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GRAYS HARBOR AMERICAN LEGION
(1920)
ABERDEEN AMERICAN LEGION "LEGIONNAIRES"
(1921; 1926-1927)
ABERDEEN SMOKE SHOP
(1922)
GRAYS HARBOR ALL STARS
(1925)

Aberdeen/Grays Harbor, Washington
Electric Park


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The Grays Harbor American Legion football team was composed of men from the 1,100 members of the Aberdeen and Hoquaim posts in 1920 that included former Camp Lewis 91st Division Rose Bowl (1917) player Harry Craig at halfback.  Basil Doane, Cole and Harry Craig served as the first coaches while the team organized.  Doane was a star halfback with the 1916 & 1917 Washington State College teams.  Cole was a former B.P.I. and M.A.C. of Baltimore, MD.  Capt. Ted Faulk, Bob Abel, Ed Hobi, and Robert Ingram of the University squad were slated to play against their Harbor friends in a January 1, 2021 Legionnaire Bowl Game pitting WSU Legion vs the Grays Harbor squad.  The game was ultimately canceled.

15 new uniforms, white with cardinal stripes, were ordered for the first teammers, while 10 reserves would use the 1920 garb entered the 1921 season.  Steele returned an INT 60 yards for the only touchdown in the 1921 opener with Aberdeen High.  The undefeated Legionnaires chartered buses for the Nov 27 trip to Tacoma as a large delegation of football fanatics was prepared to root on their team, however, Tacoma would cancel the game.  Aberdeen had not been scored upon all season, with no team crossing the Legion 20-yard line, including Tacoma in a 28-0 defeat earlier.

15 former high school and college athletes banded together under the banner of the Aberdeen Smoke Shop in 1922.  The team was basically the same as the 1921 team that went undefeated in five games.  This team only managed one outing against Astoria before breaking up.

Marion Ashmore, former lineman at Gonzaga and 1925 starter with the Legionnaires headed east to play professionally with the Milwaukee Badgers.  His Badgers lost 7-0 to the Green Bay Packers Oct 17, 1926.

Howard Maddox scored 7 touchdowns and 6 PATs on the season for 48 points to lead Aberdeen in 1926.  Maddox was ranked by grid fans as being as good as any college or university fullbacks playing.  Atkinson totaled 20 points, Ellis Johnson and Neil Eddy scored 12.

In the 1928 opener, Leo Little blocked a Saratoga kick, but the Legion could not capitalize settling for a 0-0 tie.  The Legionnaires defeated Tacoma the following week then struggled to get other teams to commit to play.

"Gil" Skeate, a former Gonzaga star was the focus of an article proclaiming he was getting better with age.  Entering his 14th year of football, he was the only remaining member of the Legionnaires who actually was a war veteran having served with the Marines.  Playing for Aberdeen in 1925, Skeate, moved over to the Tacoma Athletic Club for two seasons before he was picked up by the Green Bay Packers as the starting fullback for the 1927 season.  He returned to the Harbor to play the 1928-1930 seasons.  Starting with his 1917 high school season, Skeate then played for the Mare Island Marines in 1918 re-entering high school after World War I. Skeate joined Gonzaga from 1921-1923 as the starting fullback. After Gonzaga, Gil played in Aberdeen, Tacoma, and professionally with Green Bay from  1924-1930 to account for his 14 years from 1917-1930.

Neil Eddy caught a Merlin Davidson pass to tie St. Martins College 6-6 in 1929.  Davidson would enroll at Grays Harbor Junior College and try out for quarterback in 1931.

John Mashin in 1931, was designated as Coach of the Aberdeen alumni team that was originally slated to be sponsored by the Grays Harbor National Guard unit, with the high school loaning out equipment for a charity game to benefit the unemployed during the Great Depression.

The Legion was replaced by the Athletic Club organization in 1934 ending the American Legion involvement in football in the harbor. Neil Eddy would coach the team in 1935.


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1920 Players:

Bush (E), Claslen (T), Cecil Johnson (G), Drew (C), Reed (G), Weagle (T), Woodland (E), Basil B. Doane (E), Cole (QB), Thompson (HB), Harry Craig (HB), Smith (FB), Ira Blackwell (T/FB), Art Ross, Les Thompson, Pete Murchinson, Paul Vernon, Sam Benn, Earnest Axland, Phil Shirk, Ralph Ingebritsen, Harold Ingebritsen

1921 Players:

Gibcke (E/K), Bush (E), Ralph Ingebritsen (T), Bowers (G), Crawford (C), Harold Ingebritsen (G), Karr (G), Ira Blackwell (T), Thompson (E), Phil Shock (HB), C. Johnson (HB), Blackmore (FB), Del McKinney (QB), Steele (HB)

 

1922

Walter "Fat" Herreid (T), Bill Hyndman


 
1925 Players
Gil Skeate (FB), Marion Ashmore (E), Fred Tebb (HB)


1926 Players


Howard Maddox (FB), Atkinson (QB), Ellis Johnson (HB), Neil Eddy (HB), Carlson, Faulkerson (HB), Nile, Bob Fitzke, Guggenbickler (OL), McCrimmon (OL), Green (OL), Williams (HB), Marlow (OL)

 

1927 Players


Howard Maddox (FB/K), Atkinson (QB), Neil Eddy (HB/E), Carlson, Faulkerson (HB), Guggenbickler (T), McCrimmon (G), Greer (C), Williams (HB), Marlowe (E), O'Connor (HB), McHugh (FB), Phillips (T), McKeever (G)

 

