St. Aloysius Football 1921

History of Crusader Football

1921: Promising Start

The first season of varsity football at St. Aloysius was 1921. Tempting as it is, we can't refer to the season as the "First Crusade" since the "Crusaders" nickname was not adopted for another 15 years.

Overview of 1921 Football

To set the game-by-game reports in context, let's first give an overview of football at that time.

1921 Football Player

Compared to today's squads, teams were small in number and size.

Fewer than 20 players typically comprised a squad.

Players averaged 130-150 pounds.

Players played both offense and defense because of limited substitution rules based on the baseball model whereby a player filled a spot at bat and in the field.

Teams typically used only 13-14 players each game.

So box scores of games listed not only the starting lineups but also the substitutions since there were usually so few.

However, statistics such as first downs, yards gained, penalty yardage, and so on, were not included for prep contests.

Forward passes were rare, primarily because the ball was much rounder and bulkier than today, making it hard to throw accurately. (Note the shape of the ball in the picture at the left.)

After several decades of evolution, scoring had settled into what is still used today: six points for a touchdown, one point for the "goal after touchdown," three points for a field goal, and two points for a safety.

Teams ran some version of the single wing.

The "quarterback," sometimes called the "blocking back," lined up right behind one of the guards.

One of the halfbacks and the fullback were positioned 4-5 yards behind the center. The ball might be snapped to either one of them, and he would run into the line or around the end or occasionally pass. Or the back receiving the snap would hand to someone else much as the QB in the spread formation does today.

The fourth back, also referred to as a halfback, might be lined up next to the other halfback and the fullback or stationed as a wing back next to an end.

With rare exceptions, the ends played in tight next to the tackles.

Some teams shifted their backfield formation from one side to the other before the play began. Then, as now, players had to be set when the ball was snapped.

Captains played a large role in each game since "coaching from the sidelines" was forbidden by the rules and subject to a 15-yard penalty. "The game is to be played by the players using their own muscle and their own brains."

New Orleans Prep Football in 1921

The 1921 New Orleans Prep Football League consisted of a record eight schools.

Boys High School or just "High School" or even "High" (since it was the only high school for white boys in Orleans Parish), officially Warren Easton on Canal Street, which started football in 1901

Jesuit High School (or "Jesuits," as it was universally called in this period) on Baronne Street next to the Immaculate Conception Church, which also fielded its first eleven in 1901

Manual Training on Jefferson Avenue, renamed Isidore Newman after its founder in 1931, which started a football team in 1909

Verrina High School on Napoleon Avenue, founded by the Brothers of the Society of Mary (Marianists), which began football in 1919

Rugby Academy on St. Charles Avenue, a charter member of the Interscholastic Athletic Association that Tulane founded in 1895, the second year of Rugby’s existence

New Orleans Academy (NOA) at Carondelet and Constantinople Streets, in its second season on the gridiron

St. Aloysius College at Esplanade Avenue and N. Rampart Street, in its first season of varsity football

Ferrell Academy on Coliseum Street, which was making its second foray into the Prep League but would end its season after only two games because of insufficient participation

Holy Cross, founded in 1871, would not enter a football team in the Prep League until 1922.

A number of independent teams, not associated with any school, played prep teams and each other. The independents generally consisted of older players.

Prep games were scheduled on any and all days of the week depending on availability of venues.

Schedules were fluid. Some games were cancelled or postponed. Other contests were arranged as the season wore on. The LHSAA had been founded in 1916, but as yet there were no state rules defining the beginning and end of the season.

The Prep League included several "classes" of play based on players' weight (not the size of the school). The term "junior varsity" wasn't used, but students of any grade level competed in the 135 lb and 105 lb divisions (sometimes called the school's "second team" and "third team" respectively).

College football filled the Times Picayune sports pages all fall. However, the infant sport of pro football merited no space.

The TP included at least a small article on each Prep game. The reports were usually written by Gordon Hebert, the manager of the Jesuit football team and younger brother of F. Edward Hebert, who had preceded his brother as Jesuit manager and who by 1921 was a sports columnist for the TP. However, there were no pictures from any game.

F. Edward Hebert later served in the House of Representatives for 35 years.

St. Aloysius's team was referred to as "the Saints" or the "Red and Black," in honor of the school's new colors, which were changed from purple and gold so as not to duplicate Easton. No TP articles during the 1921 season referred to St. Aloysius's football team as "Panthers."

