16.The Perkins Journal Thursday, December 15, 1977
Drifting Do wn femory Lane
With Ward Hays
(4th and last chapter of
Oklahoma A&M College
Through the Years)
My story begins in June of
1923. The Oklahoma A&M
College Campus was under
Marshal law. College Presi-
dent James B. Eskridge had
left the college for greener
pastures after serving two
years. The way 1 understand
it, the Governor of the State
of Oklahoma went over the
Regents' heads and appoint-
ed a new President for the
college, but neither the
faculty or the students would
honor the new President. So
faculty declared a holiday
after a week and the
President of the college
remained in his office. There
were rumors if he didn't give
up the office he would be
rode out of town on a rail.
But the Governor got word of
these rumors and placed the
college campus under Mar-
shal law. Several hundred
:ional Guardsmen were
placed on the campus but
still the holiday continued.
After two weeks the Gover-
nor-appointed President was
removed and the National
Guard was sent home.
The Board of Regents
replaced the out-going Presi-
dent with Bradford Knapp.
As soon as Knapp took over
his duties as President it was
like a breath of fresh air in
the spring, or the smell of
rain falling on a dry parched
field after a long dry spell.
Every thing seemed to fall
into place and run smoothly.:
One of the first things
Knapp did was to organize
the FFA chapter which
meant much to the young
farm folks through the years.
The spring of 1924 A&M
College played host to the
Girls' State Basketball Tour-
nament of 109 basketball
teams. A girls' midget
basketball team from Turley
Oklahoma won the State. I
don't believe there was one
of these girls in the team
over five feet and two inches
tall. But their action was like
lightening striking. They
were everywhere on the
court.
Also in 1924, A&M played
host to the National AAU
Wrestling Tournament.
Coach Edd C. Gallagher's
wrestlers won the tourna-
ment without a struggle. In
1928 wrestling Coach Edd C.
Gallagher sent three of his
men to France and the
Dave Williams, Stillwater,
was the winner of the $10
Gift Certificate, Sunday.
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Olympics. The three men
were Clarence Berryman,
Jack VanBebber and Charley
Pierce. Berryman, captain of
the team and a most
outstanding wrestler who
had gained international
fame in his weight and class,
was both a Mo. Valley
winner and national crown
holder in his weight. He was
one of the cleanest wrestlers
that I ever watched wrestle
and as great a guy as you
would ever want to meet.
Edd Gallagher had won
national recognition as a
leading wrestling coach with
his continuous success of
producing champion wrest-
ling teams. Gallagher was a
graduate of Oklahoma A&M
College. I believe Gallagher
lettered in track and never
wrestled. Gallagher coached
several Olympic teams. He
had a way with his men of
getting the very best out of
them they had to offer
because Gallagher was King
to his men.
The reason I know so much
about Gallagher and his
wrestlers I worked very close
with them from 1926 to 1933.
In 1926 after I had finished
wiring Carter Hanner Hall,
Jessie Thacker Hall and
White Hurst Hall for
electricity, working 11
months on these three
buildings, using a million
feet of copper wire from size
t4 to 4-0, and cutting from
1/2 to 4 inch pipe and
threading by hand, when I
pulled in the last wire I
walked across the street and
bought a little cafe. That
soon became known on the
campus and downtown Still-
water as Ward's Waffle
House where good food and
fast service was the talk of
the town. Our slogan was
"When better food was
served the Waffle house
would serve it." Each
evening before a wrestling
match that night. 1 would
serve the wrestlers each a
big T.Bone steak so rare the
steer was still kicking, dry
toast and for drink either
black coffee or tea without
sugar, and unsweetened
apple sauce. I always cooked
and served the men myself
because Gallagher didn't
want them to have anything
else.
John F. Maulbetsch came
to Oklahoma A&M in 1921 to
coach football, basketball
and base ball. He was a
graduate of Michigan Uni-
versity and was a member of
Michigan's famous football
team. Maulbetsch was twice
chosen on the All-American
football team and placed
three times on the All-West-
ern squad. Under Maul-
betsch' coaching the Aggies
enjoyed a great success and
became champions in foot
ball, basket ball, and base
ball. Even as early as 1929
Maulbetseh was rated a-
mong the ten greatest
football coaches in the
United States by football
authorities. Maulbetsch led
the Aggies (or Cowboys) to
victory of the Missouri Valley
in 1929, then returned to
Michigan to coach. Then to
California where for many
years he placed several of
this football teams in the
Rose Bowl. Maulbetsch
retired a few years ago and I
heard he had more Bowl
games to his credit than any
other football coach in the
United States, and he was
just as fine a man as he was a
coach.
The greatest football game
I ever watched played on
Lewis Field was between the
Aggies and OU on Thanks-
giving Day 1929. The
evening before the game to
be played in the afternoon on
Thanksgiving Day, Coach
Maulbetsch came in the
Waffle House and ordered a
cup of coffee. "Boys," he
said, "if you intend to do any
betting on the game to-
morrow, don't bet on the
Aggies to win. Bet OU don't
beat the Aggies. That way
you will win if there is a tie
and a tie may be the best my
boys can do as we are really
going to have to fight even
for a tie." Well the coach
sure knew what he was
talking about.
