The Ironton Tanks 100th Anniversary • The Ironton Tribune

The Ironton Tanks 1930 team photo prior to their game against the Chicago Bears at Cincinnati’s Redland Field

Ironton Tanks celebrating 100th anniversary Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Football League. And while the NFL celebrates its inaugural season, the league should pay tribute to the small-town communities who were the inspiration for pro football.

One such community was Ironton which, coincidently, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the legendary Ironton Tanks.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this small town was booming as the leading pig iron center of the world.

Among its many productions was the famous “Swamp Angel” cannon used in the Civil War. The automobile industry relied heavily on Ironton for the casting of parts. Railroads ran through the town to distribute the parts, especially the Detroit, Toledo and Ironton railroad owned during the 1920s by Henry Ford.

But the pig iron industry virtually evaporated in the area, much like the rest of the country. The six iron ore furnaces still remain visible throughout the Ironton area as historical remembrances of the era.

But it was also a time in this area that professional football began to take a toehold. Unlike today’s NFL, with teams situated in major metropolitan cities, pro football was a small-town sport.

An NFL team 100 years ago was nothing more than a glorified Ironton Tanks team, generating more money but not necessarily bigger salaries. The cost of a franchise was $100.

It was a time when football was capturing the attention of the nation.

The love affair America has today with football was in its infancy and that love began and was nurtured at the local level.

There were several neighborhood teams in Ironton. The Irish Town Rags — forerunners to the Tanks — were on one end of town while the Lombard Submarines were at the south end.

Portsmouth, Ashland, Kentucky and Huntington, West Virginia also had their own teams and a league was eventually formed among the cities.

It was games between the Tanks and the Portsmouth N&W Smoke House and later the Spartans that ignited the high school rivalry that is in place today between Ironton and Portsmouth high schools.

There were other teams on the Tanks schedule from New Boston, Jackson, Wellston, Athens, Logan, Lancaster, Washington Court House, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, Chillicothe and Nitro, West Virginia.

PLEASE SEE “100TH,” PAGE 3B

Ironton Tanks 1919 Season New Boston Tigers Ashland (Ky.) Playhouse Ashland (Ky.) Playhouse Portsmouth N&W

Tanks 9 Tanks 0 Tanks 0 Tanks 12 Record: 2-1-1 Coach, Manager & Captain: I.H. “Doc” Stewart 1920 Season Southern Ohio Champions Tanks 0 Morris Harvey College Tanks 6 Portsmouth N&W Smoke House Tanks 13 Marshall College Tanks 77 New Boston Tigers Tanks 13 Nitro, W.Va. Tanks 26 Ironton Lombard Submarines Tanks 14 Portsmouth N&W Smoke House Record: 5-1-1 Coach & Captain: T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Manager: Bill Brooks 1921 Season Tri-State Champions Southern Ohio Champions Tanks 6 Jackson Tanks 38 Charleston, W.Va. Tanks 7 Ashland (Ky.) Tigers Tanks 0 Portsmouth Smoke House Tanks 21 Ironton Lombard Submarines Tanks 1 Portsmouth Smoke House (Forfeit 14-0) Tanks 0 Wellston Tanks 19 Morris Harvey College Tanks 7 Wellston Record: 7-0-2 Coach: Honus Wieteki Captain: Clarence “Concrete” Poole Assistant Coach & Trainer: Doc Scott Assistant Coach: Clarke Manager: Bill Schnachleiter 1922 Season Tri-State Champions Southern Ohio Champions Tanks 13 Columbus Olympic A.C. Tanks 19 Athens Tanks 18 Huntington (W.Va.) Booster Tanks 76 Williamson, W.Va. Tanks 40 Jackson Bearcats Tanks 7 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 38 Lancaster Tanks 45 Washington Court House Tanks 12 Huntington (W.Va.) Booster Record: 8-0-1 Coach & Captain” T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Manager: Jimmy Lambert Trainer: Doc Lambert 1923 Season Tri-State Champions Southern Ohio Champions Tanks 46 Ironton Eagles Tanks 18 Columbus Seagrave A.C. Tanks 7 Columbus West Side A.C. Tanks 40 Portsmouth Smoke House Tanks 7 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 7 Logan (W.Va.) Wildcats Tanks 6 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 31 Cincinnati St. Aloysius Tanks 21 Columbus West Side A.C. Tanks 20 Cincinnati Harrison Tanks 26 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Record: 10-1-0 Coach & Captain” T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Manager: Jimmy Lambert Trainer: Doc Lambert

