McBride Turns Spot
Light on Powhattan
Hiawatha Daily World December 16, 1939
C. E. McBride, sports editor of the Kansas City Star turns spot light on Powhattan high school athletics, John Corrigan in his column in the Kansas City Star Tuesday night.
Here is what he said: “Don Jones, who keeps tabs on tab on sports operations in the neighborhood of Hiawatha, Kansas makes his annual report on Johnnie Corrigan, whom he labels as “the best bet since Houdini.”
“This story comes annually,” Jones writes. “There’s only one chapter, it’s always the same. There’s a little community up here in this sector of Kansas tagged Powhattan, strictly rural all the way. Its high school has 60 boys enrolled. Corrigan, the principal, instructor, coach, etc. Corrigan takes his boys, pounds razzle-dazzle for a couple of weeks, then sends them out to turn in an all-victorious season. Their play brings back memories of something like a typical Kansas tornado.
Those kids, freshmen, sophs, juniors, seniors took 10 games on the gridiron this season, winning them all, amassing a total of 292 points to opponents 6; 3 of the victories were over Horton, Valley Falls, Hiawatha, members of the northeastern Kansas Big 6 conference. The Big 6 is not a soft touch.
One of the Hiawatha’s drugstore quarterbacks took up a street collection before the Powhattan - Hiawatha game mailed it (18c) to Corrigan, suggesting that he scout the Hiawatha 11. Corrigan wired back at 4 o’clock one morning telling him he had taken his suggestion, to further prove it, Powhattan took Hiawatha into camp, 6 to 0.
So far as Powhattan’s basketball is concerned, they teach the kids to throw balls thru a hoop at the same time they teach them to milk cows, do the daily chores. They concede Powhattan some kind of a cage championship every year before the season opens.”
* * * *
What a Record!
Source Unknown
The Fairview Bulldongs with an undefeated season are taking justifiable pride in routing the powhattan Red Devils from first place in the rural high school basketball standings of the county.
Powhattan bowed too, to the Morrill Tigers, 51 to 47, finishing fourth place in A-consolation game at Robinson Saturday night.
But the record of the Red Devils is a formidable one . . . 24 county championships during the past 35 years’.
Johnnie Corrigan veteran coach of the Red Devils has guided the Powhattan lads through that many championships and his contribution to basketball history in this area will go long unchallenged, most cage sports agree.
The Powhattan boys held the 1959 county crown, won second place in the district, losing their regional bid last year.
Light on Powhattan
Hiawatha Daily World December 16, 1939
C. E. McBride, sports editor of the Kansas City Star turns spot light on Powhattan high school athletics, John Corrigan in his column in the Kansas City Star Tuesday night.
Here is what he said: “Don Jones, who keeps tabs on tab on sports operations in the neighborhood of Hiawatha, Kansas makes his annual report on Johnnie Corrigan, whom he labels as “the best bet since Houdini.”
“This story comes annually,” Jones writes. “There’s only one chapter, it’s always the same. There’s a little community up here in this sector of Kansas tagged Powhattan, strictly rural all the way. Its high school has 60 boys enrolled. Corrigan, the principal, instructor, coach, etc. Corrigan takes his boys, pounds razzle-dazzle for a couple of weeks, then sends them out to turn in an all-victorious season. Their play brings back memories of something like a typical Kansas tornado.
Those kids, freshmen, sophs, juniors, seniors took 10 games on the gridiron this season, winning them all, amassing a total of 292 points to opponents 6; 3 of the victories were over Horton, Valley Falls, Hiawatha, members of the northeastern Kansas Big 6 conference. The Big 6 is not a soft touch.
One of the Hiawatha’s drugstore quarterbacks took up a street collection before the Powhattan - Hiawatha game mailed it (18c) to Corrigan, suggesting that he scout the Hiawatha 11. Corrigan wired back at 4 o’clock one morning telling him he had taken his suggestion, to further prove it, Powhattan took Hiawatha into camp, 6 to 0.
