Childhood Football Memories of Massillon and Warren Harding

[Submariner]

Back in the early 1970's, the was something called Scrimmage Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Astro Turf was just introduced. I remember seeing black players (as a child at that time), with afros, and huge side burns. White players had huge side burns and mustaches, and the girls from Barberton at that time had big hair like behives or hornets nests I call'em:laugh: Very pretty girls down there!

What I remember is walking in the stadium with my parents. As we got closer fans from the first scrimmage were coming out of the stadium. It was Barberton Magics versus who knows. The next scrimmage was massillon versus Warren Western Reserve. We did not have astro shoes, but used converse. Massillon used astro shoes. The guys on both sides of the ball were absolutely huge to me. I heard hitting so hard, my bones shattered in the stands. I remember seeing the Good Year Blimp come in that day too! These were great memories and the importance of high school football that can bring communities they represent together better than any other sport!

I would love to see a big scrimmage Saturday like that again!!!!

[CarlE]

Back in the early 1970's, the was something called Scrimmage Saturday at the Akron Rubber Bowl. Astro Turf was just introduced. I remember seeing black players (as a child at that time), with afros, and huge side burns. White players had huge side burns and mustaches, and the girls from Barberton at that time had big hair like behives or hornets nests I call'em:laugh: Very pretty girls down there!

What I remember is walking in the stadium with my parents. As we got closer fans from the first scrimmage were coming out of the stadium. It was Barberton Magics versus who knows. The next scrimmage was massillon versus Warren Western Reserve. We did not have astro shoes, but used converse. Massillon used astro shoes. The guys on both sides of the ball were absolutely huge to me. I heard hitting so hard, my bones shattered in the stands. I remember seeing the Good Year Blimp come in that day too! These were great memories and the importance of high school football that can bring communities they represent together better than any other sport!

I would love to see a big scrimmage Saturday like that again!!!!


Actually, the Goodyear Blimp was really a couple of the Barberton cheerleaders!! Ha Ha.

[ChronicTiger]

:lol:

[Smitty]

Back in the early 1970's ... White players had huge side burns and mustaches,....

Somebody bring back Carl E's yearbook photo. (Good God, PLEASE don't show mine!!)

... and the girls from Barberton at that time had big hair like behives ... Very pretty girls down there! .....

Not so much anymore. If someone wants to take you to a "gentleman's club" in Barberton,... DON'T GO!!

... The next scrimmage was massillon versus Warren Western Reserve.... The guys on both sides of the ball were absolutely huge to me. I heard hitting so hard, my bones shattered in the stands! .....

The Massillon v WWR scrimmages of '72 & '73 were NUTZ. We hoped to get a shot a WWR in the '72 championship game but got ... uhhh... beat by Cincy Princeton. :cry: (Ah, that's material for other threads). We looked good vs WWR in the '73 scrimmage and ... well, got edged out of the playoffs by Mooney.

[TigerVic]

In '77, we blew out WWR in a scimmage at the RB and we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. In the return trip to the RB the next week, we cruised down the field for a TD on our first possession for a 7-0 lead over Barberton and it seemed like a repeat of the week before. The similarities ended there as Barberton ended up winning 9-7, thus reestablishing the RB as a House of Horrors for the Tigers.

[tig62]

TigerVic, didn't our key, go-to wide-receiver get injured early in that Barberton game?

[Submariner]

You are right, I think at that time even WWR played Barberton in regular season games. I think that was my first indoctrination to so much Purple and Gold and White. I hated it!!! They even have good basketball too, or used to! I used to confuse the name Magics, with tricky. Just when you think you have the game won, here they come!!!!!!

Pardon my ignorance, I did not know Massillon played Barberton. When was the last year Massillon played Niles McKinley and what was the score?

[warren1st]

Massillon beat Barberton 90-0 in 1959 and that put a suspension of the AP Poll for several weeks.

[TigerVic]

tig62- I don't recall a receiver being hurt- Here's the game story:

http://www.massillontigers.com/statistics/1977/np_barberton_77.htm

i thought our "go-to guy" that year (and '78) was Strawder?