Friday, November 20. mt SCARLET AND BLACK Grinnell In first Game West Seventy- -iive years ago _ on Nov 16,1889 — gridiron gladiators rape resenting Grinnell College and the State University of Iowa met in the lirst intercollegiate football game played west oi the Mississippi Riv- er. Grliinell, then known as Iowa College oi Grinnell, won the game up. It was played on the Grinnell . campus north of the present Burl- lng Lihrary and Fine Arts Center The game grew out or an Octo- her, 1889, challenge circulated by SUI in two newspapers. it read: “The State University ‘iooiball team hereby challenges any Cole legs or other team in the state to a game of ioothall. American AS» socialion Rules.” Though the sport was tamiliai- to only a iew Grinnellians, the Chal- lenge was accepted, a team ivas organized with F. L. (Lou) Van Gieson as Captain, and a hall was sent for. Van Gieson and Frank F. Ever- est were the main organizers. They had played ioothall the previous year while attending prep school in New Jersey. Game day — a raw late tall day — arrived, and the SUI team was accompanied to Grinnell by a throng oi Iowa City partisans who came “just to teach you boys how to play the game” and to "see their team bag a tow cornlield canaries." An old report tells that the SUI players were “fairly radiant in un- spotted suits oi white canvas." The Grinnellians presented a much dif~ ferent appearance. They were a rag-tag looking aggregation attired in Duliiis of all sizes, shapes; and colors. Only two had regulation iootball pants. The others ware sweaters, gym jerseys, last sum- mer’s outing shirts, and- bicycle pantsr one even were “ll pair of genuine blue jean overalls." Van Gieson’s “serpentine suit,” along with his “bird-like hops,” re- portedly frightened the SUI rush line in the first half. Even more lrightening to SUI was _Grinneil's flying wedge of- fense. This formation was later for hidden because it was so danger— ous. Game reports also tell how the Grinnell rush line (defensive line) "stood with locked arms like 8 WW, Samuel J. Pooley, ’9 Page MRI of Mississippi 'and the Pioneers claimed their Grinnell College’s football team of 1889, which played the State University of Iowa in the first intercollegiate game west of the Mississippi River, included i the 12 men pictured above. FIRST ROW, (from the left) H Frank F, Everest and F. L. Van Geison. SECOND ROW—Burt Monroe Huntley, Herbert S. Miller, W. J. Barrette and George Lyon. THIRD ROW—L. L. Hoyt and Man- ager A. Wright. BACK ROW—John Reed, William D. Bailey, Otto Ralph Sav- age and Sam J. Pooley. Everest Van Gieson, Huntley, Miller, Savage, and Pooley were starters in the SUI game. stone wall" and noted that “the University were weaker than our eleven iti dodging, sprinting, hug- ging the hall, and team work.” No admission was charged, but a hat: was passed both before and during the game so that all spec- tators might have an opportunity (0 “push a good thing along.” Members of the Grinnell team and- their last known addresses were: John Francis Harvey, lelt end, sam J Pouley, Mason City, lett tackle; Otto Ralph Savage, Holly» wood, Calif., left guard; James Al- llson, State Center, center; Harry Cross noremiis, right guard; uiirt Monroe Huntly, Pendlelorl, 0re., right 'lackle; Everest, Council Bluiis, right end; Van Gieson, quarterback; Theron Upson Ly man, New York, N.Y,, left half; Harry J. Macomber. right hali- back; Herbert S. Mlller, Chicago, 111,. fullback. Pooiey is the member of the Grillnell team. sole surviving He played two more years or toothall, ior Grinnell, graduated in 1892, and is one of the College’s oldest liv» ing graduates. A replay was inimedlntely'sclled uled for Iowa City for Nov , but was cancelled because of the late- ness of the date. The leplay came about the next year with Grinneil again winning, 1476. The roughness of the action is related in this liltid account, which tells about SUl's tollchdow ‘ "Pooley loses twice