So far as Powhattan’s basketball is concerned, they teach the kids to throw balls thru a hoop at the same time they teach them to milk cows, do the daily chores. They concede Powhattan some kind of a cage championship every year before the season opens.”
* * * *
What a Record!
Source Unknown
The Fairview Bulldongs with an undefeated season are taking justifiable pride in routing the powhattan Red Devils from first place in the rural high school basketball standings of the county.
Powhattan bowed too, to the Morrill Tigers, 51 to 47, finishing fourth place in A-consolation game at Robinson Saturday night.
But the record of the Red Devils is a formidable one . . . 24 county championships during the past 35 years’.
Johnnie Corrigan veteran coach of the Red Devils has guided the Powhattan lads through that many championships and his contribution to basketball history in this area will go long unchallenged, most cage sports agree.
The Powhattan boys held the 1959 county crown, won second place in the district, losing their regional bid last year.
____________________________________
Following very interesting notes included in a book of newspaper clipings from Sharon Kubic Corrigan. Undated and source not specified. (Editor's note: A side of Johnnie seldom seen?)
_________________________________________________
Following very interesting notes included in a book of newspaper clipings from Sharon Kubic Corrigan. Undated and source not specified. (Editor's note: A side of Johnnie seldom seen?)
_________________________________________________
Johnny Corrigan Sends Poem to Dr. Paul Conrad
The following poem has some bearing on long time detours, bad roads, better roads. Johnny Corrigan sent it to Dr. Conrad: One day thru the primeval wood a calf walked home, as good calves should; left a trail all bent askew, a crooked trail, as most calves do. Since then 300 years have fled, I infer, the calf is dead. Still he left behind his trail, thereby hangs my moral tale. The trail was taken up next day by a lone dog that passed that way. Soon a wise bell-weather sheep pursued the trail, o’er vale, steep, drew the flock behind him, too, as good bel-weathers always do. From that day o’er hill, blade, thru those old woods, a path was made. Many men would in, out, dodged, turned, bent about, uttered words of righteous wrath because t’was such a crooked path. But still they followed, do not laugh, the first migrations of that calf. O’er his winding wood-way stalked because he wobbled when he walked. The forest path became a lane which bent, turned, turned again. The forest lane became a road when many a poor horse with his load toiled on beneath the burning sun, traveled some 3 mile in 1. Thus a century, a half, they trod the footsteps of that calf. The years passed on in swiftness fleet. The road become a village street. This, before men were aware, a city’s crowded thorofare. Soon the central street was this of a renowned metropolis. Thus 2 centuries, a half they trod the footsteps of that calf. Each day a hundred thousand route followed this zig-zag calf about. O’er has crooked journey went the traffic of a continent. A hundred thousand men were led by one calf near 3 centuries dead. They followed in his beaten way, lost a hundred years a day. Fore thus such reverence is lent to well established precedent. A moral lesson this might teach were I ordained or called to preach. For men are prone to go it blind along the calf-paths of the mind. They toiled away from sun to sun to do what other men have done. They follow in a beaten track, out, in, forth, back, still their devious course pursue to walk the path that others do. They make the path a sacred groove along which all their lives they move. Yet how the wise old wood-gods laugh who saw the first primeval calf. Ah, many things this talk might teach. But I am not ordained to preach.
* * *
We turn to another field of battle and stand corrected by a valued eminent sports critic -- Johnnie Corrigan of Powhattan, probably the most successful small school basketball coach in Kansas. He points out we erred in saying the late Allan Crow coached the Hornet team in 1940 eliminated by Wyandotte 23-21 in the state regional cage tourney. “Leo Colton coached Horton basketball that year,” corrects Corrigan, He also goes on to report that Wyandotte didn’t win the state title that year, losing a heart breaker to Winfield in the state meet.
