1930 WPCD Team
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.