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On October 3, 1926 Coach Harold Hanley called for a
meeting in Bremerton to form an all-star semi professional football team
in the Bremerton area to play other area teams and naval ship teams as
they came into Bremerton.
The first players were Tiny Norton and Dock
Lawrence of Navy, Kelly Ashton, Red Olson, Art Kees, of Union High; Art
Smith of Bremerton; Hilton Baglin, "Cooney" Stone, George Allen, and
"Swede" Landberg of Port Orchard.
The first scheduled game of the '26 season was
canceled after the Seattle Nippon were crippled in a 3-0 victory over
the Portland Indepedents. After playing the West Seattle
Yellowjackets in a tight 6-0 loss who took the place of the Japanese
team, the All-Stars were invited to join the loosely organized Seattle
Independent Football League and received a complete compliment of games.
The All-Stars went on to sweep the league only suffering a tie to Fort
Lawton on their way to winning the Seattle League Championship. In
a unique event, the team split itself for a Dec 12 match-up for the
Kitsap County Championship. Players from Port Orchard defeated the
players from Bremerton 6-2. "Swede" Landberg booted both field
goals for the Port Orchard Eleven in the victory.
The star of the 1926 season was Ralph Peterson,
known as the Bremerton "Red Grange" for his dominating play.
The All-Stars success in 1926 directly led to the
formation of the Kitsap Athletic Club.
The 1927 edition was brought back to earth with a
thud, and following the Keyport victory, discussions were underway to
possibly shut down the season due to injuries. In a time when the
team at it's peak numbered around 27 players, the injury bug benched the
entire backfield. However, the head coach of the Union High School
football team and 2 of his star players decided to suit up for the final
two games before the decision to shut down was finally given.
In 1931 Harold Lee was the standout player
possessing great speed.
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