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1958 Cougars
Undefeated on the field
Cougars,
This is a
compilation of 14 articles published in the "Pennsylvania Football" News, in 2003. These are the stories of an
amazing year, for a small-town football team in Western Pennsylvania. Our team; the 1958 Cougars.
"PFN" is a weekly football magazine
devoted to high school football in the State of Pennsylvania.
Thanks go to the Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Crafton High
Ginkgo and the many Cougars who have contributed to these stories.
If you can add to the accounts, or correct any inaccuracy's, please contact either Bill or me and we'll make the updates.
Tom Marshall, '65
Brother of Jack, Jr. (Tex),
'61, and Ray, '68
In August of
1958, my back yard was the centerfield of the baseball field (Crafton Athletic Field) until mid-August. A crane
came every August and moved the light standards into position to form the football field.
Right and centerfield of the baseball field became the practice areas for football.
The baseball infield and leftfield was now the game field. The temporary
bleachers were also moved into position by the crane. Now it was football
season.
Just a year earlier a new Field House was built; a
very nice locker room facility for 1958. The Field House was at the end-zone
nearest West Steuben Street. It marked the first time in Crafton High
School history that the Home Field was 100 yards long.
That’s right, until 1957 the field was only 90 yards long. Once an offense got past the opponent's 10-yard line, the officials moved the ball back 10 yards. Long runs into the end zone would stand as Touchdowns.
In the 1958 era, August 18th was the magic
day. That was when the high school football season commenced. The cadence coming from the mouths of the players would bounce off the houses on West Steuben Street and
Duncan Avenue. The smell of hot sweaty uniforms would only get worse. The practices would usually be in the mornings and the evenings.
The afternoons were for sleeping and recovering from the soreness and bruises obtained in the morning sessions.
Crafton High School started playing football back in
1906. Part of Crafton was farmland until the early 1900’s. A lot of large houses were built in the early 1900’s that are still there today. Crafton is about 4 miles from Heinz Field (Three Rivers Stadium), West of downtown Pittsburgh. The students that went to Crafton were from Crafton (of course), Ingram, Thornburg and some of the Greentree
kids. The Greentree kids had choice of attending either Crafton or Dormont High
Schools.
This was the greatest place for an eleven-year-old
boy to grow up. The “Crafton Athletic Field” was my back yard.
Two little league fields, a pony league field, tennis courts and a swimming pool were within sprinting distance of
my West Steuben Street home. August 18th was always the start of something special;
win or lose. The first game was not until September 12th. This August 18th of 1958 was the start of an unbelievable season.
Next, you will be introduced to the coaches and see what is in store for the upcoming
season.
COACHES *
KMETZ * DERRICKSON * MELLETT
In 1958 there were three classifications
in high school football in the W.P.I.A.L. (Western Pennsylvania Athletic League) and the P.I.A.A. (Pennsylvania Interscholastic
Athletic Association). The Largest class was "AA"; Followed by "A" and the smallest class was "B". The Crafton Cougars were
in the "A" classification in 1958.
It
was the norm in that Era to have only three coaches in a school that size. These coaches usually coached other sports such
as basketball and/or baseball. This was the case with Crafton coaches in 1958.
Paul Derrickson
took over as head coach in 1957 for the legendary "POP" Wenrich. "POP" was the coach of Crafton High football from 1922
through the 1956 SEASON. "POP" retired from teaching in June of 1957.
Coach Derrickson grew up in Georgetown,
Delaware. After high school, Paul found his way to Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After many
offers, Paul decided on Michigan State University. As a Spartan, Paul played fullback and linebacker and he was a top-notch
pitcher for the Spartan baseball team. Following his military service in World War II, Paul coached at Ligonier High
School from 1948 through 1954. Paul became an assistant to "POP" Wenrich for the 1955 and 1956 Football season before
becoming head coach in 1957.
Paul Kmetz was
one of coach Derrickson’s assistant coaches. Paul Kmetz later, as head coach, had undefeated seasons for Crafton in
1967 and Carlynton in its inaugural season of 1970 before becoming head coach at "AAAA" Shaler Area High School. Coach Kmetz
played football at St Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He was an offensive and defensive end for the Bearcat
team that won the Tangerine Bowl in 1950 against Emory and Henry 7-6.