0 7 0 0

14 6 0 0 0 0

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0 0 6 0 0 0 12 0 6 0 0

1924 Season

Tri-State Champions Ohio Champions Tanks 38 Ironton Panthers Tanks 25 Columbus Jungle Imps Tanks 6 Murray City Tigers Tanks 41 Louisville (Ky.) Brecks Tanks 14 Cincinnati Potters Tanks 19 Akron Silents Tanks 6 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 43 Portsmouth Smoke House Tanks 7 Cincinnati Potters Tanks 12 Covington (Ky.) A.C. Tanks 21 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 0 Portsmouth Smoke House Record: 11-0-1 Coach & Captain” T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Manager: Jimmy Lambert Trainer: Doc Lambert 1925 Season Tri-State Champions Ohio Champions Tanks 29 Chillicothe Tanks 35 Columbus Bobb Chevrolet Tanks 15 Cincinnati Potters Tanks 21 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Tanks 12 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 15 Columbus Pirates Tanks 9 Ashland (Ky.) Armco

0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

0 0 6 6 0 5 0

Tanks 0 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 7 Dayton Koors Tanks 0 Canton Bulldogs Tanks 9 Cincinnati Potters Tanks 24 Dayton Koors Record: 9-1-2 Coach & Captain: Lingel “Sonny” Winters Manager: Jimmy Lambert Trainer: Doc Scott

0 7 12 0 6

1926 Season Tri-State Champions Tanks 27 Columbus All-Stars 0 Tanks 27 Middleton Armco 0 Tanks 34 Columbus Wagner Pirates 0 Tanks 23 Dayton Koors 0 Tanks 47 Cleveland Indians 0 Tanks 2 Ashland (Ky.) Armco 0 Tanks 27 Akron Silents 0 Tanks 9 Portsmouth Studebaker Presidents 0 Tanks 15 Kokomo (Ind.) American Legion 0 Tanks 7 Ashland (Ky.) Armco 0 Tanks 9 Kansas City Cowboys 0 Tanks 0 Cincinnati Potters 28 Tanks 33 Portsmouth Studebaker Presidents 0 Record: 11-1-1 Coach & Captain: Lingel “Sonny” Winters Managers: Jimmy Lambert and Nick McMahon Trainer: Bull Carter NOTE: Beechwood Park Stadium (Tanks Stadium) opened Sunday, Sept. 19, vs. Columbus All-Stars Tanks played Kansas City Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day 1927 Season Tri-State Champions Tanks 7 Columbus Bobb Chevrolet 0 Tanks 0 Middletown Armco 0 Tanks 25 Toledo Birmingham Boosters 7 Tanks 14 Shelby Blues 0 Tanks 0 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets 0 Tanks 27 Akron Indians 0 Tanks 18 Portsmouth Shoe-Steels 0 Tanks 7 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets 7 Tanks 0 Portsmouth Shoe-Steels 7 Tanks 0 Middletown Armco 8 Tanks 14 Logan (W.Va.) Wildcats 0 Record: 6-2-3 Coach & Captain: T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Managers: Bill Brooks and Nick McMahon Trainer: Bull Carter NOTE: Jim Thorpe coached Portsmouth Shoe-Steels 10 of 11 games 1928 Season

Tri-State Champions Ohio Champions Tanks 52 Columbus Bobb Chevrolet Tanks 47 Cleveland Panthers Tanks 0 Akron Awnings Tanks 0 Portsmouth Spartans Tanks 6 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets Tanks 7 Cincinnati National Guard Tanks 0 Portsmouth Spartans Tanks 13 Middletown Spartans Tanks 3 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets Tanks 19 Akron Awnings Tanks 14 Portsmouth Spartans Record: 7-1-3 Coach & Captain: Glenn Presnell Manager: Nick McMahon Trainer: Bull Carter

0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0

1929 Season Tanks 39 Columbus Mendel Tailors 0 Tanks 6 Chillicothe Eagles 0 Tanks 78 Toledo Birmingham Boosters 0 Tanks 3 Portsmouth Spartans 0 Tanks 2 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets 7 Tanks 7 Akron Awnings 5 Tanks 0 Portsmouth Spartans 20 Tanks 0 Cincinnati National Guard 5 Tanks 0 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets 7 Tanks 0 Portsmouth Spartans 39 Tanks 3 Akron Awnings 7 Record: 5-6-0 Coach: Glenn Presnell (was injured part of the season) Manager: Nick McMahon Trainer: Bull Carter 1930 Season Tanks 6 Portsmouth Spartans Tanks 14 Chillicothe Eagles Tanks 3 Akron Awnings Tanks 16 Portsmouth Spartans Tanks 70 Washington (Pa.) Olympic Club Tanks 0 Memphis Tigers Tanks 13 New York Giants (NFL) Tanks 13 Akron Awnings Tanks 26 Chicago Bears (NFL) Tanks 0 Portsmouth Spartans Record: 7-3 Coach: A. Earle “Greasy” Neale Captain: Glenn Presnell Manager: Nick McMahon Trainer: Bull Carter 1931 Season Tri-State Football League Champions

