A Century of Football in the Conshohockens

A CENTURY AGO

THERE WAS A LOT OF FOOTBALL BEING PLAYED IN CONSHOHOCKEN

By Jack Coll

11-14-21

*photos are in no particular order for this article.

     A century ago, in the 1920’s, Conshohocken was experiencing football fever.  To understand Conshohocken and West Conshohocken sports history, one must first understand the town’s histories and the town’s residents.  These two Pennsylvania boroughs are divided by the Schuylkill River located just 15 miles from Center City Philadelphia.

     In the 1830’s, the Schuylkill River and the canal that ran on Conshohocken’s side of the river attracted steel and cotton mills.  These mills required employees who lived in the villages on each side of the river.  By 1900, nearly 10,000 jobs were available along the riverfront and in the hills of both communities.  Without radios, television sets, or shopping malls, sports became the great American outlet. 

     Conshohocken has had a love-affair with the sport of football for more than 130 years.  The first organized football team was formed in 1893.  The team was sponsored by the Conshohocken YMCA and the team was called “The Ironmen.”  Members on that first team included Sam Wright, Ben Cressman, Charles Herron, Fred and Arthur Clark, (Sons of Charles Heber Clark, nationally known author) Eugene and Bud Beaver, (Sons of David Beaver, a Civil War surgeon) Alan Caine, George Lukens and Louis and Max Vielhaber.

     Conshohocken’s football team entered into the professional ranks in 1914, a team managed by Bob Crawford who for the next eight years brought championships and mainstream attention from throughout the country.  Crawfords 1919 team with guys like Bechtel, Cable, Hartig, Bergey, Williams, Jones, Yeabsley, Thomas, Wolavie, Eyrick, Fisher, Rigg, Potteiger, Hallowell, Burkhart, Eble, Mitchel, Seaholtz, Campbell and Hyde won the Eastern Seaboard Championship and was years later recognized by the National Football Hall of Fame, where the Conshohocken team photo hangs on a rotating basis.

     While Conshohocken had early success West Conshohocken was forging a football legacy of their own.  The West Conshohocken Reliance Football Club also had one of the strongest teams in eastern Pennsylvania from 1904-1913 winning three Schuylkill Valley Championships with guys like Harry Ellam, Jim Boyle, Ed Egan, Ed Cooper, Terrance “Pick” Campbell, Hoppy Pennington, Walter Cook, Dan O’Connor, John McGonigal, Thomas Kehoe and so many other West Conshohocken standouts.

     The West Conshohocken Reliance Team folded after the 1913 season to merge with the powerful Conshohocken Pros from 1914-1922.  By the mid 1920’s West Conshohocken Reliance Team reformed and once again made their mark.  The 1920’s Reliance team was coached by the once great Pick Campbell who had played for the early Reliance championship teams as well as the Conshy Professional teams.  Other members of the 1920’s West Conshohocken Reliance team included Keyser, Markle, Reynolds, Neil, Wells, Carrigan, Fleck, Smith, Bracelin, Campbell, Kenny, Maguire, Holiday, Woodick, Gilinger and Murphy.

     When the Conshy Pros played their games at what was known as the “Community Field,” (A-Field) located at Eleventh Avenue and Harry Street the team would draw anywhere from 6,000-10,000 fans every game.  When Conshy played an away game, chartered trains were hired to transport as many as 2,000 fans to the games.  When the West Conshohocken Reliance Team played their games behind the Mingo Hotel once located on the 1000 block of Ford Street.  It was said that up to 2,000 fans per game would ring the field cheering on their hometown heroes.

     The success of these early teams inspired dozens of teams and leagues in Conshohocken to organize during the 1920’s, the 1914-1922 Professionals was considered to be “The Golden Age of Football” in Conshohocken.  Thanks to their success, so began Conshohocken’s second greatest era known as “Club Football.”  These teams would play their games at “The Meadow” a playing field once located at Washington and Cherry Streets the future location of C&D Batteries and Hale Pumps.  Other playing fields teams used a century ago were located on a field at Second Avenue and Forrest Street, a lot at Eighth Avenue and Fayette Street, Thirteenth Avenue and Fayette Street, along with a couple of fields along upper Butler Pike and the lower end of Lee’s golf course down by Tenth Avenue and Wood Street.    