* * *
Pfielder Agency, Phone 486-3980 111 East 8th St. Adv.
* * *
“If you had made your statements about some other year than 1940 I might not have noticed then, writes Corrigan. “Powhattan won 32 games that year (including one over Horton, more than any other school in Kansas. We won the county, district and regional Class B tourneys, only to lose out in the state semi finals by 2 points to state champion Buhler. I recall lots of memories and history about that year 1940”
* * *
Philco radio and television. --Kinkade & Pedersen. Adv.
* * *
Coach Corrigan recalls: “The 1939-40 Powhattan team included Don Pfister, Gerald McCrerey, Floyd Skully, Paul Musick, Alysious Volz and led by Bruce Holman who later captained the K-State University team.”
The following poem has some bearing on long time detours, bad roads, better roads. Johnny Corrigan sent it to Dr. Conrad: One day thru the primeval wood a calf walked home, as good calves should; left a trail all bent askew, a crooked trail, as most calves do. Since then 300 years have fled, I infer, the calf is dead. Still he left behind his trail, thereby hangs my moral tale. The trail was taken up next day by a lone dog that passed that way. Soon a wise bell-weather sheep pursued the trail, o’er vale, steep, drew the flock behind him, too, as good bel-weathers always do. From that day o’er hill, blade, thru those old woods, a path was made. Many men would in, out, dodged, turned, bent about, uttered words of righteous wrath because t’was such a crooked path. But still they followed, do not laugh, the first migrations of that calf. O’er his winding wood-way stalked because he wobbled when he walked. The forest path became a lane which bent, turned, turned again. The forest lane became a road when many a poor horse with his load toiled on beneath the burning sun, traveled some 3 mile in 1. Thus a century, a half, they trod the footsteps of that calf. The years passed on in swiftness fleet. The road become a village street. This, before men were aware, a city’s crowded thorofare. Soon the central street was this of a renowned metropolis. Thus 2 centuries, a half they trod the footsteps of that calf. Each day a hundred thousand route followed this zig-zag calf about. O’er has crooked journey went the traffic of a continent. A hundred thousand men were led by one calf near 3 centuries dead. They followed in his beaten way, lost a hundred years a day. Fore thus such reverence is lent to well established precedent. A moral lesson this might teach were I ordained or called to preach. For men are prone to go it blind along the calf-paths of the mind. They toiled away from sun to sun to do what other men have done. They follow in a beaten track, out, in, forth, back, still their devious course pursue to walk the path that others do. They make the path a sacred groove along which all their lives they move. Yet how the wise old wood-gods laugh who saw the first primeval calf. Ah, many things this talk might teach. But I am not ordained to preach.
* * *
We turn to another field of battle and stand corrected by a valued eminent sports critic -- Johnnie Corrigan of Powhattan, probably the most successful small school basketball coach in Kansas. He points out we erred in saying the late Allan Crow coached the Hornet team in 1940 eliminated by Wyandotte 23-21 in the state regional cage tourney. “Leo Colton coached Horton basketball that year,” corrects Corrigan, He also goes on to report that Wyandotte didn’t win the state title that year, losing a heart breaker to Winfield in the state meet.
* * *
Pfielder Agency, Phone 486-3980 111 East 8th St. Adv.
* * *
“If you had made your statements about some other year than 1940 I might not have noticed then, writes Corrigan. “Powhattan won 32 games that year (including one over Horton, more than any other school in Kansas. We won the county, district and regional Class B tourneys, only to lose out in the state semi finals by 2 points to state champion Buhler. I recall lots of memories and history about that year 1940”
* * *
Philco radio and television. --Kinkade & Pedersen. Adv.
* * *
Coach Corrigan recalls: “The 1939-40 Powhattan team included Don Pfister, Gerald McCrerey, Floyd Skully, Paul Musick, Alysious Volz and led by Bruce Holman who later captained the K-State University team.”
