THE ANAHEIM COLONISTS An American Football History
Written By Dennis Bateman Foreword by Jim Fassel
Chapter Two
Forging an Identity : 1931-1942
F
or Anaheim Union High School, the search for a new head football coach proved to be a daunting task to find the right person. When more experienced individuals failed to turn up, the Anaheim Union High School District board looked to youth to grab the reins of the athletic program as Richard Glover was named as head coach of the major varsity sports on June 4, 1931. Only 23 years old, Glover had just graduated from Occidental College, where he had starred for the Tigers in football, basketball, and baseball. “Four jobs were open in Southern California and 100 guys were looking in 1931 during the depths of The Depression,” said Glover in a 1971 interview with the Santa Ana Register. “I was fortunate that I had some guys (at Anaheim) working for me.” Glover was a strapping all-around athletic star at both Santa Barbara High School and at Occidental College. As it was standard practice at the time that a varsity head football coach would also helm the varsity basketball and baseball programs as well, Glover’s demonstrated excellence at all three sports made him the ideal candidate. His vigor and enthusiasm helped bring out many young players for each sport, in keeping with a state mandate encouraging participation in athletics. For the season, Anaheim’s prospects for success were less than favorable. With only two starters returning from the previous year, Glover set out to
build up the football program nearly from scratch. Only five to seven years older than most of his new players, the new coach of the Colonists showed up for practices wearing football pants and often ran plays and personally demonstrated blocking and tackling techniques. In the preseason opener, Anaheim squandered several scoring opportunities which negated a strong defensive effort in a scoreless tie against Oceanside. This was followed by a 7-0 loss to Excelsior, with the Pilots getting the game’s only touchdown on a blocked Anaheim kick. The first two Orange League contests proved the highlight of Anaheim’s season. After beating Garden Grove 6-0, the Colonists went head-to-head against Orange. In front of a large home crowd, Anaheim went up against the two-time defending league champions, and battled to a scoreless tie. The Colonists followed up that effort with a 20-7 win over Tustin. Unfortunately, the team’s fortunes took a downturn in the season’s final act, with a 6-6 tie against Brea Olinda and a 13-7 loss to Huntington Beach, which was led by a 20-year-old quarterback named Clare “Dusty” Van Hoorebeke. A 38-6 drubbing by Santa Ana finished off the 1931 season. Despite the middling results of the previous campaign, enthusiasm was high for the 1932 season, as was the turnout, which numbered 54. With an influx of new players and a core of returners who had 14
In his second season, head coach Dick Glover led the Anaheim Colonists to their first league title in 1932. gained valuable experience, Glover and his charges set out to make history. After a scoreless draw with Excelsior and an 18-0 win over Corona, the Colonists entered league play. Traveling to face Orange, Anaheim overcame critical penalties to break a scoreless tie on running back Foster Cheatham’s touchdown run in the third quarter. It was the only score in the Colony’s 6-0 triumph. The Colonists followed up that performance with back-to-back shutouts versus Tustin (13-0) and Brea Olinda (12-0). Against the Wildcats, tackle Ray Brown blocked a punt which was recovered by guard Bob Eley for a score. Anaheim then went on the road and blanked Huntington Beach, Newport Harbor, and Escondido. Quarterback Danny Smith scored twice to defeat the Oilers 13-0 and Don Maxson helped beat Escondido with a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown. Anaheim was upset by Garden Grove in a shocking 7-0 loss, the only points given up by the Colonists so far in the season. The defeat forced Anaheim into a rematch with Brea Olinda for the Orange League crown. In a hard-fought contest, running back Ralph Comstock’s 13-yard touchdown run provided all the points the Colonists needed to defeat the Wildcats 7-0 and lay claim to the first outright Orange League title in Anaheim's gridiron history. With the crown came an invitation for the Colonists to participate in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. Anaheim traveled to play Whittier and scored on their first drive. However, the host Cardinals shut out the local boys the rest of the way and advanced with a 13-6 victory.
