)
1947: C (Robert Bateman)
1948: C (Robert Bateman)
1950: C (Dwight Stapley)
1953: C (Lot Christenson)
1958: C (Jerry Brown)
1960: 1A (Jim Crawford)
1972: 1A (Jim Crawford)
1977: 1A (Jim Crawford)
1979: 1A (Jim Crawford)
1997: 1A (John Bryant)
1998: 1A (John Bryant)
2000: 1A (John Bryant)
2001: 1A (John Bryant)

Santa Cruz (8)
1965: 3A (Lonnie Foster)
1966: 3A (Lonnie Foster)
1969: 3A (Lonnie Foster)
1978: 3A (Jay Denton)
1979: 3A (Eddie Jones)
1980: 3A (Jim Ewan)
1990: 2A (Jay Denton)
2020: 2A (Rishard Davis)

Canyon del Oro (4)
1976: 4A (Bob Smith)
1977: 4A (Bob Smith)
2009: 4A-I (Dusty Peace)
2023: 4A (Dusty Peace)

Patagonia (4)
1957: C (Reginald LeFevre)
1987: 1A (Bill House)
1988: 1A (Bill House)
1991: 1A (Bill House)

Sabino (4)
1990: 4A (Jeff Scurran)
1992: 4A (Jeff Scurran)
1998: 4A (Jeff Scurran)
2023: 3A (Ryan McBrayer)

Amphitheater (3)
1942: C (Ray Bradshaw)
1975: 5A (Jerry Loper)
1979: 5A (Vern Friedli)

Benson (3)
1946: Class C (Elton Harper)
1954: Class C (Jack Wilson)
1955: Class C (Jack Wilson)

Bisbee (3)
1919: B (Ed Lawerenson)
1941: B (Waldo Dicus)
1954: A (Max Spilsbury)

Marana (3)
1964: 2A (Duane Morrison)
1967: 2A (Don Hawkins)
1968: 2A (Don Hawkins)

Valley Union (3)
1985: 1A (Gary Mauldin)
1986: 1A (Gary Mauldin)
2007: 1A (Tony Luzania)

Palo Verde (2)
1973: 5A (Van Howe)
2005: 4A-II (Todd Mayfield)

Pueblo (2)
1958: 2A (Lou Farber)
1961: 5A (Lou Farber)

Sunnyside (2)
2001: 4A (Richard Sanchez)
2003: 4A (Richard Sanchez)

Tombstone (2)
1943: C (Henry Wismer)
1944: C (Henry Wismer)