Post by TheShadow on Sept 2, 2008 15:54:38 GMT -5
www.towntalknews.com
By Rich Pagano
This is part 2 of a six part column I wrote about John Rauch in 2003. Unfortunately, John, one of Delaware County's greatest athletes, passed away just recently.As a senior (1944-45) at Yeadon High School, John again led the Eagles to the Section Five Basketball Championship. During the season, he also set a school, Section Five, Suburban, and Philadelphia area scoring record when he tallied 47 points in a game against Upper Chichester High School.
Sportswriter Ken Hay reported, "John Rauch, Yeadon High School ace, set a Philadelphia District individual scoring record last night when he tallied 47 points as the Yeadonites crushed Upper Chichester, 80-12. Rauch made 17 field goals and 13 fouls as he smashed the former Suburban mark of Springfield High School's Bud Wright and Clifton Heights' Fran Quinn of 37 points set earlier this season.
"The total erased the mark of 43 points made by Tom Barry of Jenkintown High School in a Bux-Mont league game against Hatboro High School and the 41 point Philadelphia Public League High School record of two years ago by Central High School's Albie Ingerman."
When the season ended, John had registered 241 points in league competition and 134 in non-league games for a total of 375 points, capturing the Section Five scoring championship. Not only did he win the title, which was the crown he lost to Clifton's Ted Dorosh the previous year, but he also copped the Suburban and Philadelphia area scoring championships.
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As the playoffs began, John teamed up with Al Rodgers to lead Yeadon to the first round of District I competition at Villanova Field House. Matched with Suburban Three Champion Pottstown, the eagles, in spite of Rauch's 20 points, fell short, 42-35.
A total of 55 fouls were called by the officials, 34 of them against John Naegeli's Yeadon squad.
Sportswriter Dave Trostel wrote, "Rauch, who is known for his fighting spirit and who never gives up when the chips are down, will be remembered by those who saw him in action at the Pottstown game, when he uncorked 13 points of his total of 20 points to lead a stubborn Yeadon five within seven points of Pottstown."
As the school year came to a close, Iron-Man John Rauch was being hailed as the greatest athlete in Yeadon High School history.
Surprisingly, he didn't get very much attention from any major colleges, but coach Naegeli, who had played on a state championship basketball team at Old Forge High School in upstate Pennsylvania, met a University of Georgia alumnus, Harold Hirsch, Jr. at a wedding in Taylor, Pa. Hirsch was a Coca-Cola bottler, and his father was a longtime supporter of the Bulldogs. He sent me a train ticket to come to Athens for a recruiting trip.
"When I got off the train in Athens, I had no idea where I was. I saw a taxi-cab parked on the curb, and I woke up the driver and told him that I was in town to try-out for the football team."
The driver took him to the football dormitory, Milledge Annex, where he woke up someone and was given sheets and a pillow and directed to a room.
John remembered, "When I tried to pay the taxi fare, the driver said I didn't owe him a thing if I was going to be a Georgia football player."
After breakfast the next morning, John met some of the players. "It was so easy to fit in with those guys", said John. "It was Southern hospitality at its best."
They then began to play touch football when a car pulled up and several of the coaches got out. Mike Cooley, the center, told John that the short one was head coach Wally Butts.
Sportswriter Loran Smith of the Athens Banner-Herald wrote, "Butts came up to Rauch and asked him if he knew anything about the T-formation. He had played a single-wing in high school, so he wasn't familiar with the T-formation.
"Butts explained a few simple things, and for about 30 minutes, Rauch played his new position well enough to impress Butts, who told him at the end of practice that if he came to Athens he would have a chance to be the starting quarterback that fall."
John recalled, "I only had a one-way train ticket from Pennsylvania, and I was wondering how I would get home for my high school graduation.
"Coach Butts had his assistant, J.B. Whitworth, fly home with me and then bring me back after I received my diploma."
When summer practice began, John found himself competing for the quarterback position with Mike DeNoia of Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Mike had been an outstanding quarterback at Hazelton High School, where he had plenty of experience playing in the T-formation. He had accepted a full scholarship to play at Georgia after turning down the same offer at Notre dame. However, after a short stint, Mike realized that Georgia was not the school for him, and he left and accepted a scholarship to play for Coach Pete Carlesimo at the University of Scranton. He would later sign a contract with the San Francisco 49ers and become Frankie Albert's backup at quarterback through the 1949 pre-season.
John recalled, "In 1944, there were three quarterbacks at Georgia, but they went in the service the following year. When Mike and I arrived as freshman, we were the only two quarterbacks. When Mike left, he ended up having an outstanding career at Scranton. He was really a good quarterback, and if he had stayed, things might have been different in my career."
As the 1945 season was about to begin, John was Georgia's new quarterback, and a bond of loyalty was developing between Butts and his freshman signal caller. It was also the beginning of John's football education, one predicated on the passing game.
With Charlie Trippi in the backfield, John led the Bulldogs to a 49-0 victory over Murray State in their season opener.
