By fall of 1945, America was ready to return to normalcy following World War II.
On Sept. 14, 1945, Etowah County high schools were ready to test their teams in the year's opening games. The Gadsden Tigers, led by Coach Nurmi Nelson, were preparing to meet Cherokee County High School, and the Etowah Blue Devils, led by Coach Clyde Childers, were preparing to tangle with Glencoe High School.
The Etowah-Glencoe game, played in Attalla, was the season opener for Etowah, while Glencoe, coached by H.E. Wright, was playing its second game of the season. It was billed as a shoot-out between two top running backs, Harold Connor of Etowah and Glen Swinford of Glencoe.
As the Gadsden Tigers were preparing to open their season, it was Nelson's ninth season as Gadsden's head coach. Centre was coached by volunteers Emory Johnson and P.L. Snead.
A crowd of more than 2,000 Blue Devil and Yellow Jacket fans witnessed Etowah take a hard fought 12-7 win over Glencoe. The Blue Devils scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters to provide their margin of victory. Glencoe scored in the second period to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. Etowah halfback Harold Connor scored the game winner for the home-standing Devils. Etowah had avenged a 0-0 deadlock the year before at the hands of Glencoe.
On the same night, the Gadsden Tigers opened with a hard-fought 14-0 win over Cherokee County at Gadsden's Murphree Stadium. The Tigers scored a first quarter touchdown on a 37 yard run by Bill Murray and a 40 yard pass reception by Billy Mitchum. The Gadsden Tigers had defeated Centre 38-0 in 1944.
The Emma Sansom Rebels opened their season the following week against Bridgeport. Tom Lucia scored three touchdowns for head coach DeWitt Dunn as the game got out of hand early. The Alabama City team manhandled Bridgeport by the tune of 45-0. Emma Sansom piled up 490 yards rushing to only 45 for the much smaller Bridgeport squad.
Gadsden, Emma Sansom and Etowah high schools each had very successful seasons during the 1945 campaign. The Etowah High School Blue Devils posted a respectable 6-2-1 record under Childers, while the Gadsden High School Tigers went 6-3 under Nelson. The Emma Sansom Rebels presented Dunn with a seven-win season against only two loses.
By the end of the 1945 high school football season, things were back to normal in the United States with the close of World War II. Most Etowah County residents had returned to their jobs at the Dwight Manufacturing Company, Goodyear and the steel plant. Most eyes had returned to watching high school football rather than looking for signs that the war would soon come to a close. Most eyes had also turned to college sports as the University of Alabama would make another successful trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.
Mike Goodson is a correspondent for The Gadsden Times. Email him at gtdbear@aol.com.
By fall of 1945, America was ready to return to normalcy following World War II.
On Sept. 14, 1945, Etowah County high schools were ready to test their teams in the year's opening games. The Gadsden Tigers, led by Coach Nurmi Nelson, were preparing to meet Cherokee County High School, and the Etowah Blue Devils, led by Coach Clyde Childers, were preparing to tangle with Glencoe High School.
The Etowah-Glencoe game, played in Attalla, was the season opener for Etowah, while Glencoe, coached by H.E. Wright, was playing its second game of the season. It was billed as a shoot-out between two top running backs, Harold Connor of Etowah and Glen Swinford of Glencoe.
As the Gadsden Tigers were preparing to open their season, it was Nelson's ninth season as Gadsden's head coach. Centre was coached by volunteers Emory Johnson and P.L. Snead.
A crowd of more than 2,000 Blue Devil and Yellow Jacket fans witnessed Etowah take a hard fought 12-7 win over Glencoe. The Blue Devils scored touchdowns in the second and third quarters to provide their margin of victory. Glencoe scored in the second period to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room at halftime. Etowah halfback Harold Connor scored the game winner for the home-standing Devils. Etowah had avenged a 0-0 deadlock the year before at the hands of Glencoe.
On the same night, the Gadsden Tigers opened with a hard-fought 14-0 win over Cherokee County at Gadsden's Murphree Stadium. The Tigers scored a first quarter touchdown on a 37 yard run by Bill Murray and a 40 yard pass reception by Billy Mitchum. The Gadsden Tigers had defeated Centre 38-0 in 1944.
The Emma Sansom Rebels opened their season the following week against Bridgeport. Tom Lucia scored three touchdowns for head coach DeWitt Dunn as the game got out of hand early. The Alabama City team manhandled Bridgeport by the tune of 45-0. Emma Sansom piled up 490 yards rushing to only 45 for the much smaller Bridgeport squad.
Gadsden, Emma Sansom and Etowah high schools each had very successful seasons during the 1945 campaign. The Etowah High School Blue Devils posted a respectable 6-2-1 record under Childers, while the Gadsden High School Tigers went 6-3 under Nelson. The Emma Sansom Rebels presented Dunn with a seven-win season against only two loses.
By the end of the 1945 high school football season, things were back to normal in the United States with the close of World War II. Most Etowah County residents had returned to their jobs at the Dwight Manufacturing Company, Goodyear and the steel plant. Most eyes had returned to watching high school football rather than looking for signs that the war would soon come to a close. Most eyes had also turned to college sports as the University of Alabama would make another successful trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.
Mike Goodson is a correspondent for The Gadsden Times. Email him at gtdbear@aol.com.
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