6 man History

[Old Bearkat]

OK, I'm gonna re-start this thread. I'll try to get everything back here where all the newbies can read it. A lot of this stuff I have on my hard drive so, I'm going to repost it again.

Leman, Don, and all you other guys feel free to post your stuff again.

 

[Old Bearkat]

I'll start off with the first organized 6 man district in West Texas, the Pioneer School Activities Association, a group consisting of Forsan, Garden City, Ackerly, Stanton, Courtney, Garner (Knott), Coahoma, Westbrook, Water Valley, and Sterling City. Westbrook, Knott, Ackerly, Coahoma, Coahoma, and Courtney had played a round robin 6 man schedule in the spring of 1938, and a meeting in September 1938, Forsan, Coahoma, Garden City, Courtney, Sterling City, and Knott decided to play in the fall.

All except Knott, Ackerly, and Courtney are still in existence.

From the Big Spring Herald 8/16/1938

Brady Nix, the studious Forsan high school basketball mentor,
returned to this vicinity recently wanting to know if the Pioneer
School Activities association, that group of West Texas school officials
that was organized to promote better athletic relationship
last winter, was going to encouragesix man football this fall.

The prospect appears doubtful at the present time but there
will probably be a program of some kind carried out Some of
the schools have already purchased equipment and others have ordered,
for fall.

Coahoma will probably go back to eleven man for the simple reason
that Lloyd Devan has enough material year in and year out to
carry him through. Mentor Floyd Burnett, Garner, is not stocked so
plentifully but he is looking forward to the season, however.

Nix appears very willing, provided he can get the right kind of
co-operation.

Stanton, Courtney, Union and Ackerly are other schools where the
game is being considered. Coahoma Ackerly, Garner and
Courtney all played through short spring schedules and met with
varying degree of success. The strange game did not appear
especially appealing to followers for the simple reason that some
of the people were seeing their first games. Whether attendance
will warrant the continuation of the game remains to be seen.

The PSAA was not affiliated with the UIL at that time.

 

[Old Bearkat]

An article in the BS Herald on March 9 1938 on the spring games.

Spring training in six man football will be conducted at most of
the schools within the near future and a few games will probably
be played in order to become acquainted with its strong and weak
points before next "season and to stimulate interest in the game.

Courtney has already made arrangements for several games,
Sheppard said. Westbrook will be met either at Courtney or in Big
Spring April 22.

Other games:
April 29—Garner at Garner.
May 6—Ackerly at Ackerly.
May 13—Stanton at Courtney.
An effort will be made to arrange
for games with Forsan and Garden City

 

[Old Bearkat]

By September 11, the Fall league was organized. Forsan, Garden City, Knott (Garner), Westbrook, And Courtney were the original members. The article mentioned a sixth member was being solicited, Coahoma and Sterling City were considering it, but Coahoma bowed out as their coach/AD wanted to be affiliated with the UIL to prevent recruiting cheating, a foreboding borne out as Forsan got caught doing just that during the season and the PSAA died to be reborn as a UIL district in 1939.

BS Herald 9/11/1938

PSAA 6-Man Grid Card Is Lined Up

Garden City To Oppose Forsan Friday

The Pioneer School Activities association's fall six-man football
program will get underway Friday afternoon on three fronts with
Garden City's gridders meeting Forsan at Forsan, Courtney opposing
Westbrook on the latter's home grounds and Garner meeting the
sixth member of the league—yet unchosen.

The officials of the organization, with Secretary J. Crouch, Westbrook, presiding in place of President
Riggs Sheppard, met Aug. 29 in the county superintendent's office at Big Spring, drew up a
fall schedule that will extend into November.

Most of the teams either have their equipment on hand or have
ordered the necessary toggery. Coach Brady Nix, Forsan, called
the prospects at his school out Monday and has been drilling them
steadily all week.

Herchell Wheeler, Garden City, has been drilling his crew lightly
awaiting the arrival of equipment. The Forsan playing field, to be
located directly north of the school building, will be laid out this week.
Bleachers will probably be erected.

The complete PSAA schedule will be announced in a later edition of
The Daily Herald.

 

[Old Bearkat]

An article in the 8/22/1938 Dallas Morning News on a 6 man league formed in Central Texas composed of Emhouse, Streetman, Rice, and Powell.

