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.

By DAVID BRUCE

If the CBA outfit can defeat the Canisius High eleven, a team rated as a 10 to 8 favorite to win, at Star Park at 2 o’clcok today, the Willow Street eleven will have brought an end a real successful season on the gridiron. Thus far the Norwich High eleven is the only team that has proven itself superior to the Catholic youths.

Plays will be called today by the captains of the opposing teams, Quarterback Drais of CBA and Lanigan of Canisius. Both of the schoolboys are veterans in football and a real fight will be seen.

Stanley Weiss, all-star tackle, is the only play on the CBA injured list. Canisius Prep boats of an A-1 team in the pink of condition, having lost but one game this year.

Christian Brothers Academy smashed out a hard-earned victory of 6 to 0 over the Canisius Prep school of Buffalo yesterday at Star Park, striking through the air in the first period for the lone tally.

McDermott, star end of the Brothers, got the lone touchdown, catching a 20-yard pass, sprinting the 30 remaining yards to the goal line, shaking off two tacklers at the edge of the line and placing the oval safely behind the uprights.

The Academy had the advantage throughout the game, the Buffalo gridders staging three rallies, but finding the Brothers’ line impenetrable inside the 20-yard marker.

Drais, Major and Bishop were the outstanding stars of the game, Drais and Major breaking through the Canisius line for long gains and Bishop intercepting forward passes and recovering fumbles. Wright was the satellite for Buffalo, but Cunningham, Lanning and Hanley deserve credit for their excellent work as interference for the speedy left half. Lanning, who is noted for his drop-kicking ability, had no opportunity to display his talent because of the injuries received in early play and because of the slippery condition of the field.

Major Kicks Off

Major kicked off for the Academy, the ball going to Wright, who carried it to the 35-yard line before he was brought to earth. Cunningham and Wright combined gains to make first downs on the 48-yard line, but when three line drives failed to gain appreciably, Wright punted to Major who was dropped on his own 40-yard line. An intercepted pass gave Canisius the ball, but a fumble soon returned it to the Academy.

Major hurled a 20-yard pass to McCermott, who ran 30 yards for the touchdown after Drais and the fullback had twice added gains for first downs. Major attempted the placement kick for extra point, but the ball collided with the left upright and failed to go over the bar.

For the remainder of the half, the playing was mostly in midfield. The Canisius eleven through three consecutive downs advanced the ball to the Brothers’ 15-yard line, but here the Academy line held and the ball was lost on downs.

In the third period after the Academy had obtained first downs twice, the Buffalo team strengthened and it was given the ball on downs on its own 30-yard line.

O’Connell Recovers

After failing to gain, a long punt was booted down the field by Wright. It caromed off the waiting Major’s hands and came to rest under the body of O’Connell, the speedy center of Canisius. On the second play following, Canisius passed the ball over the Academy line and it was given to CBA on its own 20-yard line.

The Academy again fumbled, but the ball was returned to it when Bishop recovered Wright’s fumble. The Brothers then began a rally and twice marched the ball within striking distance of the goal line, but two placement kicks by Major went astray and the game was over.

Following the game the team went to the Academy where it elected William Kelly, tackle, who has played regularly with the gridders for two years, captain of the eleven on 1924, succeeding Samuel Drais, this year’s captain, who will graduate.

Canisius after two stars
of CBA eleven

The Christian Brothers Academy eleven defeated the Canisius Prep School team of Buffalo Saturday afternoon at Star Park by the score of 6 to 0.

Following the victory, the CBA eleven elected Bill Kelley, tackle, as 1924 grid captain to succeed Sam Drais who graduates in June. CBA loses Drais, Buster Major, Bill Eisemann and John Zeilinski by graduation. Kelley has played tackle two years on the team.

A 20-yard forward pass Major to McDermott and a 35-yard run brought the lone score for the Purple and gold in the first period of the game.

The teams were hindered by the heavy, soggy field and the poor weather conditions. Both teams were in scoring distance of each other’s goal several times during the battle.

The Buffalo backfield showed flashes of aggressiveness at times, rushing the ball downfield, running the ends for big gains and making use of the famous Canisius spread formation play. The local eleven proved its mettle time and again underneath the shadow of its own goal posts and always took the ball away on downs.

Fumbles Occur Throughout

Both teams fumbled considerably, turning the fortune of the game first to one side and then the other.

It was after the teams had engaged in a kicking duel in the opening period that CBA scored by the aerial route. Buffalo had made impressive gains against the Syracuse line when Hanley’s fumble was recovered by Captain Drais on CBA on his own 45-yard line. After making a first down on several sharp drives (dives??) through the line, Major, big CBA fullback, hurled the pigskin to McDermott, left end, who caught it on the run, shaking off two tacklers and sprinting 35 yards.

Major made a poor kick for the point after touchdown, the ball hitting one of the posts and bounding back.

O’Connell, Buffalo 15-year-old center, recovered three fumbles for his team within the CBA 20-yard line at different stages of the game, but they were gifts without a meaning as the CBA line was impregnable.

Captain Lanigan was forced out of the Buffalo line-up when he received an unintentional kick in the face in the first quarter, but got back in the game later. Lanigan and Wright of the Buffalo backfield did excellent work, so did Hanley. Given a good dry field, the teams might have been evenly matched. As it was, Buffalo was forced to bow to the heavier CBA outfit.

Drais and Major Star

In the building up on next year’s team, CBA perhaps will hunt long before it finds another quarterback the type of Sam Drais. Drais in yesterday’s battle proved himself a real leader as he has done in all other games and showed excellent judgment. Major’s stay at the Brothers has been short, he coming to CBA after playing three years with Solvay High. The Purple and Gold fullback has been the best seen here in several years, a big hard line plunger and a certain kicker and forward passer. Bill Eisemann and Zielinski were two excellent linemen whose service will not be forgotten.

The Brothers will give a banquet to their football warriors. Eight victories and one defeat is the record of the CBA eleven, by far the best in the last four years.

CBA defeats Canisius, 6-0