Bill Mellett was
the third coach for the Cougars. Bill grew-up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Swissvale. Bill coached for the Crafton
and Carlynton Cougars for years for coaches Derrickson and Kmetz. Bill was a graduate of Indiana State Teachers College,
now known as IUP.
The
Cougars opened the season of 1958 at Bridgeville. This is quite different from past seasons when the Cougars would travel
to "AA" Jeannette to open the season. Bridgeville was a strong class "B" team that should give the Cougars all they
can handle. The Crafton Cougars in 1957 were one win and seven losses and a tie. Although Coach Derrickson knew he had
some very good athletes, he did not know what to expect from the 1958 Cougars. The Cougars lost the final contest of
the 1957 season at home against their archrivals the Carnegie Little Tartans 39-0. Ron Hatcher of the Tartans skirted
his way easily through the Cougars. Ron later starred for The Michigan State Spartans and later played for The Washington
Redskins.
1958 CRAFTON COUGAR SCHEDULE
SEPT 12 - CRAFTON @ BRIDGEVILLE
SEPT 19 - CRAFTON @ WEST ALLEGHENY
SEPT 26 - LANGLEY @ CRAFTON
OCT 3 - DORMONT @ CRAFTON
OCT 10 - CRAFTON
@ CORAOPOLIS
OCT 17 - CRAFTON @ STOWE
OCT 24 - QUAKER VALLEY @ CRAFTON
OCT
31 - MCKEES ROCKS @ CRAFTON
NOV 7 - CRAFTON @ CARNEGIE
CRAFTON @ BRIDGEVILLE
COUGARS CLAW INDIANS IN DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE 7-0
In what was a great defensive struggle, the Crafton Cougars came out on
top. The game featured strong defensive play from Bridgeville’s
tackles Jim Davies and Tom Volovich. However, the Crafton eleven proved to be
superior on defense, holding the Indians from crossing the 30 yard line. Bridgeville’s
best drive was to the Crafton 30 yard line in the third quarter. Bridgeville
only had 37 yards total offense in the first half.
Johnny
Speidel galloped around left end in the second quarter to give the Cougars the 7-0 lead.
The left halfback scored from 8 yards and also kicked the extra point. This
scoring drive was sparked by a pass from quarterback Tom Johnson to Speidel to setup the games only touchdown.
This was a non-conference
game. The Crafton Cougars travel to Imperial to play the West Allegheny Indians
next Friday night the 19th of September.
GAME TIME TEMP 60 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
Crafton 0 7 0 0
7
Bridgeville 0 0 0 0 0
2nd QUARTER
Crafton
- Speidel 8-yard run (XP Speidel Kick)
OFFICIALS: HENRY, PRICE, MIDGELY and
CORTESE
NOTES: The Bridgeville
football field was located where 84 Lumber is located on rt. 50, outside of Bridgeville, near I-79. It was next to the Bridgeville Drive-In where I-79 and Burgunder Dodge is currently located. The last game these schools played against each other was in 1959, with Bridgeville dominating 41-0. The first game between the two schools was in 1916, with Crafton beating Bridgeville
96-0. Crafton won the overall series with eighteen wins, nine losses and one
tie. Two years later Bridgeville merged with Clark High, a.k.a. Scott Township, to form the Chartiers Valley High
School Colts,
CRAFTON @ WEST ALLEGHENY
COUGARS GET SECOND SHUTOUT IN A ROW TO START
THE SEASON
Frank "Bucky" Pope scored two different ways to lead the Cougars to a 26-0 rout over the WA Indians.
After a 7-0 first half lead, the Cougars erupted for 19 unanswered points in the second half. Johnny Speidel scored the first
two TD's with 12 and 14-yard runs. Pope then sealed the victory with a 40-yard pass interception and a 45-yard punt return
for touchdowns. Speidel kicked and ran for the extra points.
