The Issaquah Volunteer Fire Department entered their first team in the 1933 160 lb League, which went by a number of names:  Seattle "B" League, Puget Sound "B" League, and Commercial League.  Players only weighing under 160-pounds were allowed to play in the league  

In that first year, the Firefighters went undefeated and unscored upon beating Crown Hill for the 1933 Title.  Merle Pedigan rumbled into the endzone against the Taiyo's while Reini added the extra point for a 7-0 win with games remaining against Interbay and Atlantic Street, one win would claim the South End title.  

Their legend was just beginning.  Ed Stonebridge knew he had a scrappy bunch of players, but he had no idea they would go nearly six years before being defeated in league play winning 44-straight league games.   

1934 was another unbeaten season with Crown Hill finally crossing the goal in the Dec 23 Championship.  The teams tied and by virtue of their unbeaten season, won the league title.  

1935 was another unbeaten 5-0 season and league crown, and it wasn't until an exhibition game with the Wenatchee Rainbows on Oct 11, 1936 that the Firemen tasted defeat on the gridiron.  The 12-7 loss was due in large part to being outsized as many on the Wenatchee squad were well over the 160-pound weight limit the Firemen played by.  No one would cross the Fighting Firemen's goal line the remainder of the year as they won their fourth straight title.  

In 1937, the Seattle teams decided it was time to unseat the small town boys.  The Kent Red Raiders would become the Firefighters nemesis, but could only manage to tie Issaquah as the Firemen won the league championship with a 7-0-2 record giving up only 12 points on the season.  

The Red Raiders of Kent became the Purple Raiders and finally broke through taking the league title from Issaquah when the now named Alpine Dairy Products team stumbled against Rainier District in their first league loss in team history.  The streak halted at 44, the "Alpines" exacted some revenge on Dec 4, with a 14-0 rout of the Rainiers.  

Hans Forester of Alpine Dairy Products was convinced by Ted Stonebridge to purchase new uniforms and equipment for the purple and gold, with the teams helmets painted to match Alpines colors.  This prompted the team to become the Issaquah Alpine Dairy Products football team...later shortened to Alpines.   Fullback Johnny Castagno was becoming a force with his 2nd straight season scoring 7 TD's in a season.  

The 1939 Alpines were enjoying their most productive season to date ripping off 11-straight victories before losing the Championship game to the Enumclaw Wolverines, a new team that finished 10-0. Castagno finished the season with 15 touchdowns under the direction of new head coach Roy Hall, a prominent Broadway High and Centralia coach.  The season opener was a game with Grays Harbor dedicating the new stadium opening in Aberdeen.  The normal weight limit of 160 was not used by the Harbor who had a 265-pound tackle and a 235-pound running back in former University of Washington player Tony Gasparovich.  Issaquah came away with the 7-0 victory nonetheless.  1940 brought another undefeated Championship season to Issaquah rolling to a 7-0 season.  

1941 was unusual as the Alpines stumbled against rival Enumclaw in the season opener losing 6-0.  Six straight wins later Issaquah and Enumclaw squared off for the season finale with Issaquah winning 27-6.  Their seventh league championship in nine years was secured.  Bill Castagno became the coach in 1941 after breaking his collar bone in 1939.  Johnny Castagno rejoined the team midway through the year and bolstered the teams lineup.  Johnny would finish as the top touchdown rusher in team history.   A week later the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor thrusting the United States into World War II and many of the leagues' outstanding athletes headed to war.   The Issaquah Firefighters/Alpines locked up their place as one of the nations most dominating football teams in semi-professional history winning 62 games, losing 4 and tying 9.  59 of those 75 games were shutouts, making the Issaquah defense one of the best ever over a 9-year span. Jan 31, 1942 the Issaquah Kiwanis club hosted  a dinner-dance party for the football team, where each member was presented with a robe, many of whom would be leaving for the war soon after.  The team would be on hold until 1946 as men returned from World War II.

With the return of the team in 1946, a new batch of players became regulars including James "Hooker" Hailstone who played center for the Alpines team from 1946-1949 and with the Seattle Cavaliers as a fill in center during the 1950's.  His regular teammates included Jim, Nick, and Pete Bakamus, Tommy Bevin, Dave and Harold Chevalier, Frank Crosly, Ellie Croston, Jack Evans, Al Pankey, Bill and Rex Seil, Mike Cernich, Jack Shelfa, Larry Totten and Art Wallace.

