From the first game in 1902, the football games associated with the Tournament of Roses were meant to bring publicity and tourists to Pasadena by matching top Eastern and West Coast teams. Originally known as the Tournament East-West Football Game, the game became known as the “Rose Bowl” moniker after Tournament of Roses Stadium shortly before it opened in the 1920s. Since 1947, the Rose Bowl has typically featured representatives from the Big Ten and Pac 12 conferences.

Questions

1) How many Rose Bowl games were not played in Rose Bowl Stadium? What were the alternate sites?

2) Name the four teams that played in the Rose Bowl that do not currently play FBS (D-1A) or FCS (D-1AA) football.

3) Name the three head coaches who have led more than one school / team in the Rose Bowl.

4) Name the two individuals who were head coaches for Rose Bowl and NFL Championship teams.

5) Which coach had the longest period between their first and last appearance as a Rose Bowl head coach?

6) Name the sixteen Heisman Trophy winners who also played in the Rose Bowl (includes vacated winners).

7) Name the only player who was both the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl MVP.

8) Name the Rose Bowl MVP who won an Olympic medal prior to playing in the Rose Bowl.

9) One Heisman Trophy winner that played in the Rose Bowl had a cousin win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. What is their shared surname?

10) Name the two players to start in four Rose Bowl games.

11) Which Rose Bowl game featured two teams from the same conference?

12) Which teams from outside the Big Ten and Pac-12 have played in the Rose Bowl in consecutive years?

13) Michigan played in the first Rose Bowl in 1902. Among current Big Ten teams, which three teams were the next to appear in the Rose Bowl?

14) Michigan was the first Eastern team invited to the Rose Bowl. Which Big Ten member was the second team to receive a Rose Bowl invitation?

15) Other than the Big Ten and Pac 12, which conferences have the most Rose Bowl appearances (based on current conference affiliations)?

16) Name the first (and only?) person to play in and officiate a Rose Bowl game.

17) Name the only person to play for two different Rose Bowl teams, neither of which currently play Division I football.

18) Nine U.S. Presidents are graduates of Rose Bowl-winning schools. Name the schools and the associated Presidents.

Bonus Question Unrelated to the Rose Bowl

19) Name the five universities that count among their alumni at least one Super Bowl-winning QB and one U.S. President.

Answers

Q1. Ten. The 1923 Rose Bowl was the first played in Rose Bowl Stadium. Before that, games were played at Pasadena’s Tournament Park (1902, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922). In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 1942 game shifted to Duke Stadium (now Wallace Wade Stadium) in Durham, NC. Similarly, the 2021 Rose Bowl moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas due to restrictions resulting from Covid-19.

Q2. The 1918 game included the Mare Island Marines versus Camp Lewis. The 1919 game saw the Mare Island Marines return to face the Great Lakes Naval Training Station and the 1922 Rose Bowl featured California versus Washington and Jefferson

Q3. Three coaches led more than one team in the Rose Bowl:

• Hugo Bezdek: Oregon (1917), Mare Island Marines (1918), Penn State (1923)

• Lone Star Dietz: Washington State (1916), Mare Island (1919)

• Wallace Wade: Alabama (1925, 1926, 1930), Duke (1939, 1942)

Q4. Two coaches won a Rose Bowl and the NFL championship:

• Earle “Greasy” Neale:  Washington & Jefferson (1922) and Philadelphia Eagles (1948, 1949)

• Dick Vermeil: UCLA (1976) and St. Louis Rams (2000)

Q5. The coaches with the longest period between their first and last appearance in the Rose Bowl were:

• Barry Alvarez: 20 years (1993 – 2013)

• Wade Wallace: 17 years (1925 – 1942)

Q6. Heisman Trophy winners that have appeared in the Rose Bowl include:

• Vic Janowicz (Ohio State 1950, Heisman 1950)

• Alan Ameche (Wisconsin 1953, Heisman 1954)

• Howard Cassady (Ohio State 1955, Heisman 1955)

• Gary Beban (UCLA 1966, 1967 Heisman)

• O.J. Simpson (USC 1969 , 1968 Heisman)

• Jim Plunkett (Stanford 1971, Heisman 1970)

• Archie Griffin (Ohio State 1973-1976; Heisman 1974, 1975)

• Charles White (USC 1977, 1979, 1980; Heisman 1979)

• Marcus Allen (USC 1979, 1980, Heisman 1981)

• Desmond Howard (Michigan 1998, Heisman 1991)

• Charles Woodson (Michigan 1998, Heisman 1997)

• Ron Dayne (Wisconsin 1999, 2000; Heisman 1999)

• Matt Leinhart (USC 2004, 2006; Heisman 2004)

• Reggie Bush (USC 2004, 2006; Heisman 2005)

• Marcus Mariota (Oregon 2015, 2014 Heisman)

• Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma 2018, Heisman 2017)

Q7. Jim Plunkett of Stanford was the MVP for the 1971 Rose Bowl and Super Bowl XV.

Q8. Harold "Brick" Muller won a silver medal in the high jump at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp. He played for California in the 1921 and 1922 Rose Bowls.

Q9. Ameche. Alan Ameche played for Wisconsin in the 1953 Rose Bowl and won the 1954 Heisman Trophy. His cousin, Don Ameche, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1985 for his role in Cocoon.

Q10. The two players to start for their teams in four Rose Bowls were Archie Griffin (Ohio State, 1973-1976) and Brian Cushing (USC, 2006-2009).

Q11. 1944. Due to WWII travel restrictions, the 4-0 Washington Huskies, who did not play a conference foe during the regular season, met 7-2 USC. Both of USC's losses were to teams representing military bases.

Q12. Teams from outside the Big Ten and Pac-12 that played in the Rose Bowl in consecutive years include:

• Mare Island (1918-19)

• Alabama (1926-27)

• Texas (2005-06)

Q13. Other than Michigan, the first Rose Bowl appearances by current Big Ten members were:

• Ohio State (1921)

• Penn State (1923)

• Nebraska (1941)

• Illinois (1947) was the first Big Ten team to play in the Rose Bowl under the partnership with the Pac-12

Q14. Wisconsin received an invitation to the 1903 Rose Bowl, a game that was never played. The story of their invitation can be found here.

Q15. The conferences other than the Big Ten and Pac-12 with the greatest number of Rose Bowl appearances are:

• SEC (11): Alabama (1926, 1927, 1931, 1935, 1938, 1946, 2021), Tennessee (1940, 1945), Georgia (1943, 2018)

• ACC (9): Pitt (1928, 1930, 1933, 1937), Georgia Tech (1929), Duke (1939, 1942), Miami (2002), Florida State (2015)

• Big 12 (5): Oklahoma (2003, 2018), TCU (2001), Texas (2005, 2006)

• Ivy (4): Brown (1916), Penn (1917), Harvard (1920), Columbia (1934)

Q16. Ken Bartlett. Bartlett is one of five men to play every minute of three Rose Bowls: Oregon (1917, 1920) and Camp Lewis (1918). He was the Head Linesman for the 1924 Rose Bowl and also placed fifth in the discus at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp.

Q17. Hal Erickson played for the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in 1919 and for Washington & Jefferson in 1922.

Q18. The U.S. Presidents who are graduates of schools that have won a Rose Bowl include:

• Harvard: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F.  Kennedy, George W. Bush

• Stanford: Herbert Hoover

• Michigan: Gerald Ford

Q19. Bonus Question. The schools that count among their alumni a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and a U.S. President are:

• Navy: Jimmy Carter (1981-1985) and Roger Staubach (Super Bowls VI and XII)

• Stanford: Herbert Hoover (1929-1933) and Jim Plunkett (XV, XVIII), John Elway (XXXII, XXXIII)

• Michigan: Gerald Ford (1974-1977) and Tom Brady (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII)

• Miami of Ohio: Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893) and Ben Roethlisberger (XL, XLIII)

• Delaware: Joe Biden (2021-TBD) and Joe Flacco (XLVII)

Great Lakes Naval Training Station is located north of Chicago along Lake Michigan. With up to 45,000 men in training at its peak, it was the Navy's largest training station during WWI and drew most of its recruits from the central states.

The 1918 team returned four players from its 1917 team and was loaded with college players. Great Lakes finished the 1918 season 6-0-2 and their game results follow:

9/29/18 | Great Lakes 10 | Iowa 0 | @ Iowa Field, Iowa City, IA

10/12/18 | Great Lakes 7 | Illinois 0 | @ Illinois Field. Campaign-Urbana, IL

10/26/18 Great Lakes 0 | Northwestern 0 | @ Sailors Field, Great Lakes NTS

11/8/18 | Great Lakes 7 | Notre Dame 7 | @ Cartier Field, South Bend, IN

11/1618 | Great Lakes 54 | Rutgers 14 | @ Ebbets Field, New York City

11/2318 | Great Lakes 7 | Naval Academy 6 | @ Worden Field, Annapolis, MD

11/30/28 | Great Lakes 27 | Purdue 0 | @ Northwestern Field, Evanston, IL

1/1/19 | Great Lakes Naval 17 | Mare Island 0 | @ Tournament Park, Pasadena (Rose Bowl)

The roster of the sailors that played in games or practiced with the team during the regular season is below.

