Maryland Six-Man Football History

[cren22]

I'll be using this thread to post the various articles I've gathered on the history of the six-man football league in and around Baltimore from c. 1940- c.1961

1945- Boys’ Latin was hoping its third season of six-man football would be as successful as its second when the
team went undefeated and won the Baltimore Six-Man championship. BL was scheduled to play nine
games in the fall of 1945. In the first league game the Latinists defeated the Mt. St. Joe residents 42-24.
They went onto to win their next three games convincingly.

1946- The BL six-man football team opened the season with a 28-12 win over the Mt. St. Joe day
students. Halfback Don Hahn ’47 scored two touchdowns and Bill Crane ’47 and K.C. Miller
’48 also added touchdowns for the visiting Latinists. The BL starting line-up consisted of left end
Crane, center Pat Walker ’47, right end Don Stegman ’47, quarterback Don Clausen ’47,
halfback Hahn and fullback Bob White ’47.

1950- The first six-man home football game of the season was played against Warren School – a newly formed
team in the six-man football league. Jack Ehrhardt ’52 opened the scoring with two touchdowns in the
first quarter – the first on an end around and the second on a running play straight through the middle of
the line. Bill Stocksdale ’51 scored BL’s third touchdown with a long kick-off return. Bob Shirley ’53
added two six point tallies while Tom Tyler ’54 and Bill Jarrett ’52 also scored touchdowns. Jarrett’s
touchdown was the result of a pass from Milton Lang ’54. Buzz Williams ’51 added a field goal and
Boys’ Latin won the game 45-35.

1951- Boys' Latin's varsity six-man football team defeated Clarksville High School 32-25 at BL's home field at Mt. Washington. BL scored a hard-earned 32-25 over Clarksville High School in six-man football action. Halfback Bob Hartley ’52 scored three touchdowns for the Latinists as BLS raced out to an 18-0 first period lead. Clarksville staged a serious rally in the fourth quarter but came up just short.

1952- BL defeated Howard High School 34-20 in six-man football.

1993 Baltimore Sun Boy's Latin-Calvert Hall game story- Boys' Latin is a tiny private school that won its only gridiron championships in six-man football under coach Claxton "Okey" O'Connor decades ago. The school switched to 11-man football in 1961 and has competed in the C Conference.

William E. Berndt ('54)- Bill Berndt played football, basketball and baseball, and was also the president of the senior class. In 1954, he won the Alumni Cup for his leadership and character. He was a six-man football star for the school in 1953 and 1954. He was also named Best Athlete after leading the Lakers to an unbeaten six-man football team championship and leading the basketball team in scoring.

Claxon J. "Okey" O'Connor National Lacrosse Hall of Fame bio- He was editor and publisher of the annual Six-Man Football Magazine from 1946-58.

Boy's Latin AD Hugh Gelston retirement write-up- At BL (1956), Gelston was a halfback on the varsity six-man football team and played basketball. One of his opponents was Gilman's Frank Deford, who went on to fame and fortune writing for Sports Illustrated magazine in New York.

Otis B. Read bio- While still attending Hopkins, Otis started his career at BL in 1957 coaching the 130 pound six-man
football team

Tom Mitchell bio- Tom Mitchell ’56 came to Boys’ Latin in the fall of 1952. He was a natural leader (serving as president of
his class all four years in high school), a good student and a three-sport athlete. “Mitch” was named his
class’ best athlete and his junior year was named to the first team All-Metropolitan 6-man football team
on offense AND defense.

So far I have Boy's Latin (still open), Mount Saint Joseph's (still open), and Warren School (long closed- no records online), Clarksville High School, Gilman School (still open, now a national 11-man power), Howard High School (still open) as playing in the six-man league.

 

[cren22]

A story about the 1955 Maryland Six-Man football championship, Boy's Latin against Howard County (now just Howard) High School, as told in the February 21, 2011 edition of the Boy's Latin alumni weekly:

Hy Levasseur ’57 recently wrote about his memory of a championship game played in the fall of 1955 – nearly 56 years ago. Hy writes: “I think after some concentration I now remember Tom Mitchell ’56 catching the winning touchdown pass against Howard County in 1955; as I remember all the cars parked around the end zone had their lights on to help light the field. We needed to do that in those days as the field's lights weren't very good. It made it a little harder to see the receivers though, but Tom was tall and I saw his image
cutting to the right corner of the end zone. I lofted it up and Tom made a terrific diving catch I think for the win.……. You had to be there. Tom was a great guy and a great athlete.”