     So what-da-ya say we take a look back at a few of the many Conshohocken football teams of the 1920’s, what I considered Conshohocken’s “Golden Era of Football.”

     Teams formed during the 1920’s included Joe Witt’s Tigers featuring John “Burke” Borkowski, Joe Smolinski, John “Doc” Doughtery, Stanley “Stosh” Shivik, Jimmy “Skates” Laskiewicz, Felix “Flick” Hentz, Steve Tadawoski, and Timmy Hayes among others.

  There was the Sherwood Athletic Club Team, a few of the guys included J. Coyne, George Sauers, Carpett, Lowery, Johnson, Snear, Kelly, Hetrick, and Redmond among others.

     St. Mary’s of Connaughtown had a tough reputation with members like Julio Coccia, Carmen Zinni, Frank Ryday, Kiddi “Doc” Coccia, John Coshin, John Muller and Frank Rodenbaugh with a host of other players.

     Cap Smith’s 1927 and 1928 All Stars featuring Joe Murphy, John Doughtery, Bud Ingram, Jack Irwin, Joe Nally, Pud Russell, Jimmy Brown, Pat Donovan, Jack Frost, Joe Lafferty and Shorty York among others.

     There was the Desimone’s Poolroom football team led by Sol Desimond.  In 1928 they had one of their better teams with Morgan Mason, Bill “Sailor” Wertz, John Bonkowski, John “Bolwer” Kelly, Hugh “Huck” Gallagher, Sol “Bruno” Pastino, George Silk, Anthony “Rope” Ferst, Walt “Benny” Sauer, Joe Whip, Bennie “Burk” Borkowski, Ed Wernick, Costo Benidict and Charles “Buck” Ramsey.

     The Hollyhocks was a team mostly made up from guys who lived in the lower end of West Fifth Avenue and West Sixth Avenue.  A few of the members included Mickey Harrrington, Sunny Bickings, Joe Carpineta known as “Chippy,” who later owned and operated “Chippy’s Grill,” once located at West Sixth Avenue and Maple Street.

     The Conshohocken Catholic Club was a pretty good team that included Joe Baranoski, Pat Bolton, Conrad Swalla, Jesse Zadroga, Jo-Jo Podbielski, Whitey Baldyga, Shorty Bruno, Tony Shivick and Binkie Farley.

     The Conshohocken Athletic Association (Conshohocken A.A.) Coached by Billy Pownall in the mid 1920’s was one tough team on and off the field with players like Fondots, Mellon, Moser, Ford, Kehoe, Lafferty, Irvin, Fisher, and Abrams.  The Athletic Association played teams like East Falls, Holmesburg, Phoenixville and Colwyn.

     The Conshohocken Young Men’s Athletic Association, not to be confused with the Conshohocken A. A. had a number of successful seasons with players like Kehoe, Schank, Murphy, Corrigan and Gavin.

     The Irishtown Football Team played for a number of years during the mid-1920’s winning a lot of games with standouts like Tom Johnson, George Sauter and Smith.

     Cosmian C. C. formed in the late 1920’s, the team was led by Spring, Bruno, Turk, Pasquini, Kittie, Rumpton, Coscia, Cardamone, Johnson, Shivick, Juan. Juan and Shivick were good running backs

     Spring Mill formed a football team in 1926, Louis Frankenfield was captain of the newly formed squad along with a strong lineup including Axel Swanson, Bill Frankenfield, Doc Ramsey, Norman Wright, Francis Mack, John Rotak, Andy Louis, B. Dutill, John Hampton, L. Frankenfield, and Sam Glass who ran at fullback. 

     The Polish Americans formed a football team that included Rich, Bruno, Ostapowicz, Moss, O’Connor, Burke, Gowas, Basetsky, Kistesky, Moss, Shinick, Chest, Olshta, Dorman, Harrington, Tarleski, Rogeski, Murphy, Hagan, Garvin, and Ed Wennick. The team fared well in the Independent League.

