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1 PART FOUR
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VOL. XXI. ' PORTLAND, OBEGOff, SUNDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 23,1902. ; " " NO. 47.
! WHEN FIKST PLAtJ ED IN POTLAND II SSSESS&SSg"
' i
THANKSGIVING DAT. 1902. marks
the 12th anniversary ol the Intro
duction of college football to the
-people of Portland. It was on ThanksgivJ
ing day. 1S30, that the Bishop Scott Acad
emy team lined up against the, eleven of
the Portland Football Club. On that day
some 1500 people gathered on the Bishop,
ficott Academy campus to witness the lat
'est .innovation in the field of sport- f oot
Toall game played after the style used by
rthe- Eastern colleges. The contest was
won by tho academic team, score 8 to 0.
From that time the game immediately
took a hold upon the amateur sporting
fraternity, and soon became the most pop
ular of all sporta
Prior to 1S90 football was a novelty in
Portland, and was indulged in by tho few
British 'residents here, who turned out on
numerous vacant lots to play the appren
tices from the British ships visiting the,
. iarbor. These contests were principally
Ihe old association or "kicking" game;, In
which a round ball was U3ad jand no player,
was allowed, to touch either the ball or an
opposing player with his handa or arms.
Sowever, these games were varied by con-:
ttests under-tho Rugby Union rules.
From the Rugby . Union game Is derived
(lhe American college game. Tho Ameri
can game as it is played today had Its In
ception In a match between Yale and Har
vard ln the Fall of 1S76. Shortly before
that time the team of the McGill Unlver
elty, of Montreal, " visited Harvard and
'taught the students the game. At an
American college convention the gamo
"was adopted, but some 'modifications were
anade, the principal one of which Is tho
offside or Interference play. In the Eng
'lish game there was no interference, I. e.,
when the back man got the ball for a run
The had to make' his own-interference and'j
could not be asslstedv by others of hlo.
team, but when tackled he usually pasjed
the ball to one of his'own side, who was
expected to follow up closely, and some
times one run was made' by a half dozen
different players, each of whom on being
tackled passed the ball to another , man.
'Rugby wao usually a much more quickly
played game thari the .American on ac
count of the open formation of the team.
In the Spring of 1830 a notice appeared in
The Oregonlan asking all lovers of foot
"ball to meet in the old Dekum building.
Some 20 enthusiasts answered the call and
organized 4nto what was known as the
Portland Football and Cricket Club. The
first thing cTorie by the club was to raise
money to hire a room and for the. pur
pose of purchasing a football and suits.
Nearly all the members of the club were
Englishmen. The firot practices'1 were lield
on the river flats near the old water
works. Later a field near Sunnyolde was
rented and a game' of Rugby Union played
in September. .
The First Intercollegiate Game.
About the same time the Bishop Scott
Academy, whose faculty contained a num
ber of Eastern college "men, organized a
team under the leadership of Professor
J. "W. Garvin and was coached by W. A.
Montgomery. The B. S. A. team chal
lenged the club eleven to a game under
the collegiate rules, to bo played on
Thanksgiving. At that time the Portland
Football Club "had. not used the new rules,
but they accepted the challenge. Will
Llpman, who had received football train
ing at Princeton, coached the team in the
collegiate game. Ray Green, who was
Just out of Harvard, also assisted in the
coaching and played on the team. The
teams as they lined up for Portland's
first football game, were as follows:
Portland. Position. B. S. A.
Schuyler I E FIske
Montworth IiT Holt
McGrath LQ Montgomery
Shipley CP. Garvin
Recs R a Overholt
Sparks RT H. Campbell
Jones R E H. Freeman
Mills M. Brooke
Carrutherg H.. R. Freeman
McDonell F B -Ellsworth
Umpire Mr. Scott Brooke.
Referee Mr. Mark G11L
B. S. A. One touchdown in each half.
In February. 1B91. a meeting was called
toy the Portland Football and Cricket Club
for the purpose of organizing an athletic
club. After some difficulties at the meet
ing the Multnomah Amateur Atheletlc
Club was formed and the former club
jdroppod out of existence. The following
Fall the Multnomah Club organized a
football team with Jack Savage as cap
tain. The first appearance of the Mult
nomah Club In the football arena was
on October 31, 1S91, when the clubmen
met the B. S. A. team on the old Oaks
field, and went down to 'defeat, score .8
to 0. In the game the Academy boys
worked the wedge to perfection and re
minded the few college graduates present
of the good old games at Yale, Princeton
and Harvard. At that time the Mult
nomah boys knew nothing of interference.