Bolstered by the success, Anaheim once again contended for the league title in 1933. After tying Santa Barbara 0-0 and tripping Excelsior 18-0, the Colony opened the Orange League with a 6-0 win over Tustin. Three-year letterman and team captain Benny Davis scored the game’s only points on a 2yard run in the third quarter to beat the Tillers. Davis also scored the Anaheim’s only touchdown the following week against Brea Olinda, but a missed extra point proved crucial, as the Wildcats edged the Colonists 7-6. Glover’s men bounced back with a dominating 22-0 win over Huntington Beach. Bill Dolan had an outstanding game, rushing for two touchdowns and blocking two punts to beat the Oilers. Benny Davis accounted for all the scoring in a 14-0 win over Newport Harbor’s Sailors, then set a team record by scoring four touchdowns in a 35-0 pasting of Garden Grove. The Colonists ended their season with a 20-6 win over Orange, but due to CIF rule changes, they were not allowed a rematch with Brea Olinda and a chance to play for a playoff berth, although they were mathematically tied for the Orange League title. Anaheim’s string of success continued into 1934. After splitting a pair of preseason games, Anaheim’s 11 plunged into league play with a 13-6 win over Brea Olinda, followed by a tough 20-7 defeat of Huntington Beach. The locals then hosted Newport Harbor and sank the Sailors 13-0, with touchdowns by Wally Fee and Gene Morris. Fee also produced a pair of scores in a 40-0 rout of league newcomer Valencia and returned an interception on the first defensive play of a 32-point shutout of Garden Grove. 15
Orange met Anaheim in a game played at the neutral site of Fullerton High School and left with a 13-0 loss. The Colonists wrapped up their first undefeated league record with a grueling 6-0 win over Tustin. Both offenses were shut out in the game, but defensive back Frank Ochoa stepped in front of a Tiller pass to win the Orange League crown and a berth in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs. The Colonists traveled up the highway to Pasadena to meet John Muir High School in the famed Rose Bowl. Two big plays, a key interception return, and an 83-yard touchdown run by Muir’s quarterback, cost Anaheim its chance for victory, as the Mustangs won 12-0 to advance in the playoffs. The 1935 edition of the Colonist gridders looked to continue the established string of successes. Anaheim shut down visiting Excelsior 7-0 in the opener, then took care of host San Bernardino 13-0. A seven-game regular season shutout streak ended at home against Escondido, but the Colonists roared to a 32-12 win at home anyway. Junior quarterback Gene Doherty scored three touchdowns, while Wally Fee and Johnny Ochoa scored one TD each, while the visiting Cougars scored only after Anaheim’s reserves had taken the field. At the end of the preseason schedule, Anaheim traveled to Riverside and held a 19-13 lead in the fourth quarter when the Bears rallied to tie the score on a long bomb with less than a minute to play. The Colonists avoided defeat when Riverside’s extra point attempt failed but were devastated afterward by the sudden loss of junior Johnny Ochoa, who died the following day after suffering a head injury during the previous night’s game. After voting to continue onward, the Colonists rolled off five straight victories in Orange League play. Right halfback Wally Fee broke a scoreless tie with a 20-yard TD run in the third quarter in a 6-0 win over Newport Harbor. Team captain Fee was on the loose again the next week against Garden Grove, scoring a team-record touchdown run of 76 yards. Left halfback Harry Tanaka added two touchdowns of his own, one from 60 yards out as the Colonists upended the Argonauts 25-0. Traveling to Tustin, Anaheim pummeled the host Tillers 39-0. Fee scored the first touchdown while Tanaka, who got the start at quarterback, turned in a brilliant performance by scoring three touchdowns, reversing field several times to elude Tustin defenders on each of his scores. Doherty, who took over Tanaka’s normal spot at left half, added a touchdown himself, while fullback Dudley added two touchdowns in the blowout win. Tanaka and Doherty switched spots again the 16