Tom Mitchell ’56 too remembers the game well. He writes: “….I remember the one play Hy is talking about like it was yesterday. We were playing a tough Howard County team on their field at the end of the season. The six-man championship was on the line. Hy is also correct about the car lights. It was like a scene right out of "Happy Days". The home team fans lined their cars (with fender skirts, spot lights and fuzzy things around the mirrors) very close to the sidelines with the lights shining on the field. “It was a close game. Howard County had just scored to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Horns were blowing and the place was going crazy. BL had about two or three minutes left in the game to drive the length of the field. After the kick off, we had the ball on about our own 35-yard line and needed a TD to win. Hy called a ‘Quarterback around 61.’ It was a trick play where the QB tosses the ball back to the right halfback who runs straight up behind the center. However, he gives the ball back to the QB as heruns by him. The QB conceals the ball and sweeps around the right end either running or passing the ball to an open receiver. It was a great play, designed by Okey O’Connor, which sucked all of the defensive backs into the line to stop the halfback. We rarely used the play; only when we needed a big gain at a time like this. I don't recall whether Hy passed the ball or ran it himself, but we ended up on Howard County's
two or three yard line. BL ran the ball three straight times up the middle and gained at best a yard. It was fourth and goal with a very short distance to go. The clock was running down and the Howard County players were jumping up and down emboldened by three straight defensive stops. “In the previous play, which was a quick opener to the right side, my task, as the left end, was to block the
defensive halfback behind my side of the line. I noticed on that play, as the defensive back had done several times in the game, his tendency was to force his way inside toward the middle of the line to avoid my block. BL called a time out to prevent the clock from running out. I approached Hy in the huddle and told him what the defensive back was doing. My suggested play to take advantage of the situation was a quick pass play where the left end fakes in and turns out toward the sideline. Hy agreed and called the
play. I think it was called ‘left pass out 17.’ “My thought as we lined up for the last play was ‘we got this one.’ I headed for the D-back like I was going to block him, and he bit ‘hook, line and sinker.’ He immediately rushed to the line as I headed out to the
left flat. There was no one within 5 yards of me and Hy put the pass right on the money. As far as my having to dive for the ball - ‘No way!’ Hy was a fantastic QB and hit me right on my numbers.“As we walked off the field after our jubilant celebration, I thought about our victory and felt a little sorry for the Howard County players. I believed they possibly had better players than BL, but attributed the win to Okey O'Connor and his coaching. He had us prepared with good plays and execution that took advantage of the opponents’ aggressiveness. It was a great lesson.

 

[cren22]

https://www.severnschool.com/ftpimages/ ... 100050.pdf

A Severn School sports year book from 1953, showing a six-man football team alongside their varsity and JV 11-man teams. I have come across a few instances of this in the Mid-Atlantic, schools having weight-limit >130 lbs six-man teams to allow more boys to play football. Saint Andrews School in Delaware had 6+ six-man teams along with varsity and JV 11-man teams.

 

[Knowmystuff]

I will help with what I can...

1946 Boy's Latin was "Undefeated Champions of the M. S. A. Six-Man Football League" they were 11-0 in 1946 and at the end of the season were on a 28 game win streak. BL scored 477 points to their opponents 138 points

I have a photo and roster I will email you tomorrow

 

[Knowmystuff]

1945 -
Boy's Latin was undefeated Champions of the 1945 Baltimore Six-Man Football League
Mt. St. Joseph's Day - Runner-Up in the Baltimore Six-Man Football League
Mt. St. Joseph's Resident - 3rd place in the Baltimore Six-Man Football League

St. Paul School (Baltimore) fielded a six-man team in addition to their 11-Man Baltimore private school champion team to "provide organized football competition for more St. paul's boys and to develop material for their eleven-man teams." 5 members of the 1945 six-man team played on the 11-man team in 1946

St. Martin's HS (Baltimore) fielded a six-man team in 1945

1946 -
Townson Catholic fielded a six-man team in the M. S. A

Coach at Loyola HS indicated that they would enter a six-man team in the M. S. A the next fall (1947) in addition to fielding their 11-Man team so that football could be played by more kids at their HS.