Savage would roll the ball back to
Charley McDonell, who would pass it to
one of the hacks. Then the' back would!
etart off down the field while tho rest
of the players would stand and cheer like
all possessed and .then go up and pat
him on the back and tell him what a-good
player he was. That was football in
1891. y
From that game soon cropped out such
local stars as Charley McDonell, "Wesley
Kendall, John Garvin. "Cal" Young.
Walter Holt, Allan Ellsworth. Mark
Brooke, "Jack" Savage and W. A. Mont
gomery. Tacomn Enters the Field.
A challenge was received by the Mult
nomah Club from the Tacoma Athletic
Club for a game here on Thanksgiving
and was accepted. A number of the B.
S. A. playero, including Ellsworth,
Brooke, Holt, Hamilton and Montgomery
Joined the local club and this strength
ened the team materially. The1 game re
sulted in an easy victory for the local
team and the following yell was given
with vim:
Rah! Rah! Rah!
HI! Ho! Ha!
Boom, fir, b-a-hl
Multnomah! .
Following is the comment made in The
Oregonlan of the following day:
For the first time In "the history of the two
cities, athletes from Tacoma and Portland met
yesterday In an athletic contest. It was &
football rame at the Oaks, and the "Webfoot
eleven downed the City ot Destiny team by a
score "' 30 to B The enmc marked the bo
glnnlnc of football in the Northwest, and It
also demonstrated the . fact that the young
men were very clever athletes. It was a great
game, and all honor is duet Captain Savage.
On New Year's day the Multnomah
eleven played a return match in .Tacoma,
winning the game by a score of 24 to 0.
FIRST MULTNOMAH AMATEUR ATHLETIC CLUB FOOTBALL TEAM.
, CHAMPIONS OF THE SEASON OF '1891-92. ' " " "
Top row Dosch, McAlpln, Lewis. Brook (manager), Chapln, Llpman. Second row Green. Montgomery, Gavin, Savage (captain), Gllsan, Holt, FIske. Third row Kendall, Ellsworth, McDonell, Brooke.
When the team wqnt to Tacoma 73
rooters accompanied them and on .the
morning of the game the team and Its
supporters turned out on the streets of
Tacoma and paraded the town yelling and
blowing horns. The Tacomltes thought
tho boys were crazy but it advertised the
game in good fityle. The clubmen com
pletely captured the town and were there j
three days. May Irwin, Flo Irwin. Otis !
Harlan and Ignatio Martinettl, of the J
"Boys and Girls" Company, which was .
playing in Tacoma then, came out to the j
game and invited the boys to the theater .
that evening. The boy3 occupied the first
three rows but they had the whole house
and all the troupe wore the red and white
colors of "the Portland victors. The big
hit was made when Otis Harlan sang the
parody "Portland Turned Tacoma's Pic
ture to the Wall."
In 1S92 Frank Raley, who had just re
turned from Amherst, Joined the Mult
nomah Club and coached the team in "in
terference." He played quarter-back, and
was tho captain of the team. Multnomah
had its first experience with a school
team that season and eaeily defeated Pa
cific Unlvcrsfty.
It was In 1892 that Seattle, with the
largest number of college men to choose
from entered the football arena. Although
they were slow getting Into the sport they
earner In with great dash and enthusiasm.
Tacoma was defeated by these novices on
Thanksgiving day, score 8 . to 0. On
January 2, 1893, came the great struggle
between Seattle and Multnomah. The
game was played on the old Seattle base
ball grounds which were a virtual sea
THE FAMOUS MULTNOMAH TEAM OF 1893-94.
-
DEFEATED BY STANFORD, JANUARY 1, 1894.
Top row Pomeroy, Morse, Spencer, Ned Ayer (manager). "Wlthlngton, Schermerhorn, Luflora. Second row Frailer, Stephens, Page, Vic Smith, Clark, Holt. Bottom row Ellsworth, Larwoll, Raley,
' Joe Emlth (cAptain), McDonell.
of mud. The diamond was something
awful and It was no uncommon sight to
see a player sink to his knees in the mud.
The contest was a mighty one and should
have been won by the Multnomah boys.
but as It was, neither side was able to
score. Multnomah would work the ball
along the quagmire of the diamond ancl
would almost get it to comparatively hard
ground when Seattle would pick the ball
out of the center's hanjl and get the ball
on a fumble. Then they would punt ar.d
3Iultnomah had to repeat the perform
ance. The referee watched this violation.'
of the rules without a word.
SMultnomnlx at Its Best.
Multnonuh's football career reached lt3
height in the season of 1S93-94. It was that
year that, after a most successful season.
Multnomah closed with a defeat by Stan
ford on New Year's day the first defeat
the club hed suffered since its first game.
