1933: Football at the Depth of the Great Depression by Mark C. Bodanza
"Inspiration and hope are captured, once again, by Mark Bodanza in this fabled season of two high school football teams, engulfed by the back drop of the Great Depression. Bodanza connects the dots of time for us as he demonstrates how the 1933 season was not just about football, but how football provided some of the hope needed to face the challenges that lay ahead for two New England communities and the nation."
"Football played an important role in America during 1933 as the nation faced an historic crisis. 1933 is the story of a momentous season shared by the high schools of Fitchburg and Leominster, Massachusetts. It is also the saga of a dramatic year on the professional and college gridirons. More than ever, Depression wary Americans needed a reprieve from their cares and concerns. Football was welcome relief." ---Frank Novak, LHS class of ’56, Former NFL coach
"As a football player I was educated, enlightened and humbled by 1933. It is compelling account of football during a pivotal year on and off the gridiron---truly enjoyable for fans of the game." ---Vince Wilfork #75, Super Bowl Champion and Two-Time Pro Bowl Defensive Tackle
"1933 captures the drama of an extraordinary year in football. Bodanza brings you back to a time when humble players did their part to relieve an America in distress." ---Gino Cappelletti, Boston Patriots 1960-1970, New England Patriots Hall of Fame
What follows are the Table of Contents and excerpts from the book, "1933: Football at the Depth of the Great Depression"
The excerpts feature a portion of Chapters Four and Five. The book is authored by Mark C. Bodanza, an historian and member of the Leominster Historical Society. Publication and release are expected in late August of 2010. Persons interested in reserving a copy can do so by simply using the contact page of this website.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. A Nation's Hope Championship Game
2. Barrier of Shame
3. The Game Reshaped
4. Professional Foolball's First Championship Game
Chapter 4 - Professional Football's First Championship Game
The discovery of Nagurski on a Minnesota farm is an entertaining part of football’s folklore. As the tale has been told, Clarence “Fats” Spears, head coach of the University of Minnesota team. got lost in rural Minnesota. Nagurski, who was plowing a field without a horse, lifted his plow with one arm to point the awestruck coach in the right direction. Nagurski was signed to a full scholarship right then and there.
Born in Raining River, Ontario on November 3, 1908 to immigrants from the western Ukraine, Bronislau Nagurski got his famous nickname, “Bronko” from a teacher who could not pronounce his given name. The mispronunciation stuck and became one of football’s most recognizable names. The Nagurskis moved from Canada to Minnesota while Bronko was a young boy.
Nagurski matured into a large and powerful man. At six foot two and 230 pounds, he played both defensive tackle and fullback for the University of Minnesota Gophers. Between 1927 and 1929, Nagurski helped lead the Gophers to an 18-4-2 record and a Big Ten championship in 1927. He was a consensus All-American tackle who was also named to a number of All-American teams as fullback—some voters named him for two positions.
Bronko Nagurski signed a professional football contract with the Chicago Bears in 1930. His professional career spanned from 1930 to 1937, as well as a comeback in 1943, when Nagurski and other former players were recalled to replace younger players who were in the service of the United States military during World War II. His professional career was a thing of legend. The powerful fullback, one of the largest of the time, was named to the NFL All Pro first team four times. He was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in September 1963.
There are other Nagurski anecdotes. In 1934, New York Giants coach Steve Owen was in his team’s locker room after a loss to the Bears. One of the sportswriters present queried, “Just how do you go about setting up a defense for a man like Bronko Nagurski?” The bewildered coach responded, “Defend him? There is only one way to defend Nagurski—shoot him before he leaves the dressing room.”
Another story about the bruising fullback may not be rooted in reality; however, its repeated telling speaks, amusingly, about the perception of Bronko. Legend has it, during a scoring run against the Washington Redskins he knocked two linebackers in opposite directions, ran over a defensive back and a safety, and bounced off the goal posts before slamming into Wrigley Field’s brick wall. After the torturous trek, he returned to the huddle and was heard to say, “That last guy hit me awfully hard.”
Nagurski was at the height of his career during the 1933 and 1934 seasons. He was sixth in the NFL in all-purpose yards in 1934, with 586 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving. His 1933 all-purpose yards total (556) was good enough for fifth place in the league. Another Nagurski talent, passing, peaked in 1933 when the fullback threw for a career high 233 yards. By contrast, he notched a total of 474 yards through the air during the six years between 1932 and 1937. (Passing yardage records were not kept in 1930 and 1931). Bronko’s arm would prove a valuable asset in the NFL’s first championship game.