The morning of the game a
well-known coffee company
salesman came into the
Waffle House and said,
"Hays, 1 will bet you a 100
pounds of coffee double or
nothing that the Aggies
don't beat OU." "Turn the
bet around," I said, "and I
will call it." "How do you
mean? .... 1 mean I will bet
you 100 pounds of coffee that
OU don't beat the Aggies."
"One hundred pounds of
coffee, double or nothing,
that OU don't beat the
Aggies! .... That's right," I
said.
A man with the coffee
salesman said, "I will take
fifty dollars on those terms."
"OK," I said. The man
handed me the fifty dollars. I
set down to the typewriter
and made a notation of the
bets and put it in the cash
register.
The game was called to
start at 1:30 and it was
nearing that time and the
house was still full of people.
1 told one of the students that
was waiting on tables to lock
the door and not let anyone
else in. We got everyone out
but five men sitting at one
table that kept'asking for
coffee. I told the boys not to
serve them any more, that it
was game time. The men
said if we would serve them
one more round of coffee
they would drink it real fast
and pay our way into the
game which would be three
dollars for the two of us. We
agreed but it was 1:37 when
we got the door locked. We
struck out in a trot from 213
South Knoblock to the
football field 3 blocks away.
By the time we reached the
field OU had scored a touch
down. From then on neither
team could seem to get out of
the middle of the field. It was
a see-saw.
By the time the first
quarter was over I had
chewed a package of gum.
All through the second
quarter it was the same way
and by half time I had pulled
out most of my eye brows.
All through the third quarter
neither team had moved ten
yards either way. And by
that time I had crawled the
full length of the football
field with 100 other boys and
girls. I had wore the knees
out of my trousers and my
knees and hands were
bleeding.
Now that I couldn't crawl
any more I started to pull out
my hair. Before the fourth
quarter began I walked
behind the stadium and
there was the coach all bent
over. I said, "Coach, what is
wrong? .... I am sick to the
stomache. Must have ate
something I shouldn't."
"Didn't we all," I said.
"What is happening?" I
said. "Nothing," the coach
said, "but if something don't
happen soon we are going to
lose a ball game. And I will
lose $100." The fourth
quarter was called and new
boys were put in the game on
both sides. But it didn't
seem to change anything.
Both teams seemed to be
nailed to the ground. 4
minutes left in the last
quarter. The Coach called
time out and put in Albert
Wright and Claude Poole.
Wright was the best baseball
player in the state. As
Wright and Poole went on
the field they stopped and
talked a minute. Everyone
was watching.
Things didn't seem to
change much the first two
minutes. Then it happened
so fast one could hardly see
what was happening! Wright
made a fake pass to one of
the boys and all of the OU
boys took after the one they
thought had the ball. Then
Wright made a long pass to
Poole and Poole ran half the
length of the field for a touch
down before OU knew what
they were doing. 46 seconds
left in the game. Big 21
poundCharley Strake walked
in to kick the goal. It was so
still you could hear a pin
drop. Strake backed off a few
steps then took a run and hit
that ball square in the
middle. The ball sailed high
over the goal post--a perfect
kick! And the Aggies had
won the game and the
Missouri Valley Conference.
When some of the Aggies
rushed to Old Central to ring
the Victory bell the OU boys
had beat them to the bell and
stole the bell clapper and for
48 years the two teams are
still feuding over the bell
clapper. I think now the
winner keeps the clapper.
OU got mad and pulled out
of the Missouri Valley
Conference. They were mad
because the Aggies had lost
4 out of 6 non-conference
games. Tulsa had beat the
Aggies a couple of weeks
before and OU had beat
Tulsa. So OU had come to
play the Aggies thinking
they had a cinch. And my
way of thinking OU was just
a bunch of poor sports.
The 100 pounds of coffee I
won was used for free coffee
for the A&M athletes. The
$50.00 was used for the
Waffle House student loan
fund.
Carney News
By Pat Skaggs
The Carney gym was the
place to be if you were in the
7th or 8th grade basketball
tournament this past week.
Finals were Dee. 10 with
results in next weeks paper.
.Carney boys and Meeker
:boys will be playing in the
finals on Winners' Bracket.
s
The high school basket
ball teams traveled to
Drumright Friday, Dec. 9.
The Carney girls lost their
game, but Carney Bulldogs
were victorious.
The next high school
games will be played in the
Oilton Tournament beginn-
ing Dec. 12-17. The next
grade games will be at
Davenport December 19.
The Carney FFA Chapter
held a Turkey Shoot Sunday
December 4 at the town
park. Six turkeys were given
away. They will have another
Turkey Shoot December 18
at the park.
There was a good number
who attended the annual
Christian Church Bazzar and
Chicken Dinner Saturday
December 3. Thanks to
everyone who helped with
this good event.
Mrs. M. L. Savage's
brother-in-law, Kenneth
Raupe, who was hurt over a
month ago in a falling
accident, was moved from
McBride Hospital in Okla-
homa City to a Tulsa
Hospital Dec. 7. He is still in
critical condition.
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