1917 Mare Island Marines Football Team

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.