7 0 0 15 0 7 12 0 13 12

Tanks 32 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 3 Charleston (W.Va.) Bulldogs Tanks 7 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets Tanks 13 Huntington (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 3 Charleston (W.Va.) Boosters Tanks 13 Ashland (Ky.) Armco Yellow Jackets Record: 6-0-0 Coach: T. Charlton “Shorty” Davies Business Manager: Evard Lee Trainer: Bull Carter

0 0 0 0 0 7

Ironton Tanks Record Season-By-Season 1919: 2-1-1 1920: 5-1-1 1921: 7-0-2 1922: 8-0-1 1923: 10-1-0 1924: 11-01 1925: 9-1-2 1926: 11-1-1 1927: 6-2-3 1928: 7-1-3 1929: 5-6-0 1930: 7-3-0 1931: 6-0-0 Total: 94-17-15 Due to the Depression, the Ironton Tanks original team disbanded after the 1930 season and the top players joined the Portsmouth Spartans and that team joined the NFL. 1931 Season Spartans 14 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Spartans 13 Chicago Cardinals 3 Spartans 14 New York Giants 6 Spartans 6 Cleveland Indians 0 Spartans 19 Frankford (Pa.) Yellow Jackets 0 Spartans 19 Brooklyn Dodgers 0 Spartans 20 Staten Island Stapletons 7 Spartans 14 Frankford (Pa.) Yellow Jackets 0 Spartans 0 New York Giants 14 Spartans 14 Staten Island Stapletons 12 Spartans 14 Cleveland Indians 6 Spartans 19 Chicago Cardinals 20 Spartans 3 Chicago Bears 0 Spartans 101 Columbus Safety Cab Co. 7 Spartans 33 Charleston (W.Va.) Trojans 0 Record: 13-3-0 Coach: George “Potsy” Clark Business manager: Harold W. Griffen Trainer: Jack “Doc” Neff NOTE: Roy “Father” Lumpkin coached the Columbus game 1932 Season Spartans 33 Grand Rapids (Mi.) Maroons* Spartans 7 New York Giants Spartans 7 Chicago Bears Spartans 10 Green Bay Packers Spartans 7 Staten Island Stapletons Spartans 13 Staten Island Stapletons Spartans 6 Patterson (N.J.) Giants* Spartans 6 New York Giants Spartans 17 Brooklyn Dodgers Spartans 12 St. Louis Battery A Gunners* Spartans 13 Chicago Bears Spartans 19 Green Bay Packers Spartans 0 New York Giants Spartans 0 Chicago Bears# Spartans 6 Chicago Bears Spartans 21 Dallas Rangers* Spartans 13 Oklahoma City Indians* Record: 11-3-5 NFL record: 6-2-4 (second place) #-NFL playoff game *-Note an NFL game Coach: George “Potsy” Clark Business manager: Harold W. Griffen Trainer: Jack “Doc” Neff NOTE: Roy “Father” Lumpkin coached the Dallas Oklahoma City games 1933 Season Spartans 19 Indianapolis Indians* Spartans 21 Cincinnati Reds Spartans 17 New York Giants Spartans 7 Chicago Cardinals Spartans 45 Columbus Mendel Tailors* Spartans 0 Green Bay Packers Spartans 13 Boston Braves Spartans 25 Philadelphia Eagles Spartans 7 Shenandoah (Pa.) Presidents* Spartans 14 Staten Island Stapletons Spartans 10 New York Giants Spartans 7 Green Bay Packers Spartans 7 Cincinnati Reds* Spartans 14 Chicago Bears Spartans 7 Chicago Bears Spartans 44 Johnson City (TN.) All-Stars* Spartans 40 Charlotte (N.C.) Bantams* Spartans 13 Omaha (Neb.) Storz Brewers* Spartans 42 Omaha (Neb.) Storz Brewers* Spartans 17 Oklahoma City Chiefs* *-Not an NFL game Record: 13-5-2 NFL record: 6-5-0 (second place NFL West Division) Coach: George “Potsy” Clark Business manager: Harold W. Griffen Trainer: Jack “Doc” Neff NOTE: Glenn Presnell coached the last five games

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and

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2B

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

The Ironton Tanks battle the Chicago Bears in a 1930 game at Redland Field in Cincinnati

Presnell helped lead Tanks to signature wins over NFL’s Giants, Bears Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The Ironton Tanks were a famous and successful semipro team for 12 seasons, but there were two games that defined their greatness.