next week at home against Huntington Beach. But the results were the same as Tanaka again scored a trio of touchdowns in a 21-0 rout of the Oilers. In the final week of the regular season, the Colonists took on Orange. With no score in the second quarter, Anaheim took over on a short field and drove inside the Panther 20. From there, quarterback Gene Doherty rolled out and handed off to Wally Fee on a reverse. Fee then pulled up and fired a pass to end Nolan Beat, who then scampered his way from the 14-yard line into the end zone. Fee and Beat connected again in the third quarter on a 28-yard pass down to the Panther 30. Swarmed by Orange tacklers, Beat suddenly tossed a lateral to fullback Art Schwarting, who took the pigskin the rest of the way to seal a 14-0 victory. After heavy rain postponed their Orange League showdown with Brea Olinda by four days, the Colonists and the Wildcats battled in a one-game playoff to determine the league champion at Fullerton District Stadium. In the game, a critical fumble in the first quarter set up a Wildcat touchdown, which led Brea Olinda to a 10-0 win. The Colony was dropped to second place in the Orange League, and out of the postseason. Despite being denied the playoffs at the end of a bittersweet campaign, accolades came for this Anaheim team, which placed Nolan Beat, Wally Fee, and Ikuo Uyeshima on the All-Orange League first team. Anaheim fell just short of the league title again in 1936. After opening Orange League play with a stunning 6-0 loss to Garden Grove, the Colonists won convincingly over Newport Harbor (19-0), Tustin (20-6), and Huntington Beach (22-0). A 6-6 tie with Orange was not enough to negate the loss to the Argonauts, and the Panthers were awarded the league title. With that final draw, Anaheim bade farewell to the Orange League. The 1937 season saw the dawning of the Sunset League, where Anaheim would take up residence for the next 36 years. Joining the Colonists in the newly-formed circuit were fellow Orange League rivals Huntington Beach, Newport Harbor and Orange, familiar foe Excelsior of Norwalk and the new Jordan High School in Long Beach. After beating Garden Grove 12-6 to open the preseason, Anaheim renewed its annual series with Fullerton for the first time since 1928. The results this time were similar to where they had left off before, with the Colonists losing by a 20-0 score. Christening Sunset League play against Excelsior, the Pilots upset the Colony 6-0 on a late touchdown, despite nearly 200 yards in offense from Anaheim. Defense put a clamp on the Newport Har-
“The Worst Loss” While the 1935 preseason clash between Anaheim and Riverside ended in a 19-19 tie, after the game the Colonists came home and suffered the worst loss in the team’s history. During the second half while attempting to defend his team’s lead, junior Johnny Ochoa (a defensive halfback who also was a backup quarterback) lowered himself to make a tackle and was kicked in the head by a Riverside ballcarrier. Knocked unconscious, Ochoa was motionless on the ground as play stopped. Coach Glover and staff rushed to the field, including team physician Dr. Harold Neslund. Ochoa came to and was groggy as he was helped from the field. In the moment, Dr. Neslund determined that the injury was not so severe as to call the game to end, so Ochoa sat down on the bench as the remainder of the second half played out. Although Ochoa was only semiconscious, Dr. Neslund declined to send the boy immediately to a hospital, even though Riverside Community Hospital was located across the street from the stadium where the game had just been played. Instead, Ochoa was allowed to lie down in Johnny Ochoa the flatbed of the equipment truck as the Anaheim caravan began its hour-long trip home to Anaheim. Upon arrival, Ochoa was found to be unconscious and the 17-year-old junior was taken to taken to Cottage Hospital in nearby Fullerton. Closer examination determined that the youth had suffered a skull fracture and that the injury was causing a cerebral hemorrhage. As his anguished family gathered, Ochoa hung on through the morning until he died at 11:25 a.m. on Saturday, October 12, 1935. It was the first known death related to a game injury in the history of Orange County high school football. Ochoa was considered energetic and ambitious in both the classroom and on the athletic fields. Having starred for the “B” football team the previous season, Ochoa had already earned a varsity letter as a fleet -footed runner with the track team during his sophomore year. As their fallen teammate’s body lay in state at Backs, Terry & Campbell Mortuary, the stunned Colonists varsity football squad debated among themselves whether to continue the season. With Coach Glover and Principal Clayes allowing the Anaheim boys to make the decision themselves, ultimately