COACHING GREATS…Some coaches you may have or haven’t heard of

An Early Milwaukee City Conference Coach

In 1928 Bernie Heselton left his teaching and coaching position at Duluth (MN) HS and moved to Milwaukee to become the head coach at Milwaukee East (Riverside) and in doing so he made a name for the football program and himself. The school had previously been somewhat successful but never as strong as during his ten-year stay at East. The 1915 team had posted an 8-1-0 record, losing only to the Alumni, but despite the loss the state press felt that they were the top team over a 6-0-1 La Crosse. Conference titles were rare, but they still competed well in the city. Then Coach Bernie showed up.

Lisle Blackbourn came to Milwaukee Washington in 1925 to become one of the greatest City Conference coaches. Bernie Heselton arrived on the scene in 1929 and for the next 10 years the two schools battled for control of the city. It should be noted that it took Blackbourn until 1937 (12 seasons) to coach his first conference champion team while it took Heselton only three seasons to cop his first title. In the first two seasons Easy only posted a 5-11-1 record but then Heselton turned on the afterburners and in the next six seasons the team won 33 games, lost only one and tied three times as they had a 32-game win streak. His teams earned six conference championships in his 10-seasons, and he posted an overall 58-16-6 record. His Tigers beat Washington four times, lost one time and tied once. Because there were 8-10 teams in the conference as the city grew and more schools opened all teams played a rotating schedule, usually of 6-7 conference opponents and 1 or 2 non-conference foes.

WFCA Hall of Fame photo

Now, I admit I didn’t know about Heselton until I began to search some of the available school yearbooks at the Milwaukee Historical Society. When I got home, I did a GOOGLE search of the coach and came away impressed. Lawrence University came calling and he moved on to the collage scene where he then spent the next 27-years at the Appleton based University. His Lawrence teams would win six Midwest Conference championships and they finished in second place three times. Overall, he posted a 11-78-5 record. Late in his coaching career at Lawrence he also took the reins as the school’s Athletic Director, a position he held from 1961-1970. After he retired, he was honored in many ways. In 1981 he was named to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame, The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1982 and he was part of the inaugural class of the Lawrence University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. As a tribute to the rivalry between Ripon College and Lawrence University the Doehling-Heselton Trophy, awarded each year to the winner of the Ripon-Lawrence annual football game was created in 1994. Sadly, Bernie died in early 1981 and never learned of these awards. But awards weren’t what he was about. It was about the students and players with whom he came into contact. Just like my next profile.

A Jefferson Leader

Like Bernie Heselton, I had never heard of Carl J. Hager of Jefferson but digging through school yearbooks I learned a lot. Hager graduated from Jefferson High School and then moved on to attend the then named Stout Institute (Now UW-Stout). A star athlete at Jefferson as a high schooler, he returned to the school and served as the football and basketball coach and also acted as the school’s athletic director. And if that wasn’t enough, he taught what was then called manual arts (Now known better as shop). He was a master carpenter and specialized in desks, bookshelves and cabinets. The school doesn’t have copies available of the yearbooks for when Hager was a student so I couldn’t check his playing career. However, I was able to look at just about everyone beginning in 1920 his first year he returned to the school. And what a return it was.

1921 Jefferson High School Yearbook

His first football team tied in the season opener to Stoughton and then won the next seven. Finishing 7-0-1 in 1919 on the field his first basketball squad was not successful, posting a 3-9 record. He had moderate success coaching both sports. His 1922 team was only 5-7-0. Yes, that’s not an error. They played 12-games in one season before the advent of the playoff system in 1969 (By the WISSA). They were the first Wisconsin school to play 12-games in a season. That year they played Waterloo, Fort Atkinson, Cambridge, Lake Mills and Whitewater Normal HS twice each.

