Answer to Trivia
Question at
bottom of page.
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Answer to Trivia Question:
William "Navy Bill" Saunders
Bill Saunders coached the line for the Aggies off an on from 1920 to 1927 helping win three championships. The somewhat aloof
Saunders left the Aggie coaching staff three different times before becoming the head coach at the University of Northern Colorado in
1928. He took over for Myron Witham at CU in 1932 and abruptly quit after the 1934 season. Saunders' final head coaching job was at
the University of Denver from 1936 to 1938.
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75th Anniversary of the 1933 Co-Champion Aggies
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Technically in football history it is common to celebrate an anniversary as a season rather than a year but it has been 75
years since the Colorado Agricultural College Aggies tied with Utah University and Denver University for the first ever
three-way Rocky Mountain Conference Co-Championship. Against all odds and with very few reserves, this group of
men pulled together a team with the able bodied help of their legendary coach Harry Hughes to surprise the conference.
With a Fort Collins native making spectacular triple-threat plays at halfback and a future Olympic champion from
Simla, Colorado catching amazing long passes at end, this tough group of players would compete during nearly every
second of every game for one of the greatest "Iron Man" feats ever displayed by a football team in Fort Collins.
Larry La Sasso is known
by the best Ram fans for
dressing as the Aggie
Cheerleader for many
years during homecoming.
The "Larry La Sasso Spirit
Award" is named in his
honor; he was the head
cheerleader at CAC during
the 1933 season.
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Colorado Aggies.Com
RAM Pride begins with AGGIE History
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Depression Football
Colorado Aggie football suffered greatly from the affects of the crash of 1929 and the Great Depression. Many men
were left unable to attend college and with no such thing as scholarship funds available, it was up to Coach Harry
Hughes to help players find work in order to attend college and play football. Thanks to the fact Hughes had a great
relationship with Fort Collins businessmen, he was able to do this as a primitive form of scholarship funding. Still, times
were tough for the businesses so there were fewer of these "jobs" available.
Beginning with 1929, the Aggies fell sharply in the talent pool as not only the quantity of athletes diminished but the
quality did as reserve strength was poor. Hughes had a knack for finding athletes among the students and in 1931 the
Colorado Aggies beat all schools from Colorado to win the mythical "State Championship" for bragging rights.
Following the '31 season, the Aggies and champion Nebraska Cornhuskers played a post season "scrimmage" at DU
Stadium as a charity event for both states' unemployment relief funds. The Aggies played Nebraska in what could be
called the Unemployment Bowl and were beating them 7-0 into the fourth quarter before they ran out of gas (and
reserve players) losing 7-20.
After a disappointing 1932 season where star end and receiver Glenn Morris suffered a sprained ankle through most of
the year, the Aggies developed excellent talent in halfback Wilbur "Little Red" White. Wilbur White was a sophomore
from Fort Collins and the younger brother of former Aggie star Albert "Red" White who helped drive that 1931 team to
the "State Championship." Little Red was fast and filled with athletic talent having a rocket arm for passing to his
favorite receiver; Glenn Morris.
Along with Wilbur White and Morris, the Aggies fielded several talented players including Chester Cruikshank, Ralph
Maag, Julius "Bud" Damman, Jim Hartman Sr. and Sammy Campbell. Their assistant coaches were Julius "Hans"
Wagner and Joe Ryan, both experienced and both had been the assistant coaches for Hughes since the 1927
championship season. The Aggies would primarily play only 15 of their 37 men that made up the varsity team during the
season with some playing nearly every minute of every game.
The team to beat in 1933 was the University of Utah, champions of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference each year
since 1928 and tough as nails. Under the guidance of their legendary coach Ike Armstrong, the Colorado Aggies had
not beaten the Utes since their last championship in 1927. As always the University of Colorado was also a tough
opponent with Hughes' former assistant coach from the 1920's, Bill Saunders now the head coach of the Silver and
Gold. The always pessimistic Harry Hughes had a lot to be worried about in September 1933 as his small yet fast team
was about to take on a tough conference.