on good rush ing by SUI and is hit in the face by Powers, probably accidentally. Blood ilows lreely. Miller gets the ball somehow, kicks [on low and the hall is knocked into Sampson's face. Lyon about to down Sampson, is himself knocked down by a blow l in the breast, which-the umpire clear field makes a touch-down.” There was a strong disposition on the part oi the Grinnell team to find fault with Sampson for his roughness, but when it was learned that he was prolessor or English literature at the university, the matter was quickly droppedr Giinnell also played the Univer- sity of Minnesota at Minneapolis 14 2 with ten minutes leit. This was the first interstate football game played in the West. Grinneli made it three wins in a row over SUI with a 674 victory in 1391 and twice met Minnesota, gaining a 12112 tie here but losing 22—14 at Minneapolis. Five times touring the 12—12 knot with Minne- isota, Arthur Cowden stole the bail ironi the Gophers. l-Ie twice ran 75 yaids ior touchdowns aitei steals, ‘but the reieree allowed only one oi them. . The St, Paul Pioneerrl’l'ess said this about Grinnell’s diieiise in the game in Minnesota: “Braced behind their ‘snappei back’ in double coliinin, they (Grin. nell) would go crashing through the University center like a battering ram. ‘Blg’ Harding would thro w himseli on top ol the wedge, and ,the other riisliers would attack it ‘tiom all ides, but the lowa men would advance the ball iive yards in better at every tlown. ” ‘ihat ganie decided the 1351 championship oi the Northwest. By 1892, ioothall was Ian-ly well established in Gl‘innell‘s athletic gprogram, and six games were played. Grinnell won ioiir oi them including a 13270 tiomhing oi the Des Moines YMCA, the biggest sCore' ever registered by a Pioneer 11, i‘ put, the Grinnellians dropped i that year losing loll after leading doesn't see and Sampson with a l their first game to SUI that year, 18-12, and again lost to Minnesota, 40-24. H. 0. Stickney became Grinnell's first regular lootball coach in 1893, fourth and last state championship by deieating SUI, 36-14, and twice stopping Iowa StaLe, 35’s and 3&2. Minnesota Continued its hex with H 366 Victory. Football has continued as a part oi Grinnell’s athletic program to this day. Only in the war years of 1943 and 1944 did Grinnell tail in field a team. Since that first game, in 1889, Griniiell has played 565 grid Conv tests. Winning 261, losing 274 and tying 31. Pioneer 11's have scored 7,326 points and given up 7,514, Grinnell has gone unbeaten twice ‘ — 80 in 1917 and 770-1 in 1962 — and only three times — in 1927, 1945 (when it played only one game), and 1952 has Iaiied to will at least one game. The past decade has been the brightest period in GI'innell’s long grid history. Under Edd Bowers the present coach, Pioneer up have posted a 25-121 mark since 1960. won one conference title, and shared another. Big scores posted by Grinnell in addition to the 132-0 stampede past the Des Moines YMCA were 6870 and 724] ramps pas! Drake in 1915 and 1917, respectively, a 77-0 blast- ing oi Highland Park in 1917, and an 81~0 Cruise past Simpson in 1920. On the other side of the ledger are a 10270 loss to Minnesota in 1902 and a 14670 setback to "it same club in 1904. Grinnell Continued playing a big- time schedule until the 1930's, when it began a tierernphasis program. It quit the Missouri Valley Copier- ence in 1933 and otiicially entered its present small-college phase by joining the Midwest Conference in 1939. It‘s'still A member of that )0- team loop. Sam J. Pooley, (left) the only surviving member of the Grinnell College football team of 1889 which met the State University collegiate game played of Iowa in the first inter- west of the Mississippi River, Chats with Edd Bowers, the present Pio» neer coach, during one of his last appearances at a Pioneer game in 1960. A native of Grinnell, Pooley, new 94 years old, lives in letii ement in Mason City, Iowa