Speaking of Whitewater, did you know that a Normal school meant that it was a school that taught teachers? Most had kindergarten through, usually, sixth grade. Whitewater was different. Their teaching school had grades from K-5 to 12th grade. They had their own high school football team. It was never very good. The Whitewater College High School played Jefferson once as did the Whitewater Public School. I thought it was strange that Whitewater College had a high school in a town of about 3,500 people. By the way, the old Wisconsin High School was located in Madison on the UW campus which closed in 1964. Whitewater’s HS closed in the early 1950’s. Why the high school wasn’t in a larger city like Milwaukee nobody knows.

In 1924 Jefferson trimmed their football schedule as they went 6-0-0. Their next undefeated season was in 1939 as they went 7-0-0. Unfortunately, the cupboard was bare as the team went 0-7-0 the next season in 1940. Hager won six Rock Valley League titles in the 23 seasons that he coached football at Jefferson as he ended with an 88-77-4 record. He stopped coaching basketball in the 1940-41 season after 22 seasons. His final coaching season was 1941 as his team went 4-3-0.

At the start of the 1941-42 school year, he was relieved of his teaching duties as he took on the job of assistant principal. He was drafted into the Army after Pearl Harbor. He had been a lieutenant for his brief service in World War I and when he was drafted, he entered as a captain but eventually rose to the rank of colonel. When he returned from the war, he resumed his position of assistant principal and eventually he was promoted to principal. He retained that position until the 1962-63 school year. He passed in 1976 at age 81

Why did I track and mention Carl Hager? Because like Bernie Heselton, Mr. Hager was a teacher. His teams may not have always been the best but through his thoughtful encouragement he groomed his players and students to always be better. Hopefully the community hasn’t forgotten him for all he did.

Rock County

About the same time Bernie Heselton and Carl Hager were born, Herman L. “Honest Jake” Jacobson came into the word in Mt. Horeb. After graduating from Mt. Horeb HS, he attended Whitewater Normal in 1921 followed by attending and graduating from the University of Illinois in 1926. He would later obtain a M.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1932. Between the U of Illinois and UW-Madison he coached football at Cuba City Wisconsin and took the school’s basketball team to the 1923 state tournament. He then went to coach at Monroe for two years. Next, he then spent five years as the football coach at Milbank South Dakota where he posted a 36-4-0 record in five seasons. After getting his final degree he took the head coaching jobs (Football, basketball and track) as well as the athletic director position at Beloit Memorial HS. He was a busy man and yet always concerned about others.

Starting in 1932 Jacobson spent the next 11 seasons as the football coach and posted an overall 66-46-5 career record. His Beloit football teams won two Big Eight Conference titles in 1933 and 1936 while tying for the title in 1938. On the basketball court his teams won the state title in 1933, 1934 and 1937 while placing second in 1935.

Coach Jacobson…Beloit High School Hall of Fame photo

An incident in the 1936 opening round against fellow Big Eight Conference member Kenosha shows his caring for others. Posting a 14-5 overall record, Beloit had split the two regular season games with Kenosha. Behind in that opening playoff round 27-13 at the end of the third quarter, the game had just resummoned with Beloit making a field goal when Fred Bauer, the Kenosha coach, suddenly fell from his chair on the sidelines, dead of a heart attack. After a long delay Jacobson conceded the game. It could have gone on, but he knew that the Kenosha players were unnerved, and his team might have been able to overcome the 12-point lead. But he also didn’t feel like continuing. He knew that if they had won it would have been a hallow victory. His concession drew wide praise. In those days the state tournament teams played additional games after they lost in the opening round and so Beloit went on and won the next game but went down in the third game of the loser’s bracket.

“Jake” retired from coaching in 1944 and his AD spot in 1946. At this time, he was appointed as Beloit’s Director of Recreation and Physical Education, a spot he held until 1966. While the director of the rec department he was appointed as a member of the Rock County Board of Supervisors, a job he held from 1961-82.

Among his many accomplishments Herman served on the WIAA Advisory Council. In the winter of 1945, he proposed a weekly poll of rating basketball teams in Wisconsin, similar to one that had been in use in Illinois to rate their high schools. It took on in the press and became popular. It would lead to the AP and UPI weekly football and basketball weekly polls. He was elected to the state basketball coaches association in 1979 (Although the school credit is listed as Eagle River and not Beloit…not sure why) as a charter member. He was enshrined into the Athletic Hall of Fame at UW-Whitewater in 1966 and was also named to the WFCA Hall of Fame in 1983. He passed in 1984.