GAME TIME TEMP 61 DEGREES
1 2 3 4
F
W. Allegheny 0 0 0 0
0
Crafton 0 7 6 13 26
2nd QUARTER
Crafton
- Speidel 12-yard run (XP Speidel kick)
3rd QUARTER
Crafton - Speidel 12-yard run (XP failed)
4th QUARTER
Crafton - Pope 40-yard pass interception (XP failed)
Crafton - Pope 45-yard punt return (XP Speidel run)
ATTENDANCE: 1,500
OFFICIALS: HENRY, PRICE, MIDGELY and
CORTESE
NOTES: WA's field was located off route 22/30, at the Imperial exit, where King's Restaurant and Shop'n'Save
Grocery Store are now located. The new route 22/30 was built in the mid 60's. West Allegheny is one of three teams that still
exist from this 1958 Crafton schedule. The last game between these two schools was played in 1961. Crafton won the overall
series 6-5-2. West Allegheny had one of the bottom five overall records in the WPIAL until the 1990's when they became one
of the powerhouse teams in the state. WA went to the "AAA" State Championship game three years in a row, winning the State
Championship in 2001. Also, running or passing for the extra point was only one point until the early 1970's.
LANGLEY @ CRAFTON
COUGARS GALLOP PAST MUSTANGS 25-6
A Crowd of 3,200 jammed into The Crafton Athletic Field to witness the Crafton Cougars defeat their neighborhood rivals
the Langley Mustangs. This non-conference game was the third straight win for the Cougars. Langley's touchdown in the 4th
quarter was the first points scored this season against the Crafton eleven.
Quarterback Tom Johnson's 45-yard pass to Frank "Bucky" Pope for a touchdown
started the scoring for Crafton. Johnny Speidel scored on two touchdown runs. Tom Johnson scored on a keeper in the 4th quarter
for last Crafton touchdown of the evening. Speidel also kicked the only extra point of the game. Crafton is 3-0 overall and
1-0 in the Big Ten (Suburban) Conference and Class "A" play.
GAME TIME TEMP 68 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
Langley 0 0 0 6 6
Crafton 6 6 6 7 25
1st QUARTER
Crafton
- Johnson to Pope 45-yard pass (XP failed)
2nd QUARTER
Crafton
- Speidel 5-yard run (XP failed)
3rd QUARTER
Crafton
- Speidel 8-yard run (XP failed)
4th QUARTER
Crafton
- Johnson 2-yard run (XP Speidel kick)
Langley - Jim Dailey 2-yard run (XP failed)
ATTENDANCE: 3,200
OFFICIALS: O'NEILL, HENRY, JACOBS and MIDGELY
NOTES: Langley High School is a City of Pittsburgh School. Although the rules
differ in the City schools, most of the Langley students were from Crafton Heights, Sheraden, and the Elliott part of the
City. These areas either bordered or are very close to the Borough of Crafton. This was the 30th and last game these two schools
played against each other. The first game played was in 1925 with Crafton winning 19-7. Crafton won the overall series 21-7-2.
The City of Pittsburgh high schools now play all their football games at Cupples Stadium (formerly South Stadium) on Carson
Street, on Pittsburgh's Southside. Langley's home field was previously located off Chartiers Avenue, near Dubois Street, across
from the current PAT bus way in Sheraden.
DORMONT @ CRAFTON
COUGARS RUN AWAY FROM BULLDOGS 31-19
The Dormont Bulldogs scored first in what was to be a high scoring game at Crafton. This was the first time this season
the Cougars were behind and the first time a team scored on them in the first half.
The Cougars answered in the 2nd quarter with a touchdown
run from Bucky Pope and two touchdown runs from Johnny Speidel. In the 4th quarter, Pope scored again along with a fumble
recovery in the end zone by Center Pat Ewing. Speidel threw to Bob Kincheloe for the only Cougar extra point
Dormont scored three different ways. A 60-yard run from Bobeburger in the 1st quarter. Cardwell went
70 yards on a pass thrown by Henry McMillan. McMillan ended the Indians scoring with a 48-yard fumble recovery that he took
in to the end zone.
Dormont is now 2-2. Crafton is 4-0. This was a Class "A"
and Big Ten (Suburban) game.
GAME TIME TEMP 56 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
Dormont 6 0 6 7 19
Crafton 0 19 0 12 25
1st QUARTER
Dormont - Bobeburger 60 yard run (XP failed)
2nd QUARTER
Crafton - Pope run (XP failed)
Crafton - Speidel run (XP failed)
Crafton - Speidel run (Speidel to Kincheloe)
3rd QUARTER
Dormont - Cardwell pass from McMillan (XP failed)
4th QUARTER
Crafton - Pope run (XP failed)
Crafton - Ewing fumble recovery (XP failed)
Dormont - McMillan fumble recovery 48-yards (Williams Kick)
ATTENDANCE: 3,200
OFFICIALS: BERGMAN, BOWIE, SIBULIS and WALKER
NOTES: Greentree Borough separates the Boroughs
of Crafton and Dormont. The students from Greentree, as stated earlier, had a choice of high schools: Crafton or Dormont.
