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1912 TEAM WAS NATIONAL CHAMPS
January 31, 1980



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PIX #1 - Boles' National Championship team in 1912:  (left to right) Top row:
Manager Ash, Vernon Rase, Will Daub, Will Lyon, Cecil Cain, Arbuth Cole,
Coach Boles.  Second row:  Floyd Reinbolt, George Hatfield, Wilbur Bevington,
Fred Brown, Connie Clark, Dick Kelley.  Third row:  Algie Strouse, Clifford
Shuman, Hal Stout.

PIX #2 - Trautman's Champs of Ohio and Michigan in 1914:  (left to right) 
Top row:  Manager Ash, Ralph Cummings, Pete Stinchcomb, Roy Johnson, George
Hatfield, Russell Chilcote, Robert Hess, Coach Trautman.  Second row: 
Cramer, Frank Kelley, Ray Porter, Frank Longfellow, Harold Thompson, Arthur
Zuelzke, Howard Orth.

PIX #3 - PETE STINCHCOMB

PIX #4 - G.M. TRAUTMAN

PIX #5 - COACH H.A. WIPER

PIX #6 - COACH RICHARD E. RILEY

PIX #7 - COACH E.P. WELTNER

(EDITOR'S NOTE:  This is the second in a series of articles about football as
it was played and won at FHS many years ago.

Coach Boles' greatest year at Fostoria High was certainly 1912, when The
Boston Transcript conceded that the Fostoria High football team was the best
in the United States.  Springfield had the best team in its history that year
and Fostoria defeated them easily 41-0.

Then on Thanksgiving Day, always a great day for football in Fostoria, Buffa-
lo Central High, the champions of New York State who had won the Vanderbilt
Cup, came to town, expecting to continue their successful record.  The local
fans despaired for FHS because of Buffalo's expertise with the forward pass
and their fast handling of plays.  Fostoria's initial fears turned to joy
when the score ended Fostoria 74 to Buffalo 0.

Coach Little, from University of Cincinnati, who officiated in several of the
games in which Fostoria played, said he thought Fostoria had the forward-pass
nearer perfection than any team he had ever seen, and that they could defeat
the majority of the colleges in the state.

BOLES TO WOOSTER

Boles' success at Fostoria was too much to hold him here, so in 1913 he ac-
cepted a coaching position at East Cleveland, and later went to Wooster Col-
lege to headup all their athletics.  He stayed at Wooster for the rest of his
coaching career, and during that time attracted Fostorians there to partici-
pate in sports, including Bill Daub and Charles "Red" Forrest.

Boles retired as coach of Wooster in 1939, but became athletic director, a
position he held until death in 1945.

1913 was a sad season for the Red and Black football team.  Coach Loomis,
following Boles, was unable to do much with his players and the season ended
up with Fostoria losing many of its games, accumulating 131 points to 91 for
the opponents.

OHIO-MICHIGAN CHAMPS

George "Red" Trautman, an Ohio State University graduate came to Fostoria in
1914 to turn things around.  He was popular with the players and fans from
the start.  Fostoria beat Tifin 112-0.  Ann Arbor, the champions of Michigan,
played here on Thanksgiving Day and FHS won easily.  Having already won all
of the Ohio games, Fostoria wa acclaimed the champions of Ohio and Michigan.
The season record was FHS 558 points to 16 for opponents.

Trautman stayed in Fostoria only two years, and during 1915 the Red and Black
again became state champions, rolling up 299 points for the season against
21 for opponents.  Trautman went from Fostoria to Ohio State to become physi-
cal director.  Pete Stinchco, one of his star players here followed him there
and became an All-American halfback, along with "Chick" Harley, the other
halfback.

ROUGH YEARS

In 1916, Carl Peter, an old FHS star was hired as coach.  It was a rough year
for Fostoria who was only able to garner 109 points for the season against
69 for opponents.  Fostoria's record for that year was five wins, two loses,
and one tie.

In 1917, Bill Gailey, YMCA physical director, was hired as coach.  Harold
Switzer, still living in Fostoria, was captain that year.  Fostoria rolled up
414 points for the season to 51 for opponents.

Carl Peter wa back as coach, assisted by Richard Kelley in 1918.  It was the
only year up to that time opponents were able to outscore the Red and Black
team.  The year ended Fostoria, 116 to 276 for opponents.