Above- The Colorado Aggies take on the University of Wyoming in the opening game of the 1933 season
playing in Laramie. (The Aggies, wearing orange helmets with a dark green cross over the top of their
helmets, dark green jersey's with orange numerals and orange pants. The player at far right is an Aggie.)
Right- Glenn Morris (wearing his 1932 jersey) was a senior from Simla, Colorado who played end
opposite Sam Campbell. Morris is considered the greatest athlete Harry Hughes ever coached.
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Wilbur "Red" White - The 161 pound
junior from Fort Collins was easily one
of the best players on the 1933 team
racking up touchdowns via running and
passing. At the halfback position, White
truly guided the team from the
backfield. Being a Fort Collins native,
Red was a favorite of the team and in
his "Iron Man" status played an average
of 57.2 minutes per game in his first
five games of the season. Surprisingly,
White is one of the finest Aggie Athletes
NOT in the CSU Sports Hall of Fame.
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Julius "Bud" Damman -
Quarterback for the 1933 Aggies,
he guided the team well especially
when he pulled from the old play
book Harry Hughes' famous
"Million Dollar Play" in the CU
game to beat the Boulder team for
the third time in as many years.
"Iron Man" Damman played an
average of 59.3 minutes per game
in the first five games.
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Above- Red White (carrying ball) played as brilliant of a game as possible under the lights at Denver University but
the Aggies and DU played to a scoreless tie. Other Aggies blocking for White are #39 Dale Rea and #14 Floyd
Mencimer. Note the ball is white for easier viewing under the lights. (1935 Silver Spruce)
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The 1933 Season
Harry Hughes' 23rd season as head football coach opened with an extremely
close 7-0 win over the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Thanks to Bud
Damman's interception and White to Damman passing the Aggies won a
"hollow" game from the Cowboys. The next week was in Denver for a night
game at DU Stadium against the Pioneers. Over 12,000 fans packed the stands
for an 8:15pm start time to watch a dazzling 0-0 tie where Red White ran 44
yards down the field to stop a DU runner short of scoring the only points in the
game.
The Aggies finally opened their home schedule against their rivals from Boulder
at Colorado Field. Hughes had been forced to change his offensive strategy
during the depression years from hard smash mouth football to fast, passing
football.. Not only could Glenn Morris catch the long pass but Sam Campbell,
Floyd Mencimer, Ralph Maag and Bud Damman also were excellent receivers.
Before only 8,000 in Fort Collins, the Aggies caught numerous passes to beat
Colorado 19-6.
A snowy game at the Colorado School of Mines netted an easy win and new
found hope in a championship for 1933. The Aggies were tied with DU and Utah
University for third place in the RMAC race by November 5. The Aggies had a
3-0-1 record and CAC Publicity Director James McCain noted in a press release
how many minutes the Aggies had actually played with few reserves.
After the "Iron Man" story, Hughes became nervous, but for good reason as all
men were healthy and playing excellent ball. One injury could upset what was a
machine of football working together without substitutes.
Sammy Campbell - The Left end for
the Aggies, Campbell complimented
Glenn Morris as an excellent receiver of
White's amazing passes. Campbell
platooned with Jim Hartman Sr. and
although he was not one of the "Iron
Men", he did run the "Million Dollar"
against CU for the first time in nearly
five years. He later coached Aggie
basketball in 1936 & 1937.
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Ralph Maag - Right halfback playing
opposite Red White, Maag could score
touchdowns receiving short passes and
play blocking back with the best of
them. He gained notoriety nationally
when he was chosen along with Glenn
Morris for the "East-West" all-star
game after the 1933 season; he never
played. As an "Iron Man" Maag played
an average of 56.6 minutes per game
after the first five of the season.
