1932  Bearcats

1932


District Champions

DHS                     OPP

7   Cross Plains        0

38  HICO                   0

19  DUBLIN              0

26 STEPHENVILLE  7

82 @STRAWN          7

38 HAMILTON          0

12 @GORMAN         7

6 COMANCHE         0

13 ALBANY  (B)       0

0 WINK  (R)              01

1 Wink won on penetrations.

 

   It was the first time De Leon ever won a District Championship and it wouldn’t happen again until 1946.  But in fairness, you have to realize that De Leon had been Sectional Champions several times and until around 1930,  the sectional champions were much like today’s district champions.  Prior to that time the districts might have 30 or more teams in two classes. 

   Class A schools were the larger schools and not only did they include the Dallas and Abilene size schools but also the Ranger, Cisco and Eastland size schools.  Class A played to a state championship.

   Class B schools were the smaller schools which included De Leon.  Class B schools only played to the regional championship.  The defending Regional Champion from 1931 was Comanche.

    It was also the first year that the school issued football shoes.  Previously, the school only furnished pants and jerseys.  It was hoped that helmets would be provided in 1933.

    A word of caution.  On the 1932 team were brothers W.S. “Gawk” Sneed and Billie  “Nap” Sneed.  The newspapers often indicated that Sneed made the run or caught the pass without indicating which Sneed it was.  I hope that most of this report has correctly identified the two.


CROSS PLAINS

     Hico was scheduled to be the opening game of the season but Cross Plains asked for a game and so the Bearcats opened their season on October 1, against the Buffalos.  Gawk Sneed quarterbacked the Bearcats, throwing a 40 yard touchdown pass to Funderburg for a 7-0 win.


HICO

   Six days later De Leon journeyed to Hico to play the Antelopes as Hico was then called.  The Bearcats took only 19 players, all of whom played.  In the first quarter Nap Sneed scored three touchdowns.  In the third quarter Funderburg caught a touchdown pass from Gawk Sneed  who added a touchdown of his own with a run later in the third.  Hico never got closer than the De Leon 40 and the Bearcats won 38-0.


DUBLIN

  The Lions came to De Leon on the 14th and again everyone played in a 190-0 De Leon victory.  Charles Rogers re-injured his arm 20 seconds into the game but otherwise the Free Press coverage said, “Sneed (W.S.) completed passes to Funderburg, Billie Sneed, Cozby, Cook, the Irvings (actually Irvins), C. Funderburg and Boykin for gains.  Allen at center played a consistent game.”

   The Dublin Progress added only a few more details noting that De Leon had a first and goal at the Dublin 3 just before the half but was unable to score on  three rushes and a broken up pass, leaving the game scoreless at the half.


STRAWN

   Of the fourth highest scoring games in Bearcat history, an 82-7 victory, the Free Press only noted that the Greyhounds scored in the third quarter.


STEPHENVILLE

   In a 26-7 victory over Stephenville, Gawk completed a touchdown pass to Funderburg in the first three minutes of the game to take an early lead.  The Free Press said, “...(the Bearcats) bucked the line once or twice but a barrage of passes completed with methodical precision and remarkable accuracy piled up the score.”


HAMILTON

  In the Hamilton game, De Leon racked up 32 first quarter points and added six more “later” in a 38-0 whipping of the Bulldogs.  The Free Press stated,  “... not much can be said of their (Hamilton’s) cleanness of sportsmanship.”


GORMAN

   Breaking a decade or older tradition, De Leon and Gorman did not play on Armistice Day in 1932.  The Bearcats took the opening kickoff and “commenced a series of line plunges which earned them steady gain.”  The Bearcats ended the drive with a touchdown but the extra point failed.  Gorman took the lead in the third on a touchdown pass and a successful extra point.  In the fourth quarter, according to the Free Press, the Bearcats scored “in a most brilliant series of plays that thrilled the side lines,” and gave De Leon a 12-7 win.


COMANCHE

   Gorman was hoping for the Indians to pull off the upset so they could get a piece of the championship.  The game was played in De Leon and a crowd of 2,000 was expected.  In preparation for the game an extra gate was added on the east sideline to allow sufficient entrances while ticket booths were setup away from the gates to avoid congestion.  About 1,400 actually showed up and saw a defensive struggle.  Finally, in the third quarter a Sneed to Sneed pass went for a touchdown.  The extra point was not good but De Leon had a 6-0 lead on the defending Regional Champions. 

