1947 Bearcats
THE 1947 BEARCATS
CAPTAINS: HENRY VAN TERRILL and KEITH JAYE
John Mac Weaver, Arden Locke, Charlie Page, James Logsdon, Wayne Freeman, Fay Jones, Joe Durham, Jimmy Hansford, Jack Morton, Max Goates, Elton Brownlee, H. Bascomb, Lee Roy Solley, Marvin Boswell, T.H. Williams, L.B. Brown, Dill Holland, Bobby Lawless, Glenn Pitts, Jerry Bush, William Campbell, Johnny Lee Hodges, C.R. Brownlee, Charlie Floyd, Tommy Weaver, Rex Tilley, Buddie Box, Virgil Evans, Don Locke, and Frank Chupp.
Eastland and Hamilton were the preseason favorites for 1947. Eastland won the district and beat Coleman to advance to the Regional Championship marking the first time a member of the district had won a Bi-District Championship since 1941.
For the defending district champions, the Bearcats had a new coach, Clyde Latham. They won five and lost five. More importantly, the last game of the season, a loss to Comanche was the first in a 28 game losing streak that did not end until the Gorman game of 1950.
No information other than scores has been located about any of the games except Comanche.
Keith Jaye and Charlie Page returned to the Bearcat lineup for the Thanksgiving Day game after apparently being sidelined with injuries earlier in the season. Comanche was led by Wade Phifer, a second team All State Tackle.
Page put the Bearcats ahead midway through the first quarter when he was apparently stopped at the line of scrimmage only to break lose for a 38 yard touchdown run. He then attempted a pass which fell incomplete for the extra points.
In the second quarter Comanche scored on a 25 yard touchdown run by Hicks. The kick put Comanche ahead 7-6.
In the third quarter, a fumble recovery by the Bearcats at the Comanche 18 set up De Leon’s second touchdown. After gaining a first down at the seven, Page took it in for the score. The extra point attempt was stopped just short of the goal.
Comanche took the kickoff and marched 70 yards in 10 plays scoring on a 20 yard pass. The extra point kick failed but Comanche retook the lead 13-12 and added a final touchdown when Masters scored, bringing the final score to 19-12.
Over the next 28 games De Leon managed to score only 20 touchdowns and 126 points while giving up 880 points. The Bearcats could not complete the Comanche game of 1948 because following an injury during the game De Leon did not but ten players.
1947
DHS
OPP
DISTRICT 10 A*
20
0
33
0
0
20
21
14
0
0
27
0
7
6
6
19
46
46
7
GORMAN*
Winters
Blanket
DUBLIN*
EASTLAND*
Moran
HAMILTON*
HICO*
GORMAN*
COMANCHE*
12
Page last updated: June 25, 2009