Why These Three?

I had never heard of these three men. I ran across them in checking through yearbooks and expanded my search from there. I thought they were interesting, and I hope you find their accounts interesting as well.

Wisconsin Connections:

If you haven’t looked at the national posts by Kevin Askeland of MaxPreps.com check out his private blogs at High School Sports History | Kevin Askeland | Substack He does great, extensive research into creating past All-American and National Champion teams. Check them out. Wisconsin is mentioned in all of the stories.

Kevin also posted on MaxPfreps.com (His regular job) a story on the nation's Top 50 winningest active coaches. There are a few names besides Wisconsinites you may know: High school football: Top 50 winningest active coaches - MaxPreps

THE 1930’S…PLAYING THROUGH THE DEPRESSION…PART 2

THE BEST GAME

There were several top games to choose from, but I picked the 1939 game between Milwaukee Washington vs. Milwaukee Rufus Kung in 1939. This season was all Washington as they rose to the top of City Conference and the top of the best teams of the 1930’s. King was a new school, playing their first regular season of varsity ball. They went 7-1-0 so they weren’t pushovers. Washington’s hopes for the title were nearly dashed as the Generals pushed the Purgolders around for most of the game. In the closing minutes of the game Pat Harder led the team back to win as he smashed through on a run up the middle for the winning tally. Harder took the team on his shoulders and scored all 16 of his team’s points in the 16-14 win. It had been an uphill battle as King took a 14-0 but with great blocking and defense Washington pulled the game out of the fire and would go on to take the title. Harder scored two touchdowns, kicked one conversion and a field goal and recovered a King fumble that led to his final score. For those who have purchased my book I had the game-by-game scoring for Harder slightly incorrect. I had him scoring only 10 points against King, but it was 16. I swapped his scoring with the Milwaukee South game by having him credited with the 16 points, but it was really 10.

THE BEST COACH

Tom Hearden put together one of the best decades of coaching in state history. Watertown’s Arnold Landsverk had a good one as well as his Goslings went 63-16-2 with three top teams and Delafield St. John’s Edison Lerch coached two top teams. This was also the decade that Lisle Blackburne of Milwaukee Washington was building a Milwaukee City Conference empire. But it was Hearden who was even better. Hearden graduated from Green Bay East in 1922 after playing on the great 1920 team as a backup to Jim Crowley. He followed Crowley to Notre Dame and was again backup to Crowley and then starter after he graduated following the 1924 National Championship season. Hearden started two seasons for the Irish and then played two seasons of pro ball for the Green Bay Packers with his former high school coach Curley Lambeau. Then in 1929 he played for the Chicago Bears, coached by George Halas but injuries cut his career short before he decided to go into coaching.

Tom Hearden

He spent four seasons at Racine St. Catherine’s and two more at Racine Park. His 1932 team went undefeated and won the Catholic Conference title as well as being the state Catholic school champions. In 1934 and 1935 he coached at Racine Park. 1936 saw him return to Green Bay East as the head coach. Louis E. Means had taken over from Chester Wiley in 1930 and ended 1935 with a four-game win streak. Hearden extended that streak to 36 games as he did not lose a game at Green Bay East until the season finale against Green Bay West in 1939. At the time, this was the longest winning streak in state history. Hearden would go undefeated the next two seasons as well, posting a 7-0-0 record in 1940 and a 6-0-2 record in 1941. In seven seasons at East, Hearden posted a 51-3-2 record, winning or sharing six Fox River Valley Conference titles. His overall high school coaching record was 85-11-18 in eleven seasons with four state titles. He was a charter member of the Wisconsin High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

It’s sort of interesting that Hearden and Lisle Blackbourn would sort of cross paths in the 1950’s. Blackbourn had been the head coach of the Green Bay Packers and hied Hearden as an assistant. Blackbourn was let go in 1957. Instead of hiring Hearden after he had suffered a stroke, they went with Scooter McLean who only lasted one season before they hired Vince Lombardi.