Abrahamson, Elmer Julius | HB | Lawrence ’11-‘14

Andrews, LeRoy B. ‘Roy’ | B | Pittsburg State ’15-’17

Bachman, Jr., Charles Smith | C | Notre Dame ’14-‘16

Barnard, Chester Smith | End | Missouri State ’14-'17, Northwestern ‘19

Barnard, Lester Smith | End | Missouri State ’13-'16 Northwestern ‘19

Blacklock, Hugh McNeal ‘Chief’ | RG | Michigan State ’13-’15, Great Lakes ’17

Bliss, Harry William | HB | Ohio State ’19-‘20

Byers, William McKinley ‘Mac’ | QB | Iowa State ‘17, ‘20, Drake track ‘21

Chapeck, Addison Travis | QB | Lane Tech HS (IL) ’14, Knox ‘15, Illinois '17

Collins, John Richard ‘J.R.’ | T | Baylor ’17

Combs, John Perry | G | Threkeld Select HS (KY)

Conrad, Martin Henry ‘Marty’ | C | Kalamazoo ’14-‘16

Conzelman, James Gleason ‘Jimmy’ | QB | Washington U (MO) ‘16, Great Lakes ’17, Washington U (MO) ’19

Dastillung, Harry | T | Unknown

Dobson, Paul Arthur | HB | Nebraska ’16-‘19

Doherty, John Lawrence ‘Mel’ | C | Marietta ’19

Driscoll, John Leo ‘Paddy’ | QB | Northwestern ’14-’16

Eielson, Harry Albert ‘Dizzy’ | RHB | Northwestern ’17, Northwestern basketball & T&F ’19; Washington & Jefferson ’19-'20

Eklund, Conrad Lawrence ‘Con’ | LT | Macalaster ’14, Minnesota ’16-‘17

Erickson, Harold Alexander ‘Swede’ | LHB |St. Olaf '16, Great Lakes ’17, Washington & Jefferson ’19-‘22

Foley, Joseph Algernon 'Jack' | QB | Blackburn '17, '20 Washington & Jefferson '21

Griffith, Bartholomew Joseph ‘Bert’ | G | Christian Brothers College (MO)

Halas, George Stanley | RE | Illinois ’14-‘17

Hyde, Merrill James | FB | Alma ’14-’15

Ivy, Hyrle Archibald ‘Red’ | T | Salina HS (KS), Kansas ’20, ‘22

Jones, Jerald Joseph | RG | Notre Dame ’14-’15, Dubuque ‘16

Keefe, Emmett | LG |Notre Dame ’12-‘15

Knight, Charles E. | C |Northwestern ’17, ‘19

Langenstein, Chester Gift | G | Freeport HS (IL) '15-'17, Northwestern ’19

Lauer, Harold Sebastian ‘Dutch’ | FB | Detroit ’17, ’19-‘21

McCauley, George K. 'Kent' | FB | Geneva (PA) '15-'16, Great Lakes ’17-‘18, Denver ’19-‘21

McClellan, William Oswald | QB | Parkersburg HS (WV) ’15

Mendenhall, Leland Lester ‘L.L.’ | QB | Drake ‘13, Iowa ’15-‘17

Miller, Bernard Howard | End | Bridgewater HS (IA) '17, Northwestern ’19

Minton, Roscoe ‘Cow’ | End | Indiana ’16-’17, ’19

Moxley, Auben Edwin | C | Bethel (KY) '14, '19

Nevins, Zenas Arthur | C | Baker (KS) '15-'17, '19

Novinger, George John | G | Kirksville HS (MO), Missouri '19-'20, Truman State ‘22

Paulsen, C. L. 'Whitey' | UNK | Kansas Normal

Reeves, Andrew J. ‘Jack’ or ‘Blondy’ | FB | Ottawa (KS) ’16-‘17, Emporia (KS) ‘20

Reichle, Richard Wendell | LE | Illinois ’16, ’19, ‘21

Richards, Vernon R. | End | Alma ‘14-‘17

Swanekamp, Frederick William | UNK | Superior HS (WI)

Welch/Welsh, H. E. | UNK | Toledo HS

Willaman, Frank Reeves | FB | Ohio State ‘16-’17, ’19-’20

Williams, Roy Wesley | End | Emporia State ’16

A profile of each player is in the book, Fields of Friendly Strife.

Mare Island is located in Vallejo, California along San Pablo Bay, the northern extension of San Francisco Bay. It was the training station for all Marine recruits that enlisted at locations west of the Mississippi during WWI.

The Marines shared Mare Island with a large naval base and shipyard, but there were only 500 Marines there when the 1917 team was formed and the number of Marines at Mare Island never exceeded 2,700 during the war.

The 1918 Mare Island Marines had an entirely new roster from that of the 1917 team and they actively recruited college football players into their ranks just as their predecessors had done.

Mare Island finished the 1918 season with a 10-1 record, including a loss in the 19129 Rose Bowl. Their game results follow:

9/21/18 | Mare Island 31 | Goat Island/Yerba Buena Sailors 0 | @ Grove Street Grounds, Oakland

9/28/18 | Mare Island 66 | Camp Fremont 8th Ammo Train 0 | @ Stanford Field, Palo Alto

11/7/18 | Mare Island 67 | Fort Baker 0 | @ Fort Baker, San Francisco

11/17/18 | Mare Island 34 | St. Mary’s 7 | @ Ewing Field, Oakland

11/23/18 | Mare Island 34 | Vancouver Barracks 7 | @ Vaughn St. Grounds, Vancouver, WA

11/28/18 Mare Island 16 | Camp Lewis (13th Division) 0 | @Tacoma Stadium

11/30/18 | Mare Island 68 | Idaho 0 | @ Interstate Fair Grounds, Pullman, WA

12/6/18 | Mare Island 89 | Bremerton Naval Yard 0 | Bremerton, WA

12/14/18 | Mare Island 30 | Mather Field 13 | @ California Field, Berkeley

12/25/18 | Mare Island 12 | Balboa Park NTS 7 | @ Cycodrome, Vallejo, CA

1/1/19 | Mare Island 0 | Great Lakes Naval 17 | @ Tournament Park, Pasadena (Rose Bowl)

The roster of Marines that played in games or practiced with the team follows.

Adams, John Q. ‘Babe’ | HB/QB | Conway Hall

Bangs, Benton Maxwell ‘Biff’ | HB | Albion Normal (ID) ’13, Washington State ’14-‘17

Blewett, James J. | HB | California ’17, ‘19

Bridewell, Robert Earl | UNK | Brazil HS (IN) ’07-‘08

Bryan, Leon Horan | RHB | Oregon State ’15-’16

Budd, John Walter | LT | League Island ’17-‘18, Lafayette ‘20-’21, ’23-‘24

Calhoun, Millard R. | HB | Washington State basketball ‘08, Bremerton ‘18

Canup, Charles Emmet | C | DePauw ’11-13

Conkey, Glen Byron | G/FB | Culver Military ’16, Washington ’21

Crosetto, Edward Francis | G | St. Bonaventure ’16, Dubuque ’17, League Island ‘18

Galloway, Amor S. | QB | LA Manual Arts HS ’16-’17, DePauw ’19, Cal ’21-‘22

Gillis, Lloyd Adrian | FB | Washington State ’16-’17, ’19-‘20

Glover, Frederick Lewis | RHB | Washington State ’16-’17

Hanley, LeRoy Bernard ‘Roy’ or ‘Pat’ | RE | Washington State ‘16-’17, ’19-‘20

Hanley, Richard Edgar ‘Dick’ | QB | Washington State ’15-’17, 19

Hern, Samuel Burnett | QB | Sacramento (Pacific Coast League) ’14

Hughes, Benjamin B. | G | Williamson (PA) ’15-‘16

Lodell, Carl Allen | LG | Oregon State ’16-’17, '19

May, George Lewis | LE | Wisconsin basketball '16, Montana basketball '17

McGregor, Alexander Taylor | LG | Oregon State ’16-’17, '19

McGregor, Robert Stewart | FB | San Bernardino HS (CA)

Miles, John Hunter | C | Chehalis HS (WA) ‘17, Washington ‘20-‘23

Mohr, Paul Wallace ‘Dinty’ | RE | The Dalles HS (OR) ‘11

Moore, Earl Hugh | HB | Unknown

Moran, Michael Leo | RG | Gonzaga ’15-’16, Washington State Frosh ’17, ‘19-’21

Pearson, Elmer Alvin | Emd | None

Pike, Homer B. | End | Gonzaga ’15-‘16

Risely, Jacob Swayne ‘Jake’ | C | Oregon ’14-‘16

Shanedling, Nate | T | St. Mary’s ’17, ’19

Shannon, Leo M. | G | Washington State ’19, ’22-‘23

Shoemaker, Jr., Frank Marion | B | East Denver HS ’15, ’17, Colorado College ’19-’20

Steers, William Henry | HB/QB | Oregon ’16-’17, ’19

Stendal, Hugh Alvin ‘Al’ | G | None

Tescher, Lionel J. | UNK | Unknown

Tubbs, Burnam Alonzo | T | Stafford HS (KS) '13

Wilson, Elmer August | Unknown |Unknown

Zimmerman, Clarence Arthur | LE | Washington State ’14-‘17

A profile of each player is in the book, Fields of Friendly Strife.

Mare Island is located in Vallejo, California along San Pablo Bay, the northern extension of San Francisco Bay. It was the training station for all Marine recruits that enlisted at locations west of the Mississippi during WWI.

The Marines shared Mare Island with a large naval base and shipyard, but there were only 500 Marines there when the 1917 team was formed and the number of Marines at Mare Island never exceeded 2,700 during the war. However, the Marines took active steps to recruit college football players into their ranks.

Mare Island finished the 1917 season with an 8-0 record, including a victory in the 1918 Rose Bowl. Their game results follow:

9/15/17 | Mare Island 27 | California 0 | @ California Field, Berkeley

9/29/17 | Mare Island 26 | California 0 | @ California Field, Berkeley

10/10/17 | Mare Island 27 | San Francisco Olympic AC 3 | @Mare Island

10/21/17 | Mare Island 27 | St. Mary's 0 | @ Ewing Field, Oakland

11/3/17 | Mare Island 27 | Oregon 0 | @ Multnomah Field, Portland

11/10/17 | Mare Island 13 | Camp Lewis 0 | @ Tacoma Stadium

11/24/17 | Mare Island 34 | USC 0 |@ Washington Park, Los Angeles

The roster of Marines that played in games or practiced with the team follows.

Ambrose, Keith Kapp | LE | Montana State ’06-‘07

Bailey, Edward Flint | RT | Oregon ’09-’12

Beckett, John Wesley | LT | Oregon ’13-’16

Brown, Walter Vernon ‘Jap’ | QB | Wisconsin Frosh ’14, Washington State ’16

Buss, William Kenneth | E | Nebraska ’10-’11

Cocks, Jr., James | C | Redlands AC boxing

Coshow, John Milton | B | Oregon Frosh ’12, Oregon basketball ’14

Craig, Gerald Allen | B | USC ’15-‘16

Cushman, Thomas Jackson | C | Washington ’14, '16

Gardner, Clinton Perry ‘Mark’ | End | Utah ’15-‘16

Gardner, Darrell | RHB | Utah ’15-‘16

Kirkman, Goodyear Wycherly | UNK | California '14, Oregon '16

Hall, Elmer Edwards | RG | Oregon ’10, ’12-'13

Hobson, Cloy St. Claire | RE | Nebraska ’14-‘15

MacMillan, Donald George | B | Yosemite Club ’09-‘13

McGregor, John Maurice | G | Washington State ’15-‘16

Miszewski (Mace), Arelius Harry | G | Minnesota Frosh ‘16

Mitchell, Clifford L. ‘Brick’ | RE | Oregon ’15-‘16

Molthen, Frederick Theodore ‘Dutch’ | B | Montana ’16

Parker, John Merrel ‘Merrill’ or ‘Mel’ | B | North Carolina ’13 -‘15

Purdy, Irving Breward | G/T | Minnesota Frosh ‘15

Ridderhoff, Stanley Emanuel | LG | Occidental '16

Sanderson, Lawson Harry McPherson | LHB | Montana '14-'16

Shields, Henry Donald | T | Michigan ’14-‘15

Teberg, Lawrence Earl | C | Minnesota ’16, ‘20-‘21

Wilson, Robert Harold | G | Michigan ’14-’17

Zuver, George W. | End | Minnesota '14-'16

A profile of each player is in the book, Fields of Friendly Strife.