 

[Knowmystuff]

In 1946 Baltimore YMCA Sponsored Six-Man football 5 teams were made for boys age 12-14 years.

Clifton A. C. - League Champions
Wavery Lions - 2nd Place
Wavery Y Eagles - 3rd Place
Marauders
Hamilton Presby Y

In the 10-12 year old group...The Venables won their league

 

[Knowmystuff]

I wonder why the idea of a big high school fielding both an 11-man team and a 6-man team didn't catch on in Texas?

 

[cren22]

I will help with what I can...

1946 Boy's Latin was "Undefeated Champions of the M. S. A. Six-Man Football League" they were 11-0 in 1946 and at the end of the season were on a 28 game win streak. BL scored 477 points to their opponents 138 points

I have a photo and roster I will email you tomorrow

Thanks Leman,

The M.S.A. was the Maryland Scholastic Association. A league lasting from the early 1900s ( sometime between 1900-1910)-1993 that consisted of all Baltimore City public schools and most Baltimore Area private schools. The league lasted many years past the formation of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) that consisted of all Maryland Public Schools outside of Baltimore City. In 1992, the Baltimore City public schools withdrew from the MSA to join the rest of the public schools in the MPSSAA. The private schools competed as independents for a few years before reorganizing as the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) in 1995. Unfortunately somewhere in this shuffle all the MSA records disappeared. There is little to no information on the league online and no one knows where the records are or if they're even still around. No one even knows who had the records last. This is a league that produced several high school national champions in basketball and lacrosse and we have no central records or standings at all. The 2 things I think are most likely to have happened to the records are that they are sitting in one or more of the Baltimore City public schools in unmarked boxes or were trashed in one of the many moves and consolidations undertaken by the Baltimore City public schools in the 1980s-2000s. The private schools in MD tend to be better at record-keeping so I think we can rule out them being located at any of the old MSA private schools

Unfortunately, any of the six-man records would have been included in these, unless Boy's Latin kept separate records as well.

 

[cren22]

A clue to the location of one of Boy's Latin's six man football field: "Friday evening Brevard Street Six-man Football game behind the Reptile House." The Reptile House refers to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and there is still a "Reptile House Field" adjacent to the zoo, which is now just a rec softball field. However, Brevard Street is several blocks away from the Zoo. The other Boy's Latin Six-Man field is also still in use as a rec field, the Mount Washington field is right off of I-83 and is used for soccer.

1952- Boys' Latin trounced the Warren School 38-6 in a six-man football game played at Mount Washington

Seems like we have a pretty good list of schools now:
- Boy's Latin- six man only
- Mount Saint Joseph's (now just a day school)- had at least 2 six-man teams, may also have played 11-man at this time
- Gilman School- always played 11-man, reference to them playing 6-man in 1956, would have to have been in addition to 11-man team
- Clarksville High School- I believe Clarksville closed in 1995 re-opening as River Hill High School in 1996. I don't know if River Hill would have any of the Clarksville records or not. River Hill is currently one of the top public football schools in the state.
- Howard (County) High School- now playing class 3A (2nd largest classification) football
- Warren School- the only "Warren School" listed in Maryland is an elementary school in Cockeysville, North of Baltimore. It is possible that it was a K-12 public school before consolidation that played six-man at one time and is now just an elementary school
- Severn School- 130-lb six-man team in addition to 11-man
- Saint Paul's School- six-man team in addition to 11-man
- Saint Martin's Catholic High School- definitely closed, probably in the 60s (latest yearbook I saw online is 1958)
- Towson Catholic High School- founded 1922, closed July 2009, basketball powerhouse, Carmelo Anthony (NBA-New York Knicks) would be the most famous recent attendee
- Loyola-Blakefield School- possible six-man team in addition to 11-man

That's 11-schools so far that are confirmed to have played at least 1 season of six-man, of which only 2 are definitely closed.

 

[Knowmystuff]

Boy's Latin does have some stuff and a good alum base that could produce more stuff.

When I contacted Boy's Latin they sent me copies of a 1946 Six-Man Football Magazine, 1955 Six-Man Football Magazine, and a small publication on why a school should play six-man football

They may have more if you went and helped them look for things

 

[Knowmystuff]

"A Case for Six-Man Football" by Claxton J. O'Connor

12 page booklet published in July of 1944

The first page lists every person who played in "the first six-man football league in Maryland"...looks like 61 boys played

Boy's Latin first palyed six-man football in the Fall of 1943. They played 8 games in 1943 and had 22 boys on the team.

