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SPOKANE ATHLETIC CLUB
(1892 - 1907)

Spokane, Washington
Natatorium Park





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"Doc" Henry Bernard Luhn arrived in Spokane, September of 1892 with his father Captain G.L. Luhn of the 4th Infantry at Fort Sherman and set up his professional practice.  Having played on Notre Dame's first team in 1887 graduating after three years at the age of 19.  He quickly began teaching football in Spokane and was instrumental in the first game being played between Gonzaga and the Spokane Athletic Club.  Doc played for the Gonzaga team, while his younger brother William played for the S.A.C and was a Calvaryman with the National Guard.

On November 8th, 1893, R. Lewis Rutter captained a group of "seconds" from Spokane and defeated the "firsts" 6-4.  Rutter's team consisted of: E.C. Mears, Rutter (Capt), McCrea, F.E. Elmendorf, Wyard, Leslie Belt, Jones, Leon Graham, Redhead, Kennedy, White, Gason and Withers
 
In July of 1894, Doc Luhn, Leon Graham and R. Lewis Rutter were appointed to create a "Spokane Football League" which had goals of traveling to Tacoma, Olympia, Seattle, Portland, Ogden and California for games.  The team formed would play as the Spokane High School team, Leon Graham would be captain and left tackle and Rutter would coach.

Doc Luhn broke his arm during the March 16, 1895 and missed the Butte game.  Doc was critical of the team in an October 1895 Spokane Chronicle article claiming "the boys will not take sufficient interest in the matter to turn out for practice".
 
Al Ware attempted to form a team in 1896 and by Sept 28 announced "Spokane athletes are too lazy to train".

Doc Luhn was to umpire the 1897 Idaho game, but a change to R. Lewis Rutter caused controversy after Spokane defeated the collegians, claiming favoritism in calls by Rutter.
 
The club again split, Powell and Eastman to the High School, and Prather to the Blair Business College for the 1898 season.
 
With Anaconda planning a western trip, Al Ware, Sol Meyers, and former Yale guard Ralston Wilbur met and after much deliberation decided against throwing together a team so late in the 1899 season and vowed to bring a team together for 1900 new century.  The Spokane Y.M.C.A picked up players from the SAC amd the Business College team.
 
J.E. Griffith was elected captain of the football team, and Dan McKinnon selected as coach and immediately implemented a "request"of his players to abstain from tobacco and alcohol and keep regular hours. Lew Freeman of Stanford agreed to assist with coaching.

Dan McKinnon (HB) returned as a member of the Wallace team that defeated Spokane 11-0 on November 10th, 1900.
 
With declined interest in 1901, a few players made their way to the YMCA team for the season leaving manager Sol Mayer without a team.
 
Former player Jay Fancy attempted to bring the team back in September of 1904 but when only 6 players showed up, he resigned in disgust, pointing to the club salvaging baseball by building a new park, but football was not afforded the same support.
 
The Spokane Athletic Club finally secured a team for the 1906 season and Coach Cook put out an aggressive schedule.  "Doc" Callahan was by far the "Giant" at 270lbs.  Stocked with two full teams within the club, Coach Cook was able to trade out many combinations of players during the season to find a winning formula finally taking the finale in Seattle 10-6.  Deacon Thomas (QB/P) and H.B. Wright, a former Wisconsin tackle, left Spokane for jobs after the Idaho game, that saw Sweney rip off an 80-yard TD run, the first scored in years.

"Dig" Tilley played end and was the holder for Dal Fotheringham on the place kicks during 1907.  Johnny Bender was a 5-time letterwinner at Nebraska (1900-1904) before moving to Spokane.

Joe Halm would go on to play for Washington State College in 1908, Johnny Bender would coach Blair Business College and Washington State to start his coaching career.
 
In August, citing that "football is a college game" as evidenced by the lopsided scores of the 1907 season, it was decided the club would drop football as the Seattle Athletic Club had announced as well, dissolving the "Big 3" and leaving Multnomah to stand alone.
 
A nationwide push to ban football because of the dangers of death and injury turned much public sentiment against the sport and the financial support it needed.
 
George Varnell would be hired to coach Gonzaga in 1909, one year after a decade-long ban on football at the school. Van Cook would coach the South Central High School after trying unsuccessfully to start up a new team under his own Cook's Gymnasium Athletic Association training facility.  Most of the players would scatter to Business College teams or smaller community teams if they chose to keep playing at all.

