Wofford College - From The Archives

Football, Fall 1933

I was looking for a story about an old football game this morning, and I wanted to reprint something from 1933- seventy-five years ago - and the first game I came across was against USC.  Since Wofford played USC on Saturday, this seemed like more than a coincidence, so here's the Old Gold and Black's story about Wofford-USC, the 1933 version. 

From the issue of September 30, 1933

"Gamecocks Click Against Terriers"

Wofford's gridiron warriors journeyed down to the State capital last Saturday (September 23) and met the Carolina Gamecocks in a game of good, hard football.  The Terriers fought gamely, but were overpowered by a score of 31-0. 

Sidelights on the Game:

The two Clarys, Earl and WIlbur, were the outstanding stars for the gamecocks.  E. Clary, with his eel hips and llos-jointed stried, was a difficult target for our warriors to get a firm and secure hold upon.  W. Clary, with his smashing and hard running, was even more difficult to halt.  The Carolina line was almost impregnable, and their charges were hard and timed.  The backfield was outstanding on passing and blocking and their punters showed up well.

The Terriers were by no means a disappointment to their alumni supporters.  Wofford's line held on many an occasion and stopped the enemy backs before they could get going  The line, made up mostly of sophomores, gave promise of being a formidable one when the get to clicking together. 

Gallman and Moore on the flanks turned in a neat game.  Often they gummed up the enemy interference and the backs were stopped at the scrimmage line or hurled back for losses.

King and Hardin were stalwarts at the tackle posts, and King displayed promise of cinching an all-state tackle's berth if he wants it bad enough.

Knotts and Lineberger played well at guard, and were fast on interference.  Mullikin held down the center position in fine style and stopped many n enemy advance.  The Terrier backfield failed to click, but appeared to run as smoothly as could be expected in the initial gameof the season.

Bouknight was up to form, and he punted, passed, and ran well.  Funderburk, subbing for him, gave an exhibition of how he can lug the ball if he has a little interference. 

Chandler held down the blocking position in a creditable way, and wa s best on hitting the line for a few yards.  Jones, switched from guard to fullback, was green at the post,but clearly showed that he intends on cinching the position.  Quarterback Anderson called the plays in fine style, mixing them up, and kept the Carolina line guessing.  His steadiness under fire will add much strength to the backfield and make them more dangerous. 

The substitutiona proved to Coach Scaffe that he has a few reserves he can depend upon.  Crouch, Hoover, and Hawes played admirably under fire, and will be much needed as reserves. 

Wofford has no game for September 30.  A game with High Point College was scheduled, but their athletic board eliminated football from this year's program because of heavy losses incurred in financing it heretofore.  (Remember, this was in the middle of the Great Depression)

The Terriers' next game will be with Davidson on Oct. 7, at home on Snyder Field.

Unfortunately for the Terriers, Davidson's Wildcats won that game, 28-13.  Wofford finished the season with a home game against Clemson (yes, Clemson played Wofford on Snyder Field) on Armistice Day, and Wofford won that one, 14-13.  They wound up 3-6 for the season. 

Andrews Field House - a gym for the ages

Andrews Field House is place of many memories, and is another of those buildings on the campus that has found many uses in its nearly 80-year lifespan.  From the 50-year era when it was the Terriers’ varsity gymnasium, there are memories of cold nights, noisy crowds, and Little Four Tournaments, coaches like Joel Robertson ’41 and Gene Alexander; and Hall-of-Fame players like Slim Mooneyham ’33; Daddy Neal ’53; George Lyons ’65; and Doug Lowe ’75.

Even after the varsity team moved to the Benjamin Johnson Arena, students still have Andrews Field House memories of playing the faculty in Friday afternoon pick-up basketball and involuntary visits to the campus safety office. It became a home (literally) for numerous assistant coaches and sports interns, though most of them recognized it was sub-standard at best.  Some coaches thought it was great living in a building with racquetball and basketball courts, while others didn't especially enjoy the old-gym smell that permeated everything. 

Originally consisting of just the varsity basketball arena, the field house as we know it today was constructed in three stages. In 1929, Spartanburg businessman Isaac Andrews gave $20,000 to the college for the construction of a gymnasium. Andrews, born in Belfast, Ireland in 1876, emigrated to the United States at age 4. He moved to Spartanburg not long after the beginning of the twentieth century, and was involved in several area businesses.

The total cost of the field house was $65,000. Designed for all indoor sports, Andrews Field House served as the home of the basketball team until 1981. With a seating capacity of 2,500, the large gym also served as the setting for the college’s seventy-fifth anniversary celebration in 1929.

As part of the college’s post-World War II facilities improvements, Isaac Andrews made a second pledge to expand the field house. The additions included offices for the athletics staff, shower and locker room facilities, and an auxiliary basketball court. The new court, on the campus drive side of the building, later became handball courts.