 

[cren22]

The Baltimore Sun charges for all articles prior to 1993, but here is some more fill in the blank info I've gotten from the headlines and free summaries:

Towson Catholic 1st fielded a team in 1946: "Six-man football, dominated locally for the past few years by Clarion J. (Okie) O'Connor's perennial championship teams at Boys' Latin School, added another team lo its rapidly expanding Maryland Scholastic Association Six-Man Grid League yesterday in Towson..." They moved to 11-man in 1950 after winning the MSA Championship in Six-Man in 1947 and 1949. They beat Honeywell Foundation 52-0 on 11/6/49. Marion Minker scored 4 touchdowns.

Boys' Latin won on 19-7 on 10/16/49, 49-32 on 10/30/49, and on 10/25/52 and 10/18/58.

Boys' Latin won the league in 1944 and 1946, Towson Catholic in 1947, Boys' Latin again in 1948, and Towson Catholic in 1949. "Boys' Latin School regained the Maryland Scholastic Association six-man football championship it last held in 1946 by beating Towson Catholic High, the defending titlist, 43 to 26, on, muddy Mount St. Joseph Field yesterday." Boys' Latin played at Towson Catholic at 3:45 on 10/1/48 and 9/27/49. They opened their 1953 season at 3 on 9/25.

Boys' Latin is also listed as "capturing six-man grid laurels" in 1941. They beat a school called Howard Park on 9/30/44. BL beat a school called Honeywell 46-6 on 11/13/48. Their JV beat Honeywell 32-13 on 10/26/52. They had a JV team in 1953 that won on 11/12/53.

Howard Park was a Baltimore public school in the neighborhood of the same name that closed in 1980, by which time it was just an elementary school. The school building (dates to 1908) is still standing and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

A school called Guilford (which is a Baltimore neighborhood) beat a school called Roland Park (also a Baltimore neighborhood) 46-0 on 10/7/43. Guilford also won 32-26 on 10/19/44

There were multiple amateur six-man "loops" that started in October 1950

The St. Joe "residents" (I assume this means boarding students) beat St. Martin's on 11/14/46 and won 18-14 on 10/25/47. The St. Joe day students won on 11/10/45. They also played a "Stamp Bowl" between their sophomores and seniors on 11/22/45, the sophomores winning 18-2. Their JV won on 11/22/46.

Lou Reich was named the "Best Six-Man Grid Blocker" for 1946. Don Stegan won the football captains' trophy for BL in 1946.

There was a Northern Junior/Midget League in 1947-1948 won by "Merchant" in 1948. Clifton beat Kenwood 33-12 on 10/22/47.

 

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Towson Catholic's JV beat the Baynsville YMCA 19-14 at home on 9/15/50. This is notable because Towson Catholic was playing 11-man at the Varsity level in 1950.

Towson Catholic opened up the 1946 season hosting the Mt. St. Joe's residents on 10/2

Towson Catholic beat Boy's Latin 31-12 on 11/8/47 and Boy's Latin beat Towson Catholic 34-19 in 1948 on 11/5.

Towson Catholic's JV beat BL's JV 38-18 on 10/6/49

9/30/48: "Towson Catholic High School opened its J. V. six-man football league season yesterday by downing Mount St. Joe, the defending champions, 26 to 4, on the winner's field."

 

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11/9/49- "Towson Catholic's junior varsity six-man football team trounced Mount St. Joseph's jayvee six-man gridiron representatives yesterday on the winner's field."

10/7/50- "A Towson Catholic High School swept to its second straight six- man football triumph of the season yesterday with a 50-to-O decision over St. Stephens, ..." 2 notables here, Towson Catholic was playing at least a partial 11-man schedule in 1950 and St. Stephens is St. Stephens/St. Agnes, a school from Alexandria, VA

10/23/49- "Alexandria, Va., Oct. 22 [Special] -- Towson Catholic's 6-man football team, from Baltimore, scored an easy 45-to-0 triumph over St. Stephens in a test called ..."