     On top of all this, there was the Midget and Junior teams of the borough.  Mr. Forbes director at the Park House organized the midgets. A few of the teams included the Steamrollers, with Johnny Murphy as the team leader and James Traill was the Manager.  The Connaughtown Giants. The Sixth Avenue Bulldogs team consisted of Rodenbaugh, Friend, Freas, Dinino, Metzger, Cinine, Hilenski, Pettine and Bolton.    The Third Avenue team consisted of Yonie, Michael, Amelio, DiJenno, Simncino and Cardamone just to name a few.

 Other Midget and Junior teams of the 1920’s included:

Sherwood S. R.

Sixth Avenue Bulldogs,

St. Matthew’s Wildcats

11^th Avenue Yankees,

Elm A. A

Tanks

Third Avenue

First Avenue

Hector Street All Stars

     In 1927 the Seventh Grade Football team of St. Matthew’s School defeated the East Hector Street team 18-14.  St. Matts was led by Murray, Burns, Leddy and Kehoe.

 Both Conshohocken High School and St. Matthew’s High School formed official football teams in the early 1920’s, Conshohocken High School’s first football team was formed in 1923.  St. Matthew’s first official school team was formed in 1925, members of that team included Francis Shinners, Joe Mullen, Leo Redmond, John Kilcoyne, Larry Hissner, Joe Botto, Ed Rafferty, John McCruden, John Rafferty, Lou Devaney, John Fineran, Al Quinn and Bill Wacker.  George Rafferty was the team manager and Joe Carolin was the assistant manager.  The coach of that team was Bill Carson.

     As the years rolled by in the 1920’s both Conshy High and St. Matt’s High fielded alumni teams from their schools and played one or two games a year for bragging rights.

     The Conshohocken professional teams played throughout the 1920’s thru the 1940’s.  The professional Conshohocken team of the late 1930’s and early 1940’s won several championships under head coach Harry Fox, and players like Preston “Peppy” Campbell, (A Norristown High product) Ira “Whitey” Mellor, “Big” Dan O’Donnell, Al Oliver, Mac Simon, Knute Lawler, (A long time Conshohocken standout in several sports).  Then there was Hobson, Zadroga and Hannigan. 

     During the 1920’s and 1930’s residents couldn’t get enough of football.  Of course, many of the town’s residents played on a football team, lived next door to someone who played on a football team or were related to someone who played on a football team.

     Then there were the industrial football leagues like the John Woods Manufacturing Team, several teams representing the Alan Wood Steel firm, two or three teams from the woolen mills of West Conshohocken and I was once told of a football team sponsored by Lee Tires but in all my research over the years have never verified a Lee team. 

     By the early 1930’s, teams were dropping out with new teams being added to the Conshohocken roster of football teams. 

     A quick review of a few of the teams that suited-up and played football during the 1920’s included:

1914-1922 Professional Teams

Joe Witts Tigers

The Sherwood Athletic Club

St. Mary’s of Connaughtown

Cap Smith’s All Stars

Desimone’s Pool Room

The Hollyhocks

The Conshohocken Catholic Club

The Conshohocken Athletic Association

The Conshohocken Young Men’s Athletic Association

The Irishtown Football Team

The Cosmian C. C.

Spring Mill Football Team

The Polish American Football Team

The Midget and Junior Teams

The 7^th Grade St. Matt’s Football Team

St. Matthew’s High School

Conshohocken High School

Conshy High and St. Matt’s High Alumni Teams

The Conshohocken Professionals of the late 1920’s and 1930’s

Industrial Football League

     Since organized sports was introduced in Conshohocken 133 years ago back in 1888, (Baseball) the boroughs of Conshohocken and West Conshohocken have produced hundreds if not thousands of good athletes.  We’ve also produced a number of world-class athletes.

     The athletes who played on the many football clubs of the 1920’s was also something special.  They worked in the mills between 50 and 60 hours a week, they were dedicated to their kids and family, loved their wives and drank at the many bars on Saturday afternoons and Saturday evenings.  These same men would drink late into the evenings but there was an old saying in Conshohocken, “Drink all you want on Saturday night but your ass better be in the church pew on Sunday morning.”  Following the Sunday mass many of these mill workers would suit up for the big Sunday football game where they would play for the pride of the organization they represented.

WHAT A FOOTBALL TOWN!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

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