Today's Tidbit... Memorial Day Weekend Tribute to H. B. "Pete" Lenz
Today's Tidbit... Memorial Day Weekend Tribute to H. B. "Pete" Lenz
Lenz was a three-year starter at quarterback for Occidental from 1913 to 1915. He led Occidental to a 14-0 win over Arizona in 1914, after which an LA sportswriter noted that despite losing, the Arizona team fought like "wild cats." Arizona’s athletic teams have used that nickname ever since.
As America geared up for WWI, Lenz was sent to Camp Lewis, playing football and appearing in one game before being transferred elsewhere. Camp Lewis played in the 1918 Rose Bowl at the season's end, but Lenz was already in France with the 116th Engineers. In July 1918, Lenz was severely wounded during action in the Aisne-Marne sector and shipped back to the States two months later.
Lenz became a teacher and coach at Stockton HS. He coached football for one season, then led the Tarzans to state basketball championships in 1922, 1923, 1925, and 1928, along with two state titles in swimming. While coaching basketball in the 1920s, an opposing coach protested playing Stockton because Lenz’s team had a player of Japanese descent. A man of principle, Lenz took his team off the floor and went home.
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