1937 All-County football team were not really giants
It might be only the second week of July, but already there are murmurs of football creeping into the conversation. Not that football is ever too far away from discussions around here, but about this time of year it starts to pick up a little more in the watering hole discussions, as to what this or that team, be it Steelers, the local high schools, college, or whoever, might have in the lineups or what they might accomplish in the months ahead.
As to accomplishments, if I could completely answer that question, I wouldn’t be sitting here writing these words. I would be in Las Vegas booking the games.
Anyway, the talk of football got a little closer to home after a recent conversation with a long-time friend, Vaughn McDiffett, of Connellsville. Vaughn once taught English at Connellsville High, and is now a local businessman.
Earlier this year he was in Ohio helping clear up the estate of his uncle, Ken McDiffettt, who had been Dean of Men at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Among some clippings found in his uncle’s files was a sports page from the Morning Herald, announcing the All-Fayette County scholastic football team for 1937.
The names were listed with a half-page drawing by Ray Becker. I’m not sure if Ray worked for the Herald or whether he was a local artist who did the drawing for the paper. No mention is made of their association.
The drawing is a large line layout background of Fayette County with a football across the county and drawings of the individual players named to the first team.
Talk about an historic keepsake, especially for the players honored, and for the public in general.
One amazing point is quickly evident when you read the players named to the first and second teams. Today, you look at high school players and they are bigger than some of the professionals were 60 years ago. It was unusual for a scholastic player back then to weigh more than 200 pounds, even the linemen. Today you more often than not see players 200-plus, even the running backs. And any pro lineman under 300 is considered a midget.
But back in 1937 of the 22-players honored, only one weighed more than 200 pounds – end Bill Hornick, of Brownsville, who checked in at 205.
So, how good is your memory? Can you remember the names of these scholastic football players who earned All-Fayette County honors in 1937. And consider their weights.
First Team players:
Ends – Hornick and George Dufour, 168, Point Marion.
Tackles – Dan Snyder, 187, Masontown, and Gerald Barnes, German Twp., 185.
Guards – John Paston, 177, Redstone, and Mike Sabo, 160, Uniontown.
Center – John Barbor, 164, Connellsville.
Quarterback – George Gonda, 170, Redstone.
Halfbacks – Nick Bosnic, 165, Masontown, and Clyde Sloan, 184, Uniontown.
Fullback – Allie Luczak, Connellsville, 178.
Named to the Second Team were:
Ends – Paul Shotts, 162, Masontown; and Tom Kacur, 173, Uniontown.
Tackles – John Novak, 175, South Union, and Tom Balaska, 180, Belle Vernon.
Guards – Ellis Hall, 167, Masontown, and Floyd Konetsky, 175, German Twp.
Center – Red Baker, 166, Redstone.
Quarterback – Julius Jesso, 152, German Twp.
Halfbacks – Medick Capirano, 149, Brownsville, and George Viher, 156, North Union.
Fullback – Pete Mattis, 167, Masontown.
There were several Honorable Mentions, but unfortunately only their last names were listed. They included:
Ends – Rumenyak, South Union; Diluzio, Redstone; Laskey, Uniontown; C. Uhazie, North Union; Mihalik and Tandarich, German; Barton, Georges; W. Osborne, Belle Vernon; and Randolph, Dunbar Twp.
Tackles – Bryan and Gribble, Redstone; Wyno, Brownsville; Winn, Fayette City; Apone, Uniontown; D. Osborne, Belle Vernon; DeMay, North Union; Curra, Connellsville; and Rowe, Dunbar Twp.
Guards – Mondalek, Uniontown; Mihalic, Georges; Porter, Connellsville IC; Springer, South Union; Lockman, Brownsville; Ercegovic, Redstone; Cupelli, Point Marion; W., Snyder, Masontown; Burke, North Union, and Kontro, Dunbar Twp.
Canters – Seighman, German; Hovanec, South Union; Tiberi, Masontown; and Jarvis, Connellsville IC.
Quarterbacks – Taylor, Belle Vernon; Haley, Redstone; Hanna, Masontown; Pugh, Point Marion; and Nuzzo, Brownsville.
Halfbacks – Sutton, Brownsville; Hamrick, Point Marion; Diehl, Masontown; Z. Hart, Connellsville; Simon, Redstone; Radvansky, Georges; Bell, Fayette City, and Hamer, Uniontown.
Fullbacks – Swift, Redstone; DiNunnio, South Union; Goode, Georges; J. Adumsky, All Saints; and Labin, Point Marion.
How many of these players can you remember? For that matter, how many are related to you?
Want to make a little side bet? Those guys in 1937 might not have been big by today’s standards, but I’ll bet you that if they could be on the field today, going one-on-one, those “little” guys would give today’s players one whale of a battle. Scrappiness was a key attribute for survival then among “Depression Kids.”
But that’s another story for another time.
Jim Kriek is a Herald-Standard sports correspondent.