THE BEST PLAYERS

THE 1930’S…PLAYING THROUGH THE DEPRESSION…PART 1

Black Friday occurred on October 28, 1929, when the stock market crashed. It was near the end of the football season and for many the 1930’s looked dim. Sports in America had grown to great heights as professional baseball and football and college sports became ever so popular. High school sports were drawing big crowds in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse and other cities where fine teams battled. Crowds of 5,000-8,000 were not uncommon in key Milwaukee City Conference matches. Players were getting bigger, and their skills were refined with many new innovations to the sport. The passing game was getting more emphasis, but rushing was still the way most teams advanced the ball.

Many great coaches came out of the First World War and became mainstays building or maintaining great programs. Watertown’s Arnold Landsverk, Louis Means and Tom Hearden at Green Bay East, Edison Lerch at Delafield St. John’s, Milwaukee Washingtons Lisle Blackbourn, W. W. Martens at Darlington and Bill Cashton of Arcadia were among the major influences in the sport.

In fact, this was the decade of three great programs…Watertown, Green Bay East and Delafield St. John’s as they copped the most state titles

THE BEST TEAMS

#10 Tie

Ft. Atkinson…1934…7-0-2

Watertown…1931…8-0-0

Led by four-year starter Howie Weiss, Ft. Atkinson won their first Southern Six Conference title. They tied their season opener against Milton, 6-6 and then tied their last game vs. Edgerton, 0-0. A great broken-field runner, Weiss is often considered, alongside Whitey Woodin, as being the schools greatest player. Fort scored 208 points overall and allowed only 12.

This was one of Watertown coach Arnold Landsverk’s first great teams and it was also the 1931 state champion. The team was led by quarterback Clarence “Shrimp” Tessman, fullback Edward Burke and halfback George Podalske as they cruised scoring 292 points and allowing 30

#9 Green Bay East…1937…8-0-0

East won three consecutive state titles at the end of the 1930’sand this was the final championship, all directed by coach Tom Hearden. They dominated the northeast part of the state with an offense that didn’t score much but they played tough defense. Hearden, a former star in high school at East, started his coaching career in 1930 at the start of the decade at Racine St. Catherine’s for four seasons winning the Catholic state title in 1932 with an 8-0-0 season. He would move in 1934 to Racine Park and then return to his alma mater in 1936.

#8 Eau Claire…1933…9-0-0

After posting a 5-1-0 season in 1932, coach W.F. Maroney coached his team to the state title and the key was the play of back/kicker Arnie Hanson who could do it all on both sides of the ball. The Abe’s dominated the northwest. They may have gone 9-0-0 but they were state co-champions along with Delafield St. John’s.

#7 Superior Central…1930…8-0-1

The Vikings cruised to the state title except for a 20-20 tie with Ironwood (MI). They beat four Minnesota teams and four Wisconsin teams Harry Conley was the coach who directed five shutouts as they score 202 points but allowed 38…20 in the Ironwood game.

#6 Watertown…1935…9-0-0

The third of the Goslings three state titles for the decade as Arnold Landsverk continued to keep his 7team on course. Only Ripon held Watertown below 10 points (A 7-0 win) and they won close ones, 14-7 against Fort Atkinson and 14-0 vs. Wisconsin (Madison) HS They scored 249 points overall allowed 19 with six shutouts.

#5 Delafield St. John’s…1933…7-0-0

Why is St. John’s, the co-champions with Eau Claire ranked three spots higher with a 7-0-0 record vs, the Abe’s 9-0-0 total? Well, the Lancers beat four Wisconsin college freshman teams and one varsity squad over 40,000and two Illinois high schools. This was the third state title that coach Edison Lerch with which he was associated. He was an assistant on the 1929 state title team and then, after three seasons as an assistant he took over in 1932 and coached the school to the 1932 title. The Lancers scored 170 points and allowed 16 with four shutouts. Like the 1932 St, John’s team the 1933 edition won the National Prep Championship trophy.

