6 man History

[cren22]

That 7 man idea was interesting. I wonder if anyone ever gave it a try?

Also, the Nebraska paper article did not mention the second game in this double header.

The league in Florida switched from six-man to seven-man in 2012. They've got about 25 schools. I think they're the only ones.

 

[Old Bearkat]

And the Conference standings after 2 weeks of play

CONFERENCE STANDING
Kyle 2 0 103 0
Prarie Lea 2 0 104 0
Martindale 1 0 54 0
Lytton Springs 1 1 53 42
Dripping Springs 1 1 43 80
Wimberly 0 1 0 31
Dale 0 2 12 113
Uhland 0 2 2 86

GAMES THIS WEEK
Dripping Springs at Kyle
Uhland at Lytton Springs
Martindale at Prarie Lea
Wimberly at Dale

 

[Old Bearkat]

Great find! Wonder why The Leaguer never mentioned this league but did mention the one in Fisher Co?

Maybe this was non UIL.........

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the November 10, 1936 San Antonio Light...

Six-man Football Going Over
CASCADE, Idaho, Nov. 10
(.-T) —Six-man football, played in four eight-minute periods on
a field 80 yards long and 120 feet wide, is finding favor in
smaller western Idaho schools.

Idaho has been the latest to five the three-year-old game a
fling. This season only a few games were played. Next fall
tour central Idaho high schools have lined up complete schedules.

"The game, worked out by Stephen Epler in 1933 at Chester,
Neb., has been found successful," Supt. A. B. Anderson
of Cascade said.

Two tackles, two guards and one backfield man have been
eliminated. Eleven-man football rules prevail. The game is
orthodox except for a few minor changes.

The forward pass may be thrown from any place behind
the line of scrimmage; on running plays the first man
that receives the pass from center must, before crossing
the line of scrimmage, make a lateral pass of at least two
yards to another player; the kick-off is from the 20-yard
line.

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the 9/2/1937 Lockhart Post Register. No mention of the local 6 man high school conference........

AMERICAN BOY INTRODUCES A NEW FOOTBALL GAME

In the early fall issues, of THE AMERICAN BOY there'll be presented, the story of a new game—
six-man, football —fast as professional football, wide -open as basketball, thrilling as hockey.

The game came to life through the need of small schools for some substitute for 11 man football,
which was too expensive. Stephen Epler, a Nebraska graduate student in athletics, developed the
game of six man football to meet this need. In six-man football anybody can score, the possibility
of injury from mass plays is minimized, and the game is open enough for spectators to follow
every exciting development.

The new game is a hit. New schools are taking it up every day. In coming issues. The American Boy
tells the world about this practical new game In addition, it presents The American Boy Official Handbook,
which can be obtained from the magazine at 20 cents a copy, or 15 cents when bought in bulk

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the 9/26, 1937 Paris (TX) News:

Small Schools May Play New Six Man GRID GAME

TEXLINE. (/P)
Adoption of six-man football by the small schools of the Northwest Texas Panhandle and northeastern New
Mexico, and the formation of league, was urged Saturday by David Lee, principal and coach of Texline high school.

His suggetion is that Texline, Channing, Hartley, Stratford, Conlen, Texas and Sudan and Grenville, N.M.
form the league.

This new version of the present game calls for the regular center with a man on each side of him in
the line, and three man in the backfield. Play starts by snapping the ball from center to back, as in the 11 man game,
but the back receiving the ball must pass it to someone before it can be advanced, Lee said. Forward passes may
made from any point behind scrimmage line. The playing field however, is only 80 feet long compared with the
300-foot present field, and Is only 40 feet wide.

Play is necessarily more open so that fans can see and understand it better. Quarters are 8 minutes.

The game is popular with players because there is no drudge work, Lee said. "Even the center can take a down-field lateral
and in many cases can be made eligible for forward passes. The linemen have just as much, chance of becoming the day's hero as the boys in the backfield."

 

[Old Bearkat]

I think someone had mentioned about hearing Texline considering playing 6 man in the 1930's, well here's proof. What you heard was correct.

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the Galveston Daily News 9/26/1937:

Lawton, Ok., Sept 25.—

Sixman football teams were introduced in Oklahoma high school
grid circles today when Indiahoma High School defeated Henderson
High School here, 21 to 7.

The experiment is expected by Coaches Hugh Haley of Indiahoma
and Homer Tenner of Henderson to make their school athletic departments
financially independent.

Six-man teams were attempted last season among some of the
smaller Texas high schools which were unable financially or lacked
material to support the regular 11-man teams

 

[CT6MFL]

I think someone had mentioned about hearing Texline considering playing 6 man in the 1930's, well here's proof. What you heard was correct.

??

 

[Old Bearkat]

The October 28, 1937 Abilene Reporter-News had a brief blurb about Sylvester not playing 6 man in 1937, commenting on their move back to 11 man after a good run as a 6 man club in 1936.

 

[Old Bearkat]

I think someone had mentioned about hearing Texline considering playing 6 man in the 1930's, well here's proof. What you heard was correct.

??

It was Leman in the "Coming to Sixman" thread....

 

[Leman Saunders]

Ya I have talked about Texline playing six-man in 1937...in the Dalhart paper there were several articles about the coach at Texline trying to start up a league but didn't have much success it appeared...they did play one game for sure in 1937 against Grenville, NM and lost, they were going to play them again but I never found a score for the second game. I put the game score in lonestar...I have prints from the newspaper as well in my files.

 

[Leman Saunders]

OBK - I emailed you what I think was the final draft of my essay...good reading and make sure to look through the notes for a ton more info!

 

[Old Bearkat]

Will do Leman

 

[Leman Saunders]

OBK - After I finally had time to cross check the score you posted as being from 1936 with the scores and articles I have from the 1938 season...they are one and the same...it appears that the Lockhart papers are out of order or just to hard for them to read the correct date correctly. All those scores and articles are from the 1938 season...hate to be the bearer of bad news.

PS I also have the Prairie Lea yearbook for 1939 which has all their scores from the 1938 season and those also match up with the score you have posted as from "1936"....at one time I added all the scores into lonestar but I think a few have been deleted for what ever reason

 

[Old Bearkat]

I looked further into the supposed 1936 paper in the Archive this evening. Every header on all 8 pages say Thursday October 6, 1936, but on page 2 there is a dateline that says October 6, 1938. I also looked up a 1936 calendar, and October 6 is a Tuesday.

So, I say this was an epic misprint on the part of the Lockhart Post-Register in 1938.

 

[Old Bearkat]

Starting a new discussion here. Schools who have never won a district championship.

Lorenzo

This is all I've found so far.

 

[sinfonian]

Katy is so big now that if they wanted to play six man, they could break into 173 high schools with enrollments of 105. You think they'd go for it?

 

[Old Bearkat]

According to the Drifter, back in Ft. Hancock's heyday, the superintendent threatened to split into two schools if the UIL followed through on lowering the enrollment requirements......

 

[HP Drifter]

Mr. Franklin (supe) and Fred Liner (principal) both ran that at UIL.