Earlier St. Aloysius Football Forays

1901: A football team was organized at St. Aloysius College with Maurice Lagarde as its captain. Other players listed were: M. Plauche, A. Lopez, A. Laborde, M. DeMahy, J. Byrne, G. DeBuys, R. Trapagnier, A. Malousse, W. Desporte, H. Preau, F. Bayhi, James Brown, A. Frey, R. Delpit, and George P. DeBlanc. However, lacking support from the school administration, football did not take hold.

1915: A general article on the school in the TP contains this statement: "This being the first year that St. Aloysius is on the gridiron, the team is handicapped by lack of experience." Since no Aloysius football team is mentioned on the sports pages, we can conclude that the squad competed in one of the the lower weight classes.

1919: "Brother Bonaventure announces that St. Aloysius is picking up in football very fast. Last year there were two applicants to play football while this year he has eight applicants." (The Golden Game: When Prep Football Was King in New Orleans, Ron Brocato)

1920: SA entered a team in the 135 lb. division of the Prep League.

Second St. Aloysius at Rampart and Esplanade (1892-1924)

First St. Aloysius Varsity Squad

Brother Bonaventure, S.C.

St. Aloysius Athletic Director Brother Bonaventure, S.C., no doubt with the permission of Brother Albert, S.C., the principal since 1915, hired Johnny Brown, a former Green Wave player (although he is not included on Tulane's list of lettermen), as the first varsity coach at 1137 Esplanade Avenue. When "Bonny" tacked up a football sign-up sheet on the bulletin board, 26 students signed and brought permission slips from their parents.

Some players had participated the year before in the 135 lb. competition. (Others may have played on independent teams if they weighed more than 135.) So Brown was impressed with his squad as he began working with them. "You have heard of schools taking two to three years to develop a football team. But the St. Aloysius football team will make everyone think that they have been in the league when it first started." The Saints averaged a solid 145 pounds per man. However, the squad quickly shrank to seventeen. Brown had six others in reserve and planned to enter three teams in the various weight classes.

Brother Albert Dumas, S.C.

St. Aloysius 1921 Football Team
St. Aloysius's 1921 Varsity Football Team – the school's first

The AD scheduled the first game against the Brothers of the Sacred Heart's sister school, St. Stanislaus College (also with red and black colors) in Bay St. Louis MS. The TP article the day of the game: "It is understood that the Saints will receive a defeat from the highly rated team that St. Stanislaus will put on the gridiron field today. … Coach Brown is confident that his eleven will hold down the score … and come home with all the honors of the world even if his team does get defeated." Brown said, "I'm sorry we can't play our first game in the city just to let the grid fans see what kind of team we have but watch us sail against Manual Training next week."

Tuesday, October 11: St. Aloysius vs St. Stanislaus @ Bay St. Louis MS

The St. Aloysius starting lineup for the first game in school history:

LE
Hubert Igau Senior

LT
Theodore Perovich Senior

LG
Howard Lenfant Senior

C
Norbert Michel Sophomore

RG
Drez ?

RT
Federico ?

RE
Malcolm Joanan Junior

QB
Oliver Baldwin (Captain) Senior

LH
Edward Lafaye, Jr. Senior

RH
Frigorio ?

FB
Raymond Drouilhet Senior

Substitutes: Labemery, senior Lionel Cucullu, and the Jaubert brothers

Names are often misspelled in the TP. Sometimes a name is spelled two different ways in the same article. A name may be spelled phonetically, such as "Bro" for "Braud." Also, articles at the time regularly referred to players by last name only. Further, weights were rarely given and grade level never. The Brother Martin Alumni Directory's listing of graduating classes is incomplete for these early years. So some spellings, first names, and grade levels can be determined but not all. Hence, the gaps in the list above and the game reports below.

SA
0 0 0 0 0

SSC
13 6 6 0 25

TD: Glover, Jex (probably Gex), Jaubert, Jordy.

"Glover" is undoubtedly not Harry "Wop" Glover, who coached SA from 1939-42 and 1945-48. Harry did not letter at Tulane until 1929-31 This may be an older brother or cousin.

Brown's promise came to pass as his novice gridders did hold down the score. Heavy rain throughout the afternoon undoubtedly helped the underdog. The game consisted of ten-minute quarters. Later in the season, Stanislaus tied Loyola University's varsity 7-7 and defeated the Gulfport Naval team 46-7 and Mississippi Normal (now USM) 49-0. So holding the Rock-a-Chaws to 25 was indeed impressive.