Camp Lewis, located outside of Tacoma, was the Army's largest training camp during WWI and was the training site for the 91st Division. Like other U.S. Infantry Divisions during WWI, the 91st Division had approximately 25,500 men. Most of the men were draftees from eight Western states.

Camp Lewis finished the 1917 season with a 5-1-2, including a loss in the 1918 Rose Bowl. Their game-by-game results follow.

10/13/17 | Camp Lewis 0 | Washington State 0 | @ Tacoma Stadium

10/27/17 | Camp Lewis 0 | 316th Sanitary Train 0 | @ Tacoma Stadium

11/3/17 | Camp Lewis 20 | Oregon State Frosh 0 | @ Multnomah Field, Portland

11/10/17 | Camp Lewis 0 | Mare Island 13 | @ Tacoma Stadium

11/17/17 | Camp Lewis 10 | Multnomah AC 3 | @ Multnomah Field, Portland

11/23/17 | Camp Lewis 49 | Chemawa Indian School 0 | @ Camp Lewis

11/29/17 | Camp Lewis 14 | U. Washington NTS 13 | @ Tacoma Stadium

12/8/17 | Camp Lewis 53 | Fort Stevens 0 | @ Camp Lewis

1/1/18 | Camp Lewis 7 | Mare Island 10 | @ Tournament Park, Pasadena (1918 Rose Bowl)

The roster lists the soldiers that played in games or practiced with the team is below. Many players continued their college careers after the war.

Austin, Charles Allphin | B | Stanford rugby ’15-‘16

Bartlett, William Kenneth ‘Ken’ | RT | Oregon ‘14-‘16, ‘19

Bynon, Allan Alfred | End | Willamette ’16

Christensen/Christy, Anker Lawrence | RG | Montana State ‘15-’16, ’19

Cook, Samuel ‘Sam’ | LT | Oregon ’13-‘14, Montana ‘15

Craig, Harry John | FB | Wyoming ’13-‘16

Damkroger, Ernest Leapart | RT | Springfield ’15-‘16

Dear, Bandini | UNK | Alhambra HS (CA)

Dee, Emmet Lawrence 'Skimmett' | End | Butte HS (MT) ’14-'15, Montana State ‘19

Frolich, A. T | L | Unknown

Gard, Frank Jacob ‘Deke’ | End | Stanford rugby ’10-‘13

Gougar, Edward Eugene | L | None

Green, Harry Melvin | C/G | Utah State ‘12-‘14

Guisto, Louis Joseph | B | St. Mary’s (CA) ’12-‘15

Hastings, (Unknown) | L |Unknown

Holden, William Forrest | G/T | Oregon ’11-’13

Hollywood, Walter Parks | L | Santa Monica HS ’12; USC ’14

Hunter, Frederick Preston ‘Jumbo’ | T | Washington State ’08-’10

Huntley, Floyd Jerry ‘Peck’ | LE | Oregon State ’09-’10, '13-‘14

Kapple, Charles Dixon ‘Dick’ | QB/HB | Utah State ’13, ’15-‘16

Keck, Walter McHewell | C/G | Oregon State ’09-’11

Lane, Charles David ‘Truck’ | C/G | California ‘17

Lenz, Harry Brewer ‘H.B.’ or ‘Pete’ | QB | Occidental ‘13-’15, UC-Santa Barbara baseball ‘16

Luis, Franklin Alfred | B | Stanford ’09-’12, Arizona ’12-‘15

Lynch, Emzy Harvey | T | Arizona ’14-‘16, ’19

MacRae, Raymond D. | RE | Willamette ’10-12

Maguire, Alfred Leo | QB/B | California ‘12’-‘15

McKay, Douglas Cameron | LHB | North Dakota ’13-‘16

McKinney, Ward Frank | HB | Oregon ‘16, ‘19

McLoughlin/McLaughlin, (Unknown) UNK | Unknown

Millard, L. C. | UNK | Unknown

Monteith, Thomas Orville | FB | Oregon ’14-‘16

Olsen, O. C. | UNK | Unknown

Patterson, 'Pat' | HB | Unknown

Quill, Carl John ‘C.J.' | End | None

Rheinschild, George William | T | Loyola Marymount ’07-’09, Georgetown ’11-‘12

Romney, Ernest Lowell ‘Dick’ | RHB | Utah ’14-‘16

Rowland, Raymond Holliday | FB | Willamette ’10-‘13

Russell, William Alexander | C | California ‘13-’16

Sewell, Edward Granville | LT | California ’16, ‘19

Sharp, LeRoy Bassett ‘Roy’ | HB/QB | California ’14-‘16

Snyder, William Carroll | LG | Oregon '14-'16

Taylor, (Unknown) | UNK | Unknown

Turner, Charles E. | LE | Texas ’13-’15

Warner, (Unknown) | UNK | Unknown

A profile of each player is available in the book, Fields of Friendly Strife.

The 362nd Infantry Regiment Officers team represented Camp Lewis prior to the formation of the 91st Division All-Star team during the 1917 season. While there were just over 100 officers in the regiment, several were former college football or rugby stars and a number had played college football. Four team members also played for the 91st Division All-Star team. Three team members were killed in action during the assault on Gesnes on September 29, 1918. Ten others were wounded in action during WWI.

The 362nd Officers' biggest game was a 0-0 tie versus Washington State in a highly-promoted fundraiser that attracted 15,000 spectators. The team finished the season with a 2-0-1 record. Their game-by-game results follow.

9/29/17 | 362nd Officers 36 | 362nd Enlisted Men 0 | @ Camp Lewis

10/13/17 | 362nd Officers 0 | Washington State 0 | @ Tacoma Stadium

11/24/17 | 362nd Officers 13 | Fort Flagler 6 | @ Camp Lewis

362nd Officers Team Members

Those who played in games or practiced with the team during the regular season are listed below.

Angus, Howard | 2nd  Lt. | RHB | Occidental

Bell, William | 2nd  Lt. | FB | Redlands HS (CA), California

Burgard, John | 1st Lt. | LG | Oregon *

Campbell, Frederick | 2nd  Lt. | RHB | None

Crary, George | 2nd  Lt. | G | Stanford

Dorris, Ben | 2nd  Lt. | LHB | Oregon *

Duerr, Arthur | 2nd  Lt. | RE | Culver Military (HS), USC *

Esmay, Rhodolph | 2nd  Lt. | HB | None

Evans, Harry | 1st  Lt. | QB | Harvard *

Gard, Frank ‘Deke’ | 1st  Lt. | LE | Stanford

Hayes, Samuel ‘Jack’ | 2nd  Lt. | G | Idaho

Heilig, Vernon | 2nd  Lt | E | None

Hurlburt, Ralph ‘Spec’ | 2nd  Lt. | FB | Michigan

Hutchinson, William | 2nd  Lt. | LH | Stanford

Kapple, Dixon ‘Dick’ | 1st  Lt. | QB | Utah State

Everett May | 2nd  Lt. | RH | Oregon State

McLean, John | 1st  Lt. | FB | McGill

Middlestate, Carl | 2nd  Lt. | E | None

Montgomery, James | Capt. | T | None

Morse, Wellslake | 2nd  Lt. | LG | Cincinnati

O’Brien, Thomas | 2nd  Lt. | B | Unknown

Russell, Bill | 2nd  Lt. | C | California

Thorpe, Charles | Capt. | RT | Stanford

Walter Tuller | Maj. | T | California

Worsham, Elijah ‘Lige’ | Capt. | LT | Purdue

Asterisks indicate the players are not known to have played football at the listed school.

Each player is profiled more extensively in Fields of Friendly Strife.

The following lists all those known to be involved with the West Point Cavalry Detachment Football teams from 1925 to 1930. Each name is linked to the team page, which includes their personal information.

Alexander, James. See 1929 team page.

Bailey, Roy. See 1928 team page

Baldwin, John W. See 1925-1926 team page.

Bell, Percy Allen, Sr. See 1925-1926 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Bennett Jr., James Henry. See 1930 team page.

Blandford, Earl Franklin. See 1929 team page.

Bledsoe, unknown. See 1928 team page

Boswell, Isam. See 1928 team page

Brockman, James Louis. See 1925-1926 team page.

Brown, Brents B. See 1930 team page.

Brown, William. See 1929 team page.

Cassey, Walter. See 1928 team page

Ceaser, Frank. Brown, William. See 1930 team page.

Chambers, Richard N. See 1929 team page.

Childs, Frank. See 1925-1926 team page.

Clark, unknown. See 1928 team page

Cooper, Herman. See 1925-1926 team page.

Corbin, Harold Francis. See 1928 team page

Davis, unknown. See 1925-1926 team page.

Dean, Milton Taylor. See 1929 team page.

Earley, Joseph Parker. See 1930 team page.

Ellis, Leon. See 1928 team page

Ellis, James Samuel. See 1929 team page.

Fasky, O. B. or Foskey, William. See 1925-1926 team page.

Fenter, Alconley or Al Conley. See 1928 team page

Fisher, Daniel L. See 1928 team page

Foote, Thomas Jerome. See 1925-1926 team page.

Gibson, unknown. See 1929 team page.

Graves, Lee Andrew. See 1929 team page.

Gray, unknown. See 1925-1926 team page.

Green, Charles, Jr. See 1929 team page.

Hall Jr., Moses. See 1929 team page.

Harper, Henry Carlton. See 1925-1926 team page.

Hobson, unknown. See 1925-1926 team page.

Hodges, Edward J. H. See 1928 team page

Jackson, John Leroy. See 1928 team page

Jackson, Paul. See 1928 team page

Johnson, Lonnie Adams. See 1925-1926 team page.

Jones, unknown. See 1925-1926 team page.

King, John O. or Morris George. See 1930 team page.

Long, Aaron Roger. See 1928 team page

Mason, Leroy. See 1928 team page

Mathews, Robert. See 1930 team page.

