Knowing my love of Greene County sports history, my two thoughtful daughters bought me four vintage Waynesburg College football programs for my birthday last month. The community treasures contained in their pages were so good, I felt the need to share them. The first was for the 1937 Waynesburg College vs. Duquesne University game at Forbes Field.
The legendary Greene County newsman John O’Hara was serving as the Director of Sports Publicity for the college. In the program, he wrote, “The drama studded history of Duquesne-Waynesburg gridiron exploits exhales a breath of nostalgia across the fading journals of yesteryear.” Note the style difference from today’s sports writers. He continued, “The series started in 1922 when coach Frank Wolfe’s Wolfpack swept down from their native hills to snatch a 6-0 victory from the Dukes.”
The Yellow Jackets were quarterbacked by Clair Bee, who would go on to become the third winningest coach in NCAA basketball history behind only John Wooden and Adolph Rupp. The vaunted Waynesburg attack had been held mostly in check by Duquesne’s defensive ace “Big Dan” Rooney. Other opponents on the Dukes’ schedule that year were Pitt, Rice, Texas Tech and Mississippi State.
The September 28, 1946 opening day game against Geneva was played at Cumberland Township High School Field. It was the Jackets’ first since 1942 because of World War II. After a drive to raise money for lights at College Field failed, the team played their three night games at Carmichaels. Wind Ridge native Asa “Ace” Wiley returned to the college that year to take over the coaching duties. The following week, the Jackets were heading to Morgantown to take on the Mountaineers.
The 1952 Waynesburg vs. Bethany College program revealed Asa Wiley’s brother Jack was in his second year as the team’s head coach. After retiring from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had returned home and led the Jackets to the Tri-State Class B Championship the previous season. My favorite item in that program was the Waynesburg College “Jive Yell”: We got the team; We’re hep to the jive; Come on Waynesburg; Skin ‘em alive.
Finally, the 1955 program of the Waynesburg at Kent State game included an article that discussed how “Pesky Waynesburg” always gave the Golden Flashes tough games. The author worried the Jackets’ single wing offense could spell trouble for the home team. By that time, teams had long before switched to the split or straight T-offense. He further lamented the fact the Jackets had a “giant” team with six men over 200 pounds. Although the Orange and Black did not win that day, they did upset Bowling Green, a member of the same Mid-American Conference, later in the season.
However, of equal interest to me was the advertising of the periods. Throughout the two decades of the programs, cheerful cigarette models extolled the social and taste benefits of Lucky Strikes and Chesterfields. One famous actor even explained how his cigarette of choice helped with the “throat-strain of acting”. Of course, five cent Coca-Cola ads were ubiquitous, but of more importance were offerings from the local businesses that spanned generations and sustained real communities.
Many of these businesses are easily remembered by anyone who predates Walmart and strip malls. Some of them still thrive today. They include: Baily Insurance Agency, Joe’s Dairy Bar, Bryan’s Dairy, Ullom and Baily Drug Store, First National and First Federal banks, Waynesburg Milling, Hennen Jewelers, Waynesburg Floral, the Opera House, Neubauer’s Flowers, Albert’s Restaurant, Christy’s Sports Shop, Hoge’s Bakery, and Palone’s Garage. These windows to the past made me realize how important it is that we give local businesses our patronage to repay decades of their community support.