All American Conference

[footballgal]

I have a friend over in Canton that is trying to find out the teams that
played in what they used to call the Big 8 or All American Conference

So far he has come up with the following teams:

Massillon
McKinley
Niles McKinley
Steubenville
Warren
Alliance
Mansfield ?

anyone on here remember those teams?

[MTown]

You hit it on the head with the exception of Mansfield. They weren't in it.

[TigerVic]

That is correct for the AAC except for Mansfield. I don't remember that "McKinley" you mention, though. :laughing:

The Tigers, I believe, played in a league in the Mather era (late 40s-early 50s) that included Mansfield, Canton McK, Alliance, Warren, and Toledo Waite (and others?). i think it was called the All-Ohio League.

Before that, I think they played in a league in the 30s or early 40s (or even 20s?). I don't know what that would be called- I don't think the Big 8 (Or our schedule would be more fixed than it was in those days with only 3 "open dates").

I think the Tigers played in a "Big 8" in basketball, perhaps?

[footballgal]

Your right it was Toledo Waite....but yes Niles McKinley was in it and so was Mansfield...so that makes the 8 teams.....at that time Mansfield was a power house.......

I believe that they also played BB in that league...

[TigerVic]

I don't think Niles was in the All Ohio League in the early 50s, etc. Their schedule consisted of Youngstown area teams and the only opponent consistent with the Tigers' schedule was Warren.

They were certainly in the AAC, though!

[footballgal]

I think your right...Thanks for your input.

[longtimefirsttime]

From a Steubenville website, Rollredroll:

"Abe Bryan was named coach of the Big Red in 1964, by 1965 he had the Red rolling again compileing an 8-2 mark. In 1965 and 1966 he also had Ohio back of the year Mike Palmer who led the 1966 team to a 9-1 mark, the only loss coming at Massillon 0-12, which many feel was the biggest upset loss in Big Red's history (the Tigers were a .500 team that year). Bryan's troops put up very impressive records at the height of the All American Conference, which was considered the toughest high school football league ever assembled. The league consisted of the Alliance Aviators, the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, the Massillon Washington Tigers, the Niles McKinley Red Dragons, the Steubenville Big Red, and the Warren G. Harding Black Panthers, all of which had won state championships at one time or another. No doubt the brutal competition cost AAC teams many more state titles. Bryan stepped down after the 1972 season and left with a record of 59-30-1. In 1993 the pressbox at Harding Stadium was named in his honor.

THE DECLINE: 1973-1980
Steubenville experianced a major loss in population during the mid 70's, which resulted in falling enrollment at the high school. Tom Gardner coached two lackluster seasons in 1973 and 1974 going 9-11 overall. From 1975 to 1980 Big Red was led by Bill Bohren and Jerry Harris who together put together a 27-30-3 mark. The '76 team finished with a 7-2-1 record and narrowly missed out on a playoff birth if not for an upset loss to Canton Glen Oak in week three. Big Red outscored their opponents 212-46, while playing a very demanding schedule. 1979 saw the demise of the All American Conference, largely due to the loss of students at Big Red, Niles, and Alliance; but the Red compiled a fine 7-3 finish to close out the decade."

Orangeblood also took a look at the AAC on the Lair:
http://www.massillontigerslair.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=04a0e6649f0bf375da02a65ca4ea7d 2a&topic=605.0

[warren1st]

Redrollred is right on.