McClish, Richard. See 1930 team page.

McGowan, Perry Clease Allison. See 1929 team page.

O'Neal, Monroe. See 1928 team page

Moore, unknown. See 1925-1926 team page.

Morris, Elmer. See 1929 team page.

Payne, Matthew. See 1925-1926 team page.

Peachey, Samuel. See 1928 team page

Pryor, Robert. See 1925-1926 team page.

Pulley, Luck. See 1930 team page.

Roane, Charles Henry. See 1925-1926 team page.

Roberts, John W. See 1928 team page

Simcoe, Albert Theodore. See 1925-1926 team page.

Simmons, William Floyd. See 1928 team page

Smith, Leroy. See 1928 team page

Thomas, unknown. See 1929 team page.

Tucker, John E. See 1929 team page.

Weston, William. See 1928 team page

White #1, unknown. See 1928 team page

White #2, unknown. See 1928 team page

White #3, unknown. See 1929 team page.

Williams, John. See 1925-1926 team page.

Coaches and Officers

Boye '15, Maj. Frederick William. See 1929 team page.

Cole '17, Capt. John T. See 1925-1926 team page.

Groninger '08, Maj. Homer McLaughlin. See 1929 team page.

Holderness '05, Maj. Arthur W. See 1925-1926 team page.

Kinsolving, Arthur Barksdale. See 1929 team page.

Stearns '09, Maj. Cuthbert P. See 1925-1926 team page.

Wood '25, Lt. Williams Holmes. See 1928 team page

The 1930 West Point Cavalry Detachment team members were identified based on the labeled team picture that appeared in Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide for 1931. The 1930 team included twenty-two individuals involved with the 1925, 1928, or 1929 teams. Those men are listed below, but their profiles are on the respective team pages for 1925-1926, 1928, or 1929. The available biographies and/or images of the eight new players in 1930 are below.

The 1930 team played in the West Point Enlisted Men's Football League, winning the championship. Among their outside games were a 12-5 loss to the Passaic (NJ) Red Devils and a 12-6 loss to the Kingston (NY) Yellow Jackets.

1930 Team Members

Bell, Percy A. See 1925-1926 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Bennett Jr., James Henry. Unknown role. (b. July 28, 1909 in Washington, D. C. / m. Mabel A. / d. March 11, 1989 / i. Quantico National Cemetery) Bennett grew up in Washington, D. C., enlisting in September 1929. Standing less than 5 feet 6 inches, Bennett appears to have been a manager for the football team and may have been a baseball outfielder. He left the Army in 1935, returned to Washington, D. C., and was working for the Veterans' Administration in 1940. Highest rank: Private

Brown, William "Bill". See 1929 team page.

Brown, Brents B. Tackle. (b. 1906 in Farmville, VA / m. Carrie Coleman on January 24, 1946 in Lynchburg, VA / d. July 25, 1993 in Livingston Township, Essex, NJ / i. unknown) Brown enlisted in December 1924, serving until 1948. It is unclear whether he was stationed elsewhere before arriving at West Point, but was stationed at West Point from at least 1930 to 1940. Brown served in Europe during WWII as a Technician Fifth Grade and was honorably discharged in 1948. He moved to Lynchburg, Virginia and worked as a porter, and later moved to New Jersey. Highest rank: Technician Fifth Grade

Cassey, Walter. See 1928 team page.

Ceaser, Frank. Quarterback / halfback / fullback. (b. May 12, 1910 in Albany, NY / m. William Mae < 1940, likely in New York / d. April 17, 1996 in Cobleskill, NY / i. unknown) The consistent misspelling of Ceaser’s surname makes his life difficult to track. Born and raised well north of West Point along the Hudson, he joined the Cavalry Detachment as a teenager and quickly became a man of many positions on the WPCD football team. Ceaser left the Army before 1940 but reenlisted in January 1941. As with others, little is known of his role during or after the war, but he appears to have remained in New York during his civilian life. Highest known rank: Private

Chambers, Richard M. See 1929 team page.

Corbin, Harold Francis. See 1928 team page.

Earley, Joseph Parker. Manager. (b. July 26, 1903 in Jackson, MS / m. November 29, 1938 to Evelyn D. Depasalgne in Alexandria, VA / d. December 1, 1987 in Washington, D. C. / i. unknown ) Earley grew up on a family farm in Holmes, Mississippi. He was at West Point by 1930, and was a civilian living in Washington, D. C. in 1942 when he reenlisted. His role during WWII is unknown, but he was discharged in July 1945 and appears to have remained in the Washington, D. C. area for the rest of his life.

Ellis, Leon. See 1928 team page.

Ellis, James A. See 1929 team page.

Fenter, Alconley or Al Conley. See 1928 team page.

Foote, Thomas Jerome. See 1925-1926 team page.

Graves, Lee Andrew. See 1929 team page.

Green Jr., Charles. See 1929 team page.

Jackson, John Leroy. See 1928 team page.

King, John O. or Morris George. Unknown position. Two individuals, John O. King and Morris George King, were with the Cavalry Detachment in 1930, but which of the two was on the detachment football team is not known.

Long, Aaron Rodger. See 1928 team page.

Matthews, Robert. Trainer. (b. abt. 1884 in VA / m. widowed < 1930 / d. unknown / i. unknown ) Born in Virginia, Matthews was at West Point by 1930 and was still there in 1940. At fifty-six years old in 1940, his role during WWII and afterward is unknown.

McClish, Richard. Unknown position. (b. January or February 1904 / m. Annie Mae Johnson on February 4, 1925 in IN, / d. October 16, 1901 in Emeryville, CA / i. St. Mary’s Cemetery, Oakland, CA.) Like his fellow cavalryman, Henry C. Harper, McClish descends from Chickasaw Freedmen. Raised in his early years in Oklahoma, McClish married in Indiana in 1925, and was at West Point by 1930. He lived in New Jersey when his children were born in the 1930s. McClish spent WWII in the Merchant Marine as a cook on Liberty and other supply ships. He ended his days in California.

McGowan, Perry Clease Allison. See 1929 team page.

O’Neal, Monroe. See 1928 team page.

Payne, Matthew. Manager. See 1925-1926 team page.

Pulley, Luck. Unknown role. (b. December 12, 1888 in NC / m. Alice Ware on January 19, 1918 in Highland, NY / d. April 2, 1947 in Albany, NY / i. Peacedale Cemetery, Highland Falls, NY) Raised by a widowed mother in North Carolina, Pulley enlisted in the cavalry and was in the Philippines by 1911. After several years overseas, he moved to West Point. He was there in January 1918, so he likely spent all of WWI at West Point. Pulley remained at West Point until 1931. After that, he seems to have spent his retirement in cities along the Hudson River.

Roberts, John W. See 1928 team page.

Simmons, William Floyd. See 1928 team page.

Coaches and Officers

Boye, Frederick William. See 1929 team page.

Kinsolving, Arthur Barksdale. See 1929 team page.

This page will be updated as additional information about these men becomes available.

The 1929 West Point Cavalry Detachment team members were identified based on the labeled team picture that appeared in the Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide for 1930. Eight members of the 1929 West Point Cavalry Detachment team were on the 1925 team and another eight were on the 1928 team. Those men are listed below, but their profiles are on the 1925-1926 team page or 1928 team page. The available biographies and/or images of the remaining 1929 players, coaches, and others are below.

The 1929 team played in the West Point Enlisted Men's Football League, winning the championship. The only known outside game was a 31-0 win over the Kingston (NY) Yellow Jackets.

1929 Team Members

Alexander, James. position. (b. April 12, 1900 in Tampa, FL / m. married and divorced before 1930 / d. unknown / i. unknown) Alexander grew up on a farm near Linton Mills, Florida. He enlisted before the 1928 football season -the only season in which he played- and was still at West Point in 1930. He left the service and was living in Baltimore in 1942.

Bell, Percy A. See 1925-1926 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Blandford, Earl Franklin. position. (b. July 12, 1904 in Elmira, NY / m. December 14, 1929 to Marion E Burgess in Highland Falls, NY / m. April 1, 1950 to Julia Ann Reavis in Emporia, VA / d. December 14, 1987 in Richmond, VA / i. Arlington National Cemetery) Blandford was raised in Elmira, New York, reaching West Point by 1929. He moved to Fort Benning to attend the Medical Sanitation School, and appears in 1942 newspaper articles while with the 727th Medical Sanitation Company at Camp Kilmer. He then appears to have left the service, then reenlisted before being discharged in 1953. Highest rank: First Sergeant

Brown, William. Fullback / quarterback. (b. abt. 1907 in New Jersey / m. unknown / d. unknown / i. unknown ) Very little is known about Bill Brown. Newspaper reports indicate he was a 220-pound fullback and quarterback who also played on the detachment basketball team. He appears to have arrived at West Point in 1929, played through the 1932 season, and was a civilian living in Atlantic City by 1935.

Chambers, Richard N. Left tackle. (b. abt. 1904 / m. Lucille in 1925 / d. May 17, 1966 in Valley Cottage, NY / i. Mount Repose Cemetery, Haverstraw, NY) Chambers arrived at West Point in 1928, played football that year, and coached baseball in 1938. Promoted to sergeant, he left the detachment in 1942 when he entered officer training, emerging as a warrant officer. He served overseas during WWII and spent an additional three years each in Germany and Japan after the war. He returned to West Point for his final years in the service, before retiring in 1958 and settling in the area. Highest rank: Chief Warrant Officer 4

Corbin, Harold Francis. See 1928 team page.

Dean, Milton Taylor. Master Sergeant. (b. April 12, 1880 in Shreveport, LA / m. Ollie after 1912 / d. August 30, 1945 in Los Angeles, CA / i. Los Angeles National Cemetery) Perhaps the most interesting man associated with the Cavalry Detachment teams, Dean was born in Louisiana, but attended school in Washington, D.C. where he was a lieutenant and adjutant in the Colored High School's military training program. He enlisted in the 9th Cavalry in 1903 and by 1912 was a Squadron Sergeant at Fort Russell in Wyoming. Stationed in the Philippines from late 1914 until June 1917, he was sent to Fort Des Moines, the Army's sole officer training location for black soldiers. Commissioned a captain upon graduation, Dean shipped to France, was promoted to Major while commanding the 317th Ammunition Train of the 92nd Division (a black unit), which served under French command during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Dean was the third highest-ranking black officer in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWI. He returned to the States and taught military science at Howard University before being discharged and serving as Howard's Athletic Director. Dean returned to the Army as a Master Sergeant, serving at West Point until 1931. (Wartime ranks are commonly reduced in peacetime, but having a "recess appointment" involve a drop from Major to noncommissioned status was unusual.) Dean's final assignment was at Fort MacArthur in California, Discharged with the status of a Major in 1935, Dean served on various committees during WWII, often focusing on race relations among workers in California's war industries. Highest rank: Major

Ellis, Leon. See 1928 team page.

