Yarvard Crimson Tide European Theater of Operations Football Team in Northern Ireland 1942

Enda Mulcahy

3 years ago

Results

Yarvard Crimson Tide European Theater of Operations Football Championship Team 1942


Match Day Game 1
November 14, 1942 (Game 1) 9 - 7 N/A Hale Blue Devils vs Yarvard Crimson Tide
Match Day Game 2
November 21, 1942 (Game 2) 14 - 0 N/A Yarvard Crimson Tide vs Tech Fighting Irish

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Players List

Yarvard Crimson Tide at Ravenhill 1942

#	Player	Position	TD	PAT	Weight
	Anton S Verbeck	Quarterback	0	0	165
	John Henry	Wide receiver	1	0	-
1	Robert D Hopfer	Fullback	1	0	200
2	Armando Lopez	Right Halfback	0	0	180
3	Anton S Verbick	Left Halfback	0	0	165
4	Jay A Wright	Quarterback	1	1	185
5	James E Temenski	Right Halfback	0	0	198
6	Rush M Moore	Left Halfback	0	0	190
7	Paul W Dennis	Quarterback	0	0	155
8	Walter A Washburn	Fullback	0	0	230
9	Richard E Whalen		0	0	165
10	Atlee V Hummel	End	0	0	180
11	James B Bashman Jr	End	0	0	190
12	William F Eck	End	0	0	175
13	John L Wall	Guard	0	0	-
14	Leslie C Shultz	Guard	0	0	175
15	Paul A McGonigal	Tackle	0	0	-
16	Martin Hower	Guard	0	0	180
17	Frederick D Fauls	Tackle	0	0	180
18	Frank A Femton	Tackle	0	0	185
19	Leroy M Jerles	Guard	0	0	190
20	Ralph W Moore	Tackle	0	0	190
21	John L Trunick Jr	Center	0	0	184
22	Joseph D Baxter	Guard	0	0	196
23	Edward Petrick	Left Halfback	0	0	190
24	Eugene E Heath	Tackle	0	0	180
25	George A Dupak	Fullback	0	0	195
26	Henry E Zentner	Center	0	0	175
27	Walter C Szymkowicz	Quarterback	0	0	175
28	Harvey J Kiser	Tackle	0	0	215
29	Charles R Renninger	Quarterback	0	0	150
30	Frank M Jaso	End	0	0	160
31	Thomas F Saxton	Guard	0	0	158
32	Leroy C Nyman	Center	0	0	185
33	Joseph B Wetzel	Tackle	0	0	170
34	Joseph J Kosolowski	Guard	0	0	180
35	Albert D Boshnett	Center	0	0	185

Team Photo

Yarvard at Inver Park, Larne, 21 November 1942. Reference: [14]

Recap

The Yarvard team at Ravenhill in Belfast – the home of Ulster Rugby – played in the first ever known game of American Football in Ireland on 14 November 1942. The Crimson Tide as they were known as lost 7-9 to Hale Blue Devils in the first European Theater of Operations Football Championship, held over Autumn 1942. These players were among the first United States Military to arrive in Europe for World War II and Robert Hopfer scored a Touchdown for the Crimson Tide which was converted by Jay Wright to give them a 7-6 lead in the second quarter.

They were to lose the game in the end, however a week later in Inver Park, Larne, they defeated the Tech Fighting Irish 14-0 thanks to two Touchdowns from John Henry (a pass from Anton Verbeck) and Jay Wright (an interception return) either side of a safety scored when the Tide tackled Tech’s Quarterback in the endzone.

Note: For full Match Reports and scorers please click on the individual matches in the above list to be brought to the article on those games.

REFERENCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

[1] Massimo Foglio with Mark L. Ford (2015) “Second World War Part One: Americans on the British Isles 1942-1943 – November 14 1942 – Ravenhill, Belfast, Northern Ireland – Hale 9 Yarvard 7” Touchdown in Europe: How American Football Came to the Old Continent. pg. 49-51.

WEBSITES

[1] Irish American Football Association (2016) Journey to Thirty [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/journeyto-thirty/ [Accessed 08 August 2016]

[2] Irish American Football Association (2016) History of US Teams playing in Ireland [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/history-of-us-teams-playing-in-ireland/ [Accessed 22 November 2016]

[3] Irish American Football Association (2016) History [Internet] Available from: http://www.americanfootball.ie/iafl/history.htm [Accessed 26 October 2016]

[4] Lucky Show (2016) American Football in Ireland [Internet] Available from: http://www.luckyshow.org/football/Shamrock%20Bowl.htm [Accessed 5 June 2017]

[5] Dublin Town – Article by Gerry Farrell (2016) College Football Classic Ireland’s Relationship with American Football [Internet] Available from: http://www.dublintown.ie/irelands-relationship-with-american-football/ [Accessed 7 May 2018]

NEWSPAPERS

[7] Anon. (1942) . “Photo caption: American Football at Ravenhill”. Belfast News-Letter. Monday, 16 November 1942. pg. 6.

[8] Anon. (1942) “American Football: Large Attendance expected at Ravenhill” Belfast News-Letter. Saturday, 14 November 1942. pg. 4

ACADEMIC ARTICLES

[10] Magee, Damian. “English Beer and American Football: Exporting American Football as a Cultural Commodity to the British Isles.” Irish Journal of American Studies, vol. 7, 1998, pp. 121–148. JSTOR, JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30002410.

[13] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Post 22 August 2019: “ So this is the last of the photos in the archive, it’s of the Yarvard team at Sandy Bay, Larne Harbour on the 21st November 1942. “ [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/photos/pcb.2260513057393170/2260507127393763/?type=3&theater [Accessed 23 August 2019]

[14] Belfast Blitzers | Faacebook (2019) Post 22 August 2019: “So this is the last of the photos in the archive, it’s of the Yarvard team at Sandy Bay, Larne Harbour on the 21st November 1942. “ [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/photos/rpp.454643317980162/2260507354060407/?type=3&theater[Accessed 23 August 2019]

IMAGES

[15] Belfast Blitzers | Facebook (2019) Photo 22 August 2019 [Internet] Available from: https://www.facebook.com/belfastblitzers/photos/pcb.2260513057393170/2260507127393763/?type=3&theater [Accessed 23 August 2019]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Tim Leadingham (Tallaght Outlaws).

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American and World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 3 January 2022

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Resereved. The Logos and Photos used in this article remain the property of the organisations and individuals which own the copyright and are used here for educational and information purposes only.