This rivalry was always a hotly contested game. The series started in 1923 with a 7-7 tie. The two teams played each other
41 years in a row until 1963, with Dormont winning the finale 31-13. Dormont won the overall series 25-12-4. In the late 60's
Greentree became part of the school district that changed their high school name to Keystone Oaks (Eagles). Also note the
official named Bergman. That is Jerry Bergman (#17), an NFL official for 30 years.
CRAFTON @ CORAOPOLIS
COUGARS SHUTOUT BLUE DEVILS FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT
WIN
In a great defensive effort, the Cougars got their 3rd shutout in five games. Individually, Frank "Bucky" Pope was the
defensive standout with three touchdown interceptions. However, two TD'S were brought back because of penalties. The two brought
back were returns of 60 and 103 yards. The one that stood was for 55 yards in the 2nd quarter.
In the 4th quarter Don Breen ran around right end 53 yards and Tom Johnson completed the scoring with a short 3 yard scamper
around left end for the other Cougar touchdown. Crafton is 3-0 in Class "A" and Big Ten (Suburban) and 5-0 overall. Coraopolis
is 1-2 in Big Ten (Suburban) and 2-3 overall.
GAME TIME TEMP 53 DEGREES
1 2 3 4
F
Crafton 0 6 0 14 20
Coraopolis 0 0 0 0 0
2nd QUARTER
Crafton - Pope 55-yard interception (XP failed)
4th QUARTER
Crafton
- Breen 53-yard run
Crafton - Johnson 3-yard run
ATTENDANCE: unrecorded
OFFICIALS: MARTINO, HOWELL, FERRARO and DUNN
NOTES: The
Coraopolis Blue Devils and Neville Island Riverman merged in 1970 to form the Cornell Raiders. The Coraopolis football field
was located where Cornell High School is now located, high on a hill above the Borough of Coraopolis over looking the Ohio
River. Crafton and Coraopolis played against each other 20 times. The Blue Devils won the series 14-5-1. The most famous game
played was in 1967 with Crafton winning 26-13 in front of an estimated 5,000 fans at Crafton Athletic Field. It was the sixth
game of the season and both teams were undefeated. Some fans were perched on the light standards just to get a glimpse of
the two powerhouses play in one of the great games in Crafton football history. Crafton, in 1967, was the W.P.I.A.L. Class
"B" Champ.
QUAKER VALLEY @ CRAFTON
COUGARS SHAKE-UP QUAKERS 25-7
A crowd
of 2,500 saw the homecoming Cougars win their seventh straight. The cougars sprinted
to a 19-0 halftime lead. The Quakers could only score after the Crafton eleven
held a 25-0 lead in the final quarter.
The Cougar scoring started in the 1st
quarter with Johnny Speidel dashing 52 yards off tackle. The second score was
set up by a blocked punt by lineman Sam Pace. Tom Johnson used a quarterback
sneak to make the Cougar's lead 13-0. Then quarterback Johnson threw to end Ray
"Wormie" Metz for an eight-yard tally. The Crafton scoring ended with a pass
from Johnson to Metz who then lateraled to Frank "Bucky" Pope for a 14-yard touchdown.
Quaker Valley scored on a 4-yard
run by Len Ghiverini. The Quakers are 3-4 and the cougars 7-0 overall and 5-0
in the Big Ten (Suburban).