 

[Old Bearkat]

An article in the 6/22/1938 Brownsville Herald.

Schools Apply For Districts

Six-Man Football Is Seen For State Next Year

AUSTIN — Applications for organization of 6-man football districts
are being received daily at the University of Texas Interscholastic
League office, according to R. J. Kidd, athletic director.

Demonstration in 6-man football are being given in the summer
physical education courses of the following institutions: North Texas
State Teachers College. Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College, Texas
Technological College, and at the University of Texas, Kidd said.

"We are confident that at least one hundred small high schools will
experiment with this game as a fall sport this year," Mr. Kidd predicted.
"It is hoped that the sport will prove worthwhile for schools that do
not have enough boys to play 11-man football, and still have a
sufficient number of boys of the football type to make up a sixman
squad. It has the additional advantage or being a relatively inexpensive
sport."

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the Galveston Daily News May 10, 1938.

The appointment of Rodney J. Kidd as athletic director
was one of the happiest moves ever made by the Intersholastic League.
During his short tenure in office Kidd has shown the courage to face
his problems and the imagination to seek their solution. If he never does anything else
he has cemented himself in the regard of the majority of folks in this section by
daring to intervene in the District 14 squabble. But he is doing more. His latest move is to
tackle the problem of bringing football to the smaller schools with insufficient pupils
to produce, and insufficient funds to maintain the regulation 11-man teams.

Kidd's answer is one we advocated for sandlot and ward school gridsters here last
fall-six-man football. League officials have been instrumental in organizing a district of
12 small schools in Hays and Guadalupe counties. The circuit will be in the nature of an experiment, and if it -works
out as well in practice as on pap'er other leagues will he organized among the enormous number of tiny schools with
enrollments of between 15 and 100.

A scarcity of students and money are not ihe only reasons for resorting to ihe six man game,, "it would be particularly
effective in ward schools, where the objection is sometimes made that the boys are too small to play. Well, they do
play—they play on poor fields, without any equipment other than a sorry excuse for a football, and entirely
-without supervision. How much better it would be if those in the upper two grades of each school were banded into teams for
the six-man game. No doubt there are plentv of former high school players who would be glad to coach them, to teach them
fundamentals that would be invaluable when the time came to play at Kirwin or Ball.

Six-man football requires a smaller gridiron—240 by 190 feet - and it is safer for youngsters in that there is no
plunging. The game is wide-open, with sweeps and passes being the principal weapons of offense. The only equipment
necessary is a headgear and tennis shoes. A touchdown counts six points, 2 try for point if kicked from placement
two points instead of one, and a regulation field goal is worth four points instead of three. Under the rules outlined
by the Interscholastic League ten-minute quarters are provided for senior high boys, with only eight minutes
permitted junior school players. Players are permitted to go into and out of the game regardless of when they first entered.

 

[Old Bearkat]

An Article on the Organizing of a UIL 6 man district in Caldwell and Hays counties. From the Lockhart Post Register May 5, 1938.

6 Man Football League Organized

Representatives from several of the smaller high schools of Caldwell
and Hays Counties met in San Marcos April 27th to organize a 6-man
football league. Roy Bedichek and R. J. Kidd of the Interscholastic
League were present to assist in organizing the district. J. D. Fulton.
Superintendent of Prairie Lea was elected chairman of the district and
L. J. Wehmeyer of Prairie Lea was chosen as secretary. There will be
another meeting before the close of school to arrange a schedule of games.

Schools which have indicated their interest are Dale, Lytton Springs,
Uhland. Prairie Lea, Martindale, Wimberley. Dripping Springs, and Kyle.

6-man football was originated four years ago in the North Central States
and has spread rapidly over the rest of the states. The game is not a form
of modified football, but is regular football played with six players on each side.

Note the last sentence betraying the lack of knowledge of the differences between 6 and 11 man game styles. Only Prairie lea, Wimberly and Dripping Springs are still in business. Wimberly went away for a few years and came back in the 70's or 80's.

 

[Long Ball]

Bearkat, I noticed you didn't mention McCauley who participated in 6-man football during the mid-to-late 30's.

 

[Old Bearkat]

I haven't gotten to them yet. Leman has more info on teams in that area.

 

[Knowmystuff]

I know the very first McCaulley post to make...

Glad to see you are trying to bring this tread back

 

[Knowmystuff]

OBK...are the Coleman papers in the database?