Ellis, James Samuel. End / tackle. (b. January 7, 1906 / m. Gracie Louise on October 10, 1931 in New York, NY / d. April 30, 1976 in Jayuya, Puerto Rico / i. unknown) Born and raised in New York City, Ellis worked in a broker's office before enlisting in 1926. He remained in the Army until 1935 and was working for the post office in New York City in 1940. Little else is known other than his relocation to Puerto Rico where he resided at the time of his death. Highest known rank: Private

Fenter, Alconley or Al Conley. See 1928 team page.

Foote, Thomas Jerome. See 1928 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Gibson, unknown. No other information.

Graves, Lee Andrew. Back (b. April 9, 1911 in NC / m. unknown / d. September 29, 1951 in South Korea / i. Mount Hope Cemetery in Topeka, KS) Graves was born in North Carolina in 1911, but little else is known about him prior to his arrival at West Point in 1929. Over the next five years, he played several backfield positions in football, forward in basketball, and was playing second base for the Detachment baseball team as late as 1938. His role during WWII is unknown, but he was commissioned a Warrant Officer in 1949 and Chief Warrant Officer in 1950. Graves was killed in action in Korea in September 1959 while serving with Company L, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Highest rank: Chief Warrant Officer

Green, Charles, Jr. Quarterback. (b. January 30, 1908 in Americus, GA / m. Dorothy / d. May 7, 1993 in Levittown, PA / i. unknown) Green enlisted in June 1928 but did not join the football team until 1929. He played in 1930 as well and was playing right field for the detachment baseball team as late as 1938. Green was a Corporal by 1939, remaining in the Army through WWII. He appears to have been discharged in 1945 but reenlisted in 1948 and served until 1953. Highest rank: Corporal

Harper, Henry C. See 1925-1926 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Hall Jr., Moses. position. (b. July 4, 1906 in Dothan, AL / m. Mildred / d. January 9, 1990 in Arlington, VA / i. Arlington National Cemetery) Born in Alabama, Hall enlisted in 1928 and remained in the service until 1948, transitioning to the Air Force when it became a separate branch in 1947. No other information about Hall has been located. Highest rank: Master Sergeant

Jackson, John Leroy. See 1928 team page.

Long, Aaron Roger. See 1928 team page.

Mason, unknown. See 1928 team page.

McGowan, Perry Clease Allison. End / tackle. (b. June 11, 1909 in Ella, AL / m. Eloise E. Williams in June 1950 in New Jersey / d. January 12, 1992 in Plainfield, NJ / i. unknown) McGowan grew up in New Jersey and joined the Cavalry Detachment in 1928. He started for the football team, played guard in basketball, and was a sprinter in track. McGowan remained in the service through WWII. Discharged in 1945, he reenlisted in 1946, ultimately settling in New Jersey. Highest rank: Sergeant

Morris, Elmer. (b. abt. 1907 in West Virginia) No other information available.

O'Neal, Monroe. See 1928 team page.

Payne, Matthew. See 1925-1926 team page.

Pryor, Robert. See 1925-1926 team page.

Smith, Leroy. See 1928 team page.

Thomas, unknown. No other information.

Tucker, John E. Unknown position. (b. February 1, 1896 in VA / m. Margaret Moss on August 1, 1931 in Newburgh, NY / d. unknown / i. unknown) Born in Virginia, Tucker’s family moved to the West Point area where he worked as a farm laborer before entering the Army, serving during WWI. He was at West Point by 1920, remaining there as a Private in 1939. Highest known rank: Private

White #3, unknown. No other information.

Williams, John. Left end. See 1925-1926 team page.

Coaches and Officers

Boye, Frederick William. Commander, Cavalry Detachment. (b. October 19, 1891 in New York City / m. / d. October 10, 1970 in Fauquier, VA / i. Arlington National Cemetery) Born in New York City. Boye went to West Point, playing basketball and captaining the team as a senior. He graduated with the Class of 1915, known as "the class the stars fell on," since he class included Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, and fifty-seven others who became generals. (Largely due to being at the right age during WWII.) After being commissioned, he went to Mexico with the Punitive Expedition, but spent WWI in the U.S. Following the War, he taught military science at the University of North Carolina, while also serving as UNC's basketball coach for the 1920 and 1921 seasons. Intermixed with field and staff roles, Boye returned to West Point in 1929 to command the Cavalry Detachment. After instructing at West Point, he rose to take command of the 12th Cavalry, but Pearl Harbor required him to dismount his men and prepare them for war in the Pacific. In 1944, he led the 12th in an Admiralty Island campaign and was then assigned to the Chinese Theater. An avid polo player throughout his career, Boye served with the 1952 U.S. Olympic for equestrian sports. Highest rank: Brigadier General

Groninger, Homer McLaughlin. Senior Instructor in Cavalry. (b. July 24, 1884 in Milford, PA / m. Gertrude Pomeroy on September 19, 1914 in Port Royal, PA / d. September 26, 1963 in Port Royal, PA. / i. Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery in Mifflintown, PA) Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Groninger attended West Point, captained the baseball team, and graduated in 1908. He held various cavalry posts before serving under Pershing during the Mexican Punitive Expedition. He also served in France for six months during and after WWI. After graduating from the Army War College in 1926, he was assigned to West Point as an instructor, then moved to other cavalry positions. The highlight of his career came in WWII when he commanded the New York Port of Embarkation where he oversaw that transportation of three million troops heading to African and Europe, as well as much of their supplies. Near the end of the war, he took a similar role in San Francisco. His administration of the largest logistical effort in history led to his earning the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. Highest rank: Major General

Kinsolving, Arthur Barksdale. Chaplain / coach. (b. September 13, 1884 in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil / m. Edith Wharton Lester / d. June 15, 1964 in Carmel, CA / i. Trinity Episcopal Columbarium, Phoenix, AZ) Born and raised in Brazil, Kinsolving came to the U.S. to attend the University of Virginia before joining the French Foreign Legion as an ambulance driver in WWI. He became a lieutenant and earned the French Croix de Guerre. After the war, he entered the seminary and was soon named the chaplain at West Point. He coached the Cavalry Detachment football team from 1928 to 1932 before taking more traditional church roles. Kinsolving was the Episcopal Bishop of Phoenix from 1945 to 1962. Highest rank: Lieutenant, French Foreign Legion

This page will be updated as additional information about these men becomes available.

The 1928 West Point Cavalry Detachment team members were identified based on the labeled team picture that appeared in the 1929 Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guide. Seven 1928 West Point Cavalry Detachment team members were on the 1925 team. While those men are listed below, their profiles are on the 1925-1926 team page. The available biographies and/or images of the remaining twenty-four players and Coach Wood are below.

The 1928 team played in the West Point Enlisted Men's Football League and had a game scheduled with the Kingston (NY) Yellow Jackets, but the outcome of those games is unknown.

1928 Team Members

Bailey, Roy. Unknown position. Arrived at West Point in September 1926 and was discharged in September 1929. Highest known rank. Private First Class. No other information

Bell, Percy A. See 1925-1926 team page.

Benefield, William R. See 1925-1926 team page.

Bledsoe, unknown. Left end. Arrived at West Point in January 1927. Started some football games before transferring to the Service Detachment, Washington Barracks, DC, in December 1928. No other information is available.

Boswell, Morris Isam. Unknown position. (b. December 6, 1909, in Montgomery, AL / m. to unknown. Widowed by 1940 / d. January 1986 in Philadelphia ) Boswell grew up on a family farm in Alabama before moving to Corning, New York, in his teens. He enlisted in the Cavalry Detachment in May 1926, along with four others from the Corning area. Boswell helped the detachment win the 1927 West Point Enlisted Men's track championship. After his first tour, he appears to have left the Army and lived in Youngstown, Ohio, until 1940 or later. According to a 1985 newspaper article describing the 1925 enlistee group from Corning, Boswell served during WWII, becoming a Staff Sgt. He was living in Philadelphia in 1985 and at his death in 1986. Highest rank: Staff Sgt.

Cassey, Walter. Halfback / Tackle. (b. January 12, 1910, in Americus, GA / m. Nancy Perkins / d. December 11, 1978, in Gadsen, SC ) Cassey grew up on a family farm in Americus, GA, and reportedly attended and played football for Paine College (GA) before enlisting in 1928. He served until 1934 before moving to Newark, where he worked in construction until the early 1940s. Cassey reenlisted in 1942, serving with the Corps of Engineers until late 1945. Highest rank: Technical Sergeant

Clark, unknown. No other information is available.

Corbin, Harold Francis. Halfback. (b. November 15, 1905, in Wilmington, DE / m. Lillie May Washington on April 21, 1930, in Highland Falls, NY / d. December 30, 1968, in Wilmington, DE/ i. Mount Olive Cemetery in Wilmington, DE) Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Corbin appears to have joined the Army shortly after turning eighteen and was on the 1928, 1929, and 1930 football teams. After leaving the service, Corbin returned to Wilmington and worked as a janitor for DuPont. In 1939 he ran for the Wilmington City Council on the Civic Action Party ticket. At the time of his death, he was employed as a guard for the Post Office.

Ellis, Leon. Center. (b. August 27, 1908 in Trenton, NJ / m. unknown / d. May 1987 in Newburgh, NY / i. unknown) Ellis appears to have spent time in foster care before returning to his mother by 1920. Reported to have been a football star at Camden HS, he enlisted by 1928. Captained the Cavalry Detachment football team in 1931, playing through the 1933 season. He returned to Trenton by 1940 and worked for Cross & Brown, an NYC real estate firm. Highest rank: unknown

Fenter, Alconley or Al Conley. End. (b. October 24, 1909, in Arkadelphia, AR / m. Carolyn Hancock in 1931 in NJ / d. December 26, 1987 / i. Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery) Fenter is reported to have played for Arkansas Baptist before enlisting in 1928, after which he played football, basketball, and baseball and ran sprints for the Cavalry Detachment teams. Discharged in 1934, Fenter made the news in 1950 for winning money playing the numbers, and being arrested for non-payment of child support. Highest rank: Private

Fisher, Daniel L. Left guard. (b. May 15, 1897, Hanover, PA) Drafted on October 18, 1918, assigned to the Development Battalion, Camp Greene, SC; for being discharged on April 7, 1919. He re-enlisted in September 1926 and started some 1928 games at guard. Fisher was still serving at West Point in 1930, but no other information is available. Highest rank: Private First Class

Foote, Thomas Jerome. See 1925-1926 team page.