GAME TIME TEMP 44 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
Quaker Valley 0
0 0 7 7
Crafton
7 12 0 6 25
1st QUARTER
Crafton - Speidel 52-yard run (Speidel XP Kick)
2nd QUARTER
Crafton - Johnson
1-yard run (XP failed)
Crafton - Metz 8-yard pass from Johnson (XP
failed)
4th QUARTER
Crafton - Pope lateral from Metz 14-yard
pass from Johnson (XP failed)
Quaker Valley - Ghiverini 4-yard run (McMurray
XP Kick)
ATTENDANCE: 2,500
OFFICIALS: ZEIGAL, HARTUNG, ROBERTS and WOLOSO
NOTES: Quaker Valley
is one of only three high schools that still exist from the1958 Crafton football schedule. The school was previously known
as Sewickley high school. The first game played between the two schools was in 1906 with a Sewickley 47-0 win. Crafton and
Sewickley each won four games with a 6-6 tie in 1927. Crafton won the final game, in 1930, 20-0. Quaker Valley was a new school
in 1955. Crafton then had a 2-win and 3-loss record against QV. The series started in 1957 with a QV romp of 39-0. The series
ended with a 1961 Crafton 7-6 win. The QV football field was always on Rt. 65/ Ohio River Blvd. It was moved the 90's
a few miles down the Ohio River to the current location at the Quaker Valley High School. The stadium is named after former
NFL head coach Chuck Knox, AKA "Ground Chuck."
McKEES ROCKS @ CRAFTON
COUGARS STOP RAMS 19-13
STAY UNDEFEATED
The Crafton Cougars stopped the McKees Rocks Rams on the final drive of the game at the Crafton 27 yard line in an exciting
finish. The Cougars stayed in the W.P.I.A.L. Class "A" race with their eighth triumph of the 1958 season.
The Cougars jumped out to a 13-0 halftime lead, but the rams never let up, but ran out time before a crowd of 3,500 at Crafton
Athletic Field last night. Don Breen scored first on a 1 yard run. In the 2nd quarter Larry Hanley ran 40 yards
for the 2nd touchdown of the game and a 13-0 halftime lead.
The Rams scored in the 2nd half twice with touchdown passes from Keenan to Ken Kasnepick and Len Spick from Ron Clement.
The cougars secured the game with Frank "Bucky" Pope intercepting a pass and running 35 yards for a touchdown. The cougars
are 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten (Suburban) Conference. McKees Rocks was previously knocked out of the race with
a 7-6 loss to Carnegie. The undefeated Cougars will play the Carnegie Little Tartans next week in the regular season
finale. The Little Tartans are undefeated in Class "A" play.
GAME TIME TEMP 52 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
McKees Rocks 0 0 6 7 13
Crafton 6 7
0 6 19
1st QUARTER
Crafton
- Don Breen 1-yard run (XP failed)
2nd
QUARTER
Crafton
- Larry Hanley 40-yard run (Speidel kick)
3rd
QUARTER
McKees Rocks - Keenan pass 4-yards from Kasnepick (XP failed)
4th
QUARTER
Crafton - Bucky Pope 35-yard interception (XP failed)
McKees
Rocks - Lew Spisak pass 3-yards from Kasnepick (XP good)
OFFICIALS: CORTESE, CONNERS, PLANZ
and CONGELLA
NOTES: The
McKees Rocks Rams and the Crafton Cougars played 39 times. The series started in 1919 with a Rams victory. The
series ended in 1961 with the Rams shuting out the Cougars 27-0. McKees Rocks won the series 22-13-4. As stated
two weeks ago in the Stowe article, Mckees Rocks merged with Stowe to create the Sto-Rox Vikings. The McKees Rocks football
field was located in the McKees Rocks "bottoms", only a few yards from the Ohio River. McKees Rocks was one of five
teams that was less than 5 miles from Crafton; Stowe, Dormont, Langley, and Carnegie were the others. Longer than 5
miles would be: Coraopolis 7 miles, Bridgeville 10 miles, West Allegheny 10 miles and the longest road trip
would be 12 miles to Quaker Valley.
CRAFTON WINS 9th IN A ROW,
BEATS ARCHRIVAL CARNEGIE 20-7
In a battle of two
unbeaten teams in class "A" football, the Cougars came out on top. The Little Tartans only losses were out of class "A" competition,
losing to South 21-20, a city league team and Bridgeville 13-7 a class "B" team.
The Crafton eleven
started the scoring with a 75 yard drive in the 2nd quarter that concluded with an 11-yard pass from quarterback Tom Johnson
to end Frank "Bucky" Pope.
In the 3rd quarter Crafton scored again as Ray Metz blocked punt
at the 9 yard line and Bob Kincheloe recovered in the endzone for six points for the Cougars.
Carnegie also scored in the 3rd quarter after recovering a fumble at the Crafton 45 yard line. Bob Stotsky had a run to the
5 yard line before Eddie Coleman scored from the one.