Tuesday, October 11: St. Aloysius vs Manual Training @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA
0 7 0 13 20

MT
0 0 6 0 6

TD: Baldwin, Powers (MT), Drouilhet, Derbes

SA lineup: Igau RE, Federico RT, Drez RG, Michel C, Parun LG, Drouillet LT, Joanen LE, Baldwin (C) QB, Lafaye RH, jr. Charles Jaubert LH, Frigorio FB
Subs: Sr. Robert Derbes for Frigorio, Perovich for Drez

Heinemann Park was the home of the New Orleans Pelicans, the AA baseball franchise owned by Alexander Heinemann. The football field was laid out with one end zone between home plate and third base and the other one in front of the RCF scoreboard. The park sat upwards of 9,000, more than adequate for high school football. However, with no lights (until 1936), the park could accommodate only day games.

As Brown promised, the Saints did "sail" against Manual Training for the first varsity gridiron triumph for St. Aloysius. 194-lb FB Ray Drouilhet "without any apparent effort was able to romp through the much lighter line of the Tyclans which found it next to impossible to stop him." (The odd nickname of "Tyclans" came from Coach Nat Tycer presumably.) Because of his size, Drouilhet played on the line on D.

Near the end of the first of the 12-minute quarters, SA cranked up its first scoring drive. Drouilhet zipped a pass to "Midnight" Jaubert for 11. Then Baldwin "bucked the line" for 3. Drouilhet rammed eight yards to the two. Two plunges by Baldwin produced the TD. Igau kicked the point.

In Q3, the Saints moved to the MT 30. Then McVey Powers picked off a Drouilhet aerial and returned it 70 yd for a TD. The missed PAT kept the Red and Black in the lead by a point.

After dominating the first three periods, SA finally iced the game in Q4. Alternating Baldwin's end sweeps with Drouilhet's plunges, the Saints moved deep into MT territory. Then a "trick play" involving Derbes, Drouillet, and Baldwin moved the ball to the eight. From there, Drouilhet rammed over. Igau's missed PAT kept MT within one score.

However, with two minutes left, Jaubert turned the tables on Powers, intercepting his pass and returning it 20 yards. Derbes scored the clinching TD.

The SA "terminals" were cited for outstanding defensive play as both rushed in and broke up numerous plays. MT gained only one first down while Brown's boys managed 14.

On Friday, October 14, St. Aloysius's "crack" 105-lb team scored a 20-0 victory over its Jesuit counterpart at City Park. (Not in the stadium, which wasn't built until 1937.) Captain Pierre Archinard, a junior, scored two TDs, and LeBlanc one. Archinard also kicked two "goals from TDs" (extra points). The TP article stated that "the Saints would like to arrange games with any prep team in the city."

Sunday, October 23: St. Aloysius vs The Roamers @ Loyola 3 pm

SA
0 0 0 0 0

Roa
0 7 0 0 7

This game must have been played at a field on Loyola's campus because the school's stadium was not built until 1923.

The Roamers were an independent team playing their third game of the season. Drouilhet "exhibited the best brand of ball for the losers." The brief TP article gives no further details of the game.

The SA game with Rugby Academy scheduled for Thursday, November 3 had to be postponed because Heinemann Park was booked for the Warren Easton-Patterson game. Coach Brown proposed transferring the game to Loyola or Tulane, but Rugby's coach refused to play anywhere but Heinemann.

Sunday, November 6: St. Aloysius vs R.O.D. @ Heinemann Park 2 pm

SA
2 0 0 0 2

ROD
7 0 0 0 7

TD: Sanchez

SA lineup: Igau RE, Federico RT, Drez RG, Michel C, Parun LG, Lenfant LT, Joanen LE, Derbes QB, C. Jaubert RH, Frigorio LH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: Sr. Joseph Tarantino for Derbes, Perovich for Lenfant

The game opened a doubleheader with a Winter League baseball game. R.O.D. was an independent team that practiced on Jefferson Davis Parkway. (No indication what "R.O.D." stood for.)