In the early 1960s, additional gifts from Mrs. Isaac Andrews and Mrs. A. J. R. Helmus helped to renovate the interior of the gym and the entrances to the building. In the mid-1960s, other gifts allowed the college to add new locker rooms onto the Snyder Field side of the building, which were used primarily for football teams until the opening of the Richardson Building in the mid-1990s.

With the opening of the Campus Life Building and the Benjamin Johnson Arena in 1981, the Andrews Field House arena became an auxiliary gym and intramural facility. Little work beyond routine maintenance was done for almost twenty years after that, though its locker rooms, offices and classrooms have remained in use for various purposes and for storage. The college band used one of the classrooms on the end of the building nearest the baseball stadium.  Later the brick building received a new white exterior veneer so that it would match the nearby Campus Life Building and Richardson Physical Activities Building. 

A gift in the early 2000s allowed the college to renovate Andrews again, this time for new meeting and office spaces for student groups, particularly the sororities. A new multipurpose, formal assembly room called the Anna Todd Wofford room was created in the space once known as the “little gym,” and it has proved to be a popular meeting space.

The old arena, scene of so many Terrier basketball triumphs, continues to serve as an intramural gymnasium, and was even the site of January Smackdown in 2008, an Interim that brought real, honest-to-goodness wrestling to a wildly enthusiastic campus audience.

Athletics Stories from 1915

These are excerpts from the Wofford College Journal’s April 1915 sports section. Spring sports were an important part of campus life in the early 20th century, and baseball was arguably more important to students than football during those years. 

Baseball

The baseball season was ushered in Thursday, April 1, with a brilliant victory for the Old Gold and Black nine over the “huskies” from Guilford College, NC, 4 to 3. It was a great game in every sense of the word, the Wofford boys deserving great credit, as Guilford reached Spartanburg after having taken several scalps on her way South. It was also the Terriers’ first game, this fact being considered gives some idea of the swell exhibition they put up, only one error being chalked up against them. The Terriers had lots of “pep” and kept fighting harder than ever when their opponents tied up the score in the fourth inning, and finally nosed out a victory in the eighth by a one run margin. Wofford began the fireworks, scoring one in the first and two in the third, and things began to look like a cinch for the Terriers, when, by a splendid rally in the fourth, Guilford tied things up. The score remained a tie until the eighth, when Wofford managed to shove another man over the plate and sewed the game up. The Wofford boys are justly proud of this victory, and are sure they will add a long list just like it ere the season has closed.

Track

A preliminary track meet was held late in March to determine who would represent Wofford on the track team this season, and a fine array of talent was picked up on that occasion. A meet will be held with Carolina on the 8^th, and the Terriers are sure to give a good account of themselves and show the university boys a few things in the way of track work. The following are the events and winners:

100 yards – Fletcher, Cates
High Jump – Collins, Cates
Half Mile – Riley, Wannamaker
220 Yards – Fletcher, Fowler
Pole Vault – Williams, Morgan
High Hurdles – Cauthen, Harllee
Hammer Throw – Williams, Earle
440 Yards – Moseley, Riley
Broad Jump – Cates, Morgan
Low Hurdles – Cates, Cauthen
Shot Put – Williams, Earle
One Mile – Collins, Whitaker
Discus – Morgan, Williams

Baseball, 1903

Wofford students were playing baseball several years before the first football game.  Legend holds that the first games on campus were between students and some of the federal soldiers stationed in Spartanburg during Reconstruction. 

Below is an excerpt from the June 1903 Wofford College Journal detailing some of the exploits of the 1903 baseball season. 

A very successful season in the baseball line has just been completed by the Wofford team.  From first to last the members of the team have been faithful in their practicing, earnest in their efforts, and determined in their purpose to represent the college well.  They have played will, and the whole college community appreciates to the fullest the high character of ball playing the boys have done.  During the entire season there were fourteen games played with other colleges -- and out of these fourteen we won eight and yielded six.Not all the games were what would be considered excellent games.  Those played with the North Carolina teams, with the possible exception of the one with Trinity College, were splendid exhibitions of base ball playing.  The game with the University of North Carolina, in which the University won by a score of 2 to 0, was perhaps the most beautiful game that has ever been play(ed) on our grounds.

In the Trinity game, about which mention has been made, neither team played the usual game.  Trinity was broken up, having just played several hard games.  Wofford's pitcher (was) disabled and the team in general playing at low ebb. 

The Davidson game was fast and exciting -- keeping the enthusiasts guessing as to which team should strike the decisive blow.  Davidson came out in the lead by one point, the score being 3 to 2. 

The Wake Forest boys put up a good game, but from the beginning it was evident that Wofford's team was the stronger.

The games in the State, some of them were good.  We lost two games to Clemson College, one to Erskine. 

The tour through Tennessee resulted most successfully to our team.  In the three games played our boys were triumphant, winning too off University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and taking one from Sewanee.

Photos: The 1903 baseball team, the team from 1905. 

Basket-ball, 1916

In recent posts, I've neglected Wofford's long history of intercollegiate athletics.  Since we're presently in the thick of Southern Conference basketball play, I thought it would be appropriate to put up a sketch of an earlier basketball season.  This snippet comes from the 1916 Bohemian and talks about a few games from that year.

