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Gonzaga College had shut down football from 1900-1906, but in
November of 1905 a group known as the "J.Y.A." started to get
together to keep football alive in Spokane. This entry exists
in a gray-area of "semi-pro" football as it lives in both the
college-intramural world and what was known at the time as "junior"
teams specifically created for smaller stature and younger players.
The average grown man in this era was roughly 120-130lbs and players
may have been as young as 14-years old with little requirement to be
attending formal schooling that is today the standard "high school"
player. However, these teams also had men in their
mid-to-late-20's playing as well. Mulhall, W. Mulligan and Alphonso Codd (FB) would be part of the resurrected team in 1907 that would not be allowed to use the Gonzaga name. With the college team back on the field, the "Junior Yard Association" or J.Y.A. intramural team name was created, that featured lighter and younger players than the "big" team of college players. In 1908 a 16-year old Joe Albi began playing in the backfield for the J.Y.A. as a passing specialist. Albi would quarterback the team from 1908-1910, and became an area athletics icon, with Joe Albi Stadium being named in his honor in 1962. Jim Duffy scored three touchdowns in the Thanksgiving 1909 game with Longfellow School. In 1910, the J.Y.A. formed three teams by weight division (130lbs, 110lbs and 90lb average). The 130lb team remained unbeaten for the 2nd consecutive year. The 1911 team had a new rival in the Tyros which was basically the reserve players on the Gonzaga College roster. A "Stars" team was also created of lighter "midget" players. Stanley Morin, captain of the 1912 team came up with a unique way of calling plays to avoid opponents stealing and knowing their plays, he called signals in Greek. In 1917, Morin would enlist in the military and be sent to France during World War I. By 1913, the campus had an entire "league" of J.Y.A. style teams named according to the home town of their captains. The "Buttes" (5-2-3) won over the "Spokanes" (4-2-4) and "Portlands (2-7-1), while the "Vancouvers" and "Seattles" dropped out after 8 weeks of play. From these teams, the "J.Y.A" club would select the best players for off-campus games. In 1914, Gonzaga implemented an age limit of 16 on the members, forcing the cancellation of scheduled games against high schools and older club teams. A 4-team league would be created in the wake featuring the "Hornets", "Yellowjackets", "Boolebugs" and "Wasps". This would in essence, end the J.Y.A. program as a true "junior eleven" and relegate it to a "Junior Varsity" level team of freshmen and sophomores under the age of 16 as the federal shift in education made high school more streamlined and the ages attending class more uniform. DO YOU HAVE INFORMATION TO CONTRIBUTE? CONTACT US! (email)
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