Crafton scored the clincher in the 4th
quarter as Johnny Speidel one-yard run after a 35 yard drive.
The Cougars are 9-0 overall
and 7-0 in the Big Ten (Suburban) Conference. The Little Tartans are 6-3 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten (Suburban) Conference.
Carnegie takes on neighborhood rival Scott Twp. (Clark High) next. The Cougars wait for the Gardner points to become official
and a championship game against Waynesburg.
SCORING - GAME TIME TEMP 35 DEGREES
1 2 3 4 F
CRAFTON 0 7 6 7
20
CARNEGIE 0 0 7 0 7
2nd QUARTER
Crafton -
Bucky Pope 11-yard pass from Tom Johnson (Speidel XP Kick)
3rd Quarter
Crafton - Bob Kincheloe recovered blocked punt
in endzone (XP failed)
Carnegie - Ed Coleman 1 yard run (Coleman XP Run)
4th QUARTER
Crafton - Johnny Speidel 1-yard
run (Speidel XP Kick)
ATT: 3000
OFFICIALS: Not recorded
NOTES: Before the playoff
format we know today, championship competition was decided by the Gardner Points System. Only undefeated and untied teams
within their classification were eligible for championship competition. In 1958 Waynesburg had 142 points, Crafton had 140
and Braddock had 134 points Gardner Points. They were the only three teams remaining that were unbeaten and untied in class
"A" competition. Crafton and Carnegie were always archrivals. In 1970 Crafton and Carnegie merged to become Carlynton - the
CAR from CARnegie - the LYN from RossLYN Farms - the TON from CrafTON. Crafton played Carnegie for the first time in 1911,
with Crafton winning 23-0. Crafton won the overall series 23-21. They last played in 1961 with the Orange and Black, from
Carnegie, beating the Blue and Gold, from Crafton, 20-6.
CRAFTON PLAYER DECLARED INELIGIBLE
After completing a perfect
regular season (9-0), the Crafton High School football Cougars were devastated by a player eligibility controversy. Larry
Sands, a junior fullback, was found to be ineligible because he transferred from St Vincent Preparatory School, a private
school in Latrobe.
Sands lived in Crafton and attended St Philips Grade School there. At the
end of the 1957-58 school year, Sands decided to attend Crafton High School. Eligibility rules require student athletes to
be in attendance at their current school for 90 days prior to competing in interscholastic athletics. Sands consulted with
Principal Jeff Gregory at the end of the school year in June. On Gregory’s advice, Sands attended summer school so he
could enter the 1958-59 school year as a junior at Crafton.
Sands played in only six of the
nine regular season games. According to the rules, Crafton will have to forfeit those games he had played in. After losing
to Crafton last week, Carnegie school officials reported this situation to the W.P.I.A.L. and results mean a Carnegie victory
over Crafton. This makes Carnegie still undefeated in class “A” competition. Carnegie will be eligible for the
class "A" championship game if they beat Scott Twp. (Clark High) tonight at the Scott Twp. Field.
NOTES:
The spirit of this rule is such that high school student athletes could not bounce between public, private and parochial schools
for athletic reasons. You can be assured in this case, there was no fraud intended. The administration at Crafton High School
missed a technicality that they probably did not know existed. Larry Sands was just an innocent student athlete that wanted
to stay at home to play high school football. In no way was this his fault.
The most ironic
thing about this situation is that he substituted at fullback for Larry Hanley. Mr. Hanley is currently the Executive Director
of the W.P.I.A.L. He is in charge of enforcing such eligibility questions in all athletics for W.P.I.A.L.
SCOTT TWP. KNOCKS CARNEGIE
OUT OF THE CLASS "A" RACE 21-7
As strange as it sounds,
for the second straight week, Carnegie was knocked from the unbeaten in Class "A" competition. A crowd of 8,000 witnessed
the Golden Bears defeat their neighbors from Carnegie. Scott Twp. (Clark High) finished with a 9-1 record. Carnegie finished
7-3 overall.