It was 1930, and what proved to be the team’s final season due to the Great Depression and loss of jobs and revenue to support the franchise.

Despite having three losses in the 1930 season, the Tanks were scheduled to play the Chicago Bears of George Halas and the New York Giants of Wellington Mara to close

out the season. The games were played in Cincinnati at Redland Field in a three-week span with a game against the Akron Awnings sandwiched between.

Presnell led the Tanks to a 13-12 win over the Giants as he scrambled and threw a touchdown pass on the game’s final play. He then kicked the decisive extra point to beat the team led by former All-American quarterback Benny Friedman and All-Pro guard Denver Gibson.

None of the Tanks are alive today, including Presnell who died in 2004 at the age

of 99. During one of his later interviews, he recalled the final moments of the game.

“I saw Gene Alford down

near the end zone waving his hands. I threw the ball and he caught it and stepped into the end zone to score. That pass was the biggest thrill of my career,” Presnell said.

The late Harold Rolph, a

native of Ironton, played for Xavier University and signed with the Tanks in 1929.

Considered a behemoth for the era at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds, Rolph once talked about Presnell’s elusive running style and cannon-like arm.

He vividly recalls Presnell’s scramble on the final play against the Giants.

“Glenn always made that move. It was his favorite move. He would always run one way, then spin back the other way and cut back across the grain. He was one of the best I ever saw at that,” said Rolph.

With a victory of the NFL’s runner-up team, the Tanks had only a short time to celebrate. Two weeks later on Nov. 30, the Tanks faced the Bears and the game’s most famous player in Red Grange.

The Bears finished third in

the NFL standings behind the champion Green Bay Packers and the Giants. But unlike the game with the Giants, the Tanks didn’t need any last-second heroics as they beat Chicago 26-13.

The Bears were 9-4-1 and third in the 11-team NFL that season. The lineup featured three-time All-American Harold “Red” Grange and fullback Bronko Nagurski.

Grange has signed a six — figure contract with MGM after graduating in 1925 from Illinois.

PLEASE SEE “WINS,” PAGE 6B

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IRONTON TANKS

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

THE TRIBUNE

3B

100th CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B The Tanks expanded their schedule to play Marshall College, Morris Harvey College (now the University of Charleston), Rio Grande College, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Toledo and Washington, Pa. And, of course, the two games that caught the eye of the nation when the Tanks played the second and third place teams of the NFL in 1930, beating the New York Giants and Chicago Bears at Redland Field which was the home of the Cincinnati Reds professional baseball team.

The Tanks began to bring in players during the 1920s and pay salaries of $100, $200 and $300 a game depending on the player. They also gave teaching and coaching jobs to players to give them steady work which allowed them to make more money than if they were playing in the NFL. A player earning $100 per game in 1930 was the equivalent of $1,536, $200 was like getting $3,072 in today’s marker and $300 was the same as $4,609 by today’s standards.

The Tanks featured some great players throughout their 12-year existence including quarterback and defensive back Glenn Presnell, the team’s most successful player who later earned fame as an All-Pro and led the Detroit Lions to their firstever league championship.

Presnell was a first team AllAmerican at Nebraska who led the nation in rushing during his 1927 senior year. Nick McMahon sent Presnell a letter offering him a teaching job at a local high school at $2,000 a year and $150 per game with the Tanks.

Presnell accepted the offer because it was more than he could make playing in the newly-formed NFL. “I was contemplating playing pro ball, then I received a letter from Nick McMahon,” Presnell said in an interview with The Ironton Tribune.

“It was signed ‘Manager of the Ironton Tanks.’ I had never heard of Ironton, Ohio. I didn’t know where it was. I had to get out my map. I was interested because of what he told me.

“That was pretty good money at the time, so I took it.”

The Tanks first game was a 9-0 win over the New Boston Tigers. A 7-0 loss and 0-0 tie with the Ashland (Ky.) Playhouse followed and then a 12-0 win over Portsmouth N&W capped the brief four-game schedule in 1919.

