On Thanksgiving Day, 1944, about 12,000 Tucsonans celebrated the holiday by sitting in the rain at Arizona Stadium as Tucson High completed an undefeated season, beating Mesa for the state football championship.
A few weeks later, the Downtown Towncats booster club held a banquet to honor what was then considered the best high school football team in Tucson history. More than 300 people attended, including Gov. Sidney Osborn and UA athletic director Pop McKale.
The '44 Badgers earned an historic spot in state football history, stretching its winning streak to 21 games. They outscored opponents 345-78. But there was more to it than winning football games. Borman became globally famous after graduating from West Point and ultimately becoming the commander of Apollo 8 as a NASA astronaut. The son of a man who operated a Mobile gas station in Tucson, Borman was the starting QB on the '45 THS team that again went 11-0 to win another state championship.
After completing his Rhodes scholarship, McQuade graduated from Harvard Law School and entered a different arena — politics. In retrospect, the '44 Badgers were something of a Cinderella story. When they beat Mesa for the state title, it might’ve been an upset. The ‘44 Mesa team had the state’s player of the year, Whizzer White, one of the legends of Arizona prep football history. In the state semifinals, THS beat Glendale High School, which included all-state lineman Bill Yeoman, who went on to coach the Houston Cougars to four Cotton Bowls, finishing in the Top 10 four times.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Copycat threats at local high schools put police on high alertIn the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead, police have come to expect copycat incidents across the U.S.
Read more »
This Broadway Season, High Risk Came With High RewardFrom Michael R. Jackson’s “A Strange Loop” to the stunning “Dana H.,” boldly unsettling (and utterly compelling) new work was richly rewarded by the Tony nominations.
Read more »
Rainwater harvesting and native landscaping in TucsonWater shortages and drought have many people thinking about the need to conserve water. BrianBrennanTV has more on a local group working to get the word out on native plants landscaping and rainwater harvesting
Read more »
Tucson firefighters join effort at New Mexico Black FireTucson firefighters are contributing to efforts in the New Mexico Black Fire, which has been burning for over two weeks now. The Black Fire has burned approximately 254,840 acres in the Hila wilderness area and is currently 25% contained.
Read more »
Movies and live music meet this summer at the Fox TucsonICYMI: The downtown Tucson venue will host a series of sing-alongs and feature films with local musician openers through August.
Read more »