Joe Smith was the captain that year, and
proved hlmoelf a hero In every game. To
Ills great generalship and individual play
ing can be laid much of the glory of the
team. He won the first Seattle game by
a drop kick just before the close of the
second half. During the season the Ta
coma. Seattle, and the University o'f
"Washington elevens were brought to
Portland and defeated by the local team.
The Multnomahs also defeated Tacoma
and "Seattle on their own grounds.
A Game With Stanford.
With the announcement 'that the great
teim from Stanford University would
play here on New Year's day came tho
news that Multnomah had secured Hef
felfinger, the famous Yale player, as a
coach for the team. The struggle was the
greatest eveij seen on a local gridiron. It
was the winning team of California
against the champions of the Northwest,
and training with a lighter team
swanfped the local line. No score was
made In. the first half, and Multnomah
stock was on the rise. But defeat camo
in the second half, when Stanford took a
magnificent brace and the Californians
made three touchdowns, kicked one goal,
and scored a safety, for a total of IS
points.
In the evening both teams occupied
boxest at the Marquam, where the Port
land opera company was playing the
"Chimes of Normandy." Between tha
first and second acts the whole Stanford
team was called to the stage, and Mis3
Alice Frledlander, on behalf of tho eic- '
Callfornians of th'e city, presented tha
Stanford boys with a silken banner.
Then the Multnomah boys were called to
the stage and presented with a couple of
silken banners, and Captain Joe Smith
wa3 given a heavy silver shield. In
scribed with the best wishes of the'ex
Callfornlans of thl3 city. A banquet was
tendered to the teams at tho Commer
cial Club.
Until this time the big football games
were confined to the athletic clubs in
Portland. Seattle and Tacoma. The col
leges in the Northwest had not had suffi
cient coaching and experience to copa
with the older college men who played
with the club teams. In 1S94 an inter
collegiate league was formed, with Port
land University. University of Oregon.
Pacific University, Oregon Agricultural
College, and Monmouth Normal School.
The championship was won by the Port
land University.
Portland CIuT Organized.
In 1S94 the Multnomah Cljdb was slow
in getting out a team, and there seemed
to be a lack of interest in the game.
About the middle of November the Port
land Amateur Athletic Club was organ
ized, and the football spirit picked up
somewhat. A game was arranged be
tween Seattle and Multnomah for
Thanksgiving, and the Great Northern
Railway presented a solid silver cup for
the winner. Seattle won the game by
a score of 8 to 0. Lack of training was
In the .main responsible for the defeat
of the lodal team. On New Year's day,
1893, the Portland Athletic Club made It3
appearance on the gridiron,, and defeated
the Port Townsend eleven; score, 23 to 0.
The season of 1595-96 was opened by
the Portland Athletic Club with a game
with Tacoma. The local team won by
a score of G to I. Multnomah was badly
beaten early in November by the Re
liance team.
On Thanksgiving day camo the first
struggle between local club teams. On
that date Portland was defeated by Mult
nomah by one touchdown. More game3
were expected between these teams, but
soon after the game the Portland Club
made an assignment. On Christmas Mult
nomah was defeated by Port Townsend.
The Portland Club reorganized under tha
name of the Portland Athletic Club, and
played the sret Butte team on New
Ycar's.i Butte won the game, but Port
land was able to make one touchdown:
score, 26 to 4.
The Multnomah Club revived Its foot
ball spirit in the Fall of 1SDC and started
In early. Charles McDonell was captain
of the team? Joe Smith, coach; and F.
Otto Burckhardt, manager. After a num-"
ber of practice games with Battery A.
the 'Season was opened by a game with
that team on October 24. The clubmen
easily won by a score of 42 to 0. Sev
eral weeks later Multnomah defeated tha
Portland University.
On Thanksgiving. 1S96, Multnomah and
Eugene made their appearance as oppon
ents for gridiron honors. The clubmen
won a hard-fought battle by a score of
12 to 6. Games were played with Seattle
on Christmas and New Year's, and each
team won a same.
The Portland Athletic Club came Into
the field again in 1S97, and from the first
of the season the rivalry between that
team and the Multnomah Club was In
tense. Frank Randall had the new eleven
in charge, while Stlckncy, the Yala
pla'yer. coached and played full on tha
Multnomah team. The Portland team
had In its line-up a number of soldiers
from Vancouver Barracks, and the rest
of the players were from the Battery A
team of the year before. Ralston Wil
bur, who had been prominently connected
with the Multnomah Club as a weight
thrower, deserted to the Portland Club.
It was often said and seldom denied that
the players on the Portland eleven re
ceived the gate receipts at the games.
In spite of this apparent Interest in tho
game, the season was late in opening.
(Concluded on Page 27.)