When the call was issued for candidates for the basket-ball team last winter, there were many out to try their skill at throwing baskets.  There were only two regulars back from the championship team of the year before, but they made up in quality what was lacking in quantity.  Captain Patterson, All-State Guard and Collins, All-State Centre, furnished a good nucleus to build a team around.  All of the second-string men of the previous year were back also, and some good material was uncovered in the Freshman class.  We secured the services of Mr. L. J. Denning as coach and to his careful work the success of the team may be in large measure ascribed.

The first game of the season was played with Furman, on our court, on December 19.  The Terriers were thirsting for revenge for the defeat in football, and went into the game with the intention of making it a slaughter.  During the first half the weight of the heavy Baptist team offset in some degree the superior speed and passing of Wofford and the score at the end of the period was only 14 to 10 against them.  The Terriers came back, however, to start the second half and, playing with a rush that swept the Furman five off its feet, went far on into the lead.  The Baptists never had a chance to rally, and all the way through the last half the game was a veritable riot.  The score at the end of the second half was 50 to 12, with Furman holding the smaller figure. 

Presbyterian College came up on the following Wednesday [in February] and went down in one of the roughest and most bitterly contested fights of the season.  Wofford got a slight lead in the first few minutes, and held it doggedly to the end, in spite of P. C.’s hardest efforts.  The final count was 34 to 26, with the Terriers on top. 

February 18 was set aside for Erskine’s slaughter, and the job was well done.  Rushing their opponents off their feet, and with a whirlwind attack at the start, the Terriers kept them on the run, and the count at the end was 61 to 19.  Turner featured the contest, with 31 of Wofford’s 61 points. 

Turner would be Henry Grady Turner, whose sweater was featured in an earlier blog post.

Photographs: The 1915-16 Varsity basketball team, and individual shots of team members Patterson and Collins.

The First Football Game - 118 years ago today

On this day 118 years ago, Wofford and Furman played the first intercollegiate football game in the state of South Carolina.  The account of the game, written by a Wofford student journalist in The Wofford College Journal and published in January 1890, is reprinted below. 

On Saturday morning, December 14, 1889, the foot ball teams of Furman University and Wofford College played a very interesting and exciting game at the Encampment Grounds, Spartanburg, S.C. 

The players were: Furman-- Jones, Hammett, Young, Sneider, Padgett, Lott, Edwards, Little, Rodgers, and Tate.  Substitutes: Wilkins, Scott, and Sirrine. 

Wofford-- Bruce, Bearden, Clyde S., Bearden, Clyde H., Covington, Ellerbe, Flemming, Hayes, McRoy, Rankin, and Rouquie.  Substitutes: Dent and Calhoun. 

The Wofford team wished association rules to govern the game, but Furman protesting, after some discussion, it was decided to play by the old rough-and-tumble rules. 

Prof. J. H. Marshall umpired with great satisfaction to both sides.  The game lasted one hour and a half, with two fifteen minute rests, and was won with ease by Wofford, the score being five to one. 

Furman's team did some good playing, but it was evident from the first that the superior strength and skill of the Wofford boys would win the game. 

Much of Wofford's success was due to the instruction of Edwin Kerrison, Esq., a graduate of Yale, who kindly trained the team and acted as coacher during the contest.

The game was replete with good plays.  Bruce and Haynes did good work, while the goal kick of Bearden has scarcely been excelled on a foot ball field. 

The visiting team left on the afternoon train wiser and sadder men, having learned though "they receive instruction in their heads, not feet" at Furman, a little education of the pedal extremities is requisite to make good foot ball players. 

Another game will be played in Greenville Saturday, January 14.  The boys will go under the management of Prof. Marshall, whose efforts to establish athletic sports at Wofford deserve the greatest commendation. 
                        --- G. Rouquie.

In this photo, of the class of 1891, are at least three members of the team. Gabriel Rouquie, the author of this piece, is the first person on the left in the middle row.  W. W. Bruce is the fourth person on the middle row.  J. L. Flemming is directly behind Bruce. 

Basketball sweater

Last month, an alum's basketball letter sweater came home. 

Mrs. Ann Turner Bevalaque donated her father's 1917 black and gold sweater to the archives.  Henry Grady Turner graduated from Wofford in 1917, and while at the college, he was a member of the Preston Literary Society and a three-year member of the basketball team.  The Bohemian, the college's yearbook, said of his basketball skills, "there's none to equal him.  His hands attract the ball as if they were magnets, then by some secret power, he thrusts the ball in the basket from any angle or distance."  A forward, Turner was chosen by the college basketball coaches in the state for the All-State team in 1916-17. 

After graduation, Turner joined Southern Bell, where he retired forty-three years later as a vice president specializing in marketing and merchandising activities.

Click on the images for larger versions.  The photo at left is Henry Grady Turner's 1917 Bohemian photo.