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  Fort Lewis Warriors (1947 - 1949) Rockets (1950 - 1952)

Fort Lewis Football in Hawai'i, December of 1949

(Photo courtesy Louis Grzadzielewski via his son Andrew)

 

Years of Operation: 1947-1952

 

Overall Record

 

First Game:

 

First Win:

 

Final Game:

League Affiliation:  

Sixth Army Northern Division (1947-1952)

 

 

Team Headquarters: 

Fort Lewis Military Base

Fort Lewis, Washington

Sponsor:

United States Army, Sixth Army, 2nd Infantry Division

 

Athletic Officer: Capt. John Wehrle (1951)

 

Coaches:  Tom Lombardo (1949); 2nd Lt. Rudolph Cosentino (1950), Henry Nachtsheim (1950), Lawrence Martogolio (1950), Cpt Chalmers F. "Holy Joe" Gaithers (1951); Lt. John Hansen (Asst Line) Lt. Richard Smith (1952 Coach & QB), M/Sgt Walter Gomes (Asst 1952), Cpl. Jack Elliott (Line 1952)

 

 

Home Field(s): Cowan Field

Titles Won:

1947 Sixth Army Northern Division Champs 

1949 Sixth Army Champions

 

 

 

Honors

1950 Outstanding Back Award: Hal Gardner

1950 Outstanding Line Award: Edgar Shetler

1950 Team Co MVP: Donald Myers (QB)

1950 Team Co MVP: Gary Whitfield (HB/QB)

1950 Team Co MVP: Selman Williams (HB)

 

Prior to 1947, the Fort Lewis team was known as the "Engineers" winning the 1947 Northwest Service Teams Championship, a challenge game with the California El Toro Marines and finishing 11-0.

 

Manford Gregg was the high scoring back in 1947.

 

Linebacker Thomas Miles scored the only TD in the Centeral Washington game on a 21-yard interception return in 1948.

 

When Cowan Field opened in 1949, the 2nd Infantry Division football team was first to christen it and reeled off 16 straight home victories being crowned Sixth Army Champions in a game played in Hawaii.

 

Key Players for 1949:

 

Louis Grzadzielewski - DE ( later Univ. Puget Sound 1953 Inspirational Award Winner, All-Evergreen Conference 1st Team All Star)

 

Lt. Tom A. Lombardo, former West Pointer captained the undefeated 1944 Army National Championship team, was transferred to Fort Lewis' 38th Division and handed the team in 1949 after coaching the 1948 First Cavalry Team.

 

Lombardo was deployed to Korea where he fell Sept 24, 1950.  On November 17, 1962 the football field at Yongsan Reservation, Seoul Korea was designated Lombardo Field by the US Army Seoul Area Command.

 

In 2009 Lombardo, a St. Louis native and 4-year starter for Soldan High School, was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

 

Coach Lt. Tom Lombardo

 

 

The team became the "Rockets" for the 1950 season.

 

Selman Williams was the team high scorer on the 1950 season. (2TD-Oct 28, 1 TD Oct 21)

 

Bad weather in Alaska forced Fort Richardson to disband its football team and cancel the 1951 Thanksgiving game with the Rockets.

 

Head Coach for 1952 was Lt. Richard Smith, a former Portland University starter (1939-1940) and University of Missouri QB (1943), set an unofficial javelin record with a 239' 31/2" at a meet in San Antonio, TX in 1944.  From 1946-1951 he racked up an imposing coaching record for the Army European Command teams.  Assistant Coach Walter Gomes was named coach of the year in Japan (1951) and played pro football with the Providence Steamrollers prior to the war.