NEXT WEEK: Rauch leads Georgia to four consecutive Bowl Games.
By Rich Pagano
This is part 2 of a six part column I wrote about John Rauch in 2003. Unfortunately, John, one of Delaware County's greatest athletes, passed away just recently.As a senior (1944-45) at Yeadon High School, John again led the Eagles to the Section Five Basketball Championship. During the season, he also set a school, Section Five, Suburban, and Philadelphia area scoring record when he tallied 47 points in a game against Upper Chichester High School.
Sportswriter Ken Hay reported, "John Rauch, Yeadon High School ace, set a Philadelphia District individual scoring record last night when he tallied 47 points as the Yeadonites crushed Upper Chichester, 80-12. Rauch made 17 field goals and 13 fouls as he smashed the former Suburban mark of Springfield High School's Bud Wright and Clifton Heights' Fran Quinn of 37 points set earlier this season.
"The total erased the mark of 43 points made by Tom Barry of Jenkintown High School in a Bux-Mont league game against Hatboro High School and the 41 point Philadelphia Public League High School record of two years ago by Central High School's Albie Ingerman."
When the season ended, John had registered 241 points in league competition and 134 in non-league games for a total of 375 points, capturing the Section Five scoring championship. Not only did he win the title, which was the crown he lost to Clifton's Ted Dorosh the previous year, but he also copped the Suburban and Philadelphia area scoring championships.
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As the playoffs began, John teamed up with Al Rodgers to lead Yeadon to the first round of District I competition at Villanova Field House. Matched with Suburban Three Champion Pottstown, the eagles, in spite of Rauch's 20 points, fell short, 42-35.
A total of 55 fouls were called by the officials, 34 of them against John Naegeli's Yeadon squad.
Sportswriter Dave Trostel wrote, "Rauch, who is known for his fighting spirit and who never gives up when the chips are down, will be remembered by those who saw him in action at the Pottstown game, when he uncorked 13 points of his total of 20 points to lead a stubborn Yeadon five within seven points of Pottstown."
As the school year came to a close, Iron-Man John Rauch was being hailed as the greatest athlete in Yeadon High School history.
Surprisingly, he didn't get very much attention from any major colleges, but coach Naegeli, who had played on a state championship basketball team at Old Forge High School in upstate Pennsylvania, met a University of Georgia alumnus, Harold Hirsch, Jr. at a wedding in Taylor, Pa. Hirsch was a Coca-Cola bottler, and his father was a longtime supporter of the Bulldogs. He sent me a train ticket to come to Athens for a recruiting trip.
"When I got off the train in Athens, I had no idea where I was. I saw a taxi-cab parked on the curb, and I woke up the driver and told him that I was in town to try-out for the football team."
The driver took him to the football dormitory, Milledge Annex, where he woke up someone and was given sheets and a pillow and directed to a room.
John remembered, "When I tried to pay the taxi fare, the driver said I didn't owe him a thing if I was going to be a Georgia football player."
After breakfast the next morning, John met some of the players. "It was so easy to fit in with those guys", said John. "It was Southern hospitality at its best."
They then began to play touch football when a car pulled up and several of the coaches got out. Mike Cooley, the center, told John that the short one was head coach Wally Butts.
Sportswriter Loran Smith of the Athens Banner-Herald wrote, "Butts came up to Rauch and asked him if he knew anything about the T-formation. He had played a single-wing in high school, so he wasn't familiar with the T-formation.
"Butts explained a few simple things, and for about 30 minutes, Rauch played his new position well enough to impress Butts, who told him at the end of practice that if he came to Athens he would have a chance to be the starting quarterback that fall."
John recalled, "I only had a one-way train ticket from Pennsylvania, and I was wondering how I would get home for my high school graduation.
"Coach Butts had his assistant, J.B. Whitworth, fly home with me and then bring me back after I received my diploma."
When summer practice began, John found himself competing for the quarterback position with Mike DeNoia of Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Mike had been an outstanding quarterback at Hazelton High School, where he had plenty of experience playing in the T-formation. He had accepted a full scholarship to play at Georgia after turning down the same offer at Notre dame. However, after a short stint, Mike realized that Georgia was not the school for him, and he left and accepted a scholarship to play for Coach Pete Carlesimo at the University of Scranton. He would later sign a contract with the San Francisco 49ers and become Frankie Albert's backup at quarterback through the 1949 pre-season.
John recalled, "In 1944, there were three quarterbacks at Georgia, but they went in the service the following year. When Mike and I arrived as freshman, we were the only two quarterbacks. When Mike left, he ended up having an outstanding career at Scranton. He was really a good quarterback, and if he had stayed, things might have been different in my career."
As the 1945 season was about to begin, John was Georgia's new quarterback, and a bond of loyalty was developing between Butts and his freshman signal caller. It was also the beginning of John's football education, one predicated on the passing game.
With Charlie Trippi in the backfield, John led the Bulldogs to a 49-0 victory over Murray State in their season opener.
NEXT WEEK: Rauch leads Georgia to four consecutive Bowl Games.