Lost Treasures: South Warriors
In 1927, Calvin Coolidge was in office as the 30th President of the United States. The average price of gas was fifteen cents a gallon. The National Football League was in its’ 8th year of existence with teams such as the Providence Steam Rollers, Pottsville Maroons, Duluth Eskimos and the Dayton Triangles. The Steelers would not begin play for another six years. Texas great running back Doak Walker and broadcaster Vin Scully were born in the winter months of 1927. In Youngstown, Mayor Charles Scheible was finishing up his term. On Market Street, the South Warriors won the first-ever City Series Championship in football.
South won four of the first six league titles. Although the school closed in 1993, the Warriors are second in total City Series football championships with 17 (behind Chaney).
Former Rayen Tiger athlete Russell 'Busty' Ashbaugh took over the reigns as head football coach for Pete Denman in 1914. Ashbaugh coached greats like Bob Dove and his son Pete. He also had the good fortune of having Dwight 'Dike' Beede and Wes Fesler on his coaching staff during his tenure. Ashbaugh, a former Brown University standout (135-36) led the Warriors to a winning percentage of 78.9% until 1938 when Busty was replaced by John McFee.
Longtime Youngstown State head coach Dwight Beede (1938-72) will be best remembered for his invention of the penalty flag in 1941. It is quite remarkable how much the sport identifies with this piece of laundry. Beede graduated from South earning himself a scholarship to Newberry College.
Wes Fesler, a four-sport stalwart at South High School, was recognized for his talents at Ohio State in 1930 when he was named the Big Ten Most Valuable Player. Fesler played football for Sam Willaman in Columbus. Wes was such a revered athlete that when his playing days ended he coached not only college football (Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Minnesota) but also college basketball (Harvard and Princeton). Fesler was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
Arguably Bob Dove may have been the greatest athlete to come out of the area in the first part of the twentieth century. Dove was a three-year starter at South before becoming a member of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. As a freshman, he caught passes from Heisman winner Angelo Bertelli. Dove was a consensus All-American as a junior and senior. He received the Knute Rockne Memorial Award in 1942 which recognized the nation’s top lineman. Grandpappy was drafted into the NFL in 1943 by the Washington Redskins. Dove played on the Detroit Lions’ 1953 NFL Championship team alongside such greats as Bobby Layne, Yale Lary, Doak Walker, Jack Christiansen, and Joe Schmidt. On December 27 of that year, the Lions won their third championship by defeating the Browns, 17-16.
Warriors’ quarterback Pete Ashbaugh was an All-City selection in 1938. Ashbaugh played on Frank Leahy’s 1946 and 1947 National Championship teams at Notre Dame.
A 1963 NFL third-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers, Don Lisbon was a great runner for the Warriors in the mid-1950s before enrolling at Bowling Green. Don rushed for 561 yards and caught 34 balls for 3 scores during his two-year career (1963-64) in the National Football League. Lisbon will always be respected by those who reside north of the border for his play with the Montreal Alouettes. Don rushed for over 1,000 yards in 1966 in the Canadian Football League.
In 1959, South (7-3) shared the City Series title with both Ursuline and East. The Warriors began the season by defeating East Liverpool and Cardinal Mooney in their first two contests but then suffered a week three loss to East, 30-14. South was 3-2 entering the second half of the schedule. The Warriors dumped North, Chaney and Rayen setting up the series title and payback from Ursuline for the year prior (Irish won, 7-6). South beat Ursuline, 24-13, to take a split of the league crown.
The Rivers’ brothers (Jamie and Sanford) played key roles on Warrior teams in the 1960s. Sanford Rivers, a track and field marvel, was a three-year letter winner (1960-62) at South. Sanford will be best remembered for his credentials as an NFL official. Jamie, on the other hand, was drafted by St. Louis in 1967 after completing a stellar career at Bowling Green which saw the linebacker put together three straight years All-Mid American seasons. Jamie Rivers was acknowledged as the Cardinals’ Rookie of the Year in 1967.
First-team All-Ohio running back Pete Richardson played his college ball at Dayton. Richardson suffered an injury while playing for the Flyers which caused his offensive career to come to an end but he was a ball hawk in the secondary as a cornerback. Pete was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 1968 NFL Draft. The former Warrior led the Bills in interceptions in 1970 (5). After his playing career had concluded, Richardson went into coaching. He landed a position as the head football coach at Southern (1993-09). Pete led the Jaguars to a 134-62 mark during his seventeen year stay.
As a member of the 1979 City Series champions, quarterback Garcia Lane was one of the most dynamic players of the past thirty years in the valley. Lane, father of Hubbard standouts Shaun and Ben, played football at Ohio State where he was a three-year starter in the defensive backfield. Garcia competed in the start up United State Football League (USFL) for the Baltimore Stars and head coach Jim Mora. Lane was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft. He played in all sixteen games as a rookie in 1985. Lane returned 13 kickoffs for an average of 20.7 yards and 43 punts for 8.9 yards per clip.
One of the most recognizable buildings, South High, still stands albeit different names have been plastered on the marquee. The school’s rich football history is only a small piece of the institutions’ long lasting effect on the valley.