Harper, Henry C. Manager. See 1925-1926 team page.

Hodges, Edward J. H. Arrived at West Point in August 1926 and was discharged in August 1929. Highest known rank: Private

Jackson, John Leroy. Left halfback. (b. September 18, 1903 / m. April 2, 1931, to Ethel Ruth Wiggins in Orange County, NY / d. February 4, 1955, in Bethesda, MD / i. Galilee Baptist Church Cemetery in Branchville, VA) Jackson grew up on a family farm in Virginia, enlisted in June 1928, and quickly became a star running back for the detachment. He was with the Cavalry Detachment through WWII, and after the Cavalry Detachment disbanded in 1947, Jackson became an Army recruiter in the region. He was assigned to the 1802th Special Regiment at West Point at the time of death in 1955. Highest rank: Technical Sergeant

Jackson, Paul. Position unknown. (b. 1889, Washington, DC / m. June 2, 1929, Highland Falls, NY, to Mary Davis) Jackson was living in Highland Falls in 1930 while working as a horseshoe in a stables. No other information is known.

Johnson, Lonnie. See 1925-1926 team page.

Long, Aaron Rodger. Center. (b. February 10, 1905, in Broad Run, VA / m. Elizabeth Samuel on December 8, 1937, in Alexandria, VA / d. April 2, 1997, in Newburgh, NY / i. Cedar Hill Cemetery, Newburgh, NY) Long grew up on a family farm in Virginia. He was at West Point by 1928, starting at guard and other line positions until 1932. He left the Army between 1935 and 1940, moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a plumber. Long reenlisted during WWII and for a period after the war. His tombstone is the only one known among the football players that mentions his being a Buffalo Soldier. It is also worth noting that Long's great-nephew graduated from West Point. Highest rank: Sergeant First Class.

Mason, Leroy. End. (b. 1901 in Virginia) Arrived at West Point in August 1925 and reenlisted there in August 1931. Highest known rank. Private.

O'Neal, Monroe. Left guard. (b. July 17, 1903, in NJ or 1904 in NC / m. unknown / d. July 20, 1987 / i. unknown ) O'Neal reportedly starred in football for Camden HS in New Jersey before enlisting. Although pictured with the 1928 and 1929 teams, he did not start consistently until 1930 and played until at least the 1933 season. O'Neal was with the Cavalry Detachment in 1940, but no additional information is available about him. Highest known rank: Private First Class

Payne, Matthew. Manager. See 1925-1926 team page.

Peachey, Samuel. position. (b. May 1, 1904 in Augusta, GA / m. / d. July 23, 1957, in NYC / i. Long Island National Cemetery) Born in Georgia, Peachey moved north and enlisted in the New York National Guard's 369th Regiment in 1924, perhaps competing with the Harlem Hellfighters in athletic competitions with the Cavalry Detachment. He then switched to active duty with the West Point Cavalry Detachment, making him both a Harlem Hellfighter and a Buffalo Soldier. Peachey remained at West Point until 1940 or later, serving in the Army until after the war ended in Europe before returning to New York City. Highest known rank: Private First Class

Pryor, Robert. Right end. See 1925-1926 team page.

Roberts, John W. Right guard. (b. November 26, 1906, in New York City / m. unknown / d. unknown / i. unknown ) Born of immigrant parents from the British West Indies, Roberts grew up in Brooklyn. He enlisted between 1925 and 1928, played football between 1928 and 1932, and was at West Point in 1939. No additional information is known about Roberts. Highest rank: Private First Class

Simmons, William Floyd. Guard / tackle. (b. April 20, 1900 in Vander, NC / m. Annie Rhone on September 9, 1941, in New York, NY / d. March 15, 1983, in Newburgh, NY / i. West Point Post Cemetery) Growing up in North Carolina, Simmons was a farm laborer when he registered for the WWI draft. He enlisted, playing for the Cavalry Detachment football team in 1928 and 1930. He remained at West Point until 1940 or later. Simmons' duties during WWII and the Korean War are unknown, but he did not leave the Army until 1956. Highest rank: Master Sergeant

Smith, Leroy. Arrived at West Point in August 1926. No other information.

Weston, William. Weston arrived at West Point in April 1926 and was discharged in April 1929. Highest known rank: Private First Class.

White #1, unknown. No other information.

White #2, unknown. No other information.

Coach

Wood, William Holmes. Coach. (b. September 6, 1900, in Waterbury, CT/ m. Elizabeth Tuttle in April 1927 / d. June 7, 1988, in Easton, MD / i. Arlington National Cemetery) Holmes attended school in Baltimore, staying local to attend Johns Hopkins, where he studied for three years and lettered nine times before transferring to West Point. Wood was an All-America fullback as a senior and played basketball and baseball, earning twelve varsity letters. (At the time, Army did not follow standard eligibility rules for transfers.) After graduation, he remained at West Point as an assistant football coach, working with the varsity reserves and coaching the Cavalry Detachment team. He moved to other cavalry duties in 1929, returned to West Point as an assistant coach in 1932, and was Army's football head coach from 1938-1940. Wood served in China and Europe during WWII, remaining in Europe for several years post-war before returning to the States to command the Army's Armored School. He retired in 1956. Highest rank: Brigadier General

This page will be updated as additional information becomes available.

The biographies and images below summarize the information gathered for the members of the 1925 - 1926 team. Among those in the team picture are one black doctor, three white officers, and twenty-four black players. The names of nineteen players from 1925 and one other player from the 1926 team are known. Biographical information was found for nine of the eighteen players and the three officers.

The 1925-1926 team played in the West Point Enlisted Men's Football League and scheduled outside games with Lincoln University of Chester, Pennsylvania. The 1925 team lost to Lincoln 66-0 while the 1926 team lost 87-0. We also know the 1926 team lost to the Service Department in their Enlisted Men's league game.

1925 - 1926 Team Members

Baldwin, John W. Left Tackle. Arrived at West Point on December 26, 1923, and was discharged on January 3, 1927.No other information.

Bell, Percy Allen, Sr. Quarterback. (b. February 4, 1903, in Georgia. / m. Margery in abt. 1928 / d. April 16, 1964 in Henrico, VA / i. Seven Pines National Cemetery) A WWI veteran, Bell was stationed at West Point by 1925, remaining there through 1940. He served in the Service Company of the 25th Infantry Regiment in during WWII. Although his role during WWII is unclear, the 25th fought at Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and the Philippines. Highest rank: Master Sergeant

Benefield, William R. (b. October 5, 1904, in GA / m. Gertrude F. Waugh/Frazier on September 1, 1932, in Highlands, NY / m. Hattie M. Tass, July 15, 1972, in Columbus, OH / d. March 3, 1987, in Dayton, OH). Benefield is not mentioned in the 1925 or 1926 game reports, but the image comparison below suggests he was on the 1925 team. Standing 6' 6" and known as "Giant," he was the star right end for nearly a decade while playing center on the basketball team and competing in the shot put and discus in track. Was still a private in the cavalry in 1939, but switched to the medical units, served through WWII and Korea before retiring in 1955. Highest known rank: Private First Class

Brockman, James Louis. Back. (b. October 25, 1892 in TX / m. Esther Anna Henley on June 18, 1924, in Highland Falls, NY / d. January 21, 1973 in Los Angeles / i. Los Angeles National Cemetery) Brockman grew up in Texas and was living there when he entered the Army during WWI. He served with the cavalry at Camp Furlong on the Mexican border until 1920 or later. Brockman was at West Point from 1921 to the early 1940s, running one of the mess halls. During WWII, he served as 1st Sergeant of an ammunition supply company in North Africa and Italy, returning to the States in 1944. He then retired to the Los Angeles area. Highest rank: Master Sergeant

Childs, Frank. End. Childs arrived at West Point on May 8, 1920, and rejoined April 5, 1924. Horseshoer. No other information

Cooper, Herman. Quarterback. (b. July 16, 1905, in Bailey, GA / m. Mary Bell / d. October 10, 1973 / i. Mount Tilla Baptist Church Cemetery, Toomsboro, GA) Cooper played on 1925 team, remaining at West Point until at least 1930. It appears he left the Army in 1934 to return to the family farm in Bailey, GA., spending the next forty years in the area. Highest rank: unknown

Davis, unknown. Right guard. No other information.

Fasky, O. B. or Foskey, William. Back. Foskey served with Company D, 510 Service Battalion, in France. He arrived at West Point on April 14, 1924. No other information.

Foote, Thomas Jerome. Right halfback / tackle. (b. January 11, 1907, in Baltimore, MD / m. / d. March 2, 1970 in Los Angeles / i. Los Angeles National Cemetery) Foote enlisted during the 1920s, and his inclusion with the 1925 team is based on image matching with the 1928 to 1930 team images (1929 in particular). Foote was with the Cavalry Detachment in 1938 and 1939, but his unit during WWII is not known. He was discharged in January 1945, and a form completed a month later indicates he had scars from multiple bullet wounds near his waist, but it is not clear whether he acquired the wounds in combat. Highest rank: Private

Gray, unknown. Center. No other information.

Harper, Henry Carlton. Right tackle. (b. June 9, 1893, in Wynnewood, OK / m. December 20, 1912, to Lizzie Webb in Wagoner, OK / m. July 5, 1923, to Claretta O. Allen / d. November 19, 1944, in Los Angeles / i. Los Angeles National Cemetery). The son of a Chickasaw Freedmen (slaves owned by the Chickasaw tribe of Oklahoma), Harper enlisted in 1912, was shipped to the Philippines with the 25th Infantry Regiment, and returned the same year. He likely served with the 25th in Hawaii during WWI. By 1920, he was a sergeant in the Motor Transport Corps in Washington, D. C., and moved to West Point the same year. He became a Master Sgt., commanded the 2nd Squadron, 10th Cavalry until the early 1940s when he retired and moved to Los Angeles. Highest rank: Master Sergeant

Hobson, unknown. Left guard. No other information.