 

1952 Roster vs Tacoma Safety (Pos=starter):

10-James Nelson, 11-Gerald Droll, 12-Garland Daniels, 13-Alvin Johnson, 14-Donald Justice, 15-Robert Franklin, 17-Jack Devoughn (RT), 19-Charles Miller (LHB), 20-Richard Smith (QB), 21-Clarence Landenburg, 22-George Hale (RG), 22-James Snell, 25-Richard Beal, 26-David McCoy (RHB), 27-Rayshaw Gaddy, 28-Edward Carney, 30-James Holliday (RE), 31-Rudolph Perry, 32-Waymond Taylor (LG), 33-Albert Cummings, 34-Hubert Johnson, 36-Edward Hoke, 37-Donald Lewis, 38-Robert Brown, 39-Stanley Hill, 40-Carl Diggs, 43-Ted Klingenberg, 44-Chris Kondoff, 46-S.C. Farrison, 49-William Kelly, 50-Frank Williams (LE), 51-Garland Brown (DT), 52-O.K. Brown, 54-William Parker (FB), 57-Gilbert Rowe (C), 59-Thomas Faivey, 60-Claude Devers (LT)

 

Garland Brown was named All-Japan three years in a row while serving with the Army Occupation Forces and considered the best blocker and tackler on the Rockets team.

 

The "Rockets" were blended into the 44th Division becoming the Fort Lewis 4x4s, a similar name the team used while stationed at Camp Cooke in California.

 

 

 

1947 Schedule/Results (4-3):  
Oct 4 - College of Puget Sound JV 6-13
Oct 13 - Bremerton Greyhounds 7-6
Oct 18 @ Fort Lawton Bulldogs 12-6
Oct 22 - Pacific Lutheran College JV 6-12
Oct 28 - Bremerton Greyhounds 12-6
Nov 15 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs * 7-0
 * Sixth Army Northern Championship 
Nov 22 @ Camp Stoneman Travelers (CA) 0-7
   * Sixth Army Championship   
   
1948 Schedule/Results (0-1):  
Oct 2 @ Central Washington College 6-24
   
   
   
   
1949 Schedule/Results (9-2):  
Sep 3 - Fort Ord Ramblers 46-0
Sep 17 - Oregon Tech 33-0
Sep 24 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs 58-7
Oct 3 - Portland University 13-37
Oct 8 - College of Puget Sound JV 40-0
Oct 15 - Fort Worden 34-12
Oct 22 - Tongue Point Naval Station 43-0
Oct 29 - Fort Ord Warriors * 7-0
      * Sixth Army Championship   
Nov 5 @ Air Force MATS Bombers (Hawaii) 42-0
 Nov 7 @ Hickman AF Fliers (Hawaii) 34-0
Nov 19 @ South Sector Commandos (Hawaii) 6-19
   
1950 Schedule/Results (8-0):  
Sep 30 @ Camp Hanford  
Oct 7 - St. Martins College Cancel
Oct 14 @ Fort Lawton Bulldogs  
Oct 15 - Seattle Ramblers 29-15
Oct 21 @ Bremerton Navy Yellowjackets 33-7
Oct 28 - Bremerton Navy Yellowjackets 13-0
Nov 4 - College of Puget Sound Cancel
Nov 5 - St. Martins College JV 52-0
Nov 11 @ Fort Lawton Bulldogs  
Nov 18 - Pacific Lutheran College  
Nov 25 - Camp Hanford  
   
   

1951 Schedule/Results (3-6):

 
Sep 15 @ Bremerton Navy Yellowjackets (South Bend, WA) 33-6
Sep 22 @ University of Washington JVs 6-25
Sep 29 - Camp Hanford Atomeers  18-0
Oct 7 - Seattle Ramblers 7-27
Oct 13 - Bremerton Navy Yellowjackets 34-7
Oct 20 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs 0-25
Oct 27 @ Portland 403rd Troop Carrier Wing  
Nov 3 - University of Washington JVs 6-26
Nov 10 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs 7-41
Nov 17 @ Camp Hanford Atomeers 6-26
Nov 22 - Fort Richardson AFB Cancel
   
   
1952 Schedule/Results (3-5):  
Sep 13 -Bremerton Navy 18-24
Oct 10 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs 20-8
Sep 27 - Fort Worden 18-6
Oct 11- Central Washington College 6-33
Oct 25  Geiger Field Chiefs 14-27
Nov 8 - Fort Lawton Bulldogs 42-19
Nov 12 - Tacoma Safety Department 19-6
Nov 28 @ Seattle Ramblers 0-38
   
   
- Bremerton Navy 34-0
- Bremerton Navy 13-33
- Tacoma Community College 24-19
- Fort Worden 39-20
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

 

   
   
   
   

 

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