This site is about the sports doings of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact: pennyweichel@gmail.com
Tales of Two Cities
Oil City
Franklin
Franklin's hired guns of 1903
Har-rumpf: We'll show Oil City...
Front row from left:
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B.D. Sutter (5-4,150) right end;
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Paul Steinberg (5-10,175) left half
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Lynn D. Sweet ( 5-7, 152) center
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Jack Hayden (5-8, 170) quarterback;
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H. A. "Bull" Davidson (5-10, 220, fullback
Second row:
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W. J. McConnell left guard
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Dave Printz manager
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John Lang (5-10, 208) left tackle
Back row:
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Clark A. Schrontz (6-0, 186) left end
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W.P. McNulty (5-11, 203), left tackle
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Arthur L. "Tige" Mc Farland right guard
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Herman Kirkoff (6-4, 242) left guard
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John A. "Teck" Matthews (5-11, 197), right half
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Charles Edgar "Blondy" Wallace (6-0, 240), right tackle
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Chal Brennan left half.
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Bill McConnell later became a mayor of Franklin and Brennan became a street commissioner.
Bet you'd never guess this and other oddities
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Hall of Famer Bobby Wallace once played in Franklin
Ran across this little article the other day. It came from the Jan. 20, 1926, edition of The News Herald.
Turns out Bobby Wallace -- given name Roderick John Wallace -- once played for Franklin. Chances are you never heard of him, but he is in baseball's Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 1953 after playing 25 years in the majors, most notably in St. Louis, first with the Cardinals and then the Browns (now the Orioles) before returning to the Cards for two more years when he was in his mid-40s.
His career started in 1894 with the Cleveland Spiders, then members of the National League.
He debuted as a pitcher, but eventually moved to the infield. Actually, he could play all over the place.
Wallace played five seasons in Cleveland and the other 20 in St. Louis, 15 with the Browns. The 5-8, 170-pounder, known for his slick glove work, racked up 70.4 of WAR (wins above replacement) for his career.
His best season came in 1897 when he batted .335 with 21 triples and and 112 RBI for the Spiders.
Interesting thing about Cleveland: the team's owner was angry about poor attendance in 1898. Turns out he also owned the Cardinals, so he moved his best players, including Wallace, to St. Louis. With the cupboard bare the Spiders -- aka the Misfits -- responded with a 20-134 record in 1899 and were banished from the National League.