Johnson, Lonnie Adams. Fullback. (b. February 27, 1903, in TN / m. Tenny or Tillie in 1930 / d. unknown / i. unknown) Growing up in Tennessee, Johnson entered the Army in February 1918 (at age 15?), sailing to France in July with the 523rd Engineers (Forestry), a forestry service battalion of black enlisted men that supplied lumber and firewood for Army operations. He returned to the U.S. in July 1919, was at West Point by 1925, and remained there in 1930, after which little is known about Johnson's life.

Jones, unknown. Punter. No other information

Moore, unknown. Right halfback. No other information

Payne, Matthew. Manager. (b. July 29, 1886, in Grandview, IN / m. Gladys abt. 1928 / d. October 9, 1974 / i. Derrette Cemetery, Grandview, IN) Payne enlisted in 1911, serving during WWI. As a sergeant with the 9th Infantry, Payne went to the Philippines in 1919, then transferred to West Point, and was managing the Cavalry Detachment football team by 1925, a role he held for 8+ seasons. He retired before 1940 and returned to his native Indiana. Highest rank: Master Sergeant.

Pryor, Robert. Right end. (b. 1903 in PA) Robert Pryor started at right end against Lincoln in 1925 and was a member of the detachment track team that won the West Point Enlisted Men's championship in 1927. He remained with the Cavalry Detachment until at least 1930, but no other information is available about him.

Roane, Charles Henry. Right halfback. (b. July 13, 1897, in Philadelphia, PA / m. Alice Jackson abt. 1924 / d. July 23, 1976 in Atlantic City, NJ / i. unknown) Convicted of larceny in 1914, Roane was sent to the Pennsylvania Industrial Reformatory. He enlisted in the Navy in 1916, serving eight months as a mess attendant. Discharged, he enlisted in the Army, joining the 303rd Stevedores, and sailed to France in December 1917. He returned to the States in May 1919, reenlisted, and was assigned to West Point. Mentioned as a Philadelphia hometown boy in the Pittsburgh Courier coverage of the Cavalry Detachment's 1925 game with Lincoln University, he left the Army and was living in Atlantic City by 1930. He spent some time living in Baltimore, but appears to have spent most of his post-military in Atlantic City. Highest rank: Corporal

Simcoe, Albert Theodore. Center. (b. May 3, 1896 / m. Geneva B. Washington on January 4, 1922, in Highland Falls, NY / d. August 11, 1972 / i. unknown) Simcoe enlisted in 1911, joining the 24th Infantry Regiment. As a private, he was stationed at Camp Stotsenburg, Philippines, in 1914, returned to the States, and was sent back to the Philippines in 1916 with the cavalry. He likely spent WWI in the Philippines since an October 1918 letter home was published in a newspaper, and transport records show he sailed to the U.S. in September 1919. He was at West Point by 1922, played football for the Detachment team in 1925, and left the Army in 1929. Simcoe is next found working at a Washington, D. C. hotel in 1942 before being convicted of narcotics trafficking in 1952. Highest rank: Private

Williams, John. Left End. (b. December 25, 1895, Tacoma, WA / m. Hattie Williams / d. March 28, 1951; i. West Point Cemetery) Williams served at West Point until at least 1945. Highest rank: Private

Five other players and the team physician. Names not known.

1925 - 1926 Officers

The officers in the 1925 team picture were identified using annual rosters of officers and cadets at West Point, images of faculty members in the West Point yearbooks, and other sources. It turns out that all three graduated from West Point, two played football there, and all three were career soldiers, serving during both WWI and WWII.

Cole '17, Capt. John T. Assistant Instructor of Tactics, Cavalry. (b. July 23, 1895 / m. abt. 1928/ d. April 24, 1975, in Denville, NJ / i. Arlington National Cemetery). Cole played football and captained the basketball team at West Point, graduating in 1917. Served in France during WWI managing remount depots (i.e., supplying horses). He may have coached the 1925 Cavalry Detachment team during his time as an instructor at West Point. He trained in cavalry and armor in the 1920s and 1930s and was a reserve rider on the 1932 U.S. Olympic equestrian team. He commanded a combined armor, artillery, and engineers brigade in WWII France, including the first U.S. ground troops to enter Germany. After the war, Cole oversaw the U.S. Army Olympic program, had extensive involvement in the equestrian events at the 1952 Olympics, retiring from the Army in 1953. Highest rank: Brigadier General

Holderness '05, Maj. Arthur W. . Senior Assistant Instructor of Cavalry Tactics. (b. October 22, 1882, in Kenosha, WI / m. Lena Pearl Walsh on June 22, 1912, in Newburgh, NY / d. July 17, 1963, in Tucson, AZ / i. United States Military Academy Post Cemetery) Holderness graduated from West Point with the Class of 1905. Though not a varsity athlete, he was an avid polo player and coached polo at West Point and the University of Arizona. Holderness commanded the Cavalry Detachment in 1925 and 1926. He served in Army Staff positions in Washington, D.C., and spent 1939 to 1941 in the Philippines, returning to the States before the Japanese attack. Highest rank: Colonel.

Stearns '09, Maj. Cuthbert P. . Master of the Sword and Instructor in Military Gymnastics and Physical Culture. Commanding Officer, Cavalry Detachment. (b. / m. Jessie Peabody on November 11, 1909, in Canon City, CO / d. June 6, 1969 in Charlottesville, VA / i. Arlington National Cemetery) At 156 pounds, Stearns started at right end for West Point, graduating in 1909 and returning as an instructor and assistant coach several years later. He served with the Punitive Expedition in Mexico and was the Chief of Staff of the Spruce Production Division during WWI. (Based in the Northwest, the division produced the spruce for airplanes and other military equipment.) During his second active duty tour at West Point, he was Master of the Sword, running the Academy's Physical Education Department. Stearns held a range of command and staff roles, including command of the 5th Cavalry, and served in England during WWII while planning the occupation of post-war Europe. Stearns retired in 1946. Highest rank: Brigadier General

The ten individuals identified in the 1925-1925 team pictures are labeled accordingly below.

This page will be updated as additional information about these men becomes available.

One might think it would be easy to determine which soldiers served with the Cavalry Detachment at West Point, but the Army did not keep records of those serving in the active-duty units at West Point, regardless of their time or race. The Cavalry Detachment officers were members of the West Point faculty and are documented in West Point yearbooks, but sources that identify the enlisted men are few and far between.

For most, the best method of identifying those who lived one hundred ago requires connecting the dots among census records and other official documents generated during their lives. The 1925 team picture does not identify the team members, but several newspaper reports of their games identified the surnames of eighteen team members. After publishing the first article about the 1925 team, pictures of the 1928, 1929, and 1930 West Point Cavalry Detachment teams were found in period Spalding's Official Foot Ball Guides. Those pictures identified each player by surname, but were small -less than half the size of a dollar bill- and were printed on newspaper stock using the halftone (dotted) method, so they are relatively poor quality. Nevertheless, the images proved useful after being scanned and enlarged.

The 1925, 1928, 1929, and 1930 team pictures included sixty-eight enlisted members of the Cavalry Detachment, including various non-commissioned officers, plus seven white officers who commanded the detachment or were otherwise involved with the teams.

The next step in identifying the players was to search ancestry.com for individuals with the target surnames living in Highlands, Orange County, New York during the relevant period. In most cases, only one black male with the target surname was found and is assumed to be our man. For others, there were multiple matches from which their age or enlistment date eliminated one candidate or another. Fortunately, some matches had previous genealogical research completed by family members. In those cases, the relatives were contacted to obtain additional information, including family pictures. 

Other information came from searches of a newspaper archive, West Point yearbooks, and military and assorted other documents. A 1938 Cavalry Detachment Christmas dinner program, a 1939 newspaper article with a complete list of the Detachment members, and a few other documents provided full names for some soldiers who played on the teams. The paper trails of career soldiers were easier to track than those who left the Army after one or two tours. The subgroup who left the peacetime Army and returned during WWII also left a more substantial trail.

Unfortunately, while New York completed a state census in 1925, detailed information is available only for those living in civilian housing outside the base. Thus, information is not available for most of the detachment that lived in the Cavalry Barracks. As a result, of the seventy-one surnames, only forty-two have been linked to census or other information.

Finally, each players' image from the 1928, 1929, and 1930 team pictures, and images from other sources, were compared against the 1925 team pictures. The image matching process is imperfect, but I've used the process here and here with good results. Although facial features, hair lines, hair color, and skin tone are important in the matching process, so are facial expressions or the tilt of the head, which are surprisingly consistent across images. The matching process for the 1925 team identified seven players and three white officers. You can judge the matching accuracy yourself using the images provided on the 1925-1926 team page. Similar pictures and player biographies are on the 1928 team page, 1929 team page, and 1930 team page.

The second image of the football team found in the National Archives shows eleven players lined up on offense. While I initially assumed the picture showed the 1925 team's starters and could be linked to the names of the starting lineup for the Lincoln University game, the combination does not match well. Hopefully, most will be identified over time.

My article focused on the team during the mid-1920s and showed the cavalrymen were overwhelmed in games against higher-level competition. It also listed the names of seventeen players from the 1925-1926 teams, without matching the names to the individuals in the images. Still, the article provided the names and scant details about the players in the hope that their descendants might come across the information to reveal a previously unknown chapter in one of their ancestor's lives.

After publishing the first story, further research uncovered additional images and information that shed new light on the team. As a result, we now have a better sense of the players' backgrounds, their competitiveness on the football field, and what became of them in the ensuing decades. The key to gathering additional information on these men was locating the 1928, 1929, and 1930 team pictures, with each individual identified by surname. Those images and surnames enabled research on the individuals using ancestry.com and similar sources, as well as visual matching the faces of the 1925-1926 team against later photos. To date, one-third of the men in the 1925 team picture have been identified and biographical information has been found for others. 

The following expands on the original story with the information learned to date.

The West Point Cavalry Detachment Football Team

Historically, the United States Military Academy (West Point) taught a mix of military and traditional academic subjects, and the teaching of military topics (e.g., artillery and cavalry) was assisted by active-duty enlisted personnel. Other groups of enlisted personnel stationed at West Point provided military police, dining, medical, and other services needed to run the institution.

From 1907 to 1947, up to 220 black enlisted men from the 9th or 10th Cavalry manned West Point's Cavalry Detachment. Commonly known as "Buffalo Soldiers," the men cared for the horses and taught horsemanship and cavalry tactics to West Point's cadets and other duties. After WWII, the U.S. Army eliminated the Cavalry Detachment as armored vehicles and helicopters substituted for horses on the modern battlefield.

