Richmond High School - Shield Yearbook (Richmond, CA)

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THE 1920-21 WRECKING CREW—First Row: Kenneth Mafthieson, Hale Stoddard, Paul Heinsen, Curt Smith, Clyde Cassidy, Willard Smiley, and Francis Healey. Second Row: Loren Whitlock, Boyd Hecker, Kenneth Wells, Francis McLaughlin, Phil deLuna, Ridgeley Greathouse, Raleigh Davies, Arthur Fischer, Lawrence Wright, Unknown, and Clarence Ford. In the years between 1920 and 1930 RUHS turned out ten superb football teams, several of them so devastating that they were known as “The Wrecking Crew. ’ Richmond's coach was Major Ivan W. Hill, And what a coach he was! ‘‘Maj’”’ Hill turned out his first great Oiler eleven in 1921, one year after Richmond began to play football. This all but invincible ‘‘Wrecking Crew,’’ with such stars as Captain Loren ‘‘Lady’’ Whitlock, Clyde Cassidy, Ken Wells and Ar- thur Fischer, won one smashing victory after another, until ’ it was finally defeated in the last game of the season. Another notable ‘‘Wrecking Crew’’ was the Oiler team of 1926, the most formidable eleven of the year. Tough and spirited, these players, as was the custom in the twenties, wore little padding, no mouth pieces or face guards, and played on unturfed fields. The captain of this famous “Wrecking Crew’’ was Bob Caldwell. Another of its stars, Rusty Lane, ran 105 yards to a touchdown, for which feat he was immortalized in Ripley's ‘‘Believe it or Not.” Now ‘Maj’ Hill was more than a coach to his players; he was a warm friend whom they loved and honored long after their football playing was done. In November, 1954, they conspired to pay tribute to their coach. Invited with his lovely wife, Ruby, to the Richmond Golf Club on the pretext of having dinner with another couple, he was greeted by 180 former footballers and their wives. Jack Stoddard and George Miller Jr. were the masters of cere- monies. They presented him with a silver plaque, com- memorating his years of service to RUHS and to the great teams of 1920-1930. They also presented a perpetual trophy to RUHS, which Mr. David C. Gray received on be- half of the school. This large and beautiful trophy was to be awarded every year in honor of ‘‘Maj’’ Hill to Rich- mond’s most outstanding athlete, whose name was to be engraved on the cup and who was also to receive another, smaller cup of his own. Members of the committee for the evening were Joe Viano, John O'Connell, and Warren V. Truitt. This year, 1964, is the tenth anniversary of the splendid testimonial dinner which ‘‘Maj’’ Hill's ‘‘Wrecking Crews” gave him. Needless to say, ten years have made little dif- ference in the affection which his former players feel for their old coach, except to augment it even more. And now that ‘Maj’ Hill has retired from his position as City Recrea- tion Director, it seems entirely in keeping with Richmond's tradition of honoring its greatest coach, to use his trophy as the theme of the Shield.