The coach, manager and captain of the team was I.H. “Doc” Stewart.

There were other things that were

The Ironton Tanks 1922 team members are: front, from left to right, Brooks, Hoffman, Abel, Bell, McCarthy and Blevins; second row from left to right, Barron, Chester, Delong, Fritz and Hall; third row, from left to right, Davies, Haney, Hankis, Friel, Heald, Anderson and Crawford.

Charlton “Shorty” Davies was one of the first players and coaches of the Tanks. different during the early era of pro football.

Fan support for the Tanks and other pro teams was very strong, drawing anywhere from 300 to 1,500 before the grandstands were erected. However, a lot of games featured fights among the fans due to the heavy amount of money bet on the games. A game with rival Portsmouth was once rumored to have $10,000 wagered on the outcome. Ironton won the game when Portsmouth had a touchdown called back on a penalty and it created several fights afterwards.

Could the officials have helped change the outcome? Considered that once an official from Columbus named Jim Durphy used to stand behind the Tanks’ huddle and offer bits of helpful information.

It was Rolph who recalled that Durphy “would say things like, ‘You can trap their tackle.’ His wife made candy on the side, so after the game he would try and sell us all candy.”

The rivalry with the Tanks and Spartans carried over to the high schools. Ironton and Portsmouth have played more football games than any other schools in Ohio high school history.

In fact, the Tanks had only one losing season when they went 5-6 in 1929 due in part to Presnell being injured the entire season. But the Tanks handed Portsmouth its only loss of the year, 3-0. Portsmouth won two other games played against the Tanks that season 20-0 and 39-0.

Rolph recalled that Portsmouth “wanted to win so badly that they went out and recruited a whole new team for the next time we played them.”

It has been reported that Portsmouth

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One of the forerunner teams to the Ironton Tanks was the Ironton Midways. Here is a team photo from 1914. Front row, from left to right, Albert Geswein, Albert Cannon, R. Barron, B. Finley, Charles Feucheter, Charles Elmer Mayne, Walter Crawford, J. Brownstead, William Brooks, M. O’Conners, Carl Behrling, D. Ferguson and Williams Albertson; second row, from left to right, are team officials H.J. McCarthy, Emerson Parnell and C.E. Crance. (Courtesy of Rick Mayne) was able to get the legendary Jim Thorpe to play for them against the Tanks both at Portsmouth and on the Tanks Memorial Stadium field.

Rolph grew up in Ironton and often attended games when he was in high school. He saw how they rolled over opponents and said that the “steamroller style” helped give birth to the team’s nickname.

Rolph said that during World War I Sherman tanks destroyed everything in their paths without showing any mercy. After a rout of rival Portsmouth, the headline in the Ironton newspaper read “Ironton Runs Over Portsmouth Like Tanks.”

The nickname stuck.

Rolph also talked about the training methods of teams, or lack thereof. There was no such thing as weightlifting or strength and conditioning coaches. He said, “You were your own boss when it came to taking care of yourself. Taping was usually out of the question. You only taped the area that was needed. It was the survival of the fittest.”

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Besides McMahon, other owners included Scubby McMahon, Bill Brooks, who was a salesman for the Alpha Portland Cement plant, Jimmy Lambert of the C&O Railroad, and Evard Lee who was a star athlete in the Big Ten. Brooks also served as a head coach for the Ironton High School team in 1919.

Unlike owners today, the Tanks owners preferred to remain in the background. Rolph said “Scubby was a very private individual. He was an excellent citizen but very shy. You’d never know he had such a concern for the team and town. You never saw him on the sidelines.”

The iron ore industry brought people and jobs to Ironton, but it was the Tanks who made a name for the town. In 12 seasons, the Tanks had a record of 85 wins, 19 losses and 14 ties. “(The Tanks) put Ironton on the map,” said Rolph. “It meant everything to Ironton. The whole town revolved around the Ironton Tanks.”

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4B

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

Booster group acted quickly to build Tanks Memorial Stadium Jim Walker jim.walker@irontontribune.com

One thing about the football fans of Ironton in the 1920s, they didn’t just talk the talk. They walked the walk.

Case in point was the construction of Beechwood Stadium, which was built in 1926 at a cost of $33,500 with a seating capacity of 3,112 seats and 40 box seats that accommodated four to six people.

There were large restrooms under the stadium with a large concession stand operated by Charles Hite.

Locker rooms complete with hot and cold water showers were built at either end of the stadium. There were two main entrances and eight exits as well as four ticket offices all under the stadium.