10/12/48- "Washington, Oct. 11 [Special]-- The Towson Catholic 130-pd, six-man football learn defeated Honeywell Foundation, 41 to 0 here today. Towson Honeywell"

10/21/50- "Towson Catholic 6-Man Team Tops Salesman"

11/5/49- "The Towson Catholic six-man football team defeated the Mount St. Joseph residents. 28 to 6, yesterday at the losers' field"

10/14/48- "The Towson Catholic jayvee six- man football team defeated the Boys' Latin JV six-man squad by a score of 26-to-12. Spangler scored twice for the victors while ..."

10/27/49- "Scoring in every period, Towson Catholic's six-man football team registered a 28- to-20 triumph over Boys' Latin yesterday at Mount Washington. Minker paced ..."

10/28/49- (I assume this was JV)- "Towson Catholic's six-man football team defeated Baynesville, 26 to 8"

10/15/47- "St. Joe Six Loses To Towson Catholic. Scoring 22 points in the second half, the Towson Catholic six-man football team pulled away to a ..."

 

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10/24/45- "Scoring three touchdowns in each of the second and third quarters' Mount St. Joseph trounced St. Paul's. 46 to 0,in a schoolboy six-man football league..."

11/23/45- "Mount St.. Joseph Residents six-man football team. 35 to 13, at Mount Washington. Slacks, Mount St. Joe fullback who was high scorer in the scholastic six-man ..."

10/3/47- "Mount St. Joseph's junior varsity football team yesterday in six-man action scored an 8-to-6 victory over Boys Latin at Mt. Washington."

11/14/45 "Mount St. Joseph's Day Student six-man football team concluded its season yesterday afternoon by walloping St. Martin's, 50 to 12, at Gibbons Field. Coached ..."

11/21/46- "Mount St. Joseph's day students' football team completed its yesterday with a 37- to- 6 victory over the Towson Catholic six- man team at Towson. Lou Reich ran ..."

10/12/45- "Mount St. Joseph's Day Students rang up their first victory of the Baltimore Six Man Football League season yesterday with a smashing 40-to-7 score over St..."

10/30/58- "Boys' Latin Wins In 6-Man Football. Digger Krehs scored two touchdowns as Boys' Latin rip defeated Mount St. Joseph's resi- dents, 36 to 0,in six-man football at ..."

10/30/48- "Shepherdstown Six Trounces St. Joe Team‎... Shepherdstown (WV) Prep scored a 34-to-12 football triumph over Mount St. Joseph's six-man grid team yesterday on the losers' field. The victors scored in every period to defeat ..." Another new state added to the list of six-man states, West Virginia.

10/24/54- "Scoring In every period, Mount St. Joseph Residents whipped Maret, of Washington. 40 to ? in a six-man football league contest at Mount St. Joe. The victory was ..." Maret School (DC) is still open today, playing 11-man football

10/12/49- "Boys Latin s jayvee six-man football team trounced Mount St. Joe's junior varsity six-man, 44 to 6, yesterday..."

10/10/49- "Rolling up all all points In the first three quarters, Mount St. Joseph's resident six- man varsity football team defeated the Towson Catholic High School jayvees..."

10/7/44- "Guilford, defending champions of the Baltimore Six-Man Football League, lost to Boys' Latin ..."

11/19/46- "Mount St. Joseph's resident J.-V. six-man football team scored a 31 to 13 victory over Boys' Latin's J.-V. six on the victors' field, St. Joe scored in every period ..."

10/29/49- "Scoring in every quarter, Boys' Latin's six-man football team racked up an easy 47-to-15 triumph Mount St. Joseph yesterday the losers' field. Glen Jones paced..."

10/3/46- "Mt. St. Joseph Wins 6-Man Grid Tilt, 26-14 Building up a strong early lead, Mount St. Joseph's resident team withstood a late rally by Towson Catholic and racked up a 26-to-14 victory in the opener of the Maryland Scholastic Association's six-man football league at Towson yesterday"

11/3/45- "Boys' Latin captured the Six- Man Football League champion- for another year by walloping St. Joseph's Day Students"

11/12/45- " the Susquehannock Tribe six-man football team scored in each of the ..."

11/15/47- "Mount St. Joseph won the junior varsity, six-man prep football title yesterday, defeating the Towson Catholic jayvee sextet, ..."

10/27/54- "Mt. St. Joe's Jayvee 6-Man Gridders Win. Mount St. Joseph's' six-man jayvee football team scored all its points in the first half to defeat Boys' Latin jayvees, ..."