the team voted to keep playing, believing that Johnny would want them to carry on. While that decision was supported by Johnny’s older brothers Joe and Frank, who had previously starred in Anaheim High athletics, some players were forced by their parents to quit the team. Meanwhile, the young Ochoa’s life was memorialized with a final mass at St. Boniface Church and he was buried in Anaheim Cemetery. A coroner’s inquest determined that Ochoa’s death was "an unavoidable accident" and that Dr. Neslund and Coach Dick Glover had made every effort to save the boy’s life following the on-field incident. To honor his brother’s memory, Frank Ochoa later had a son that he named John in 1949. That John Ochoa would go on to become an outstanding quarterback in his own right and as a senior would lead one of Anaheim High’s all-time greatest squads to the 1966 CIF-SS 4-A Division title game. 17
bor Sailors, and the offense put the first Colonist football player to together two scores to beat the be so honored. Tars 12-0. The Colonist defend1938 proved to be a major ers also pulled out a 7-0 win over disappointment for the Colonists. the host Huntington Beach OilA preseason scoreless tie with ers. A big play came in the third Fullerton was one of the few highquarter, with Huntington Beach lights as Anaheim went 2-4-2 for driving and threatening to score. the season. The Colony gridders Guard Bill Ross met the Oiler were shut out three times in league halfback at the 1-yard line and play and notched their only victoforced a fumble. In the fourth ries in league against Huntington period, Keith Beebe’s 35-yard Beach (13-0) and Orange (26-6). interception return for a touchThough otherwise forgettadown sealed the victory for Anable, the season was notable for the heim. addition of John Wallin as an asHosting Long Beach Jorsistant coach. Wallin, the former dan, a long catch-and-run by JimColonist fullback who was emmie Nunez helped the Colonists ployed at the time as a bus driver dominate the first half with a two and custodian at the school, helped -touchdown lead. In the second out on the line and would become half, the Panthers came back with In 1937, Jimmie Nunez was the first a fixture at the school for the next two touchdowns of their own, but Colonist to ever be named to the 28 years. the successful conversion points The Blue and Gold reboundAll-CIF Southern Section team. put Anaheim on top 14-12. In the ed in a big way the following season season finale, the Colonists gave up 13 unanswered in 1939. Anaheim was not figured to be a major conpoints in the second half against Orange, and the re- tender for the Sunset League title, and after splitting a sulting 13-13 draw prevented Anaheim from sharing pair of preseason games versus Tustin and Whittier, it the league title. was difficult to get a fix on their potential. The new alignment was also the first time that Anaheim opened up league play on the road the Helms Athletic Foundation released an All-CIF- against Fullerton. The Indians, being introduced to Southern Section team, as voted by local sportswrit- the Sunset League for the first time, had never lost to ers. Senior end Jimmie Nunez, who was voted team the Colonists in a non-preseason contest. A fierce MVP as well as first team All-Orange County, was struggle by both defenses made for a scoreless first
In 1939, the Colonists won their first Sunset League title in varsity football. This is a feat they would repeat 21 times over the next 36 seasons. Anaheim left the Sunset League after the 1973-74 school year. 18
Bill Lewis (#48) leads the way for Junior Perkins (#4), aided by blocks by backs Art Shipkey (#36) and Bud Mahoney in Anaheim’s historic 1939 victory against Fullerton, 7-0. three quarters of play. Running back Junior Perkins ignited the Colonists’ fourth quarter charge with a 20-yard scamper from the Anaheim 37. Aided by fullback Art Shipkey and fellow backs Bill Lewis and Bud Mahoney, Perkins picked up another 16 yards, which put Anaheim at the 2-yard line. From there, Perkins took the ball into the end zone himself for the lone touchdown of the game, capping an 11-play, 62-yard drive in which he carried the ball on every down. The 7-0 lead would be enough as the defense hung tight against the Indians, holding Fullerton to just one first down and 37 total yards for the game. The win was Anaheim’s first over Fullerton since 1923, and the Colonists stormed through the rest of their Sunset League schedule. Perkins stood out again in a 27-13 win over Orange. Anaheim then overcame a stubborn Newport Harbor team 7-0. The Colonists suffered a setback the next week in a 26-19 loss to Long Beach Jordan but rebounded with a dominating 26-0 win over Huntington Beach. Closing out the regular season schedule against Excelsior, the Colony rallied from a 6-0 halftime deficit. Team captain Cliff Horton took the ball on the first play of the second half and weaved through the Pilot defense 65 yards for the go-ahead