 

[Knowmystuff]

The Nolan County News, Thur. Nov10, 1938

 

[Knowmystuff]

Sweetwater Reporter, Sun. Sept. 11, 1938

 

[Old Bearkat]

OBK...are the Coleman papers in the database?

I don't know for sure. The Bronte paper recently added.

 

[Old Bearkat]

From an article in the 9/20/1938 San Antonio Express, a 6 man football league was formed with the following schools:

Driscoll
Agua Dulce
Orange Grove
Chapman Ranch
Flour Bluff

Of these 5 schools, Agua Dulce, Orange Grove and Flour Bluff are still in business.

I could not copy it. Everything was garbled.

 

[Old Bearkat]

I ran across this article in the Corsicana Daily Sun from September 5, 1940. All these schools are now closed, except for Rice.

COUNTY SIX MAN FOOTBALL TEAMS TO PLAY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE
Decision to affiliate the Independent Navarro county six-man
football district with the University of Texus Interscholastic League
highlighted a meeting of coaches and superintendents from five Navarro
county high schools Wednesday afternoon at the court house.

Clyde Ross, superintendent of the Powell public schools, was reelected
chairman of the district committee. The decision to affiliate
with the Interscholastic league followed two years of independent
playing among the various county and nearby school systems. A schedule
for the season was drawn. Introduced only In recent years,
six-man football has achieved nationwide recognition and has a
large following from the smaller high schools throughout the nation.

Organized for only two years, the Navarro county circuit has two
regulation lighted football fields already in operation, one located at
Streetman and the other at Richland. All games to be played on
these fields this season are scheduled to be played under the lights.
In addition to Streetman and Richland, other schools to take part in
the league this year are Powell, Emhouse and Rice.

The schedule as adopted by the district committee Wednesday afternoon
is as follows:
September 20—Powell at Rice; Rlchland at Emhouse. Rice at Rlchland (night).
October 4—Emhouse at Streetman (night); Powell at Richland (night).
October 11—Powell at Emhouse;Streetman at Rice.
October IS—Rice at Emhouse; Richland at Streetman (night).
October 25—Rice at Powell; Emhouse at Richland (night).
November 1—Powell at Streetmnn (night); Richland at Rice.
November 8—Streetman at Emhouse; Richland at Powell.
November 15—Emhouse at Powell; Rice at Streetman (night).
November 20—Emhouse at Rice; Streetman at Richland (night).

All night games are scheduled for 7:30 o'clock; afternoon games
for 3:30 o'clock.

Of these schools, only Rice still exists.

 

[Old Bearkat]

From an article in the Corsicana Daily Sun from December 7, 1940:

AUSTIN, Dec. 7.—(fl3)—Twenty three
district champions In sixman football were announced today
by the Texas Interscholastic League.

When the mighty midgets last week wound up the season's competition,
the following had come out on top:

(1) Crescent (Wharton)
(2) D'Hanis
(3) Prairie Lea
(4) Allen
(5) South Lockett (Vernon)
(6) Danbury
(7) Oglesby
(8) Los Fresnos
(9) Sparenburg
(10) Hallettsville
(11) Buena Vista (Imperial)
(12) Westbrook
(13) High Island
(14) Divide (Nolan)
(15) Mattson (Haskell)
(20) Tuscola
(21) Harleton
(22) Hemphill
(23) Richland

Note some current 6 man schools on the list, a couple of 5A schools (Los Fresnos and Allen), and a 2A school (Hallettsville).

 

[RedBird Man]

OBK, thanks for bringing this back. This is interesting to read since we are new to sixman. I know that Savoy played in early forties, and I believe that there are some articles at the school. Brawny or myself could get you this info if you want it.

 

[Knowmystuff]

Taken from the UIL Official ist of Six-Man Schools 1942

District 12: Dodd City, East Delta (Charleston), Gober, Klondike, Pecan Gap, Savoy.

Savoy was district champs. Also a note at the bottom of the page says: "No bi-district games were reported the 1942 season"

The Klondike mentioned is not the Klondike outside Lamesa...however, Klondike (Lamesa) did play and were Disrtict 5 champs in 1942. (District 5: Ackerly, Dawson (Welch), Klondike (Lamesa), Sparenberg, Union (Lamesa).)