The Saints got on the scoreboard early when a bad snap on a punt caused Carmouche to be tackled for a safety. The rules at that time, however, called for the team that had suffered the safety to be given the ball at its own 40! So R.O.D drove for the only TD of the game. Carmouche hit Sanchez who raced 30 yd for the TD. Carmouche kicked the PAT. Despite Drouilhet's usual stellar efforts, the Red and Black was unable to overcome the deficit.

Friday, November 11: St. Aloysius vs Rugby Academy @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA
7 7 14 0 28

Rugby
0 0 0 0 0

TD: Drouilhet 4

SA lineup: Igau RE, Federico RT, Drez RG, Lenfant C, Parun LG, Michel LT, Joanen LE, Tarantino QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio RH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: Derbes for Tarantino, C. Jaubert for Lafaye

The TP writer (Gordon Hebert as usual) complained that the game was "considerably slow, taking two full hours to be completed." He blamed the frequent timeouts, mostly by Rugby, but admitted that many of them were to take care of injured players. The Cardinals eventually had only 14 able men.

Peggy Flournoy

Rugby was led by its triple threat senior TB Priestley "Peggy" Flournoy, a 155 lb "whirlwind" who played without a helmet. He led the city in punting with a 50 yd average, including punts of 71, 55, and 91. However, the Saint D bottled him up and kept him from breaking long runs.

Flournoy lettered at Tulane from 1923-5 and was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1968.

After several exchanges of punts, SA drove to the 15 where a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. (There is no mention throughout the season of even an attempt at a FG by Brown's team.) However, on the next play, the Cardinal C snapped the ball over Flournoy's head and Igau recovered on the five. Drouilhet blasted into the end zone on the first try.

The Red and Black dominated, scoring their most points so far as Big Ray reached paydirt three more times.

Tuesday, November 22: St. Aloysius vs Jesuits @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA
0 7 0 0 7

Jes
0 7 0 7 14

TDs: Drouilhet, Mohony (J) 2

SA lineup: Igau RE, Federico RT, Drez RG, Lenfant C, Jaubert LG, Michel LT, Joanen LE, Tarantino QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio (C) RH, Drouilhet FB/T
Subs: Sr. Cecil Braud for Igau, Parun for Jaubert, Perovich for Drez

The Jesuits manager hyped the game a week in advance in his TP articles as a contest to determine second place in the Prep League behind the high flying Warren Easton Eagles. The Baronne Street boys had had an inconsistent season. They began with a 71-0 blowout of Verrina. However, Manual Training, whom SA had defeated 20-6, fought to a 0-0 tie. Morgan City downed the visiting New Orleans team 10-6. Then Coach Joe Palermo's squad was annihilated by the independent and much older Audubon team 62-6.

Jesuits was not referred to as the "Blue Jays" in the TP even though the term had been coined by Gordon Hebert's older brother, F. Edward, several years earlier while he was manager of the football squad.

The largest crowd of the prep season to that point saw the Saints put up a valiant fight but succumb in the end. After a scoreless first stanza, SA drove to the enemy 30 but lost the ball on downs. However, on the next play C Pascal Palermo centered the ball past HB Paul "Notsy" Drouet, who fell on it on the two. After Ellis Henican punted out to midfield, SA pounded the ball to the nine, helped by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. Drouilhet rammed for four, then smashed off tackle into the end zone. Igau kicked the point.

On its third play following the kickoff, Jesuits pulled the "Minnesota shift" which had won the prep championship for them in 1919. HB Evans "Speedy" Mohony broke loose around LE for 55 yards. Henican's PAT tied the game.

Neither side mounted another serious threat until Q4. Henican completed a pass to LE Ike Armstrong to the Saint 25. After Drouet ran to the 18, Henican hit FB Karl Fisher to the two. The D stopped three plunges. So on fourth down Molony circled end for the TD. Henican added the extra point. In the waning minutes, SA desperately tried to pass the ball downfield to no avail.

Hebert admitted in his article that "the Jesuits boys were outcheered by the St. Aloysius youngsters all during the game."

Friday, December 2: St. Aloysius vs Verrina @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA

2

0

0

14

16

Ver

0

0

0

0

0

TDs: Frigorio, Federico

SA lineup: Igau RE, Federico RT, Perovich RG, Lenfant C, Drez LG, Jaubert LT, Joanen LE, Tarantino QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio (C) RH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: Derbes for Tarantino

Coach Brown's crew seems to have slept-walk through this game, undoubtedly down after the tough loss to Jesuits. Verrina, coached by Marianist Brother Louis, played its best game of the season but was aided by SA penalties and fumbles.