Actual talk about a stadium began after the 1925 season but no action was taken until December when a meeting was held at the Ironton Elks Lodge and attended by more than 50 boosters.

But an official offer made by private parties to build the stadium caused all other plans to be dropped at the time.

Following a four-month delay, the Ironton News started a publicity campaign by publishing coupons.

The campaign began on March 23 and in the first week a total of $1,950 was voluntarily pledged for the sale of season tickets.

The next move was to get the approval of the Ironton Board of Education to use Beechwood Park and the approval was given at the April 8 meeting

when the Ironton News presented the proposition in writing.

The stadium group then called a public meeting at the Court House Auditorium on April 16 by Bert Cohen, Post Commander of the American Legion. At that time, the Legion had become active in the move making the Frank J. Goldcamp Post the only organization in the city that subscribed stock in the stadium.

The seven or eight boosters who attended the meeting at the courthouse laid plans for the organization of a stock company which finally resulted in the build of the stadium complete with a covered roof.

Those present at the meeting were Thomas L. Hudson, L.R. Andrews, Leo Brumberg, David Morgan, E.J. Merrill, W.P. Lewis, O.D. Hayes and C.B. Egerton as a committee to solicit the stock.

At the same time, incorporation papers were applied for and the incorporators were H.M. Edwards, Bert Cohen, James Collier, Harry Von Kennel and Charles L. Collett, all members of the American Legion. A committee comprised of Brook Capper, George P. Mahl and O.H. Scherickart were also named to get plans, bids and to look about the location.

On April 26, the committee started the drive for $30,000 worth of stock guaranteed to pay seven percent each year with a certain principal being refunded from the profits. The pledges reached the $15,000 or half the goal on the first day.

Tanks Memorial Stadium is at capacity as the crowd watches the Tanks roll over the Cleveland Indians 47-0 in October of 1926, the year the stadium was built and first opened to the public.

On May 6, the $30,000 had be over-subscribed and on May 7 at the Chamber of Commerce rooms, the Beechwood Stadium Co., a non-profit corporation, was organized by the election of the following directors: A.R. Johnson, L.R. Andrews, D.C. Davies, Frank Wieteki, Brook Capper, Dr. Cos Burton, O.D. Hayes, W.P. Lewis, George P. Mahl, Charles L. Collett, E.J. Merrill, Leo Brumberg, Dr. T.H. Remy and C.W. Golden.

The directors elected the following officers:

Thomas L. Hudson as president, J.F. Scherer, Dr. C.E. Vidt and F.W. Batham vice-presidents, H.M. Edwards secretary and David Morgan treasurer.

On May 13, A.R. Johnson and L.R. Andrews appeared before the Board of Education and secured a 20-year lease on the stadium site in Beechwood Park with the understanding that the Stadium Association would have full charge of the affairs until the same was paid for and

all stockholders had received their money back plus seven percent interest.

On May 21, the directors awaded the contract for the steel to the Wisconsin Bridge Company. Other contracts were let to O.H. Schweickart and thus the fine building was completed.

The stadium opened on Sunday, Sept. 19,

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when the Tanks played the Columbus All-Stars in the first game of the season. The Tanks rolled over Columbus 27-0.

It was during the 1926 season that the stadium was renamed Tanks Memorial Stadium in honor of the World War I veterans who had come home to play for the Tanks.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

5B

Tanks players went to other teams after 1930 Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

The ending for the Ironton Tanks was just a new beginning for the team’s players.

The Great Depression hit in 1930 and the Tanks were unable to survive the financial crisis.

After the 1930 season, five Tanks players joined the Portsmouth Spartans that included center Elmer Wager, tackle Tim Hastings, halfback Gene Alford, end Tank Mitchell and Presnell.

Four other Tanks players — end Dick Powell, tackle Howard Jesson, fullback Carlos Pignatelli and halfback Keith Molesworth — signed with other pro teams.

Molesworth — the player who had the longest career with the Tanks — had a tryout with the Bears and earned a spot on the team from 1931-37.

Powell went to the Giants in 1932 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1933, and Jesson and Pignateli both signed with the Cleveland Indians.

The Spartans joined the NFL July 12, 1930, and tied the Bears for first place in the 1933 season.

They lost a playoff game 9-0 with the game being played indoors at the Chicago Stadium on an 80-yard field because of blizzard like conditions.

