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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.
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 dominate 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.
In 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.
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.
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. |
