6 man History

[Leman Saunders]

Ok here is what I was able to find at the time:

In Norman Rath's 1951 Masters of Education thesis paper "A Comparative Survey of Six-Man and Eleven-Man Football in the Small High Schools of Texas" for the University of Texas, he states in the History part that:

"Six-Man football was introduced in texas in 1935. the high school at Big Wells, Texas, claims to have been the first high school to have a six-man team."

The citation for it is a Personal Letter dated Nov. 8, 1950 from one Ben u. Comalander

(also talks about the 1936 Fisher County teams playing)

Now this is where it gets interesting....

Ben U. Comalander himself also wrote a Masters Thesis Paper on Six-Man football for Southwest Texas State Teachers College in August 1941 titled "A Survey of Six-Man Football in Texas"...in that paper he says

"The first Six-Man football teams in Texas were organized and given official recognition in September, 1938. The University Interscholastic League of Texas sponsored this sport for the smaller high schools of the state. In the spring of 1938, several small schools experimented with the game and played it as an intramural sport."

He makes no mention of organizing the game at Big Wells in 1935...which is very odd!

 

[Leman Saunders]

the conclusion that I came to was that Big Wells was probably playing intramural six-man in 1935 there at the school for PE and not against other schools...and that was why Comalander didnt bother mentioning it in his Thesis 6 years later.

 

[Leman Saunders]

So there maybe something to six-man in the Valley before 1939...

 

[Leman Saunders]

Both of those Thesis papers are available to people through inter-library loan at Universities that offer that service. Due to copy right only a portion of each are allowed to be photo copied...I have parts of each of them but not the full texts

 

[Leman Saunders]

I suggest calling the West Texas Historical Association and getting a copy of the 2010 Year Book which has the published version of my research paper with full notes and bibliography. It coulld be a great help to those wanting to research the early days of six-man in Texas

 

[Leman Saunders]

Rath's Thesis also states this in regaurds to the Fisher County schools playing in 1936:

"In the fall of 1936, on a neutral field at Rotan, Texas, two of those schools, Sylvester and Dowell, played the first organized game of six-man football in Texas."

So if he makes this statement after mentioning Big Wells in 1935 playing and having both resource there to look at (Commalander's letter and the S. S Jobes article published in The UIL Leaguer) and he says that the Sylvester v Dowell games was "the first organized game" that adds to my conclusion that Big Wells must not have been playing organized games with other schools in 1935.

 

[Leman Saunders]

Hope that stuff helps some CT6MFL

And Wilson would be Wilson Tract, I believe

 

[Leman Saunders]

There are scores for Big Wells and Asherton for 1938...

 

[Leman Saunders]

So I'm guessing there were 2 St. Joseph's playing six-man in that region then...one in Brownsville and one in Victoria?

 

[Old Bearkat]

Hi Jardin Would be Jardin High.

 

[Old Bearkat]

So I'm guessing there were 2 St. Joseph's playing six-man in that region then...one in Brownsville and one in Victoria?

Yes

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the Brownsville Herald Friday December 2, 1938:

Texas City Plans Finger Bowl Classic
Ennis, Tex. - It's here - The Finger Bowl.

The city of Ennis is sponsoring a Finger Bowl game between two six man teams, Rice and Emhouse, December 9.

 

[Old Bearkat]

The Brownsville Herald September 22, 1938:

TEAMS ARE ADDED
McKINNEY—(AP) — Addition Of Princeton and Floyd teams to the
county six-man grid league has caused the league schedule to
be revised. Members of the league are: Blue Ridge, Murphy, Nevada, Josephine, Allen, Prosper, Prlnceton, and Floyd. The season starts September 23 and closes November 4.

 

[Old Bearkat]

The December 8, 1938 Corsicana Sun also had a small article about the upcoming Finger Bowl.

 

[Old Bearkat]

The December 2, 1938 El Paso Herald, Hattiesburg (Mississippi) American, Ironwood Michigan Daily Globe, Ogden Utah Standard Examiner, Kingaport Tennessee Times, Reno Nevada Evening Gazette, Lethbridge Alberta Herald, and the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune all had blurbs about this game.

 

[CT6MFL]

just try and provide things that may have not been seen before. Try and contribute where I can.

One day I'd like to read a book that showed the entire history of six-man football in Texas. The problem we face right now is that we started a decade or two too late. All the good resources are dieing off, and we'll be faced with finding what they have already said......in places that no one knows..

 

[Leman Saunders]

So did the Lubbock paper...the Lubbock papers mentions it as an 11-man game but that the two schools were in the six-man league...

 

[Leman Saunders]

it's good work! keep it up!

 

[Old Bearkat]

From the Brownsville Herald Friday December 2, 1938:

Texas City Plans Finger Bowl Classic
Ennis, Tex. - It's here - The Finger Bowl.

The city of Ennis is sponsoring a Finger Bowl game between two six man teams, Rice and Emhouse, December 9.

Emhouse won the game 18-12

 

[Old Bearkat]

just try and provide things that may have not been seen before. Try and contribute where I can.

One day I'd like to read a book that showed the entire history of six-man football in Texas. The problem we face right now is that we started a decade or two too late. All the good resources are dieing off, and we'll be faced with finding what they have already said......in places that no one knows..

Most of them are already dead.......