    In the fourth quarter, Comanche drove to the De Leon one yard line but the Bearcats held and won the District Championship. 

     Gate receipts for the game were $442.98 and even though it did not match the receipts of the Haskell game of 1927, it was an enormous amount of money at the peak of the Depression.


ALBANY

  Coaches Compton and Davis went to Cisco to meet with the coach of Albany to schedule the Bi-District game.  Albany who had notched its third straight district championship, was coached by C.B. Downing, who had been Compton’s coach at Tarleton.  The Free Press reported that Compton’s record was 44 wins, 19 losses and 5 ties in 68 games as the Bearcat coach but that did not include non-conference and college opponents.

  The game was set for De Leon. Albany was bringing its 35 piece band and pep squad and in expectation of a large crowd, tickets were sold at the Liberty theater from 9-12 on the morning of the game.  Officials for the game were Daniel Baker College Coach Blair, referee; Howard Payne Athletic Director Shelton, head linesman; and Breckenridge Coach Shotwell, umpire.  Scheduled for the same day was the game between Snyder and Wink, the winner to take on the De Leon-Albany winner.

   At about the six minute mark in the first quarter, Sneed connected with Funderburg for a touchdown and Cook kicked the extra point.  In the second, the Lion’s completed a 40 yard pass to the De Leon 25 but the Bearcats held for four downs and the only serious threat by Albany ended with no points scored.

   In the third quarter, the Bearcats drove to the Albany 25.  Sneed completed a pass to Irvin inside the five.  Runs by Billie Sneed and Funderburg left a third and goal situation from which W. S. Sneed kept for a touchdown.  Cook missed the extra point but De Leon won 13-0.

   De Leon was “estimated” to have thrown 20 passes in the game and had 16 first downs to Albany’s 3.  Only 800 people attended the game, mostly from De Leon.  The gate was $332.36.


WINK

   For the first time in the history of De Leon football, the Bearcats were to play for a Regional Championship.  The region was larger than the state of New York and it was 332 miles between the two towns. 

    Wink offered the Bearcats $375 to play at Wink.  Since the Bearcats netted  only $112.28 from the Albany game, the offer was too good to pass up.  After expenses the Bearcats ended up taking home $227.05.

    W.S. Sneed wrote an account of the game for the Free Press the following week. It was certainly the most detailed and complete account of a De Leon game ever published to that time in the Free Press. Sneed’s article is summarized here, but  the Bearcat fans did not have to wait until the team returned to get the score. Wires were received  regularly at the depot and students drove around town giving the latest update to people who came out into their yards to get the score.

    The team left De Leon at 6:30 Friday morning in a 23 passenger Robertson bus.  Between Clyde and Baird the bus ran into bad weather and ice started to collect on the windshield.  At Abilene the driver stopped and bought “canned heat” to keep the ice off he windshield.  The team intended to stop in Odessa for a workout but by 1:00 had only reached Big Spring so instead they stopped to eat.  The light sleet continued until the team got out of Big Spring, then the sky cleared it became much colder and remained that way for the rest of the journey.

    Pete McClellan attended the game, he and his family leaving De Leon before dawn on game day.  They heated bricks overnight, wrapped them in heavy material and put them in the floorboard to stay warm on the trip.  The heat was fine for a while but failed to keep the car warm for the entire trip.

   At Monahans, the team bus came up behind an auto that had become stuck when it experienced a blowout and slid to the shoulder of the road.  The team was trying to help get it out when a lady came over the hill and had to slam on her brakes to keep from hitting the bus, car and players.  She maintained just enough control to keep from hitting them, but almost skidded onto the sand dunes herself.

    The team finally arrived in Wink at 5:15 and went right to the hotel.  They ate at oil field eating house near the hotel.  All the team members elected to go to bed early after the long trip rather than stay up and experience the night life of the big city.

    The Bearcats got up between 7:30 and 8:00, and ate breakfast.  They spent the morning lounging in the lobby as they were not allowed to run around town.  At 11:00 they went upstairs for an hour’s rest and at 12:15 were called down for a lunch of toast and coffee.  Suiting up, they left for the stadium at 1:15.

