bulldog1974
Well-known member
You talking Beau Bell? If so, that was mid 1950's. He was a member of the only undefeated EP team.Add Ray Bell from EP. He played at BGSU.
You talking Beau Bell? If so, that was mid 1950's. He was a member of the only undefeated EP team.Add Ray Bell from EP. He played at BGSU.
You talking Beau Bell? If so, that was mid 1950's. He was a member of the only undefeated EP team.
1956. There was only one time. Well, he could have graduated in 59. Time frames are about correct.I certainly could be wrong but wasn't EP undefeated in 56 & 1958? Anyway the guy I'm talking about, to my knowledge, was named Ray Bell & I'm pretty sure he graduated from EP in 59. I believe that in 1962 he was part of the BGSU starting backfield with Don Lisbon & Jay Cunningham from Youngstown South. Is that the same guy?
You have the wrong Beau Bell. This was a nickname.Beau Bell was a linebacker drafted by the Browns in 2008, in the 4th round (when he was their first pick that year, due to their other picks being previously traded away--1st rounder given up for Brady Quinn, 2nd rounder for DE Corey Williams, and 3rd rounder for DT Shaun Rogers.
Bell played all of 5 games in his entire NFL career that year with the Browns, making 3 tackles. That Beau Bell?
I was at BGSU in the mid-70's and the Youngstown area connection from the 60's that YTOWN has described was starting to fade. QB Reid Lamport from Newton Falls was finishing his career there my freshman year, he later became a successful women's softball coach at Poland High School for many years. I believe there was a Tony Bell from Youngstown at BG who was in the same class as Lamport, or maybe a year older.
1956. There was only one time. Well, he could have graduated in 59. Time frames are about correct.
Beau Bell was a linebacker drafted by the Browns in 2008, in the 4th round (when he was their first pick that year, due to their other picks being previously traded away--1st rounder given up for Brady Quinn, 2nd rounder for DE Corey Williams, and 3rd rounder for DT Shaun Rogers.
Bell played all of 5 games in his entire NFL career that year with the Browns, making 3 tackles. That Beau Bell?
I was at BGSU in the mid-70's and the Youngstown area connection from the 60's that YTOWN has described was starting to fade. QB Reid Lamport from Newton Falls was finishing his career there my freshman year, he later became a successful women's softball coach at Poland High School for many years. I believe there was a Tony Bell from Youngstown at BG who was in the same class as Lamport, or maybe a year older.
Roger Bettis quarterbackedi Minerva in the before mentioned Poland Minerva game. Jess Lowry was a back for that team.I'm not sure if Minerva was still in the TCL when Rodger Bettis was their QB but he went on to play at itchigan
I respectfully submit that you have slightly underestimated your Bulldogs in terms of undefeated seasons:
1958 EP schedule & results:
Coach - Bill Mallory: 9-0
St. Clairsville W 32-0
Sebring W 16-14
Leetonia W 40-6
Lisbon W 16-14
Minerva W 46-6
Poland W 24-6
Louisville W 28-22
Columbiana W 28-0
Bellaire St. John W 52-6
EP was undefeated at 9-0 in 1956, 9-1 in 57 the loss to Salem, undefeated at 9-0 in 58, 8-1 in 59 the loss to Minerva and 7-1-1 in 1960 the loss to Beaver, Pa and the tie with Poland. Without question the best football stretch in the history of the program. The Bulldogs did not lose a TCL game from game 8 of the 1955 season vs Louisville until game 6 of the 1959 season vs Minerva, a streak of 23 TCL games.
There is some interesting reading on that Vindy page. There is a story on Berlin Western Reserve just starting its football program. Schedules from all the area teams, some of which I don't ever recall hearing before. (Likely merged into other districts).
The Vindy announcing FOUR separate HS Football Previews for the area. An article on Pop Warner's Wingback offense making a comeback. lol
The unbeaten streak was league play, if I remember.EP record
1959 Schedules
You are correct in that it is not the end of the world and I certainly mean no disrespect. For decades I thought EP was undefeated in 58 so I just wanted to know for my own info which is why I asked who EP lost to in 58 if they were not undefeated. I was pretty sure the Bulldogs were undefeated in 1958 as well as 1956 so I looked at the first link above from Yappi's Wicki page and then followed it up by finding a copy of the History of the TCL that a guy from Louisville made years ago, that's where the scores came from, and finally by looking at a few old Vindy game write-ups in the Google newspaper archives that verify those scores. It looks like EP was also undefeated in 1946, they had one tie, after going winless in 1945.
