St Marys College - Dial Yearbook (St Marys, KS)

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ATHLETICS REMINISCENCES By Mr. S. O'Rourke As I travel the road of Yesterdays and find myself once again a lad in grammar school, I can recall very graphically the manner in which I used to digest Father Finn’s stories about old St. Mary’s. Even as a youngster in an Eastern city, the Blue Grass, the Small Yard; Pawnee creek and “Stay Ups” were mystic and magic names to me—and the St. Mary’s of “Tom Playfair,” “Percy Wynn” and “Harry Dee,” was my dream school. My grammar school days passed away and, with youth approaching, the elders at home directed me to other scholastic fields—yet my early impressions of St. Mary’s, gleaned from the pages of the famous Jesuit author, always lingered with me. Hence, when I began my career as coach of athletics at the dream school of my youth, 1 was a stranger to St. Mary’s—but St. Mary’s was no stranger to me. In September, 1915, when I took over the coaching position, the names of Mat” Carpenter, Jimmy Bray, Pough Walsh, “Tommy” Burns, Ray Dockery, “Shorty” Bennett, Eddie Murphy, Paul Kistner, Percy Burns, Langhoff and a host of others who contributed much to the athletic tradition }f the Blue and White were still on the lips of the students. The feats of these athletes and the excellent record of all of Mr. Quigley’s athletic teams seemed to be beacon lights—inspirations, as it were, for the students to follow and to be guided by. 1 was enthusiastically received and that enthusiasm, that genuine old St. Mary’s spirit, helped me miraculously in my pleasant associations with the St. Mary’s students during my six years as coach of her athletic teams. Yet here, I must say, that the little success obtained by the teams during my administration as coach was due, first to the old traditional spirit of the school, and second to the wonderful assistance, cooperation and suggestions given to me by the First Perfects—viz: Mr. Walsh, S. J., Mr. Petit, S. J., Mr. Holton, S. J., and Mr. Bennett, S. J. These four Jesuit scholastics always had the interests of the St. Mary’s boys at heart. They anticipated their every want and in victory were the first to congratulate. In defeat, their words of counsel and good cheer were incentives to overcome defeat’s sting. Conrad, Gavin, Gancy, Bannantine, Gatz, Smith, Lamb, Devitt, Sipes, Kigali, Armstrong of the football team of 1915 can well remember our campaign of defeats. A rift in the skies did not seem possible, yet that 1915 knew the meaning of the St. Mary’s spirit, and guided by that, possibly the most enjoyable victory during my stay there as coach, was gained on Thanksgiving Day of that season. The students of that year can recall the Doane-St. Mary’s game. With the Nebraskans leading 7 to 3, and out a minute to play, Kigali caught a punt and ran sixty yards to a touchdown and a victory. This was our only victory of the year, yet the fight, the determination, and the spirit displayed by the 1915 squad in defeats became a tradition for the following football elevens. In the winter of 1916 St. Mary’s Basketball team for the first time entered the Kansas Conference with a standing of seven wins out of fourteen games played. Old boys of that year can remember our first conference victory. Fairmount College was our opponent. The Wichita quintet was leading 24 to 23 and as the timer’s whistle announced the close of the game, “Marty” O’Toole’s shot from the center of the court, was sailing majestically through the air. The proverbial hush was in evidence, and as the ball glided gracefully through the net, giving the Blue and White a victory by one point, even Father Louis O’Connor S. J., then Prefect of Studies, momentarily forgot his dignity and joined the pandemonium of the crowd by boisterously slapping Father Kuhlman, S. J., on the back. Marty O’Toole—how well the old boys of 1916 remember him—a true type of the real St. Mary’s boy, whom God called to His Home, while in our midst. 5 DIAL ANNUAL il 1 One Hundred Forty-One

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ATHLETICS n F You might ask “How could this be done?” The writer learned foot ball and its fundamentals at Kansas University, but learned more about offense and defense every year afterwards through officiating. Sunday afternoon, the squad at the grave-yard would always get a play, maybe two, used by some team in its Saturday game. Year by year we built up a system of play that became entirely a “St. Mary’s offense” and the plays, shifts and all, even the signals, were drilled into the Second League teams by their coaches. When those boys came up to the “Varsity” they were better coached than the average high-class High School team. I have been asked to pick an “All St. Mary’s” foot ball team. You know I have been for years opposed to “All Teams,” but, for just once, I’ll break over. Having coached teams that played both the old and the new game, I feel that in justice to all there must be an Old-style All Team” and a “New-stylc All Team.” “All St. Mary’s Team” as chosen by Mr. Quigley: Old Style” Pos. “Open Game” “Jack” Purcell.....................C..............................“Jew” Burns Pete Falkcnburg....................G...............................John Conrad Leo Cleary.........................G..............................Chas. Brown “Art” Bcakey.......................T..........................Leo Tighc Basil Fox..........................T..................“Prof.” Scanlon “Nig” Hughes................... ...E................... Fess” Mooney Tom Walsh..........................E................................Tom Hallacy Mike Murphy........................Q.................“Shorty” Bennett “Jodie” Clancy.................:H B.............................“Heine Rauth “Tommie” Burns.................H. B................................Paul Amberg Chas. Spcice......................F. B.......................Mark Gross In baseball it finally developed that we had to play nearly everybody. The “Cubs,” Detroit “Tigers,” Buffalo, St. Paul American Association, Denver and Topeka Western League clubs all helped make our baseball teams what they were. The “Big Leaguers” would give the boys good advice—a secret (the boys would then tell me and together we would work it all out and finally we all thought we knew a little about baseball). It is a pleasure now to look back on those days in baseball and realize that St. Mary’s base ball teams really did play an exceptional brand of ball. We had the pitchers and we had the catchers. The hitters were there and the boys did enjoy playing correct ball. How satisfying it was to see each one develop! How interested they all were! To pick an “All-Time BascBall Team” is quite a task, but as long as you ask for one here goes: Tom Walsh...................................................Catcher “Speedy” Swift.............................................Catcher “Toots” Collins............................................1st base Semi Collins...............................................2nd base Tommy Burns................................................3rd base Walter Walsh..............................................Shortstop Mark Gross................................................Left Field “Shorty” Bennett........................................Center Field “Hcinic” Rauth...........................................Right Field Utility Infielders: “Prof.” Scanlon—“Biscuit” Ruwart. Utility Outfielders: “Honk” Rozier—“Pete” Falkcnburg. Pitchers: “Father” Hill, Cy Young, Clarence Bakule, Jo-Jo Hendrix, “Chin” Green. “Hank” Collins, “Jock” Mahoney, “Ropic” Hayden. I have stated that the success of the teams was spelled in morale and cooperation. Many an enjoyable night was spent cither in the “blue-grass” or in the “smoking-room.” Those old-time “Stay-ups” just meant everything to the boys. They lived over and played over each game. The coffee and cakes came in due time—the stogies were lighted and each run scored was made a hundred times before the “Squad” answered the pocket bell of the prefect. COOPERATION.—Those of you who enjoyed even one year of squad privileges at St. Mary’s know that that word was spelled in more ways than one. To some of you it was Whelan,” to others “Kenney,” to many others Hermans”—to those later on “Hoffman,” and after that “O’Connell.” To me, these men just made athletics what they were at St. Mary’s College. S DIAL AN7MUAL One Hundred Forty