  Wink had a grass field (as opposed to dirt, not turf) which ran north and south.  The ice and sleet had melted on the north end with small amounts of water standing in puddles.  It was cold but not freezing as the wind shifted and only a slight breeze was blowing out of the south.  The cold was not really a factor but the muddy north end of the field was, as both teams fumbled at that end. The Bearcats had expected the altitude would be a factor but it wasn’t (Wink is 2,785 feet above sea level while De Leon is 1,268) The crowd which included Wink’s band and pep squad was only fair with gate receipts totaling only $232.00 and Wink had to pay De Leon a total of $389.50.

    Wink won the toss and elected to receive.  De Leon defended the south goal. Wink gained nothing on first or second down and punted on third.  De Leon was able to move for two first downs before punting.  The first quarter ended with no score but with De Leon leading in first downs 4-1.

   In the second quarter Wink was backed up at its own 20 when quarterback-punter Frank Ruthledge hit a 73 yarder on the fly which went over the De Leon safety’s head.  The Bearcats quickly fielded the ball and returned it to the 20.  At the end of the half, the first downs were equal but Wink had gained a penetration on a Bearcat fumble.

   During the half, the team went inside the gym where Coach Compton showed them 41 telegrams from De Leon fans.

    To start the third quarter, De Leon chose to defend the north goal, Wink elected to receive.  During the quarter Wink drove down the field.  On a play which took them across the De Leon 20 they were called for holding and penalized 15 yards wiping out the penetration.  De Leon held on downs and then punted out of trouble.  Late in the third, De Leon drove down the field penetrating the Wink 20.  Sneed then completed a pass to Stanley Cozby between two defenders at the 10.  Cozby fell forward to the 6.  The Bearcats ran one line play and the quarter ended.

       The fourth quarter opened with the Bearcats inside the 5 and facing a second and goal.  Two running plays pushed the ball only to the 4.  Sneed threw a pass on fourth but the pass was intercepted at the one and game ended in a scoreless tie.

   Wink had three penetrations, two of which were recoveries of Bearcat fumbles, the third occurring when Wink reached the Bearcat 15.  De Leon’s penetration was to the four.  First downs were even.  The officiating was considered good.

    The superintendent of the Wink schools invited the Bearcats to a dance and with the bad road conditions and the tiredness of the team, Compton was persuaded to spend another night.  The team reported being treated royally.  The Bearcats left for home the next morning at 6:05 arriving back in De Leon at 4:15.

    The undefeated Bearcats had scored 241 points in 10 games and allowed only 21.  The Gorman Progress placed four Bearcats on their All District Team;  Cook at end; Terrill at Tackle; Wood at guard and Sneed at quarterback about whom the Progress expressed its doubt that there was a better passer in the district.

    The Bearcats took on the Alums on December 22, to benefit the much depleted Community Chest.

    The Depression hit the finances of the Bearcats just as it did everyone else. For the year the Bearcats’ receipts were:  Cross Plains $56.57 ($26.27 to Cross Plains); Hico $15; Dublin $87 ($25 to Dublin);  Stephenville $83.89; Strawn $35; Hamilton $85.18 ($30 to Hamilton); Gorman $50; Comanche $442.98 ($207.74 to Comanche); Albany $302.61 ($148.08 to Albany); and Wink, $389.50.  The school raised an additional $2 by selling old footballs.  The Wink game cost De Leon $15 to scout, $90 in transportation and $72.45 for the hotel and meals.  At the end of the season the athletic fund had a net increase of $271.00 to $412.36.

   



1932 BEARCATS


Captain: W.S. Sneed

Cecil Cook

R.B. Irvin

Lucian Morris

Alexander Allen

Charles Rogers

F.L. Terrill

Stanley Cozby

Billie Sneed

J.L. Funderburg

O.B. Reed

Bernard VanZandt

Atlas Irvin

Rush Locke

Jack Woods

Morris Boykin

Peyton Weaver

Cecil Funderburg

Harry Pearson

W.F. Glazier,

Gaston Campbell

Willis Lightfoot

Elgie Terry

Paul Cozby

Wilford Bagwell