The Lansdale High School Football Team of 1937 was undefeated and untied–8 wins, 0 losses.  The story of this amazing and determined football squad is well worth the retelling.

As the season began in September, ten returning letter winners from the 1936 Second Place (5-2) season, had high hopes for a successful year.  For the first time in the history of Lansdale High School football, the season opened on a new home field behind the high school.  Pride and determination created a final score of Lansdale 33, Hatboro 0.  As each week followed success upon success, win after win, shut out after shut out, tension mounted as Thanksgiving approached.   The starting offensive lineup for the Maroon and White featured:

 Head football coach I. N. Cowan (1933-1940) was on the high school staff as a teacher of history.  Later, Coach Cowan became the Principal at Hatfield High School.  The offensive formation utilized by Coach Cowan was the old Notre Dame Shift, popular from Knute Rockne’s coaching years at ND.  The quarterback would call the signals (no huddle), the linemen and backs would shift into what ended up as an unbalanced line, right or left, with the backfield in a single-wing attack – primarily a running attack. 

On defense, the Maroon squad used a 6-2 under-over shift (6-2-2-1) and a 7-1 diamond (7-1-2-1).  The defense compiled one of the great records (LHS, NPHS) of all times. 

Thanksgiving Day, 1937

Quoting from The North Penn Reporter of November 26, 1937:  “The sound of the opening whistle had hardly died away before the first great attacking surge was underway as the Maroon took the kickoff and reeled off two first downs on as many spectacular plays. . . .The Cowanmen appeared to be on their way to a touchdown from the opening kickoff.  But the attack stalled on the 7 yard line. . . . .until the last few minutes of the first half, before they finally drew blood.  .The Seaters had moved into Lansdale territory just before the break came.  That gave the Maroon its chance. . . .The center was muffed and, before the back could get his hands on it, Herb Fretz, omnipresent Maroon tackle, leaped on the pigskin to give Lansdale possession on Doylestown’s 45.  Two passes thrown by Schmidt fell to the ground.  But the second was ruled complete on the 35 yard mark when referee George Erb declared that a Doylestown back had interfered with the receiver, Jack Watt, at that point.   With the Seaters rocking on their heels as a result of this blow, Bud Cope called the play that really ruined them.  Schmidt stepped back to pass as the speedy Watt raced far out to the right side line and toward the goal stripe.  Watt gathered in Schmidt’s perfectly aimed toss, while on the dead run, with no Doylestown defender anywhere near him and he nonchalantly paced off the remaining dozen yards to the Seater scoring station.  The extra point play, which functioned perfectly against Ambler the previous week, again bore fruit, as Watt faked a drop kick and passed to Schmidt in the end zone for the seventh point." 

After the half-time break, it was apparent that a determined Doylestown squad was not going to give up without a dog fight.  Returning to The North Penn Reporter article:  “The third period was packed with action from the opening whistle to the last.  From the kickoff, Doylestown started a surge that was halted only when Bud Cope, the Maroon’s great quarterback, intercepted a long pass behind the goal line and ran it out to the 9 yard mark.  From that point, the Cowanites started a drive that produced a touchdown in only six plays.  Schmidt ripped off nine yards and Watt raced through tackle for fourteen more.  A pass from Cope to Bob Stuart made a first down on the Doylestown 44, at which spot the bomb that blew up the Seater’s hopes exploded.  Watt took the pass from center about a dozen yards behind the scrimmage line and, by the time he dashed up to the line, he was making plenty of knots per hour.  He blazed through a whole at right tackle like the 20^th Century Limited and, aided by nice blocking, he had broken through the Doylestown secondary in the twinkling of an eye. . . . Then he faked another drop kick and raced around left end to score the extra point standing up.” 

“. . . . However, it wasn’t in the cards [an unscored-upon season]. . . .From a formation almost identical with that on which Watt started his 44 yard trek, Don Bricklemyer crashed through a hole at right tackle, stiff-armed and side-stepped his way through the Lansdale secondary, and raced down the right sideline for the score.  Several Maroon backs laid their hands on him as he started his long gallop, but were unable to hold him.  [With four minutes to go}, the Seaters were right in the old ball game [at 14-7], as they advanced to Lansdale’s 29 yard mark before Bob McIntyre intercepted a pass on the Lansdale 13.”  The final score:  Lansdale HS 14, Doylestown 7.  As disappointed as the Maroon must have been over the last four minutes of the year, they still retained pride in having achieved an undefeated and untied championship season. 

The Maroon linemen were strong performers, three recognized on the All-Buxmont League first team.  The players were RT Herb Fretz, LG Frannie Drissel, and C, Captain Bob Graham.  The backs were versatile.  The halfbacks could both pass and run.  Two backs placed on the All-Buxmont team – FB Bob Bricker and RHB Jack Watt (also chosen as the mythical team captain).

 Undefeated Teams—LHS, NPHS

The 1937 football team was the first of three Lansdale/North Penn undefeated teams.  The 1948 Lansdale Huskies football team won 11 games and also were champions of the Buxmont League.  In 2003, the North Penn High School football team won the PIAA (AAAA State Championship) with a 15-0 record. 

The 1937 football team is remembered each year at the end of the season at the sports banquet.  The prestigious football “Most Valuable Player” is named for Coach I. Newton Cowan Most Valuable Player Award.  The 1937 team also presents the “Most Improved Football Player Award” each year. 

Coach James B. Crawford, physical education teacher, Athletic Director, as well as coach of track, boxing, wrestling, cross country, was assistant football coach throughout the 30s and later took over as head football coach for the season of 1941.  The North Penn HS football stadium is named in honor of Coach Crawford.  Tonight we posthumously induct him into the North Penn Hall of Fame.

It is a great honor for the North Penn Alumni Athletic Association to enshrine the 1937 Lansdale High School Football Team into its Hall of Fame.   

--Compiled by Al Brodhag