#4 Green Bay East…1936…8-0-0

This many have been Tom Hearden’s best Green Bay East team of the 1930’s. This was a decade that the school won the last four games of 1936 under coach Louis Means and then ticked off 32 more under Hearden for a 36-game win streak. Not his highest scoring team but Hearden continued the tough defense tradition that Means, and other previous coaches advocated.

#3 Watertown…1932…8-0-0

In his third season Arnold Landsverk had his team playing on all cylinders as the team went undefeated, untied and unscored upon. The school posted a shutout in the last game of the 1931 season and, while 1933 was a down season for the school with a 4-2-1 record they posted two more shutouts at the start of the season to post an 11-game streak. Oh, yeah, they also scored 223 points in 1932. Coach Landsverk posted a terrific 67-16-2 record in the 1930’s on his way to the HOF.

#2 Delafield St. John’s…1932…8-0-0

In his first season as head coach, Edison Lerch, a former fullback and defensive lineman in his high school days, took the team to the top and tied with Watertown for the state title. I placed St. John’s at the #2 spot over Watertown based on their schedule. They defeated five college teams, like the 1933 squad, and played before over 40,000 fans at Chicago’s Soldiers Field for the National Prep Championship trophy. Two other schools backed out of playing St. John’s. One was Louisville Male (KY) and the other was the Carroll College freshman team. They actually only played six games, but they were dominant scoring 209 points and allowing only 6 (To Platteville School of Mines, today’s UW-Platteville). Five players moved on to start a few years later for Northwestern, one of them was end George Wilson. He played pro ball and coached the Detroit Lions and became the first head coach for the Miami Dolphins. He has a plaque in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

#1 Milwaukee Washington… 1939…9-0-0

The Milwaukee City Conference was loaded with very good teams in 1939. It was a tough battle for the Washington Purgolders to win the title but with fullback Pat Harder earning the conference scoring title as he set a record of 143 points, 70% of the teams 194 overall points. Harder would go on to star at UW Madison and in the NFL. Harder scored 17 touchdowns, kicked 23 extra-points and six field goals as well as having over 100 tackles. Coach Lisle Blackbourne had other stars as well in back/linebacker Howard Boese, tackle Len Kalchik and guard Del Holman. All three played college ball along with end Kenneth Kraemer, tackle Kenneth Unrath, guard Julius Bensick and back Al Skat. They did allow 40 points on the season but as I said they played a tough schedule of conference and one non-conference games. Blackbourne oversaw the entire football program at Washington. Besides posting an 8-0-0 varsity record his B-Team squad went 5-1-0 and the sophomore team went 2-1-0 as they were for future championship teams.

HONOROBLE MENTION

Racine St. Catherine’s -1932-(8-0-0)

Milwaukee Riverside-1934(6-0-0)

Arcadia-1939-(6-0-0)

St. Catherine’s was the first of four state title teams coached by Tom Hearden. They dominate their fellow Catholic Conference teams as well as two Milwaukee City Conference foes. Milwaukee Riverside, often known as East or Eastside only scheduled six conference foes but they were the overall dominate team in the state. Sophomore Back Eddie Jankowski was the star of the team scoring 11 times. Coach Bill Cashen directed his team to an undefeated, untied and unscored upon season and they would doit again in 1950. Cashen is the only known coach to lead two teams to undefeated, untied AND unscored upon teams.

THE TOP 10 TEAMS FOR 1930-1939

1) Milwaukee Washington… 1939…9-0-0

2) Delafield St. John’s…1932…8-0-0

3) Watertown…1932…8-0-0

4) Green Bay East…1937…8-0-0

5) Delafield St. John’s…1933…7-0-0

6) Watertown…1935…9-0-0

7) Superior Central…1931…8-0-1

8) Eau Claire…1933…9-0-0

9) Green Bay East…1937…8-0-0

10) (Tie) Ft. Atkinson…1934…7-0-2

10) (Tie) Watertown…1931…8-0-0

More in my next post, PART 2