For their opener, Leominster hosted the Granite City football eleven of QuincyHigh School. Quincy was predicted to be a big hurdle for the Blue and White Warriors. Local sportswriter Bill Yeaw wrote, “Leominster will clearly have to resort to an open, overhead brand of football to pull the chestnuts out of the fire.” Leominster coach Charlie Broderick may have been a bit more confident. Sophomore Americo Spacciapoli sat quietly in the locker room prior to the initial game of his first high school football season. The coach had his full attention. The Boston newspapers had previewed the game. Broderick snapped, “Quincy at Leominster, not worth the drive.” The print media of Massachusetts’ capital city had determined Quincy’s dominance before a single play was executed. The coach continued, “How can anyone look into your heart and determine what you have inside?” The Leominster players were ready to play their own game of football.
Led by the multi-talented Ronnie Cahill, Leominster piled up yards and points, besting Quincy in every aspect of the game. The visitors were shocked. So great was their dismay that Quincy formed a committee to “investigate” the game. When word got out, the committee members backed away from the “investigation” label and downplayed the whole exercise as a “review.” By the time Leominster played its second game against Athol, the Enterprise was calling Quincy the “City of Presidents and Investigations.” Quincy representatives were in attendance at Doyle Field for the Athol contest “to see why a Leominster team should be able to beat Quincy.” The curious contingent that visited what was most certainly viewed as rural Massachusetts “were surprised to see that there was such a team in these parts.” The committee came away with not only an appreciation for Leominster football, but also for the fine football stadium. Doyle Field was one of the finest football venues in the states, and the Quincy supporters recognized that their field did not compare to Leominster’s palace.
Fitchburg also had a fabled football stadium, Crocker Field. The gift of local business magnate and philanthropist Alvah Crocker, the field was opened in June 1918. Legend has it that Babe Ruth visited Fitchburg in 1920 and had an opportunity to view the field. The Red Sox slugger asked what college played there. He was incredulous that the stadium was home to a high school team. Crocker Field’s designers, the Olmstead brothers, were prominent architects who were responsible for landscape designs at HarvardBusinessSchool, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago, and VassarCollege. Babe Ruth’s disbelief was understandable.
Fitchburg’s first opponent in 1933, like Leominster’s, had to travel. Fitchburg hosted Keene High School from southwestern New Hampshire. Fitchburg didn’t know exactly what to expect from the New Hampshire boys, but the Red and Gray approached the game with confidence. Once play began, “Keene was much stronger than the fans and probably Fitchburg High expected and for three periods offered stubborn, dogged resistance.”
After three complete quarters of play, the score stood at Fitchburg 6, Keene 0. The host team had managed the lone score during a first-period drive that featured the running of right halfback Bill Mackie. Mackie gained fifty-five yards on two carries which established the ball on Keene’s five-yard line. Fitchburg made three attempts to score, two of which were Mackie runs that netted only a single yard. On fourth down Mackie burst through the line for Fitchburg’s touchdown.
New recruit Mackie was paying immediate dividends. The game finally opened up in the fourth quarter. The home team, through a skillful use of reserves, wore down their opponents. Mackie left the game early in the second quarter when he suffered a lacerated lip. Under the rules of the day, a player who left the game could not return to play during the quarter he left the game. The team physician walked Mackie a few blocks to his Academy Street office where he sutured the halfback’s lip. Mackie returned to the game in the third quarter.He advanced the ball thirty-eight yards on two running plays, once again providing his team a scoring opportunity from the Keene five-yard line. This time it took Mackie three attempts to cross the goal line for the Red and Gray’s second score. Mackie kicked the extra point and Fitchburg led 13–0.
On Fitchburg’s next possession, halfback Kallagher tossed two long passes to backfield mate Mackie, the first thirty-five yards from midfield to the Keene fifteen. On the next play Kallagher connected with Mackie in the end zone for Fitchburg’s third and final touchdown. The home team earned a hard-fought, solid 19–0 victory.
The contributions of Bill Mackie on behalf of Fitchburg and Ronnie Cahill for Leominster were noteworthy. Each city was content to have inaugurated the 1933 season with big wins. Everywhere the mood was hopeful, though even the most zealous rooters knew that each team faced daunting challengers in the weeks ahead.
