DON McCORMACK
There’s something about history that intrigues me, which proves beneficial in my current vocation.
So you can imagine how cool it was when I recently unearthed a pair of old photographs, one more than a century old and the other just shy of that.
The images are of a pair of Ashtabula County football teams and looking at them, I can’t help but wonder what became of the young men shown in the photographs.
One of the really neat aspects of the photos are some of the equipment the players are wearing.
The first photo is of the 1906 Geneva Eagles, posed in front of some type of wooden wall.
Which prompted a telephone call to Norm Potter, our resident Geneva football historian. Norm, a 1986 Geneva graduate, is now living in Dundee, Mich.
Not surprisingly, Norm has a copy of the photo.
“Actually, that photo is from a postcard,” he said. “I also have a copy of a studio shot of that team.”
The 1906 Eagles, which were the fourth team in Geneva history, were coached by Scott Ross. They went 5-1 on the season and claimed the county championship, losing only to a school named University, 15-6.
That Geneva team outscored its opposition, 126-21, that fall en route to winning the third of four straight county championships.
The second photo is of the 1909 Jefferson football team, which is posed in what appears to be a football field as some white lines are visible.
Those Falcons were coached by first-year mentor Andy Carnegie and posted a 6-2-0 record, finishing second in the county championship race behind Conneaut, which went 7-1-1 that fall and beat Jefferson at Jefferson, 5-0. (Touchdowns were worth five points in those days). Conneaut’s only loss that season was a 5-0 forfeit to Grand River Institute, which it had beaten the week before, 22-6.
That Jefferson team’s only other loss 99 years ago was a 26-0 verdict to Ashtabula.
While Geneva began playing football in 1903, our research shows Jefferson played its first contests on the gridiron in the fall of 1896.
Geneva has fielded a team every year since 1903, though in 1910, it folded up the tent after two games, losses to Lakewood, 12-0, and Conneaut, 17-5.
A story in the Thursday, Oct. 27, 1910 Star Beacon said:
“Geneva High is disbanded because of parental objection, illness and absence from school make up reasons for the action.”
Jefferson played football from 1896 through 1926, though after losses at Conneaut, 7-0, and at Geneva, 25-0, it gave up football, switching instead to baseball in the fall.
Football was not played at Jefferson again until 1940, when the school played two six-man games and in 1941, when it played five six-man games.
Jefferson did not play again at all until 1946, when it brought 11-man football back and began playing at Memorial Field, where it remained until moving to Falcon Pride Stadium in 1981.
Picture this?
Anyone possessing old photos of any sport they believe might prove interesting can email them or contact yours truly at the address at the end of this column.
McCormack is the sports editor of the Star Beacon. Reach him at donmac@suite224.net.
