The High School Sports Scene in the 1910's in Northwest Ohio
FS 1-5
In today’s world of hyper-focused sports culture, it may be a time we step back into history and look at high school sports and how they were in a much simpler era. An era where athletes of today wouldn’t even think of competing in. Football with no helmets, basketball in a cage and pole vaulting into a pile of sawdust. Thanks to these athletes over 100 years ago, our local high schools could become what they are today.
Conferences
Conferences were certainly much different in the 1910’s as compared to today. That’s if a school was even in a conference at all. Heck, some schools didn’t even have sports because they were still just one-room school houses.
A large school like Toledo Scott or Toledo Waite scheduled games against opponents from various states since they were so much larger than anyone else in the area. Meanwhile, little schools hardly ever left their own county, if they had a team at all. Those tiny farm schools that were graduating a single-digit number of students still hadn’t come into existence yet.
The Putnam County League, the oldest still-standing league in Northwest Ohio, was in its precursor stage. Each small town had their school and there were a select amount of games played. Albeit none of them were league games.
1919 saw the formation of the North Central Ohio League which consisted of working class industrial towns, which were really the first to start forming conferences. The NCOL consisted of Ashland, Bucyrus, Delaware, Galion, Mansfield, Marion, Mt. Vernon and Shelby. Traveling clearly wasn’t a big issue in 1919.
The premier conference in the area at the time was the Little Big League. Formed in 1911 by Elyria, Lorain, Norwalk and Sandusky with Bellevue and Fremont Ross joining in 1912. These six heavily populated and working class cities created an absolute meat grinder of a league. Fans would travel by train sometimes in the thousands to watch these schools square off. A football game between Bellevue and Lorain once got so controversial that Walter Camp, the inventor of modern football, was contacted to help decide a winner after Lorain fans impeded the playing field to try and defeat Bellevue.
Stars in the Making
Pete Stinchcomb of Fostoria obliterated opposing defenses as a running back for Fostoria. He helped the team to an undefeated season where they routinely scored close to 100 points a game. To add to his prowess, Stinchcomb also won the 1916 state title in the long jump. He would go on to be an All-Conference and All-American offensive back for Ohio State while also winning the 1921 NCAA title in the long jump. He would play in the NFL for four seasons and be an All-Pro back. He was named to the college football hall of fame in 1973.
Ernie Vick was a two sport star for Toledo Scott. The baseball star turned lineman was force to reckon with for opponents. He was the major star on an otherwise underwhelming Scott baseball team and an absolute force on the line for a football team that did let their opponents score more than single-digits all year. Vick would go on to be the captain of both the Michigan footbal and baseball teams and be an All-American football player as a senior. He earned high praise and trust from his coaches who were sporting pioneers Fielding H. Yost for football and Branch Rickey for baseball. Vick would eventually turn pro in baseball where he was a part of the Cardinals organization and eventually earned himself a World Series ring in 1926. Vick then turned to professional football where he played in 27 games over three seasons.
The Toledo Track Dynasty
In the 1910’s, Toledo was a track and field town. Just before the start of the decade Toledo Central won the second ever OHSAA title ever competed in when they won the boys track & field state title in 1909. The 1910’s saw Toledo Central (which became Scott in the 1913-14 school year) win 5 team state titles and 33 individual state titles.
The early part of the dynasty was led by Earl Vail who won three state titles in both 100yd and 220yd dashes from 1912-14. Paul Schoenfelit also went back-to-back in the mile in 1912 and 1913. In the later part of the decade Louis Morehead won 6 individual state titles when he went back-to-back in the 100yd, 220yd and high jump in 1917 and 1918. Norman Pollman also went back-to-back in the 220 hurdles in 1917 and 1918. The mile relay team also won the state title 6 times during the 1910’s. Unfortunately, individual results are unknown prior to 1912.
Of all these talented athletes many went on to continue their athletic careers. Louis Morehead would go on to be the Big Ten high jump champion for Ohio State. 1912 440yd and 880yd state champion Willard Brown went on to compete for the Buckeyes as well, as did Norman Pollman. Norris Rakestraw, who won the 1912 120yd hurdles state title, would go on to run for Stanford.
Girls Basketball
Believe it or not girls did play sports during this time. The most common of which was basketball. Schools big and small fielded teams and they competed with the same rules and regulations as the boys teams did.
As to be expected, Putnam County had multiple high schools fielding a girls basketball team. In 1919 seven schools in the county were playing girls basketball. Ottoville was the only school in the county without a team at the time.
The Allen County and Hardin County area had a very competitve girls basketball scene with smaller schools competing in 10 or more games throughout the season. Schools like Bluffton and Ada were competing against the likes of now closed schools like Gomer and Dunkirk.
Bigger schools like Toledo Waite and Toledo Scott usually only played each other during the season. Scott and Waite would alternate home courts and try to win the season series.
Conclusion
A lot has changed since the 1910’s. Safety has improved, so has the equipment. However, there is still something to be said about the simplicity and enjoyment schools got out sports in a much less hyper-focused world.