Despite the success, the team was on the verge of bankruptcy after 1933 and the franchise was sold for reportedly between $8,000 and $16,500 to a Detroit group led by radio executive George A. Richards who owned station WJR. Presnell was easily the most successful of the former Tanks players and led the Lions to their first NFL championship in 1935 by beating the New York Giants 26-7.

Presnell was a second team All-Pro in 1933 when he led the league in total offense with 1,296 yards.

He ran for 522 on 118 carries for a 4.4 average and he was 50-of-125 passing for 774 yards. He led the league with six rushing TDs and was second in the league in passing touchdowns, completed passes, attempts and yardage.

He was first team All-Pro in 1935 as he led the league in scoring and tied for the lead in field goals while leading the Lions to their first title.

Presnell’s 54-yard field goal on Oct. 7, 1934, beat on Green Bay 3-0 and stood as an NFL record for 19 years until Baltimore’s Bert Rechichar kicked a 56-yarder in 1953.

Presnell actually was the person who selected the Lions’ team colors when he signed his contract for the 1934 season.

“When I had gone to Detroit to sign my contract, Mr. Richards, the owner of the ball club, said, ‘Glenn, out here in this office there are a table full of jerseys. I want you to go out there and pick

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In 1966, the Ironton Sports Day honored former Ironton Tanks and Detroit Lions running back Glenn Presnell. Some members of past Tanks team were on hand for the event and took this team photograph. Charles E. Mayne is seated second from the left and T.C. “Shorty” Davis is fifth from the left. Fourth from the left in the second row is Kermit Frecka and next to him Presnell. Standing at the far right is Harold Rolph. out one.’ I went out there and they got every color imaginable,” said Presnell.

“I saw that Honolulu blue and silver and I told Mr. Richards that is the particular color I like and he bought the jerseys and that’s still the color of the Detroit Lions’ uniforms.”

Running back Earl “Dutch” Clark is the only member of the 1935 team in the Pro Football Hall of Fame but head coach George “Potsy” Clark once said in an interview that Presnell belonged in the Hall of Fame, too.

“Potsy used to tell me that Dutch Clark was his best running back, but that I was his best player,” said Presnell who played in the era when players went both ways. On top of that, Presnell was the kicker and kick returner.

Presnell was a first team All-American running back at Nebraska where he led the nation in rushing his senior seasons. He is a member of the Hall of Fame for both the University of Nebraska and state of Nebraska.

Presnell played six seasons in the NFL and then became an assistant coach at Kansas and Nebraska. He later was a coach and then athletic director at Eastern Kentucky University.

When Presnell died on Sept. 13, 2004, in Ironton, he was 99 years old and at the time the oldest living former NFL player.

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6B

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

ABOVE: An Ironton Tanks’ running back attempts to elude an opposing defensive player.

AT RIGHT: One of the Ironton Tanks’ owners was Scubby McMahon. Scubby got an autographed photo of Green Bay Packers’ Hall of Fame player Clark Hinkle who wrote a personal greeting and offered his sincerest regards to McMahon who was known for being a very private person and preferred to remain in the background.

AT LEFT: The Ironton Tanks 1930 backfield was comprised of: kneeling left to right, John Haggerty, Glenn Presnell, Keith Molesworth and Carl Pignatelli; standing left to right, Joe Gembis, “Pony” Smith, Ted Franz and Gene Alford. Presnell and Molesworth were instrumental in the Tanks wins over the NFL teams Chicago Bears and New York Giants.

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Wins CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2B Both Grange and Nagurski are in the Hall of Fame.

After a short kickoff to start the game, the Tanks drove down the field behind Presnell and Keith Molesworth.

Presnell went 4 yards for the touchdown and it was 6-0.

After stopping the Bears at the 12-yard line, Presnell broke free on an 88-yard scoring run as he got a pair of crushing blocks. He kicked the extra point and it was 13-0.

The Bears got an interception but fumbled the ball back to the Tanks.

Molesworth then went 22 yards for a TD and it was 19-0.

The Bears got within 19-13 in the second half before The Tanks used a long pass from Presnell to Molesworth to get deep into Chicago ter-

ritory and Molesworth finished off the drive and the Bears with a 5-yard scoring run.

Presnell is not in the Hall of Fame today but reportedly is under consideration.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

7B

Stadium CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4B On Thanksgiving Day, the Tanks hosted the Kansas City Cowboys and posted a 9-0 win.

The actual tradition of playing on Thanksgiving was initiated on Friday, Nov. 26, 1920, when the Tanks beat the crosstown rival Lombard Submarines 26-0, since many people were off due to the holiday The Tanks began to play on Thanksgiving Day against the Huntington Boosters Nov. 30, 1922, a game won by the Tanks. In fact, many semi-pro teams began playing on Thanksgiving.

