Page 6 Regionsports.com

In The Beginning: Griffith Football’s Early Years1934-1948 Contrary to popular belief, Griffith football was not created at the same time as the Earth and the heavens, but with humble beginnings in 1934. The driving force behind the addition of football into the Griffith athletic program was Richard Beck, who would serve as the head coach for the football team until 1939 and return as leader from 1949-1957. Beck did not even have a team until a week before the 1934-1935 school year started and had only two weeks to prepare for the program’s first ever game. In their first contest, an overmatched Panthers squad fell to Crown Point 31-0 and Griffith would finish their inaugural season with a 4-3-1 record. Over the next decade and a half, the Panther program struggled to find their footing and claim their place among the elite of Region football. The final two seasons of Beck’s initial run as Griffith coach saw a combined one win. Beck’s replacement, Charles Armon did not fare

any better as he won four games in his two season stint as head coach. Griffith appeared to be headed in the right direction under the guidance of Coach Carl Yates who led the Panthers to their first conference title as members of the Lake- Porter Conference. But even that

success was short lived as Coach Yates was replaced by David Bowman in 1946 and Griffith football fell back into mediocrity. Before you learn to run, you have to learn to walk and before you learn to walk, you have to learn to crawl. The growing stages of Griffith football may not have always been pretty or as filled with success as Panther fans are accustomed to in modern days, but the creation of the program by Coach Beck not only created a team that belonged to Griffith High School, but helped shape the identity that the “town that came to the tracks” is known for.

1) In their first football game, the Griffith Panthers lost to Crown Point 31-0. Who did the Panthers defeat in their second game, giving the school their first ever victory? A) Hammond Tech B) Whiting C) Clark D) Lew Wallace2) The Griffith-Hobart rivalry started in 1935 and continues strong to this day. In what year did Griffith defeat Hobart for the first time? A) 1935 B) 1937 C) 1939 D) 19413) We all know that football was introduced to Griffith High School in 1934. Which one of these other sports was also started at GHS that season? A) Basketball B) Golf C) Wrestling D) Track4) Griffith had only two weeks find enough players to put together a team and prepare for their first game against Crown Point. How many players were on the roster of the 1934 team? A) 11 B) 15 C) 20 D) 255) Which is the only team that Griffith has played in every season of their football existence? A) Lowell B) Hammond High C) Crown Point D) Wirt

trivia 1934-1948

Answers on Page 8

Row 1(L to R): J. Grimmer, A. Smith. Row 2 (L to R): W. Kovecsi, S. Davis, E. Plohg, H.Spitz, L.Jagnow, L.May, E. DeReamer, R. Christenson, R. Smith. Row 3 (L to R): Coach Beck, W. Hendrickson, H. Plohg, J. Hartz, J. Hartz, J. Sebastian, R. DeReamer, D. Alexander, D. Newhard, E. VanTil, A. Mathieson, Mr. Simon Photo courtesy of GHS