BISON FOOTBALL REFLECTIONS

Top Players 1920-29

By John W. Parrish

           The first recorded OBU all conference football player was Clark Craig of Shawnee in 1920. Craig was a second-team Daily Oklahoman All Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference selection at end, and he received honorable mention for the Tulsa World's All OIC team.

After Craig's freshman year, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania where he played for Coach John Heisman, the man for whom the famous trophy is named. After graduating from Penn, Craig played professional football for the Frankford (Pa.) Yellowjackets in the early days of the National Football League. Craig returned to Shawnee where he became a prominent businessman and a strong supporter of OBU athletics. Clark Craig Fieldhouse, which served OBU for more than a half-century, was named in his honor.

Second-team all conference choices from 1921-24 included Herbert Wilson, guard; Lee Jackson, guard; Eugene Orchard, guard; Ralph Randels, quarterback; Carl White, guard (twice); Hippo Morris, halfback; Harry Lee Dyer, end; and Robert Mastin, guard.

The first player to be named to the all conference first team was Prentiss Mooney, halfback, who was a unanimous choice and was named team captain. Mooney was not only a skilled runner, he was highly-effective drop kicker, once connecting on a 50-yard field goal against Southwestern.

In 1925 the Bison had two first-team all conference selections, Mastin, center; Wallace Gibson, guard, and two second-team picks, Chester Vaughn, tackle, and Raymond Fox, quarterback. Mastin, Gibson, and Vaughn also were chosen for the All Oklahoma Collegiate Teams (All State), selected by the state's largest newspapers.

In 1926 Vaughn and Fox were first-team all conference picks at their positions, guard and quarterback, respectively, and Mastin, center, and Clement Hannum, halfback, were second-team choices. First-team All State picks were Vaughn, Fox, Hannum, and Mastin and second-team selections were Carydon Shaw, tackle, and Howard Smith, guard.

Vaughn at tackle and Virgil Tillinghast at end were first-team all conference in 1927, and Chester Harris, center, was second team. Vaughn and Tillinghast were first-team All State, Lester Secrest, halfback, was second team, and Harris and Eugene (Pete) Holt, fullback, were third team.

Tillinghast and Harris were first-team all conference picks in 1928 along with Laurence Heldenbrand, guard. Waldo E. (Buck) Buchanan was a second-team halfback. The All State Team had Tillinghast on the first team and Heldenbrand on the second team.

In 1929 OBU moved from the OIC to the Big Four Conference (OBU, Tulsa, Phillips, and Oklahoma City). Named first-team All Big Four were Harris, center, and Albert Bookout, end. Second-team picks were Victor Wallace, halfback; Guy Owen, tackle; and Buchanan, fullback. Bookout also was a first-team All State choice.