Benedictine College - Raven Yearbook (Atchison, KS)

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These men showed West Texas, Drake, just how like a Rockne team Top row-Moran, Nolan, Neff, Mermis, Weiffenbac l h, Miller. Bottom row-Kelly, Gambold, Chapman, Cahill, Casey, Peterson. Left center-Co-Capt. 0'Nealg right center-Co-Capt. Beattie. Middle-The Maryville game. game, filled with all the atmosphere that attends a con- test between rivals of long standing. The overflow crowd of 7ooo, with its echeers, and the band music blaring from loud speakers strung along the great bleachers front, plus the thousand thrills of a night game, went to make up another memorable Raven- Hawk contest. Pat Mason's boys were, as ever, a crafty fce. No let-up in suspense was possible for the spectators, for as soon as the game seemed in the bag, the Hawks would make a gain and the crowd would be on its feet again. The next week Maryville State Teachers provided 14 the opposition. The Maryville team was greater in size only and the more skilled Ravens kept them in hot water throughout the game. Scoring did not begin un- til the second quarter, but from that time it was a one- sided affair, and the Ravens emerged victorious, ad- ministering their fourth whitewash defeat, 33 to o. The Bearcats threatened only once, that in the third quarter. The tide suddenly changed, however, when Weiffenbach intercepted one of their passes and cruised down the field for 35 yards and the final Raven touch- down. A record Homecoming crowd justified the great name Mullins' machine had carved out for itself.

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Continued from page II. the outstanding feature of the game. Before a large Homecoming crowd at Chillicothe, the Ravens found no diiiiculty in humbling the Chilli- cothe Ducks in the form of a 36 to o defeat. The Bene- dictine defense functioned so perfectly that not one first down was registered by its opponents. Because of an auto accident shortly before this game, the Ravens lost the services of two valuable regulars, Chapman and Cahill, who were unable to return for the remainder of the season. In the most talked-of game of the season and pos- sibly the toughest' game of the schedule, the Ravens met the West Texas Buffaloes at Amarillo, Texas, on November 3. Never lzefore had a St. Benedict's team traveled so far to engage in an athletic encounter, and the Ravens were determined to make the most of it. During the trip down, O'Neal, co-captain and main- stay of the Blackbirds, became ill with influenza. His condition grew no better after arrival in Amarillo and it was suggested that several of the fast backs left in Atchison be flown to Texas by plane in time for the game. This was not deemed necessary by the coaches and athletic advisers, and when the starting whistle blew, O,Neal was on the field, caught the kick- off, and ran it back 53 yards, only to have the kick called back because of an offside player. The first touchdown came after lXIermis recovered a Buff fumble: hve plays later the ball was taken by Nefi' on a lateral pass and carried across the goal line. The second Raven touchdown was even more spec- tacular. After stopping two savage drives of the Buffaloes late in the game, the Black and VVl1ite swung down the field in long drives, until within striking dis- tance of the marker, where McCann, waiting over the goal line, received a sensational pass from Tex Dux:- away, who hails from Amarillo. The return from the south of the victorious Ravens was eagerly awaited by their classmates a11d the resi- dents of Atchison. Late in the afternoon of November 4, crowds of students lzegan to gather in the streets of Atchison in preparation for the welcoming rally. Townspeople and high school students also congregated, listening to the college songs and yells, and to the music of the college band. When the team hnally arrived it had difficulty making progress through the milling, cheering throngs which accompanied it through tl1e city streets alld up to St. Bencdict's campus. The annual battle with the Raven's traditional foes was 11ot overshadowed by the Texas game and, as in previous years, the entire student body traveled to Kansas City and Bourke field to cheer tl1e team to victory. The enormous crowd that witnessed the game were stunned at the great showing of the Bene- dictines who found little difficulty in folding up the Hawkswtheir once greatest rivals-in a 32 to I3 vic- tory. Gnce more it was Co-captains Beattie and O'- Neal who stood i11 the spotlight, Beattie dashing 69 yards to score in the first quarter, and O'Neal scoring after a run of the entire length of the held in the third quarter. This Rockhurst encounter was an ideal football Front row--McCann, Helmert, Busch, Bassette, Nadolski, Casey, Miller, Moran, U'Neal, Kuckelman. Second row-Ford, Powers, Smith, O'Ma1ley, VVanstrath, Nolan, Beattie, Gambold, Kelly, Langan, Coucannon, Reidy, Hoey, Rohe. Third r0'w-Thompson, VVitt, Van Dyke, Moulder, Tyrell, Casserly, Meehan, Seeger, Collins, McLean. Top row+NefT, Hart, Macs, Nicholson, Deutsch, Sheehan, Bussman, VVeifi'enbach, Dunaway, Nanneman, McCormick. The 1933-34 Rav- en football team which traveled ooo miles to de- feat the West Tex- as Buffaloes at Amarillo as Mc- Can11, waiting over the goal line, received a sensa- tional pass from Tex Dunaway. The game aroused commentthrough- out the country. In the first row, second from the right is Willie O'- Neal,whomChris- ty Walsh picked as All-American. 13

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Warrensburg, and Ottawa, among others, a M ullins-coached team fan br. Top row' Deutsch, McLean, Dunaway, Tyrell, Concannon, Powers. Bvllom row---Maes, Nicholson, VVanstrath, Collins, Moulcler, Bassette. Left renter-f-Co-Capt.-elect Nadolskig righl renler-'Co-Capt.-elect Helmert. .Middle The Raven-Hamburger game. With seven consecutive victories behind them, the Ravens traveled to Tarkio, Missouri, on November 22 for the final game of the seasong in this tilt three veter- ans made their last appearance in a Raven grid line- up, namely Maes, Wanstrath, and Beattie. Almost every member of the Black and White squad saw action in this game and with the aid of Helmert, Beattie, O'Neal, and Nolan the eighth consecutive victory, 27 to 7, was made possible. In the entire season the Ravens piled up a total of 217 points while allowing the opposition only 78 points, four games of which were whitewash victories. Perhaps a precedent was set by the Raven team March 28, 1934, when it played, upon invitation, a special spring football game at Iles Moines, Iowa, against Drake University of the Missouri Valley Con- ference. 'l'he game was a hard fought affair from the beginning, and as the Raven line was impregnable to the Drake plunges, St. Benedict's led, 7-2, until late in the final quarter when an Iowan slipped around end for a touchdown to win 8-7. The game was noted by sports writers throughout the Middle West, and several declared the Mullinsmen to be the nearest thing to a Rockne-coached team since Knute's own day. 15