10/15/45- "Mount St. Joseph's' Day Students six-man football team scored ' a touchdown in the final quarter to edge the St. Joe Residents, 19-12, yesterday. The victory gave the Day Students second place in the league with a two-and-one mark."

9/29/49- "Towson Catholic opened its sixman football season with a big splash yesterday as upsetting the defending champion Boys' Latin team, 28 to 14, on the winner's field."

10/19/58- Mention of a "Town and Country Six-Man League"

10/31/53- "Boys' Latin scored in every quarter to defeat the Mount St. Joseph's Residents, 42 to 14, in six-man football yesterday at Mount Washington."

1/19/46- Mention of St. Joe award banquet honoring Varsity 11-man, JV 11-man, Cub Weight Class Team, Midget Weight Class Team, 6-man Day Student Team and 6-man Resident Student Team. MSJ also fielded a JV 6-man team at various points.

11/19/47- "Boys' Latin Captures 6-Man Football Game The Boys Latin six-man football team defeated Mount St. Joseph, 22 to 8, yesterday afternoon at Mount Washington."

10/19/49- "St. Joe Six-Man Team Beats Honeywell, 24-6. Mount St. Joseph gained its first victory in three games in the Maryland Scholastic Association six-man football ..."

11/11/49- " Boys' Latin rolled over the Mount St. Joseph six-man football team, 48 to 18, yesterday on the losers' gridiron."

11/2/45- "Gael Residents Take Six-Man Game, 58-18 Scoring five touchdowns and a ... for a six-man football league scoring record yesterday as the Mt. St. Joseph ..."

Here's a really interesting score, a six-man score from 11/3/39, at least 2 years before the sport was supposedly introduced in Maryland. "St. Paul's Wins 6-Man Football Tilt, 13 To 6"

 

[cren22]

10/18/52- Bill Jarrett scored three touchdowns as Boys' Latin trounced Warren School 38 to 6 in a six-man football game at Mount Washington

10/24/52- Boys' Latin, having split a pair of games, has an 8 PM engagement with Howard County High at Clarksville, in a six-man football game.

10/21/48- Boys Latin's jayvee six-man football team, defeated St. Paul's yesterday by a score of 46-to-6. Schuhardt scored three touchdowns for the winners.

Here's another St. Paul's six-man score from 1939 (10/27)- "Dick Russell tallied three times and George Pnrcell once as St. Paul's scored 35-to-0 triumph over Franklin Day In a six- man football game at St. Paul's ..."

11/4/48- Mount St. Joe's Jayvee six-man football team trimmed the St. Paul's jayvees, 46 to 0,yesterday in the winners' last game of the season.

11/8/45- "St. Martin's humbled St. Paul's in a Six-Man Football League game yesterday afternoon at Mount Washington. 32 to 12."

In 1946 the six-man league was listed as having Boy's Latin, Towson Catholic, St. Paul's, St. Martin's and 2 teams from Mt. St. Joseph's among other schools.

11/6/47- Boys' Latin defeated St'. Paul's, 38-21, in a six-man football game yesterday at Mount Washington.

10/20/45- "Boys' Latin Captures 6-Man Grid Game, 51-6‎. Boys' Latin found little opposition from St. Paul's in rolling to its fourth straight victory in a Baltimore six-man football league contest yesterday at Mount Washington ..."

11/10/39- St. Paul's defeated the Friends School of Baltimore 7-0 to win the six-man prep football championship.

10/18/45- "St. Martin's defeated St. Paul's, 19 to 6, in a Six-Man League football contest yesterday afternoon on the Mount ..."

 

[cren22]

A picture of a segregated six-man team from Cumberland, Maryland. Exact date unknown, probably late '40s. They played in a segregated league with teams from Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The towns these schools were from all had enough white players to play 11-man football, but the only outlet for the smaller number of black high school students to play football was six-man. I believe the photo is from the Cumberland Times-News, a newspaper cited twice in Marc Rasmussen's book Six.

 

[cren22]

Dug up a little more about the African-American six-man league. From November 18th, 1949.

Teams mentioned so far are Carver/Frederick Street (Cumberland, MD), Douglass/Winchester (VA), Martinsburg (WV), Charles Town (WV). Carver also played and defeated their alumni.

 

[cren22]

November 3rd, 1944 article

Seems to have been the first year of the African-American six man league.