When the Tanks were forced to merge with the Portsmouth Spartans, the Thanksgiving Day game tradition ended.

But when a Detroit group headed by radio owner G.A. Richards bought the

Portsmouth franchise in 1933, the new owner asked players about ways to improve ticket sales.

Former Tanks players led by Glenn Presnell said they always had a good turnout on Thanksgiving Day. Not only did Detroit play the game on Thanksgiving, but the team made an arrangement with NBC to broadcast the game nationally, thus reaching a larger audience and developing a national clamor for repeating the tradition in the following years.

The tradition of NFL football on Thanksgiving Day has continued until the present day.

Tanks Memorial Stadium is one of only a few covered high school stadiums remaining in the United States. It Running back and defensive back Glenn Presnell (left) and lineman Harold Rolph (right) were two former standout was declared a Historic Ironton Tanks players. The two are checking out the Ironton Tanks mural on the Center Street landing floodwall in Landmark in 2001. downtown Ironton. (An Ironton Tribune photo) FAR LEFT: Outside of Tanks Stadium are posters honoring the Tanks teams; MIDDLE: A historical marker was awarded to the stadium in 2001 by the Ohio Historical Society; RIGHT: Today, the grass at Tanks Memorial Stadium has an artificial turf playing surface.

8B

IRONTON TANKS

THE TRIBUNE

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

Mayne recalls grandfather’s stories of Tanks’ early years Jim Walker jim.walker@irontontribune.com

Rick Mayne grew up in Ironton and knew the history. In fact, his family had a big part in its history and recording it as well.

Mayne’s grandfather Charles Elmer Mayne was a World War I veteran who was a member of the first Ironton Tanks football team.

His father, Don Mayne, was a longtime news reporter for the Ironton Tribune and Herald Dispatch.

Rick himself was in the media business working at several radio stations as an announcer, salesman, front office employee and part owner.

And, yes, he was involved in sports as a play-by-play announcer for area high school games.

Rick Mayne is one of the few descendants from the Ironton Tanks semi-pro football team celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

And, he has a special place in his heart for the Tanks because of his grandfather who played on the team from 1919 to 1921.

Elmer Mayne played center and middle guard for the Tanks. He regaled stories of those days to his grandson.

“Playing those positions led by grandfather to what he

ABOVE LEFT: Charles Elmer Mayne (left) after he returned from World War I and became a member of the original Ironton Tanks in 1919. ABOVE RIGHT: A picture of the original Tanks jersey. (Courtesy of Rick Mayne) termed were a very bad set of knees,” said Rick. “His take was he beat Joe Namath on bad knees from football by 50 years.”

Elmer Mayne played for the Tanks before going to work full-time with the E.J. Merrill Drug Company, whose owner by the same name was one of the many investors in the Beechwood Stadium project that saw members of the town

raise $33,000 in one week back in 1926 to construct a covered stadium, which is now known as Tanks Memorial Stadium.

Elmer Mayne said the first Tanks were comprised mostly of local players from the neighborhood teams, namely Mayne’s team the Irishtown Rags and The Lombards from the southern end of Ironton.

However, the practice of

recruiting more players or better players began around the second or third year of the Tanks. Prospective players were promised a job with the Ironton Fire Department, the telephone company or the rail yard in Russell, Ky. Working at a local job would allow them time to practice and play for the Tanks.

But the recruiting didn’t

just focus on the working man. College players were recruited as well. Those players would have a college game on Saturday and then play for the Tanks on Sunday using fake names and disguising themselves by taping their faces in order to protect their amateur standing.

Elmer Mayne said the first paid Tanks player was Doc Elliott, a fullback from Toledo who was given $50 per game, which included expenses.

Eventually, Nick MaMahon became the team’s general manager and he wrote letters to college players offering them jobs if they agreed to play for the Tanks.

Salaries began to grow and players were paid anywhere from $100 to $200 to $300 per game.

Nebraska All-American running back Glenn Presnell led the nation in rushing in 1927 and came to play for the Tanks in 1928. Presnell was the highest paid Tanks player at $300 a game or the equivalent of $4,609 a game by today’s standards.

As Rick Mayne reflects on the Tanks anniversary and all its memories, he can only smile.

“The very name of the team will be a lifelong reminder of one of my favorite places to be on a football game night: at the stadium,” said Rick.

Good luck to all from the Ironton Board of Education & Administration