SA took the opening kickoff and drove smartly to the two. However, the Saints were penalized 15 yards for "shaving" (whatever that means). Drouilhet ripped off 16 to the six, but Frigorio could gain only one on fourth down. Then on Verrina's first play, a bad pass over the head of the HB resulted in two points.

Given the ball at its 40 after the safety, Verrina marched to the 13 using passes effectively but was held on downs. That would be their only major threat of the afternoon.

The Saints finally wore down the smaller opponent in Q4. Frigorio swept LE for the first TD. Then Federico returned an INT 30 yards for the clinching score.

Tuesday, December 6: St. Aloysius vs Warren Easton @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA
0 0 0 0 0

WE
13 21 21 13 68

TDs: Legett 3, Nicaud 2, Wilson 2, Owen, Marschal, Middleton

SA lineup: Igau RE, Michel RT, Drez RG, Lenfant C, Parun LG, Federico LT, Joanen LE, Tarantino QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio (C) RH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: Braud for Igau, Parun for Jaubert, Perovich for Drez

Easton, the defending prep and state champions, had played most of its games against out of town schools with smashing results: Rugby 59-0, St. Stanislaus 21-0, Gulf Coast Military Academy 28-0, Verrina 55-0, Shreveport 9-0, Patterson 49-0, NOA 48-0, Bolton (Alexandria) 56-0, Baton Rouge 20-6. Unfortunately, for St. Aloysius, High had just lost its first game of the season to Little Rock High on Thanksgiving, 21-20.

If SA slept-walked through the Verrina game, they failed to show up at all against the refocused Eagles. Coach Perry Roehm kept his starters in the whole game to make an impression on the LHSAA leaders who would choose the teams to play for the state championship. Star RB "Dutch" Legett scored three of his record 21 TDs for the season. High's players even "made a burlesque" of the blowout with backs and linemen switching positions.

Perry Roehm

Roehm got his wish, as Easton played Minden for the LHSAA championship at Heinemann Park. The sellout crowd saw the Eagles prevail 7-0 in a surprisingly close struggle. High School then finished its prep schedule with a 41-0 trouncing of Manual Training and a 6-0 squeaker on a wet field over Jesuits. Roehm's juggernaut thus finished the season 13-0.

Tuesday, December 13: St. Aloysius vs New Orleans Academy @ Heinemann Park 3:30 pm

SA
7 14 14 13 48

NOA
0 0 0 7 7

TDs: Lafaye, Drouilhet 4, Frigorio, Tarantino, Burke (NOA)

SA lineup: Igau RE, Jaubert RT, Parun RG, Lenfant C, Drez LG, Federico LT, Joanen LE, Tarantino QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio (C) RH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: Derbes for Tarantino, Michel for Parun, Schumaker for Drez

The Saints took out their frustration from the Easton pasting by pounding NOA. Drouilhet "plunged the Academy's line at will" to average 5 yd per carry. NOA finally scored on the SA "scrubs" in the last quarter.

Sunday, December 18: St. Aloysius vs Invincibles @ Tulane

SA
0 0 0 0
0

Inv
0 0 0 0 0

SA lineup: Igau RE, Michel RT, Parun RG, Lenfant C, Drez LG, Federico LT, Joanen LE, Baldwin QB, Lafaye LH, Frigorio (C) RH, Drouilhet FB
Subs: C. Jaubert for Frigorio, Braud for Igau, Schumaker for Drez, Derbes for Braud

This game was not scheduled until late in the season as part of a doubleheader for the Doll and Toy Fund. 50 cents admission was charged. The other contest, between the Invincibles and Troop 2, also ended scoreless. Baldwin was judged the individual star for SA.

The site of this game was not the Tulane Stadium that grew into the 80,000-seat monolith that hosted Sugar Bowls and Super Bowls. That edifice opened in 1926 with seating for 35,000. The 1921 field was the "second Tulane Stadium."

Summary

St. Aloysius concluded its maiden season with four wins, five losses, and one tie. All in all, not bad. The 4-2 prep record was particularly pleasing. Ray Drouilhet scored 10 TDs. (He would start at T for Loyola's undefeated 1926 team.)

Brown would return as coach in 1922, but his second team, minus many seniors from the inaugural squad, would not be nearly as good as his first.

1922 Season