The Men

Most Buffalo Soldiers at West Point were born or raised in the rural South, and most went directly to West Point after enlisting for their on-the-job training. (Enlistees of the time chose the unit and location of their initial assignment.) Some became career soldiers; others left the service only to reenlist during WWII.

America had a segregated military until 1948. Despite receiving the same pay as white soldiers of the same rank, black soldiers were second-class citizens. With limited exceptions, they could not become officers. The U.S. Army had only seven black officers in 1916, four of whom were chaplains. In each case, they commanded or pastored only other black soldiers.

Black soldiers were commonly relegated to labor battalions. The only black soldiers who saw frontline duty during WWI did so under French command. Most black soldiers who went to France were stevedores, foresters, or performed other physical labor. As they labored, white Americans who died in battle were buried where they fell. Post-Armistice, the Army needed to move those bodies from their temporary graves to central cemeteries. What race of soldier do you suppose dug up the putrefying bodies of the dead? At West Point, only the Cavalry Detachment soldiers spent time during winter cutting ice from nearby lakes. The racist attitudes within the Army and in American society generally continued during WWII when Senator John Bankhead of Alabama requested that Chief of Staff George C. Marshall keep Northern black soldiers out of the South so they would not bring their ideas and behavior with them. In a sign of things to come, General Marshall ignored the request.

That the Cavalry Detachment soldiers fielded athletic teams is not surprising. The U.S. Army and Navy have fielded base or ship athletic teams since the late 1800s. Best known to the public are all-star teams that played outside competition for public relations purposes, including the teams that played in the 1918 and 1919 Rose Bowls and the 1944 Cotton Bowl. However, most military teams played in intramural leagues organized at the company, regiment, or similar levels at large bases. Of course, some intramural teams also played outside competition, but where did an all-black football team in rural New York State in the 1920s find teams willing to meet on the friendly fields of strife? Major League Baseball was all white. The early NFL had a few black players in the 1920s, but they were banned in 1933 and did not return until 1946. Similarly, the predominantly white colleges in the North might have had one or two black players on their rosters -most had none- but none played black colleges. So, who did the Cavalry Detachment football team play?

The Teams

As expected, the Cavalry Detachment's sports team sought games against other African-American teams in New York and surrounding states. The Detachment's 1925 basketball team played the famous 369th Infantry Regiment, a New York State National Guard unit known as the Harlem Hellfighters. The 369th served under French command in WWI, spending more time on the frontlines than any American unit. The Detachment also scheduled Lincoln University in Philadelphia, then the top black college football team in the North. Their 1925 and 1926 games earned previews and game reports in the Pittsburgh Courier, a black newspaper. Unfortunately, the white press did not cover either game. Regardless, Lincoln University lanced the Cavalry team 66-0 in 1925 and 87-0 in 1926. Lincoln did the same to a few college teams those years, but the scores tell us the Cavalrymen were not competitive with teams at Lincoln's level. 

Given the segregation of higher-level sports, one might assume the many town teams, athletic clubs, and semi-pro teams of the era had similarly segregated schedules, but that was not the case. We know that, in part, because period newspapers universally describe teams comprised of black players as "colored," often as part of the team names (e.g., the Paterson Colored Pros or Paterson Pros (colored)). Ninety years later, that editorial convention helps distinguish white from black teams, revealing that while games between black and white teams were not the norm, they were sufficiently frequent that sportswriters did not mention interracial games as being unusual. (Sportswriters sometimes made other racist comments, but the simple playing of games between white and black teams did not warrant commentary.)

What distinguishes the West Point Cavalry Detachment team is not that they played some games against white teams; they are remarkable for playing most or all their games against white teams some seasons. Moreover, West Point hosted a multi-sport enlisted men's league among its functional units (e.g., Cavalry, Artillery, Service, and Engineers). Since the Cavalry Detachment was the only unit at West Point with black soldiers, their intramural competition was all white. The available records show the Cavalry team was competitive in the enlisted men's league in the mid-1920s, winning some games and losing others.

As the Twenties turned to the Thirties, the Detachment team became far more competitive, likely due to an influx of talent, but coaching may have also helped the situation. The 1928 detachment team picture below shows Lt. W. H. Wood (#24) as the team coach. Although his name is little recognized today, Wood won nine letters at Johns Hopkins University before transferring to West Point, winning twelve more there, and earning first-team All-America honors at fullback in 1925. After graduation, Wood stayed at West Point as an assistant coach for the cadet team and was head coach of the Cavalry Detachment team. (Wood was Army's head coach from 1938 to 1940.)

Rev. Arthur Kinsolving, the West Point Chaplain, replaced Wood as coach in 1929. Having grown up in Brazil, it is unclear where Kinsolving acquired his football expertise, but he coached the team for the next four years, a period in which they noticeably improved.

As confirmed by the championship trophy below, the 1929 Cavalry Detachment team won the West Point Enlisted Men's League. (The discovery of the trophy occurred by happenstance, as documented here.)

Since black and white teams seldom played one another in the 1920s, the number of black teams playing in predominantly white leagues was few. That means the 1929 championship trophy may be the first won by a team of black players competing against teams of white players. (Anyone aware of an earlier team able to stake this claim, please advise.)

Besides winning the Enlisted Men's League, the only known outside game played by the 1929 Cavalry Detachment team was a 31-0 victory over the Kingston Yellow Jackets.

The 1930 team won the Enlisted Men's title as well. One article suggests the team was undefeated and unscored upon several years running, though that report likely concerned only their West Point Enlisted Men's League games since we know they lost at least one outside game each year. Although the cavalrymen continued playing town teams from cities along the Hudson, they also played professional and semi-pro teams from Northern New Jersey. Multiple professional football leagues existed in the 1920s and 1930s, with franchises regularly folding or changing leagues. Unlike today, when the NFL reigns supreme, the top teams from the lesser professional leagues were competitive with the NFL's bottom dwellers. For example, the 1932 Detachment team lost a close game to the Clifton Wessingtons, who then lost a nailbiter to the NFL's Staten Island Stapletons. That said, it is impressive that the cavalrymen of the early Thirties won half their games against professional and semi-pro teams such as the Passaic Red Devils, Clifton Wessingtons, and Paterson Giants. 

Additional indications of the Detachment team's competitiveness include their 1931 victory over Lincoln University, which crushed them back in the 1925 and 1926 seasons, and their periodically scrimmaging West Point's varsity. Ultimately, the cavalrymen were likely comparable to a good college team during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Less information is available about the team after the 1932 season. The 1937 Cavalry Detachment football team played at least one outside game, and the enlisted men's league at West Point played basketball, if not other sports, in 1938. Still, we know little about their participation and performance on athletic fields for much of the 1930s.

Identifying The Team Members

Besides understanding who the Cavalry Detachment team played and how they performed, a primary goal of the research was to identify the players in the 1925-1926 team pictures and obtain a sense of their lives off the playing field. Readers interested in understanding the research and image-matching processes used to gather this information can find an explanation here. The following focuses on the research findings.

The 1925, 1928, 1929, and 1930 team pictures included seventy-six individuals, including seven white officers and an unidentified black physician. The three white officers in the 1925 team picture were relatively easy to identify using West Point yearbook images of the Cavalry officers on the faculty. In addition, each was a West Point graduate and career officer, so their significant paper trails made it straightforward to create their biographies.

The twenty-four players in the 1925 team picture were more challenging. Identifying them required comparing images from the 1928 to 1930 team pictures and a few images found elsewhere. To date, the process has identified seven members in the 1925 team picture and biographical information for five more. Likewise, biographical information was located for the four white officers or coaches in the 1928 to 1930 team pictures and for thirty-seven of the fifty-four black soldiers on those teams.

Broadly, the biographical information tells us most players were born and raised in the rural South. Some migrated north as children, others when they enlisted. Two were born in Oklahoma and descended from Chickasaw Freedmen, African-Americans enslaved by members of the Chickasaw tribe.

Most cavalrymen who played on these teams enlisted in the 1920s. However, some served with the Cavalry or the segregated 25th Infantry Regiment in the Philippines before WWI. A few served in France with stevedore or other labor battalions, while Major Milton T. Dean, who is in the 1929 team picture, was the third highest-ranking African American in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Great War. Dean commanded the 317th Ammunition Train, which fought in the Meuse-Argonne as part of the 92nd Division. Dean had his rank reduced after the war, like many officers who served during the much larger Army of the war years, but Dean's dropping from Major to noncommissioned status was unusual. The dramatic drop showed the Army had little need for black officers between the wars.

Despite the inequity, serving in the Army and at West Point, in particular, was a coveted duty, and a number of the team members became career soldiers. Others left the service before WWII and reenlisted during the war, often becoming noncommissioned officers. Of the forty for whom biographical information was found, seven served during WWI, twenty-one during WWII, and two during the Korean War. Another served in the Merchant Marine during WWII.

One West Point cavalryman who enlisted in April 1929 made the ultimate sacrifice. Lee A. Graves was a starting running back for the Detachment teams of the early 1930s while also playing forward in basketball and second base in baseball. Promoted to corporal by 1939, his role during WWII is unknown, but he became a Chief Warrant Officer before the Korean War. Graves shipped to Korea with the Fifteenth Infantry Regiment, Third Division, and was killed in action in late September 1951.

Summary

The West Point Cavalry Detachment football team provides a window into football, the military, and American society in the 1920s and early 1930s. Their experience illustrates that African Americans enjoyed fewer privileges than their white counterparts. Yet, the sporting world allowed them to hold their own and succeed when competing with whites on equal terms. As pioneers competing in the world of white football, the Detachment teams should be recognized for their advances. Still, they were virtually unknown until the National Archives located their team pictures. This research and extensions that may occur should position the teams and men for their role in breaking down barriers that ultimately led to the desegregation of the Army and subsequent advances that continue to this day.

Next Steps

To date, the research has identified seven of the twenty-four players on the 1925-1926 team, while four remain unnamed. Since there are few apparent resources to identify the remaining men and create their profiles, the only option is to crowdsource the identification process, hoping that descendants of the team members might have information about or images of their ancestors. Of course, the challenge is finding those people.

The hope is that those whose family histories indicate that Grandpa or Great Uncle Charlie served with the West Point Cavalry Detachment during the 1920s and 1930s might come across this site while doing genealogical research. Alternatively, individuals of African American descent who share the team members' surnames -or have a surname one or two branches back in their family trees- could review the players' images and information to determine whether an ancestor might be among those on the teams.

To read more about the team members or to help with the research, go here and click on the appropriate links.

Note: The trophy pictured above is currently on display at the National Archive Museum as part of the All American: The Power of Sports exhibit.

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