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Chester Cruikshank - A guard on
the '33 Aggies, Cruikshank was one
of the most important men on the
excellent line of the Aggies.
Considered by most the best at that
position in the conference,
Cruikshank's "Iron Man" minutes
were 48 per game. He was later
inducted into the CSU Sports Hall of
Fame in 1995 for his track ability.
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Jim Hartman Sr. - An excellent
end, Hartman was a sophomore
from Longmont. He developed his
talents in '34 and '35 to play in the
NFL in 1936 & 1937. His son Jim
Jr. played for the Aggies 1951-1954.
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Homecoming at Colorado Field and the Colorado Aggies faced the Utah State
Aggies in a grudge match of the ages. Both teams had fought one another
over the years to some of the closest games in terms of point differences.
Not since 1923 had either team beaten the other by more than 13 points and
on several occasions by less than three points.
With the score deadlocked 0-0 and less than two minutes remaining in the
game, Red White raced 33 yards in one play to get the Colorado Aggies down
to the 16 yard line. With only 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Damman
kicked a field goal to win the game and keep the chances for a championship
alive. The defense, which in those days was the same players as the offense
held strong once again in another close yet exciting game.
The next week was an easy 30-7 win against Colorado College at Denver's
Stadium for a rare neutral site game. Behind the strong punting of White, a 62
yard touchdown run by Campbell and a stellar passing combination of White
to Morris, the Aggies continued to keep pace with DU as the only two
undefeated teams in the race. Utah had lost to CU giving the Aggies and
Pioneers a chance at a share of the championship.
Thanksgiving Day, November 29, 1933 was the day of reckoning in the
championship hopes for DU and CAC. The Pioneers were to face CU at
Denver Stadium while the Colorado Aggies traveled to Salt Lake City to take
on Armstrong's Utes. As DU lost their game 14-7 it gave Hughes and his
Aggies a chance at winning the championship outright.
Unfortunately the great season hit a snag as Red White continually fumbled
and his passing attack failed to get off the ground until it was too late in the
game. Two Utah touchdowns were all it took as the Aggies lost the game
making way for the first ever three-way tie of a championship in conference
history. DU, Utah and CAC all had one loss and although Utah had played one
less game than both the Pioneers and Aggies, it did not matter at that time.
Nevertheless a championship is a championship and Harry Hughes won the
seventh of his great career. Damman, Maag, Morris and White were named
to the "All-Conference" first team with Morris and Maag selected for the
January 1 "East-West" all-star game in San Francisco. Morris played one half
of the "East-West" game but Maag did not play any minutes.
This team would produce three of the first four NFL players in school
history and some of the only pro-football players coached by Harry Hughes.
Red White briefly played for the Chicago Cardinals in 1935 and 1936 before
going to the Brooklyn Dodgers football team later in 1936. Jim Hartman Sr.
would join his old teammate with the Brooklyn Dodgers after graduating in
1936. Glenn Morris, after winning the gold medal for the Decathlon in the
1936 Olympics and playing Tarzan in Hollywood in 1937, played briefly for
the Detroit Lions in 1940.
The Amazing part about the 1933 Aggies is that although Glenn Morris and
Ralph Maag graduated, they repeated for another co-championship in 1934
despite their lack of depth on the sideline and income during the most difficult
time of the Great Depression. After 75 years, we salute their grand efforts on
the field of play.
Floyd Mencimer - Fullback from
Brighton, Colorado, Mencimer played
the same average of 56.6 minutes as
an "Iron Man" and figured as one of
the key players in the offensive battles.
Right - A Swarm of Utah State Aggies
converge on Red White during the
Homecoming battle at Colorado Field.
White "raised the stands" with his
brilliant running ability but it was a
field goal by Bud Damman with 30
seconds left on the clock that sealed
the Aggies fourth victory and maybe
the championship of 1933.
(All Photos from 1935 Silver Spruce)
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