George Stever won the Herald-Merchants Guess The Winner Football Contest with nine right out of 12 for the first place price of $5. Tied for second was Mrs. Carl Rupert, 301 10th Street; Robert Rupert, 1513 Madison Avenue; Elmer Johnson, Northwood; Clifford Johnson, Northwood; and Chester Mengel 1416 Blair Avenue. Those five split the second place prize of $2.50.
The following Tyrone merchants participated: Heberling’s Store 17th Street and Columbia Avenue; C.T. Snyder Electric, 1510 Columbia Avenue; Fink Brothers; Harry H. Gardner Clothing Store, 10th Street; Rupert Chevrolet, 215 East 10th Street; Wolf Furniture Company; Rothert Company, 27 West 10th Street; Blatchfords; Levine Brothers; Harrington’s Atlantic Service, corner 14th Street and PA Avenue; G.C. Black Motor Company; Tyrone Super Service Station; and Charles G. Waple Dairies.
All entry blanks has to be obtained from the merchants whose ads appeared on Page 5 of the Wednesday Tyrone Herald.
At the Wilson Theatre, Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth were starring in “You’ll Never get Rich.” Next door at the El Patio, it was “Charlie Chan in Rio,” with Sidney Toler, Marybeth Hughes, Cobina Wright Jr., and Ted North.
The US navy tanker USS Salinas was hit by a German torpedo off the coast of Iceland, however there was no loss of life or serious injury. The 16,000 ton oil tanker the fourth American vessel to be attacked, came just hours before the Rueben James was sent to the bottom in early Oct. Few details were released so as to be “no value to the Nazis.”
Leaders of the Big 5 railroad brotherhoods called for a nation-wide strike for Dec. 7 to enforce their demands for a 30 percent wage increase.
The pronouncement was made by C. J. Goff, assistant president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen -one-third were to strike at 6 a.m. on Dec. 7, one-third the following day, and the final third were to leave their posts on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
The agreement was signed by Goff; Alvanley Johnston, grand chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; H. W. Fraser, president of the Brotherhood of Conductors; A.F. Whitney, president of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen; and T.C. Cashon, president of the Switchmen’s Union of North America.
The announcement came on the heels of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s fact-finding board offering a seven and one-half percent wage increase to union men in lieu of the 30 percent demand. More than 400 of the brotherhoods general chairmen rejected the offer at a meeting the week before in Chicago.
The non-operating unions-14 in all which demanded raises of 30 cents an hour, were awarded nine cents an hour under that board’s recommendation. In all probability these unions were expected to follow the Big 5 on the strike action.
We will never know for sure however, because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941!
The 1941 Tyrone Golden Eagles prospered with another tremendous season, finishing 10-1, with their only loss to Clearfield by a 6-0 count.
The Eagles began the ‘41 campaign with seven straight wins, taking down Osceola Mills (33-0), Mount Union (6-0), Bellwood-Antis (18-7), Huntingdon (20-6), Jersey Shore (16-0), Morris Township (26-0), and Philipsburg (7-0), and then picked right up after the Week Eight setback to Clearfield, with three more wins over State College (39-0), Bedford (20-0) and Hollidaysburg (20-7).
According to figures compiled by Dick Mowrey, sports editor of the Tyrone Spokeman, student publication of the Tyrone High School, The Eagles averaged 209 yards rushing per game, while the Tyrone defense gave up just 91 per contest.
The Steve Jacobs coached Orange and Black rushed for a net 2,133 yards and passed and lateraled for an additional 171 yards, while the defense gave up 725 yards rushing and another 269 on passes and laterals. First downs were 95-61 in favor of the Golden Eagles.
Ralph “Red” Thomas was the leading scorer with 11 TDs for 66 points, Elmer Parker had seven TDs and three extra points for 45 points, Bob Beckwith had three TDs for 18 points, Dick Fisher and Hays Bickel each scored 12 points on two TDs, Bob Foust had a TD and one PAT for seven points, Lee Port, Jim Glenn, Vince Haag, Calvin Noel and Morty Templeton each scored one TD for six points, and Jim Bonsell, the current mayor of Bellwood borough, had one extra point.
The Tyrone squad of 1941 consisted of: Bob Beckwith, Dick Fisher, Bob Foust, Charlie Foust (no relation to Bob), Morty Templeton, Jack Burkett, Carl Dressel, George Johnson, George Waple, Buddy Anderson, Carleton James, Ernest Evans, Eugene Igou, Joe Chilcoat, Jack Varner, Bruce Bryan. Lee Port, Leroy Shildt, John Forcey, Roy Heaton, Guy Mogle, John Fink, Paul Gillam, Elvin “Red” Rhodes, John Dickson, Jack Keppler, Elmer Parker, Ralph “Red” Thomas, Raymond Robinson, Jim Glenn, Hays Bickel, Karl Miles, Vince Haag, Calvin Noel, Chester Mengel, Frank Romano, Sylvester Merryman, George Dannaway, Clay Lamborn, Walter Miles, Jim Bonsell, Herb Waite, Vic Stonebraker, and Jack Miles.
This concludes our discussion of the 1941 Tyrone Golden Eagle football team and the life and times and events that happened around the 1941 football season. Soon the United States would be at war and many of our football stars on the gridiron would be deep in the horror of war, some never to return, all touched immeasurably by the suffering, death and destruction, animosity and hatred that war brings.
Next Fall, we will jump ahead a generation to 1965 when Tyrone coach John Schonewolf would mold the Orange and Black into a 7-2-1 season. Be here to read some fond remembrances of those times when football, local and national news items and advertisers will jog your memories if you were there and inform those who weren’t.
