Colorado State University Athletics
This Week in History: Aggies Take Teachers to School
9/26/2019 1:00:00 PM | Football
First night game was in Greeley on a Friday
September 28, 1934 – Colorado Agricultural College received a name change in April of 1934, and as coach Harry Hughes prepared to open the football season, the school was now known as Colorado State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. Most just called them the Colorado State Aggies, but no matter what their name, Hughes prepared 42 men to defend their 1933 conference title.
Hughes was commonly known as a pessimistic coach, always projecting doom and gloom about the health or strength of his team. Only two stars from 1933 -- Glenn Morris and Ralph Maag -- had been lost from the team. Morris, still earning his degree but his eligibility used up, was an assistant coach for Hughes in 1934 after the departure of long-time assistant Joe Ryan.
The Aggies' finest star, halfback Wilbur "Red" White returned for his senior season in '34 along with highly talented right end Chester Cruikshank, quarterback Bud Damman, left end Jim Hartman and fullback Sam Campbell. While Hughes put on his regular gloomy face about the season, writers in the newspapers knew the Aggies could once again be contenders in 1934.
The season opened in Greeley for a night game at Jackson Field against the Colorado State Teacher's College, known today as the University of Northern Colorado. The Teachers had joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 1923, and as more and more smaller schools joined in 1928, there was a push by the larger schools like the University of Colorado to remove these smaller schools from the conference. Harry Hughes joined with CU and Denver University in the belief that the conference had too many small schools.
Second-year head Coach John Hancock, who would spend 34 years as the schools' coach and athletic director, led the Teachers. He had his Bears team playing the best football in the school's history during the 1934 season, but the Aggies took the Teachers to school.
Jackson Field, unlike Colorado Field or even CU's Colorado Stadium (AKA Folsom Field) had lights to attract a night-game crowd. The Aggies played their first-ever night game in Greeley -- and on a Friday night, too. The first half was a scoreless defensive fight, but in the second half, Cruikshank continually caught long passes from White to open up the game.
The Aggies' first scoring drive started with a White 60-yard punt return that took the Aggies to the Teachers' own 10-yard line. At that point, short runs by White and Alfred Geist brought the Aggies to the 2 before Campbell took a pitch around end for the touchdown, Damman's extra point missed.
In the fourth quarter, White intercepted a Bears pass at the Aggie 45 and returned it 12 yards to the Teachers' 43. Cruikshank then grabbed a 16-yard pass as Campbell, Damman, White and Geist took the Aggies to the 4. They tried the same lateral that scored on the first touchdown, but the Bears' tough defense held this time and took over on downs.
The Teachers could not get out of their half of the field and after punting, White again drive his Aggies against a softening Bears defense. The Aggies scored their second touchdown on a nice pass from White to Damman to bring the score to 12-0, Damman's extra point again failed.
The Teachers never threatened on offense in the game despite a defense that held a talented Aggie team to only two touchdowns. When the final gun sounded and the Aggies walked away 12-0 winners and atop the standings in the conference, nobody could have predicted the turn of events that would conclude a wild 1934 season.
Hughes was commonly known as a pessimistic coach, always projecting doom and gloom about the health or strength of his team. Only two stars from 1933 -- Glenn Morris and Ralph Maag -- had been lost from the team. Morris, still earning his degree but his eligibility used up, was an assistant coach for Hughes in 1934 after the departure of long-time assistant Joe Ryan.
The Aggies' finest star, halfback Wilbur "Red" White returned for his senior season in '34 along with highly talented right end Chester Cruikshank, quarterback Bud Damman, left end Jim Hartman and fullback Sam Campbell. While Hughes put on his regular gloomy face about the season, writers in the newspapers knew the Aggies could once again be contenders in 1934.
The season opened in Greeley for a night game at Jackson Field against the Colorado State Teacher's College, known today as the University of Northern Colorado. The Teachers had joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 1923, and as more and more smaller schools joined in 1928, there was a push by the larger schools like the University of Colorado to remove these smaller schools from the conference. Harry Hughes joined with CU and Denver University in the belief that the conference had too many small schools.
Second-year head Coach John Hancock, who would spend 34 years as the schools' coach and athletic director, led the Teachers. He had his Bears team playing the best football in the school's history during the 1934 season, but the Aggies took the Teachers to school.
Jackson Field, unlike Colorado Field or even CU's Colorado Stadium (AKA Folsom Field) had lights to attract a night-game crowd. The Aggies played their first-ever night game in Greeley -- and on a Friday night, too. The first half was a scoreless defensive fight, but in the second half, Cruikshank continually caught long passes from White to open up the game.
The Aggies' first scoring drive started with a White 60-yard punt return that took the Aggies to the Teachers' own 10-yard line. At that point, short runs by White and Alfred Geist brought the Aggies to the 2 before Campbell took a pitch around end for the touchdown, Damman's extra point missed.
In the fourth quarter, White intercepted a Bears pass at the Aggie 45 and returned it 12 yards to the Teachers' 43. Cruikshank then grabbed a 16-yard pass as Campbell, Damman, White and Geist took the Aggies to the 4. They tried the same lateral that scored on the first touchdown, but the Bears' tough defense held this time and took over on downs.
The Teachers could not get out of their half of the field and after punting, White again drive his Aggies against a softening Bears defense. The Aggies scored their second touchdown on a nice pass from White to Damman to bring the score to 12-0, Damman's extra point again failed.
The Teachers never threatened on offense in the game despite a defense that held a talented Aggie team to only two touchdowns. When the final gun sounded and the Aggies walked away 12-0 winners and atop the standings in the conference, nobody could have predicted the turn of events that would conclude a wild 1934 season.
Thursday, May 14
Monday, May 11
Friday, May 08
Tuesday, April 28