Ellie Croston booted a 20-yard field goal in the closing minutes to secure a 3-0 win over Seattle's Nettleton & Baldwin Lumber Company on Oct 20, 1946 after opening the season with a 2-0 win over Stanwood.

Croston would again be a hero in 1947, as he kicked a 33-yard "chinaman's chance" field goal with 35 seconds remaining in the game to win the title over Enumclaw.  The following week, the Alpines defeated the previously undefeated Port Angeles Commandos, champions of the Northwest's Olympic Peninsula.

1947 Issaquah Alpines - Pacific Northwest 175lb League Champions (Back) Coach Eddie Parker, Art Wallace, N/A, N/A, Pete Backamus, Ellie Croston, Rex Seil, N/A, Larry Totten, N/A, Mike Cernich, Coach George Morgan (Front) Frank Crossley, David Chevalier, N?A, Bill Seil, Jimmy Backman, Hooker Hailstone, Harold Chevalier, Tommy Bervin, Nick Backamus, others on the team: Stan Favini, Dick Brundage, Jack Evans, Aido Scafini, Dale Wakefield, Jim Buchanan, John Buchanan, Tim Davidson (photo from Hailstone collection)   News Releases: The Issaquah Press * * *

Hans Forester threw a party on December 13th to celebrate the Alpines 1947 championship, and the fire department presented sports jackets to the players.  Purple and Gold with leather sleeves, today the standard "letterman's jacket".  The trophy room was being built in the city fire hall.  Nine years later, Hans Forester Jr., would be on the roster of the 1956 Town Team that would become the Issaquah Cavaliers under Hall of Famer Elmo Hudgens.

During the 1948 trouncing of the Kent Athletic Club, Stan Favini was the star returning a kickoff 92-yards for a touchdown and taking back a pick-six interception from 55-yards out.  Pete Bakamus scored twice and Ellie Croston kicked an extra point to lead the 15-0 victory over White Center setting up a championship show-down with Rainier Beach.  Both of Bakamus' scores came off of a fumble and blocked punt recovery.

The 1948 season came down to the undefeated Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers, later to become the legendary Seattle Ramblers, and the once beaten Alpines.  A win by the Alpines would force a tie for the 175lb League Championship. A tie is what the Alpines got, only not for the title, but for a scoreless tie in the game and a runners-up finish to the still undefeated Ramblers.

1949 was a rough season for the Alpines just two seasons after winning a conference title.  A huge blowout loss to the Ramblers in the first game, prompted the Alpines to pull a fast one in the fourth-quarter of a one-touchdown rematch game and were caught with illegal players on the field.  Two ex-University of Washington players who were over the 175lb weight limit and unrostered were spotted on the Alpine line and Dick Sprinkle pulled his Ramblers off the field in protest.  The umpire agreed and awarded the Ramblers a 1-0 forfeit victory. 

Many of the footballers were not finished when the season concluded and the pads put away, many changed over to the Athletic Club baseball and basketball teams.

In 1955, Elmo Hudgens, Town Marshall, proposed a "Boys' Club" team and Ed Hendrickson was selected to represent the Issaquah Athletic Club at future Seattle Boys' Club meetings in December.  By Feb 9, 1956, The Issaquah Press announced that Hudgens would organize a team with two games scheduled with the University of British Columbia planned.  On Sep 1, 1956 the town team "Lions" played against a team called the "Seattle Cavaliers", newly formed in 1955, losing a tight match 7-0.  After the game, Issaquah and Seattle agreed to merge and play the rest of the year as the "Issaquah Cavaliers".  Kenny Hampton was named Issaquah's MVP of the game for his play.

This team would become the Elmo Hudgens-led Seattle Cavaliers that operated into the 1990 season.  When the Cavaliers shut down, Issaquah would again host a team when local grad Rich Adams announced the Issaquah Eagles would take shape in 1993.

On August 19, 1961, the Seattle Cavaliers returned to Issaquah to take on a team from the Athletic Club once more, with Issaquah falling 7-0.

GREATER NORTHWEST FOOTBALL HALL OF FAMERS
Ted Stonebridge Manager 1934 - 1950	Johnny Castagno Fullback 1937 - 1941