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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.
From 1946-49 James Hooker Hailstone played
center for the Alpine Dairy team and the Seattle
Cavaliers as a fill in tackle in the 50's. His
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 Sernitch,
Jack Shelfa, Larry Totten, Art Wallace.
1946:
Ellie Croston booted a 20-yard field goal in the closing
minutes to secure a 3-0 win over Seattle's Nettleton &
Baldwin Lumber team on Oct 20, 1946.
Players: Lewis Anderson, Brian Brown, Ellie Croston, Bob
Corra, Nick Bakamus, Jim Bakamus, Pete Bakamus, Harold
Chevalier, Dave Chevalier, Bob Lavik, Bill Phillips, Art
Swanson, George Cooper, Mike Cernich, Dick Lortie,
George Hausauer, Walk Seil, Stan Favini, Aito Scappini,
Mack Gossett, Fern Anderson
1947:
Stan Favini bolted for 3 touchdowns in the Labor Day
opener against Stanwood. Art Wallace followed up
with 3 of his own the next two games, Pete Backamus and
Ellie Croston accounted for 2 each. Croston was
credited with 7 kick conversions in 3 games.
Croston was the hero of the 1947 season 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 Olympic Peninsula.
Hans Forester threw a party Dec 13 to celebrate the
Alpines championship, and the fire department presented
sports jackets to the players; purple and gold with
leather sleeves. 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.
Ellie Croston (PK/QB), Art Wallace (QB/HB), Nick Bakamus
(FB), Jim Bakamus (T), Rex Seil (HB), Bill Seil (E),
Jack Chalfa (T), Cliff McGary (G), Harold Chevalier (C),
Dave Chevalier (G), "Hooker" Hailstone (C), Stan Favini
(HB), Larry Totten (HB) Bob Pankie (QB), Frank Crossley
(T), Ellsworth Pickering (E), John Bushman (G), Dolan
(B), Stan Favini (HB), John Buchanan (G), Gene Bryan
(HB), Ed Hammond (L), Ray Dagomeyer (E)
1948:
Stan Favini starred in trouncing Kent, returning a
kickoff 92-yards for a TD, and taking back a pick-six
from 55-yards out.
Pete Bakamus scored twice and Ellie
Croston kicked an extra point to lead the 15-0 win over
White Center. Both Bakamus scores came off of a
fumble and a blocked punt.
The 1948 season came down to the undefeated
Rainier Beach Athletic Club Ramblers (later to become
the famous 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 a scoreless
tie in the game and a runner-up finish to the still
undefeated Ramblers.
Both teams received a trophy as co-champions.
1948 Players: Ken Solid (RB), Mike Cernich (OL), Jim
Bakamus (OL), Dave Chevalier (OL), Harold Chevalier
(OL), Nick Bakamus (OL), Jack Evans (OL), Tom Hickman
(OL), Pete Bakamus (RB), Bill Seils (HB), Stan Favini
(HB), John Buchanan (L), Art Sandburg (L), Pally
Pickering (E), Frank Crossley (L), Hooker Hailstone (L),
Larry Totten (B), Tommie Bevens (HB), Ray Diegelmire
(E), Ellie Croston (PK), Wakefield (HB)
1949 was a rough season for the Alpines
just 2 seasons after a conference title. A huge
blowout to the Ramblers in the first game, prompted the
Alpines to pull a fast one in the 4th quarter of a one
TD game and were caught with illegal players in the
second game. Two ex-UW players who were over the
175 lb 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.
When football was finished and the pads put
away, many of the men played for the Athletic Club
baseball team as well.
1952 Players
QB - Fred Henninger,
QB - Jim Satterlee,
RE - Chuck Forsythe,
RT - Ron Furrer,
RG - Jack Confer,
RG - Lawrence Patrick,
C - Roger Hansen,
C - Jack Kramer,
LG - Herb Sheda,
LG - Jim Darcy,
LT - Roy McGinnis,
LT - Jack Janus,
LE - Bob Ludwig,
RHB - Doug O'Bert,
LHB - Floyd Hefferline,
FB - Cliff Cowan, John Mayovsky, Doug Obert, Don
Henninger, Jack Sell,
Elmo Hudgens proposed a Boys' Club team and Ed
Hendrickson was selected to represent the Issaquah
Athletic Club at future Boys' Club meetings (Dec 1,
1955)
Feb 9, 1956, The Issaquah Press announced that Town
Marshall Elmo Hudgens would organize a town team with 2
games with the University of British Columbia planned.
On Sep 1, 1956 the Town Team played against the Seattle
Cavaliers losing a tight match 7-0. After the
game, Issaquah and Seattle merged to play the rest of
the year as the
Issaquah Cavaliers.
1956 Players:
Tim Young, Don Christiansen, Roger Kinnune, Doug Obert,
Floyd Hefferline, Leon Cooke, Dick Janus, Terry
Lofsvold, Chuck Kinnune, Jerry Coop, Jerry Chute, Hans
Forester Jr., Jack Chalfa, Jack Janus, Ken Hampton,
Terry Farrington, Warren O'Brien, Roger Hansen, James
Hailstone and Jack Kramer. Ron Furrer, Harris
Lawrence, and Kenny Parks played for Seattle.
August 19, 1961 the Seattle Cavaliers
defeated an Issaquah Town Team 7-0.
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1933
Schedule/Results (5-0-3): |
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