1 2 3 4 F
CARNEGIE 0 7 0 0 7
CLARK
14 0 0 7 21
1st QUARTER
Clark - Rick Leeson
30-yard run (Olewski XP Run)
Clark - Rick Leeson 30-yard pass from Bobich (Olewski XP Run)
2nd Quarter
Carnegie -
Ed Coleman 5-yard pass from Lewis (Coleman XP Run)
4th QUARTER
Clark - Olewski pass from Bobich (Duratz XP Run)
ATT:
8000
OFFICIALS: Not recorded
NOTES: Carnegie and Scott Twp (Clark High) were located
less than a 1/4 mile apart. They were so close, that on game night between the two schools, Rt 50 (Washington Blvd) would
close temporarily so the traveling team could walk to their away game. The Clark vs. Carnegie series started in 1937 with
a Little Tartan 13-0 victory. The last game played was in 1959 with a Golden Bear win 34-7. Clark High won the overall series
16-7. Rick Leeson was one of the University of Pittsburgh’s great fullbacks in the early 1960's.
THE BRADDOCK TIGERS
SHUTOUT WAYNESBURG 21-0
NOTES #1: After following
the 1958 Crafton Cougar football squad throughout the past weeks, I thought it appropriate to include the 1958 W.P.I.A.L.
Class "A" Championship Football information. Next week will conclude the series with information about the players involved
in that season.
The Braddock Tigers were able to extend their 46 game unbeaten streak. Only a week earlier, Braddock did not have enough Gardner
Points to qualify for the Class "A" Championship Game. However, the Crafton Cougars were declared ineligible, allowing Braddock
to win their 5th straight title.
The Waynesburg Raiders had the most Gardner Points and were
9-0. The Raiders could not handle the powerhouse Braddock Tigers. The Tigers scored in each of the first three quarters.
Waynesburg got the opening kick-off and were stopped. After the Tigers returned the Waynesburg punt to the Raiders 40 yard
line, the Tigers took three plays to score. Mark Rutkosky threw to Jim Hux for the first Tiger touchdown.
In the second quarter, John Gay received a punt and handed off to Ben Powell for an eighty-five yard return and touchdown.
The final Braddock score was in the 3rd quarter when the Tigers marched 51 yards in seven plays that featured a pass to John
Gay that went to the 18 yard line. Then John Gay capped the scoring with an 18 yard run around right end. Jim Graham
kicked all three extra-points.
1 2
3 4 F
WAYNESBURG 0 0 0 0 0
BRADDOCK 7 7 7 0
21
1st Quarter
BRADDOCK - Hux pass 15-yard pass from Rutkosky
(Graham XP kick)
2nd Quarter
BRADDOCK - Powell 85-yard punt return (Graham XP kick)
3rd Quarter
BRADDOCK - Gay
18-yard run (Graham XP kick)
ATT: 7500 @ Washington High
OFFICIALS: Not recorded
NOTES
#2: The 1958 Braddock Tigers were in the midst of a 56 game unbeaten
streak, only surpassed in recent years by CB West. The only blemish in this streak was a 7-7 tie in the 1954 title game against
Midland. In the 1959 regular season, Braddock went unbeaten again and then in a repeat of the '58 title game, defeated Waynesburg
25-7.
Chuck Clausing was the head football coach at Braddock during this streak. Coach Clausing
was one of the great high school coaches of all time. He also coached at Army, Carnegie-Mellon and IUP. He always wore a baseball
cap with the letters on it "ND." No, it was not a Notre Dame hat; it stood for "NO DEFEAT."
The Braddock area today is still a powerhouse in high school football. Today it is known as Woodland Hills. There are eight
old neighborhood schools that now make Woody High. Braddock with archrival North Braddock Scott and Rankin became General
Braddock from 1971 to 1980. General Braddock with Edgewood went to Churchill from 1981-86.
In 1986 Swissvale and Turtle Creek merged with Churchill to become the Woodland Hills Wolverines.
During this series on the undefeated
1958 Crafton Cougars, as usual only the skill players get their names in print. Although quarterback Tom Johnson, end Bucky
Pope and halfback Johnny Speidel were great players, the lineman on this team were also exceptional.
In fact, the MVP on the 1958 team
was tackle Dick Taylor. Dick looked like a football player from any era, well built with a fierce competitive side. Dick played
football at Wheaton College in Illinois after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. Center Pat Ewing was a similar
type lineman as Dick Taylor. Pat was a rugged player that went into the Air Force after high school.
Pat was flanked by guard Nate Tacchino,
who played for Millersville in college and guard Sam Pace who graduated from Edinboro. These two aggressive guards solidified
the great offensive line.