 


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1892 Players

Cooper, Winston, Joe Wilmshurst, E.C. Mears, F.E. Elmendorf, Dreher, Doland, William Luhn, Allen, Helphey, Dumford

 

1893 Players

Doc Luhn (FB), Crump (E)



1895 Players

Henry "Doc" Luhn (Capt/FB), Leslie Belt (QB), Harvey Martin (E), Ed Stopher (T), Mike Dolan (C), J. Yingst (T), F. Noonan (G), D.D. McPhee (G), Joe Rudersdorf, Arthur Ross, Bud Wicks, E. Eckman (E), P. Powell (FB), W. Graves (HB), William Luhn, Joe Wilmshurst


1897 Players

W. Chttenden (C), L. Eastman (G), G. Cooper (G), C. Parker (T), W. Prather (T), F. Chittendon (E), F. Johnson (E), E. Stropher (HB), W. Graves (HB), T. Drumheller (QB), P. Powell (FB)


1900 Players

Jay Fancy (E/HB), Crosler (E), Skinner (T), Laird (G), J.E. Griffith (C/Capt), Marcher (G), Potts (T), Tatros (E), McLean (QB), Axtell (HB), Croll (FB), Dan McKinnon (HB)


1906 Players

Jay Fancy (C), Eastman (G), T.G. Cook (G), "Doc" Callahan (T), Branson (T), Bob Glenn (E), Merkle (T), Jones (E), Sid Mulvehill (QB), Dal Frotheringham (HB), Nowlin (HB), Sweney (HB), George Newmyer (FB/Capt), Dolph Coolidge (HB), George Stewart (QB), Hope (T), Johnny Bender (QB), E. Waskey (E), Winebrenner (G), Jackson (E), Deacon Thomas (QB/P), H.B. Wright (T)


Bob Glenn - 1906


1907 Players

Findlay (E), Boothe, Dal Fotheringham (FB), Homer "Dig" Tilley, Ludwig, Sigrist (T), Edmonston, Tweedt, Reeve (G), Mohr, Hope (T), Roberts, Malcolmson, Johnny Bender (QB), Wexler (C), Joe Halm (G)


Dal Fotheringham - 1907
1892
Independent
Record 0-0-1
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Coach Henry "Doc" Luhn


1893
Independent
Record 0-1-1
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Coach R. W. Stamford


1894
Became the "High School" team


1895
Independent
Record 1-3
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Manager Phil Gough
Coach F. Lewis Rutter


1896
No Season


1897
Independent
Record 1-1
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Manager Phil Gough
Coach F. Lewis Rutter



1898 - 1899
Played as Spokane Business College



1900
Independent
Record 1-3
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Manager Phil Gough
Coach J. E. Griffith, Lew Freeman, Dan McKinnon


1901 - 1905
No Teams


1906
Independent
Record 1-5-1
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Coach Travanian G. "Van" Cook


Coach "Van" Cook


1907
Independent "Big 3" League
Record 3-5
Sponsor Spokane Athletic Club
Manager Eddie Vollman
Coach George Varnell


1907 Big 3 All Stars

Findlay (E)
Hope (T)
Reeve (G)
Hardy (HB)




Schedules and Results
Date Opponent Score
1892 Nov 24 Gonzaga University 4-4
     
     
1893 Nov 8 Spokane "Rutter's" 4-6
1893 Nov 15 Spokane "Rutter's" - practice  
1893 Nov 30 University of Idaho 8-8
     
     
1894 Became "high school" team  
     
     
1895 Feb 22 Spokane High School 14-18
1895 Mar 16 Spokane High/Picked 11 16-0
1895 Apr 14 @ Butte Football Club 0-18
1895 Nov 28 Washington State College 4-26
     
     
1896 No Season  
     
     
1897 Oct 9 Picked 11 (scrimmage) 6-6
1897 Oct 16 Washington State College 8-16
1897 Nov 25 Idaho University 10-6
     
     
1898 No Season  
     
1899 No Season  
     
     
1900 Oct 20 @ Washington State College 0-6
1900 Nov 4 Whitman College 6-0
1900 Nov 10 Wallace Club 0-11
1900 Nov 17 Lewiston Athletic Club Cancel
1900 Nov 24 Washington State College 0-21
1900 Dec 25 Multnomah Athletic Club Winged M's Cancel
     
     
1901 No Team  
     
     
1906 Oct 13 @ University of Idaho 5-10
1906 Oct 20 Blair Business College 0-0
1906 Oct 27 @ Montana University 0-11
1906 Nov 3 @ Washington State College 0-4
1906 Nov 29 Seattle Athletic Club 0-4
1906 Dec 8 @ Seattle Athletic Club 10-6
     
     
1907 Oct 19 @ Idaho University 0-22
1907 Oct 26 @ Washington State College 0-70
1907 Nov 2 @ Montana University 0-18
1907 Nov 16 Multnomah Athletic Club Winged M's 4-0
1907 Dec 14 Wallace Club 25-0
1907 Dec 26 @ Multnomah Athletic Club M's 0-26
1907 Dec 27 @ Chemewa Indians 5-11
1907 Dec 28 @ Seattle Athletic Club 6-0
     
     
     
 
"Van" Cook - 1906 star guard
 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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