In addition to piling up mostly victories and winning scores, the Red and
Black team members also established some individual feats during the period
of 1897 through 1915.  Here they are:

In 1909, in the game with Toledo, there, Harry Hoffmaster who was playing end
for FHS, overtook Sala, Toledo's 10-second man, after he had a 10-yard start
and caughthim before he crossed the goal line.

Carl Peter made a successful 50-yard forward-pass in the 1909 game with Find-
lay...further than many punters can kick.

In 1908, John Johnson, in practice, made a successful drop-kick of 60 yards.
Had he done it in a game he would have beaten the record of the world's
greatest, Brickley.

George Hatfield won the trophy cup at the football tournament in Cleveland
in 1914.  Out of nine chances, three for each from the 20, 25 and 30 yard
line, he did not miss a single attempt.

Hal Stout's punts during the several seasons he was a member of the team av-
eraged about 55 yards, but in the Findlay game in 1910, he kicked one for 85
yards, according to the old records.

Fostoria's total scores for the years 1899-1914 wre 4521, opponents 309.

Fostoria had four teams, back then, that were never scored upon, 1903 with
182-0; 1905 with 192-0; 1906 with 333-0; and 1912 with 596-0.

EARLY PLAYERS

Earlier in this article I said that it was too bad space wouldn't permit
showing more pictures of the teams from the early days.  To partially compan-
sate for those omissions we are including a list of names of team members
from 1897 through 1916 which are not listed with pictures shown.  It will in-
terest many readers.

Frank Bunce, Ed Flechtner, Harry Gardner, Jay Doke, Stanley Lovett, Alva
Weaks, Fred Flechtner, Judd Asire, Otis Wickerd, Carl Smith, James Sellers,
Gideon Hatfield, Charles "Bud" Friesner, Charles Morlock, Ed Wright, Charles
Eshelman, Tal Cribbs, Randolph Long, Lee Harbaugh, Olie Binder, Pat Hilger-
ink, Nathan Hatfield.

Well Callin, Wayne Norris, Tom Norris, Curt Guernsey, Harry Mumma, John John-
ston, Earl Rosendale, Harry Hoffmaster, Delbert Stevens, Byron Ralston, Will
Maurer, Earl Fox, Leonard Reycraft, Carl Peter, Ross Kipka, Harry Harley,
Karl Ghaster, James Gray, Floyd Smith, Charles Forrest, Kaye Berringer, Milo
Norris.

Florentine Eckerle, Lon Emerine, Grover England, Will Daub, Maynard Norris,
Virgil Hicks, Hal Stout, Wilbur Bevington, Duane Smothers, Cecil Cain, Clif-
ford Shuman, Dick Kelley, Fred Brown, George Hatfield, Carl Sayre, Arbuth
Cole, Algie Strouse, Harry Jackson, Carl Diver, Vernon Frase, Will Lyon, Con-
nie Clark, Russell Chilcote, Pete Stinchcomb, Ed Cramer, Frank Longfellow,
Harold Thompson, Gerald King, Floyd Smeltzer, Griswold Werner.

Ralph Cummings, Robert Hess, Frank Kelley, Ray Porter, Arthur Zuelzke, Howard
Orth, Laurin Hawkins, Roy Johnston, Jay Schaffner, Kenneth Duffey, Norris
Reed.

I could write separate paragraphs about many of the above...many of them went
on to make names for themselves in their chosen professions.

1919 NEW OUTLOOK

1919 was a turning point from Fostoria's unsuccessful years.  "Smiley"  Welt-
ner arrived in Fostoria to be the coach and stayed for two years.  The first
year he found an abundance of material to work with and turned out a fine
team, captained by Elwood Fox, fullback, and Bill Foster and Harold Worley
as halfbacks.  The season ended with Fostoria's scoring record 374 points to
35 for opponents.

In his second and final year, 1920, Weltner guided FHS to the Northwestern
Ohio Championship, making 384 points for the season to 13 for opponents.

It was during Weltner's regime that enthusiasm ran high in the school and
among local fans for the football team.  Wainwright was in Fostoria and had
the new band functioning and had written the football fight-song.  Pep ral-
lies were held before each game and during weekly chapel sessions.

Harold Wiper became coach in 1921 and had a successful season, scoring 262
points against opponents 46.

During Wiper's second and final year in Fostoria only two opponents, Lima
Central and Hicksville, were able to score six points each, and Fostoria fin-
ished the season with 427 points.

I'll write more about Fostoria and St. Wendelin football at a later date.

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