1929 Players

Gilbert "Gil" Skeate (FB), Neil Eddy (E), Bob McHugh, O'Connor, Merlin Davidson (QB), Peterson (C)

 

1930 Players

Neil Eddy (E), Watson (E), Elmer Huhta (G), Peterson (G), McCrimmon (C), Elliot Pulver (QB), Murphy (HB), Gilbert Skeate (HB), Ross (FB), Ashmore (T), Nickelson (T), Cliff Marker, Harold Cook, Nocula, Laukkanen (T)

 

1931 Aberdeen Alumni

Dick Kolts, Leonard Nocula, Murphy,

 

1932 Aberdeen Alumni

Hugo Luikko, Joe Luikko, Lefty Franko, Ettor Strada, Frank Siggstedt, Neelo Martin, Aino Laukkanen, Merle Wickett, Oscar Carlson, Clem Warren, Matt Musulin, Harry Holt, Gene Waara, Leo Little, Leonard Nocula, Wallace Wickett, Denton Fuller, Carol Reinhart, Benny Hill, Cecil Barry, Bill Waara, Glenn Boyle, Glen Hicks, Dick Kolts, Chuck Swanson, Mason McCoy




1920
Independent
Record
Coach Cecil Johnson / Basil Doane
Asst John Mashin, B. Dean

1921
Independent
Record: 5-0
GM Commander Pat McNamara / William Hopkinson
Coach Cecil Johnson
* Claim Northwest Independent Champions *

1922
Independent
Record: 0-1
Sponsor: Aberdeen Smoke Shop
Mgr E. F. Sloan
Coach

1923


1924


1925
Independent
Record:
Mgr Chet Strayer
Coach Elbert Harper


1926
Independent
Record: 6-2

1927
Independent
Record: 1-1-3
Coach John Mashin

1928


1929


1930
Northwest Independent League
Record
Coach Marion Ashmore

1931
Independent Alumni Team
Record: 1-0
Sponsor: Grays Harbor National Guard
Coach John Mashin

1932
Independent Alumni Team
Record: 0-0
Coach Neal Eddy


Schedules and Results
Date Opponent Score
     
1920 Oct 10 Camp Lewis Soldiers 0-13
1920 Oct 17 Bremerton Navy Yard  
1920 Nov 7 Tacoma Athletic Club 20-0
1920 Nov 11 Hoquiam American Legion  
1920 Nov 21 Camp Lewis Soldiers Cancel
1921 Jan 1 WA State College American Legion Cancel
     
1921 Oct 1 Aberdeen High School 7-0
1921 Oct 22 St. Martins College 13-0
1921 Oct 16 Boldt's Cafe Specials 14-0
1921 Oct 30 Tacoma Athletic Club 28-0
1921 Nov 11 University of Washington JV 13-0
1921 Nov 27 Tacoma Athletic Club Cancel
     
     
1922 Oct 29 Astoria American Legion 0-26
1922 Nov 5 West Seattle Yellowjackets Cancel
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
1925 Oct 18 @ Jefferson Park Athletic Club 7-7
1925 Oct 25 West Seattle Yellowjackets  
1925 Nov 1 Nippon Athletic Club Cancel
1925 Nov 1 Jefferson Park Atheletic Club  
1925 Nov 11 Washington University JV 6-6
1925 Nov 15 Tacoma Athletic Club 3-0
1925 Nov 22 Portland Waterfront Employees 0-10
     
     
1926 Camp Lewis 52-0
1926 Oct 10 Tacoma Athletic Club 6-0
1926 Oct 17 Seattle Taiyos 46-0
1926 Oct 24 West Seattle Yellowjackets 13-9
1926 Oct 31 Seattle College 13-0
1926 Nov 7 Jefferson Park Jeffs 0-7
1926 Nov 11 University of Washington Frosh 34-0
1926 Nov 28 West Seattle Yellowjackets 2-3
1926 Dec 5 Bremerton All-Stars Cancel
     
     
1927 Oct 16 Fort Lewis  
1927 Oct 23 Kitsap Athletic Club  
1927 Oct 30 Tacoma Athletic Club 6-6
1927 Nov 6 Jefferson Park Athletic Club 6-0
1927 Nov 13 West Seattle Yellowjackets * 0-6
  * Northwest Independent Championship   
1927 Nov 20 Tacoma Athletic Club 6-6
1927 Nov 27 Keyport Naval Torpedoes  
1927 Dec 4 St. Johns Bachelors 0-0
     
     
     
1928 Oct 14 USS Saratoga 0-0
1928 Oct 21 Tacoma Athletic Club 9-7
1928 Atlantic Street Merchants  
1928 Nov 11 Kitsap Athletic Club  
1928 Nov 25 @ West Seattle Yellowjackets  
     
     
1929 Oct 6 West Seattle Yellowjackets 0-14
1929 Oct 20 West Seattle Yellowjackets  
1929 Nov 3 St. Martins College 6-6
     
     
1930 Oct 5 USS Saratoga  
1930 Oct 12 @ Kitsap Athletic Club  
1930 Oct 19 @ West Seattle Yellowjackets  
1930 Oct 27 Tacoma National Guardsmen  
1930 Nov 2 Kitsap Athletic Club  
1930 Nov 9 West Seattle Yellowjackets  
1930 Nov 24 Tacoma National Guardsmen  
     
     
1931 Dec 20 Hoquiam Alumni 12-6
   * Unemployed Charity Game    
     
1932 Dec 26 Hoquiam Alumni 0-0
   * Unemployed Charity Game   
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
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