The second link is a kind of preview of the 1959 season and the schedules of area teams. The Vindy published those every year in mid August at the time. It is on page D-4 of the Vindy which is page 41 in the box at the upper right of the header. The write up mentions EP will be trying to continue their unbeaten streak in 1959, that their last loss was to Salem in game 8 of the 1957 season. It also says that EP was the 1st team to win the TCL title 3 consecutive years.
Again, I meant no disrespect.
The Vindy was great back in the day when I was growing up. They covered everything. They had write-ups of local jr. high football games, basketball games, track meets, etc and the standings of the local jr. high leagues. The Volney Rogers league was always in there. I even remember them posting the standings of a local shuffleboard league every week during their season, whenever that was.
ThaXFactor posted above about Randy McBride attending Cincinnati U. out of Crestview. I remember seeing a picture of him, it was in 1969 or 70, with Bob Merkich & Ken Weingart of Chaney and I think Larry Wire from Struthers at UC in that picture. The Vindy always posted pictures and write-ups of local players at different colleges before and during the football season.
A quick Google search yielded this. Page 10 has info on McBride and Weingart.
The unbeaten streak was league play, if I remember.
Good find. That was from their senior season and they both did very well that year. Mr. Weingart had a tryout with the Bengals following that season. Bob Merkich was two years older and he was a team captain in 69. Thinking about it now I don't think Larry Wire was in the picture I mentioned. I think it was Frank Pirone from Struthers, it was somebody from Struthers. Anyway, there were a lot of area guys that played for UC.
This thread is about the TCL and we are talking D1 guys but the City Series and SVC had so many Di guys then it was difficult to make an All-League team. For example Bob Merkich was 2nd-team All-City in 65 and Ken Weingart did not make the All-City team in HS. Frank Pirone was 1st-team All-SVC. for Struthers in 65. As a matter of fact the entire starting backfield and TE on that 65 Struthers team went to the Big 10 and Mr. Pirone to Cincy. They still couldn't beat a 1-7-1 Wilson team however, tied 6-6. The Redmen seemed to give the Cats problems in the early to mid 60s no matter how good or bad the teams were.
Almost every player on the 1965 All-City team played college ball including Mr. Merkich & at least three or four other 2nd-team guys. Vince Chianese was 2nd-team and he went to Arizona St. and a few to YSU. The entire area produced a ton of D1 college guys then.
As I posted above E.P. did indeed have a 23-game TCL winning streak from 1955 to 1959 but the article in the Vindy that I posted the link for above is talking about them continuing their undefeated streak in all games, which going into the 1959 season was 10. They won their last game in 1957 & all 9 games in 1958.
I believe Tony Bell was in same class as Reid Lamport. Mr. Bell was an outstanding athlete, 2-time 1st team All-City in football and 2nd team all-City once in hoops as a senior. He played both at BG in his soph season. He was drafted by the Colts in the NFL but tragically he contracted MS that same year I think it was and passed a few years later.
That Youngstown area connection, which included guys from several area schools not just South, probably started to fade because Youngstown native and long time asst. and then head coach Bob Gibson left for the CFL & then the WFL and finally the NFL. Of course the infamous "Miracle in the Meadowlands" ended his coaching career.
As I posted above E.P. did indeed have a 23-game TCL winning streak from 1955 to 1959 but the article in the Vindy that I posted the link for above is talking about them continuing their undefeated streak in all games, which going into the 1959 season was 10. They won their last game in 1957 & all 9 games in 1958.
Well, I cannot understand the emphasis on 1956 team when 58 was unbeaten, too. I am going to ask a couple fellows who played back then, I'll find out. Doesn't matter to me, but it would fill some vacant questions for both of us. Anyone knows, it would be those who actually played.
Good find Ytown. Thanks for taking the time to find all that information and post it here.
On a side note, my mother is a 1968 alum of Chaney. She told me many stories of the great atmosphere of the games from that era. I also teased her a few years ago when Chaney did away with sports. I'd say "What was once one of the crown jewels of Youngstown football, now doesn't even field a team!" It's good to see them back on the field and hopefully they can re-capture their success from that era. If I remember correctly, she told me that their big rivals were Mooney and Fitch (I think).
The crowds & atmosphere at the games then were amazing.