touchdown. Junior Perkins added an insurance score near the end of the third period to win the game 14-6. Coach Glover was carried off the field by his players and cheering fans as Anaheim celebrated the first Sunset League title in team history. It was a precedent that would be matched 20 more times in the years ahead. With the Sunset League championship in hand, Anaheim had earned an automatic entry into the CIF-Southern Section football playoffs. However, injuries had taken their toll during the grueling campaign, and the decision was made to decline the invitation to continue the season. But the Colonists had established a precedent in 1939 that they would make good on in 1940. Although All-CIF blocking back Art Shipkey had graduated, a baker’s dozen of lettermen were set to return and expectations were high for the 1940 edition of Colonists football. After opening with a 13-0 shutout of Citrus and a scoreless tie versus Santa Ana, Excelsior was the first Sunset League opponent. The Pilots met defeat 12-0, with both scores coming courtesy of quarterback Bill Lewis. Fullerton was overcome 19-6 on a rain-soaked home field for the second win. Anaheim then blanked Orange (34-0) and 19
“THE FIRST ASSISTANT” Born in 1907, John Wallin moved to Anaheim as a teenager and excelled in football, baseball and track at Anaheim Union High School, where he was exalted as “The Red Grange of Anaheim High”. He also served as commissioner of boys athletics and was on the newspaper and yearbook staffs before graduating in 1927. Nine years later, Wallin began working at AUHS tending the athletic fields, serving as equipment man and bus driver. In 1937, he became the first varsity assistant coach in Colonists football history when he began aiding Coach Glover. Not long after, Wallin became head varsity baseball coach, a post he held for the next 20 years. Encouraged by Glover and others to become a teacher, Wallin graduated from Whittier College in 1944 and then was immediately hired at Anaheim High for the physical education department. Six years later, when Glover stepped down as head coach, Wallin was the first person to be offered the chance to take over the program. Wallin declined, and later remarked that it was the best decision he ever made, as Clare Van Hoorebeke was then hired and he made the fortuitous decision to retain Wallin as his lone assistant. For the next 16 seasons, Wallin remained steadfast as Van Hoorebeke’s right arm, guiding Colonist defenses well into the next decade. Throughout his 30 years of service at Anaheim High School coaching football, basketball and baseball at all levels, Wallin was credited with 30 league championships and numerous additional honors. A mainstay in the athletic department for 20 years, John Wallin was an enthusiastic booster of Colonist athletics. He was a popular figure at pep rallies, where he proclaimed himself as “The oldest cheerleader in captivity” while leading students in cheering contests as he often vowed that Anaheim teams “will not be outfought!” In 1966, he then became the athletic director at the new Katella High School in east Anaheim and guided the Knights athletic program to 32 league titles in his seven years there as AD before retiring in 1973. John Wallin died in 1981 in Anaheim, and was survived by Hulda, his wife of over 50 years, and three sons. Serving as a trusted assistant to both Dick Glover and Clare Van Hoorebeke across four decades, John Wallin not only formed a bridge between two eras, he was truly indispensable to Anaheim High School’s athletic legacy. . 20
