Undefeated, untied, unscored upon team to be inducted

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By Dan King

Back then football was different, but Whitehall was still dominant.

Players wore leather helmets and the 1939 season preview noted it was the first season that players could throw the ball from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage, the first season teams could bring in unlimited substitutes, and the first season those substitutes were allowed to communicate with their teammates at any time.

It was also the season when the Whitehall High School football team, then nicknamed the “Maroon,” went 7-0 and outscored its opponents 210-0.

Officials have decided that the undefeated, untied and unscored upon 1939 team will be inducted into the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame on July 30 at 6 p.m. at the Radisson Inn in Albany.

Athletic Director Keith Redmond said he is searching for photos of the 1939 team.

The 1939 Maroon were led by Gerald “Barney” Ross, Francis “Hacket” Conlon, Putt LaMay, Ned Jeffreys, Chris Grady, Charlie White, Austin Creedon, Joe Latino, Jess LeRoy, Charlie Carswell and Reggie Carroll – just to name a few. Plus there was the legendary coach Ambrose Gilligan leading the team.

We dug through the dusty Whitehall Times archives to bring you a recap of each and every victory.

Week 1

The season kicked off on Saturday, Sept. 23, with a game that many thought would be the toughest for the Maroon, a road trip to Rutland.

However, in front of a crowd of 1,200, the Maroon rolled to victory, 33-0.

“The Maroon, scoring in every period, kept Rutland pinned in its own territory throughout most the game,” the Whitehall Times reported.

Ross, one of the team’s leading rushers, left the game in the first quarter after suffering cuts on his cheeks and forehead. He was taken to Rutland Hospital for stiches.

That didn’t slow down Whitehall, though.

LaMay ran for two touchdowns and threw one to White. Latino blocked a punt that Creedon recovered for a touchdown, and Vince Pippo added a rushing touchdown when Whitehall got its backups in.

Rutland never got further than the Whitehall 45-yardline.

Week 2

Whitehall’s first home game was a 19-0 win over Mineville on Saturday, Sept. 30.

That game would end up being the second closest the Maroon came to losing on the season.

Ross was back in the lineup after his injury, and he managed to rush for one of three Maroon touchdowns on the day. The other two touchdowns were also rushes, as LaMay and Grady scored.

Again, Whitehall barely allowed its opponent into Maroon territory, as Mineville got no further than the Whitehall 35-yardline.

Whitehall had 15 first downs to Mineville’s 4.

The win over Mineville set Whitehall up for its first league game, the following Saturday at home against Glens Falls.

Week 3

Tickets went on sale well in advance of the first league game, and the Maroon didn’t disappoint for the home crowd, defeating Glens Falls, 31-0, on Saturday, Oct. 7.

“The Maroon, which scored twice in the first quarter and once in each of the remaining periods, appeared capable of scoring as often as desired,” said the following week’s Whitehall Times.

Ross galloped to two touchdowns, LaMay ran for one, threw one to White and threw one to Jeffreys.

“The Maroon, after building up a 24-0 lead, was content to spend the last half trying all the plays in the book and some that looked as though they were not in the book,” the paper added.

One such play became a popular one throughout the season and was called “The Goofus.”

Following the win, Whitehall would hit the road for its next two games.

Ambrose Gilligan
Ambrose Gilligan

Week 4

In what would be an oddity nowadays, Whitehall traveled to Fort Edward for a Thursday game on Oct. 12 and the Maroon defeated the Forts, 19-0, in the Columbus Day battle.

The next week’s Whitehall Times called the game at Fort Edward the worst the maroon looked on the season, in front of 1,200 spectators.

LaMay factored in all three Maroon touchdowns, rushing for one and throwing two to White.

“The Forts, although presenting nothing in the way of offence, put up a stubborn defence all afternoon,” the paper added.

Prior to Whitehall putting its backups in, the Forts had netted negative-6 yards of offense on the game.

Reports of the time called the following week’s game the most crucial, and it ended up being the closest.

Week 5

An estimated 4,000 people packed into Hudson Falls’ Derby Park on Saturday, Oct. 21, for a “crucial” matchup in the Northern Conference standings. Whitehall escaped with its narrowest margin of victory on the season, 14-0.

Grady rushed for a touchdown and LaMay threw one to Jeffreys, both scores coming in the second quarter.

Although it may have been the closest final score for the 1939 team, it wasn’t close in most other statistics.

Whitehall outgained Hudson Falls in yards, 256-86.

Following the victory at Hudson Falls, Whitehall was left with two home games.

Week 6

The Whitehall Times didn’t sugarcoat its report following Whitehall’s 44-0 shellacking of Plattsburgh on Oct. 28.

“Whitehall High ran roughshod over Plattsburgh on the local gridiron last Saturday, scoring 44 points to zero for their opponents, as the sun shone between downfalls of rain, hail and snow.” The following week’s paper reported. “Plattsburgh threatened to spoil Whitehall’s unscored-upon record, marching to the 2 yard line in the second quarter, but a bad pass from center ruined their opportunity.”

Whitehall opened the scoring with a safety. LaMay then found Grady for a touchdown, Ross rushed for a touchdown and the Maroon recorded another safety.

On the drive where Plattsburgh threatened to ruin the unscored upon season, Whitehall intercepted a Plattsburgh pass and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. Later Ross and LaMay would each add another score, and when the backups got in, Ernie DiPhillips capped the scoring with a 35-yard interception return.

Forty-five Maroon players saw action in the rout of Plattsburgh.

Week 7

It was no-holds-barred when two Northern Conference rivals squared off in Whitehall on Nov. 4, and Whitehall dominated Granville.

“Whitehall High overwhelmed a weak Granville eleven, 50-0, on the local gridiron last Saturday to win the Northern Conference Championship and end its season with an undefeated, untied and unscored upon record,” the Whitehall Times reported. “A crowd of about 1,500 persons attended the game.”

LaMay factored in the first three touchdowns, throwing one to White and running for two of his own. The Maroon then tackled the Granville punter in the end zone for a safety.

Grady rushed for a touchdown and Ross capped it off with two of his own.

“Whitehall, tossing the ball about on forward passes and laterals with reckless abandon, gave a brilliant aerial display, completing 14 of 17 attempted forward passes,” added the paper.

Celebrations

Much like the send-off celebration for this year’s football team, the community rallied around the 1939 team.

On Nov. 15 the local Rotary Clubs honored both the Whitehall and Granville football teams with a banquet, featuring Union College football coach Nelson Nitchman as guest speaker.

Later, on Dec. 14, the team was honored again at the Trinity Parish Hall. The event featured movies of the team’s triumphs throughout the season.