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Buster Major's scrapbook:
CBA football 1923
My father, Stanley "Buster" Major kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings covering the 1923 football season at Syracuse's Christian Brothers Academy (CBA), which usually fielded one of the state's best teams. Where possible I've listed the source of the clipping, though the newspaper name was missing on several of the clippings. |
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CBA
winner, 20-12,
over Oswego Normal |
| Brothers encounter stiff opposition, but performances of Major and Drais
carry locals to hard earned victory |
Christian Brothers Academy was forced to extend itself to defeat the speedy
Oswego Normal grid team yesterday afternoon at Star Park, 20 to 12. The
Academy took the lead early in the game when Major crashed through the
Oswego line for the tally in the first period after CBA had twice threatened
the Normal’s goal line but failed to score. Major later repeated
the performance, as did Drais.
McKinstry starred
for Oswego, making a 70-yard run down the field after a line plunge for
one touchdown and throwing a 30-yard pass to Cloonan for another. McDermott
and McCarthy played a stellar game for the locals, the latter intercepting
two Oswego passes and recovering one fumble.
Normal won the toss and chose to receive and Major sent a long, high boot
to Russel on the five yard line who rushed the ball to the 20 before being
dropped. Philburn and Brown failed to register gains and McKinstry punted
the ball to Major on the Normal 45-yard line. Drais and Major then, thru
straight football tactics, advanced the ball to within four inches of
the goal line where the Oswego line held and the ball was lost on downs.
McKinstry punted to the 30-yard line to Major and the CBA fullback carried
the ball back to the 12-yard line before being tackled. Four downs failed
to gain and Oswego again was given the ball.
The Normal backs failed to advance the ball and on the third down McDermott
intercepted a pass and carried to ball to the three yard line. Sheedy
gained two and Major scored. Major made an excellent placement kick for
the extra point.
Major kicked off to Cloonan who was downed on his own 29-yard line. Oswego
failed to gain an inch and McKinstry’s punt was blocked, McDermott
recovering on the seven yard line. On the first play the Academy fumbled,
but Drais recovered on the five yard line and the quarter ended.
In the first play of the second quarter Major crossed the Normal line
for the second touchdown, but missed the kick for extra point.
It was then that Oswego unleashed a terrific attack which ended in two
touchdowns. Receiving the ball on their own 39 yard line after Major’s
kick, Brown, McKinstry and Philburn shared the honors of the attack intermingling
forward passes with end runs. They baffled the Brothers and McKinstry
hurled a pass to Cloonan from the 30-yard line over the goal for the first
touchdown.
McKinstry kicked off to Bishop and after the locals had advanced to ball
to the Normal 30-yard line the ball was fumbled. After an incomplete pass
McKinstry smashed through the line and darted down the field for the second
touchdown for Oswego. He also missed the kick for the extra point on this
attempt.
Although the play was hotly contested for the remainder of the half, neither
team scored and it was not until late in the next half that the Academy
was able to again score. Drais made the touchdown on a long end run. Major
kicked the extra point.
For the remainder of the game the ball was moved up and down in the middle
of the field. The contest ended with the oval in possession of the Academy
gridders at midfield.
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Colorful win gained
by CBA eleven
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Major’s brilliancy made possible
by mates in downing of Oswego
Normal, 20-12 |
Slashing, dashing, lunging, ploughing through a very formidable defense
erected by the Oswego Normal football team yesterday, the Christian Brothers
Academy pranced home a winner, 20 to 12, at Star Park. The attack was
led by Major, CBA fullback, who came through with a pair of touchdowns
and was a cyclone at hitting the opposing defense. Drais, however, a mate,
was a big help to the fanciful Major. The contest leaves a casualty in
the wake, Simmons, visiting center, being carried from the field and it
is said his ankle may be snapped.
It was not long after the opening of the game that Major started on his
race to stardom by rushing the pigskin over and then sending the sphere
squarely between the crossbars for an extra point.
Oswego bid fair to keep at least even with the homesters as the game got
older and Cloonan and KcKinistry were able to score touchdowns. A slight
advantage in weight and a faster combination, however, found the Oswegoans
trailing at the close. McDermott and McCarthy, new end men performed brilliantly
for CBA.
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| I found this story online. The Oswego Normal coach was mighty upset with the loss, which probably figured in the prediction he makes at the end of this piece. |
| Oswego Daily Palladium, October 29, 1923 |
Will have benefit
for Walt Simmons
Normal Star Who Was Injured
at Syracuse Saturday |
| Walter (Whitey) Simmons, center of the Oswego Normals, who suffered a bad fracture of the leg in Saturday’s game with CBA at Syracuse will be moved home tomorrow it is expected. Plans are being made to raise a benefit to pay his hospital expenses. He will be laid up for some time.
Simmons was taken out of the game with his injury in the first period and his absence was keenly felt by the Normals, who according to Coach Max Ziel, outplayed their opponents in every department except headwork.
“When a team can’t score from the four-inch line and yet wins a game, there’s something radically wrong with the other team,” Coach Ziel said today. He meant this for the Normals who he claims had the best of the game.
Twice in the initial period Oswego with their backs to the wall held their opponents for downs once on the four-inch line and the other on the 13-yard line. A bad move in the form of a forward pass was made by Oswego, the pass being intercepted by McDerott. The first score for CBA followed.
CBA got another break when McKinstry was forced to kickk under adverse conditions, with the fence ?? at Star Park interfering. His punt was blocked and CBA recovered on the seven-yard line. On the first play Major scored his second touchdown.
Intermingling forward passes with end runs the Normals uncovered an attack that had CBA team bewildered. They made two touchdowns in short order. McKinstry received the ball on a pass and made 70 yards for a touchdown, while Brown and Philburn shared in the honors. In the same period Cloonan received another forward pass from McKinstry and ran 30 yards for a score.
The game was hotly contested in the final period but Oswego lost an opportunity to win when Kehoe dropped a pass back of the goal posts. Drais scored the winning points for CBA.
Coach Ziel predicts that Oswego High will beat CBA by two touchdowns.
Scoring by CBA: Major two touchdown; Drais, one touhdown; Major, two extra points by kicks.
Scoring by Oswego: Cloonan and McKintry, one touchdown each. |
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P-2
P-3
P-4
P-5
P-6
P-7
P-8
P-9 |
CBA
CBA
CBA
CBA
CBA
CBA
CBA
CBA |
13
0
12
20
7
2
14
6 |
7
6
0
12
6
0
0
0 |
Rome Free Academy
Norwich
Fulton High
Oswego Normal
Oswego High
St. Francis de Sales
East Syracuse High
Canisius |
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| Part 6 |
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