The County League Game–100 Years Ago (1925)

In 2007, Kirkwood and Webster Groves celebrated the Turkey Day Game Centennial, however they were wrong. The Turkey Day Game started in 1928, so why was it celebrated? In 1949, Webster Groves students researched and published the scores known of the previous games but what they did not know, because the game had been played as the Turkey Day Game for the previous 21 years, is that the game actually began as the conference football championship of St. Louis County, often played near Thanksgiving Day. The Webster Groves Historical Society has compiled all of the football conference champions and published it as an article on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_County_Football_Conference_Champions

Despite incorrectly celebrating the Turkey Day Game Centennial in 2007, the game did celebrate two important events: The hundredth varsity football game played between the schools and the hundredth anniversary of the first football championship of St. Louis County, which involved both schools.

The four-year suspension of games between the schools is an orphaned era in the game because the schools did not play football against each other. It is now time to continue with the story of what happened with those football teams. Kirkwood rejoined the County League conference, which was on the brink of dissolution. The first reason was the declaration of ineligible players at Kirkwood and Normandy in 1924. One of the Kirkwood players was exonerated and new eligibility guidelines were adopted. Secondly, the teams were required to play County League teams exclusively, with the expectation that a game be arranged with every school. The schools wanted to play other teams so a sixty percent rule was adopted, to qualify a team for the County League championship title so that teams could schedule any games they liked but had to schedule sixty percent of their schedule with other County League teams to qualify for the title. Interestingly, Washington University supplied the championship cups and those were discontinued by the County League, under its new leadership, which was two administrators from each school.

Webster's "Uncle" Charley Roberts, as his players lovingly referred to him, had perhaps his best team he ever coached. That is a bold declaration given his years coaching Al Lincoln, who was the best player he ever coached and the teams on which he played. Webster's 1925 team had six players who made the County All-Star team: Joe Lintzenich at halfback (the grandfather of broadcaster Joe Buck), Clarence “Bud” Sample at fullback, Harold Hack at right guard; Emmet Senn at left guard, Kirby Thornton at right tackle and team captain, and John “Gang” Greene at quarterback, who was chosen over three other notable players as the Saint Louis Times newspaper noted, “Three candidates for the quarterback position caused many an hour of study, and even the data on the season’s performance of this trio would be ordinarily confusing. John [Greene] of Webster was chosen over Boldt of Clayton and Smith of University City not on a record of touchdowns or a total of yard gainage, but chiefly because of his valuable generalship. [Greene] was a master at out guessing the enemy and his strategy rivals anything displayed this season by any local varsity. Besides carrying the ball eighty-five yards through a broken field against Maplewood, [Greene] has maneuvered the oval on five occasions for a total of 375 yards, and upon only one occasion during these feats did he carry the ball over the line for the touchdown, but signaled for a mate to carry over the honor marker.”

Webster Groves had only two losses that season, when the team travelled to play nationally ranked teams in Benld, Illinois and Male, Kentucky. Greene did not travel with the team for those games, causing Lintzenich to serve as quarterback. Despite the losses, it should be noted that no Missouri team was able to score against Webster Groves. Gang Greene and Emmet Senn were players on the inaugural professional St. Louis Gunners football team in 1931, Senn having played guard for Washington University and Greene transitioned to wide receiver for Westminster. Senn was in medical school while playing for the Gunners and Greene was enticed at the end of the season to join manager Bud Yates to play for his new professional team, the St. Louis Veterans, reuniting him with Joe Lintzenich, who had played two years with the Chicago Bears.

Over at Kirkwood, a new coach has been discovered–Thomas Alfred Constable, who was 26 years old when he took control of the team. Both of his parents were teachers in the Kirkwood School District, the family coming from Ottawa County, Kansas. The Post-Dispatch referenced him being a football player for Kansas State but yearbooks only show him as a track athlete.

There was scant reporting of the Kirkwood team. They beat County League teams Ritenour, and Normandy 13-0 and beat nonconference team St. Charles, 28-0. They lost to Staunton, Illinois twice, 12-6 and 28-6. The team was expected to do well this season but did not seem to conquer County League opponents as expected. Those playing on the team were: Peabody, left end; Rex, left tackle; Hoester, left guard; Wingert, center; Daly, right guard; Sanders, right tackle; Boyer, right tackle; Boyer, right end; Gruner, quarterback; McDonald, left halfback; Howell, right halfback; and Mutt Murphy, fullback and Capt., who was one of several brothers nicknamed "Mutt." It is unknown which one this was.

Webster was scheduled to play Clayton on Thanksgiving Day for the championship of the County League but a wet and muddy field at Webster postponed the game to Saturday, the 28th. Webster won the championship 26-0.

This year celebrates the 115th varsity contest between the 127th football teams of both schools. In varsity meetings at the Turkey Day Game, Kirkwood leads the series 46-38-5. In the record of all varsity games ever played, Webster leads that series 54-53-7–which, at one game, has not been that close since 1916.

May the Frisco Bell ring for you this Turkey Day!