Newport Harbor (12-0) before interrupting its league schedule to play an exhibition against Santa Barbara. The eventual CIF-Southern Section big schools champion Dons routed the Colonists 34-0 in a non-league contest. Coach Glover, who was a Santa Barbara High School graduate, used his second-string players through most of the lopsided contest. Resuming their trek through the Sunset League, the Colonists held off a Long Beach Jordan rally to win 19-6. With the local gridders leading by a touchdown, Joe Wollenman blocked a Panther kick which was recovered by Bud Mahoney to silence Jordan’s comeback attempt. Anaheim then claimed its second straight Sunset League title by shutting out Huntington Beach 20-0. The Colonists marched on to Covina to meet the Colts in the CIF-Southern Section small schools championship. Anaheim took control at the beginning of the second quarter, when quarterback Bill Lewis tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to end Jim Betzsold. From there, the Colonists time and again stymied the vaunted Colts attack, holding them scoreless until the game’s final minute in an 18-6 victory. Lewis, who went on to be named to the All-CIF-
SS small schools team, set up an Earl Williams touchdown with an interception return, then scored the Colony’s final points himself on a 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Lewis was also named Sunset League MVP and was joined on the All-Sunset roster by team captains Edgar Olsen (line), Bud Mahoney (back) and lineman Joe Wollenman (line). Running back Red Marvin was named second team, while four others were named honorable mention. Despite heavy graduation losses, the Colonists
were once again contenders in 1941. A new tradition began, as Anaheim now played its home games at La Palma Park under a newly installed lighting system. After splitting their two preseason games, the Colonists rolled over their first three league opponents by the combined score of 51-6. In the next two weeks, the Colonists were frustrated on offense, scoring no points against Fullerton and in a nonleague contest with Santa Ana. But thank-
fully, the Anaheim defense also pitched shutouts. The Colonists resumed course by soundly defeating both Long Beach Jordan (25-7) and Newport Harbor (26-7) en route to winning the Sunset League crown for the third consecutive year. Anaheim once again received a berth in the CIFSouthern Section small schools title game. But illness and injury had crippled the Colony during the weeks leading to the championship matchup with Colton, and by gametime, the Colonists were no match for the Yellowjackets, who stung Anaheim 27-0. For the first time, Anaheim placed two team members on the All-CIF roster. Senior guard Dick McDonald and junior blocking back Jerry Shipkey were both named to the third team list. By the fall of 1942, World War II was in full swing, and Anaheim was affected as well. Due to wartime considerations, night games were prohibited, and all preseason contests were canceled. In addition, students of Japanese descent, who had been a valuable talent base for the team in recent years, were removed along with their families to forced relocation camps. These distractions, combined with heavy losses from graduation and injury, had a negative impact on the Colonists’ chances in 1942. Only four lettermen returned from the previous year, and the only starter among them, senior Jerry Shipkey, suffered a broken collarbone early in the season-opening win
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over Excelsior, and was lost for the season. Orange notched its first win over Anaheim since 1930, 19-13, with a last-minute touchdown breaking a 13-13 tie. Jim Davis caught one touchdown and threw for another in a 12-6 win over Fullerton the following week, and next the Colonists had no trouble with Valencia 19-6. Anaheim’s season ended for all intents and purposes in the second half of the Long Beach Jordan game. Up 12-6 at the intermission, the Colonists allowed 26 unanswered points to the Panthers, who won going away 32-12. The next week, Glover endured the worst defeat of his career as the Newport Harbor Tars dethroned the three-time defending Sunset League champions 54-0, the Colonists’ most lopsided defeat
in over 20 years. Anaheim was able to finish the season on an up note, defeating Huntington Beach 19-2 to secure third place in the final Sunset League standings. Following the season, Glover took an indefinite leave of absence and was one of several AUHS faculty members who joined the war effort. After being commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, Glover became part of the training program at the Naval base in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he would remain until the end of the war in 1945. After 12 years at the helm of the Colonists, Glover had matured from a rambunctious college student athlete into an able head coach, and Anaheim had matured along with him to become one of Orange County’s most respected football programs.