Chuck Hill was an outstanding offensive
lineman who nicely complimented the opposite side of the line from Dick Taylor. Chuck went to Duke and later became a lawyer.
The other senior lineman that saw playing time were Jim Bradley (US Army), Bob Cornelius (Cornell) and Jim Merritt (US Air
Force).
The next group of players to discuss
were the ends, that is what they were known as in 1958. They were three exceptional athletes and football players. All three
were over six foot four inches tall. Ray Metz, whose nickname was “Wormie”, was a standout on defense. Ray became
an engineer after his playing days on the defensive line at Carnegie Tech (Carnegie-Mellon). Bob Kincheloe played both offensive
and defensive end for the Cougars. Bob became an Orthopedic Surgeon after graduating from Harvard. Frank “Bucky”
Pope was a high scoring Crafton Cougar end.
Bucky and Bill Cowher (Head Coach,
Pittsburgh Steelers) are the most famous athletes from Crafton. They actually grew-up in the same neighborhood about 100 yards
distant, however in two different eras, sixteen years apart. Bucky went to Duke on a basketball scholarship. His competition
at Duke was basketball great Art Heyman. This possible lack of playing time and continued desire to play football, led Bucky
to transfer to Catawba College, also in North Carolina. At Catawba, Bucky excelled in both basketball and football and became
known as the "Catawba Claw."
Bucky was drafted in 1964 by the Los Angeles Rams. In Bucky’s
rookie year, he had 25 reception for 786 yards. That is an average of 31.44 yards per reception, still the second highest
average per catch in an NFL season. Bucky was the third runner-up for the Rookie of the Year. Bucky played five years
in the NFL, ending his career with the Green Bay Packers in 1968.
The backfield was also an
outstanding group. Tom Johnson, the quarterback, was a great field general, being used most often in the straight T formation.
In college, Tom was the Captain of the Bucknell basketball team.
Larry Hanley was the fullback who
did a lot of blocking and was used in short yardage situations. Larry graduated from IUP and was the Athletic Director at
Gateway High School. Larry is currently the Executive Director of the W.P.I.A.L.
Don Breen was from a family of great
athletes. Don was the right halfback and a great complement to left halfback Johnny Speidel. Don went to Ohio State on a baseball
scholarship.
Johnny Speidel was an outstanding
player in the Cougar backfield, leading the team in scoring. Speidel could score from anywhere on the field. He started
college at Westminster, but transferred to IUPUI in Indianapolis after his family moved to Indiana.
The Cougars were outstanding in other sports also. The 1958-59 basketball and baseball teams were Champions. The basketball
team had Metz, Kincheloe and Pope as the Centers and Forwards. A huge trio for that era. Tom Johnson was the floor general
with help from Johnny Speidel. These names should sound familiar. The Cougar’s basketball team was 19-3 and were
the undefeated Section XIII Champs. The only losses were to Farrell, Midland and Uniontown, all three perennial powerhouses.
In baseball the Cougars were Section Champs and runner-up in the W.P.I.A.L. The Cougars lost the Championship game to Freeport
6-0 (1958).
In spite of the controversial end to the season, the 1958 Crafton High School
Cougar Football Team will always be undefeated to the people of Crafton and the Crafton High Alumni. An exciting team on both
sides of the ball, they gave up only one first half touchdown all season. A team that completely dominated opponents offensively
and defensively. A team of great players who were also very successful later in life.
THANK YOU'S: To Tom and Rich (both
of the PFN) for letting me be a part of this outstanding high school football publication. To Jim Glaser (Crafton Class of
'59) who provided much info on this final article. To Jerry Bittner, a great lifelong friend and fellow running back of the
1964 Crafton season (no, I’m not going to write about that season) who helped edit my articles. To Head Coach Paul Derrickson
(who still works at the age of 86 and can do more push-ups and sit-ups that 99 % of America today) for giving me some insight
on the 1958 team.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading about the 1958 Crafton Cougars.
Note: Crafton High School has a
history of excelling in many things. While the Football and Basketball teams were stellar performers, the Chess
team won the Interscholastic League title in the West Section. They then beat Philadelphia and captured the Pennsylvania State
Championship title. Team members were Bob Anderson, George Doschek, Dave McMullin, Leslie Maxwell and Bob Morris.
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