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 ATHLETICS “Joe Canary was captain of the baseball team in the spring of 1916. The season marked the debut of a youngster, “Pug” Dowling, who was the best college catcher in the west. Pike Sipes, Everet and Reardon composed a trio of pitchers, that baffled Kansas University, Haskell and the “Aggies.” Floyd Hemp, who died while serving his country in France, played a wonderful game that spring at short. Griffith at third, “Shorty” Siefrct in center and “Hook Ganey on second, were the others who assisted Canary’s team to win the first conference championship under my reign as coach. Circumstances—to be explained by the editor—limit me in time and in space, or i could review the athletic teams of other years in a similar manner. 1 place particular stress on my first year because, as 1 said, these teams of T5 and TO displayed a true St. Mary’s spirit, a spirit that was followed in other years. My teams from the fall of 1910, to the spring of 1921, were largely made up of students who were in the Small Vard during my first year at St. Mary's. They were greatly influenced by the examples ot suen men as Gat , Conrad, Kigali, O’Toole, Ganey and the others; and when they assumed the role ot Varsity athletes, they imitated to a great extent the men on the teams mentioned above. beginning with the fall of 1V16, the Small Yard” athlete guided my Varsity teams. Students of the present day remember the names Curran, orone, Dearborn, Redmond, Morrison, McGlynn, Porter, Shields, Kirk, Chi-cione, bussey, Munalls, Gavin, Dan Malone, Circus” Walsh. These and many others helped to make the athletic years of 1910-191 successful in football, basketball and baseball. Conradt, captain ot the football team, which lost only two games out of nine played, and Kigan, again captained the basketball team, which finished the season witn thirteen wins out of titteen games played. The succeeding years were more conspicuous than ever for the Small Yard athlete. Lew Lane, tom Kelly, Joe McGmley, Tom Boland, Bergman, DeNoya, Dearborn, Rousseau, Carry Magner, Nip Dunn, Mitchell, Rose, Faby, McGlincney, Jack Boland, Gannon, Vinnie” Burns, John Forter, Bud” Luepke, Haskins, vaulted tne small lence and immediately made names lor themselves not only as athletes for St. Mary's, but, by tneir ail around athletic ability and wonderful sportsmanship, gained recognition throughout the whole Kansas conference. All of the above mentioned made one of the Kansas Conference mythical teams, while Lane, Kelly, Boland, Magner and Dunn were placed on both football and basketball teams, the league sponsored by the rrcfects produced the other Varsity athletes during those years, and these athletes rose equally to the heights of the Small Carders. Kamacciotti, Batson, Kelly, Slattery, Mahoney, Finnigan, Regan, Bret , Brown, Fife, McAvoy, McAllister, Korth, jaines Bannantinc, John U Connor, Joe O’Connor, Casey, Clavin, Carlin, Chicoine, Fisher, McNcivc, Oxly, Doc” Miller, Bill” Hogan, DuBrouillet wore the colors of the Blue and White gloriously in victory and defeat and these, too, had among their number many who were placed on the all-state teams of Kansas. There is an atmosphere about a St. Mary’s boy that makes his presence felt regardless of what he is doing, whether at play or at study. He loves to play, to lead an adventurous and honorable youth when recreation is at hand. In study periods he displays the same earnestness toward his books that characterizes his work in hours of leisure. The student body of St. Mary’s know the traditions of the school, they delight in rehearsing them, and the new boy at the college invariably is carried right into this environment, and loses no time before he, too, is a follower and an important cog in the mighty student impetus that backs up all activities at St. Mary’s. I could enumerate many things that impressed me during my coaching days but one—outside of their profound attention to religious duties—stands foremost: the fact that all the athletes from the time of Conradt to the days of Kelley, Lane and Boland, were just St. Mary’s boys, never displaying the so-called College Swell-Head, a fault often found elsewhere. DIAL ANAIUAL One Hundred Forty-Two