PAGE TEN Lions Boast Six All -Americans Lion Greats: Dunn, Higgins, Killinger, Bedenk, Gajecki Since its debut in intercollegiate football ranks with a 54-0 victory over Bucknell in 1887, the fame of Penn State grid teams has been kept alive in the minds of sports fans throughout the nation by six great Lion All-Americans. The practice of choosing All-American teams started during the first decade of the 1900's. First conceived by Casper Whitney, who took his idea of All-American selections to the editor of Harper's Weekly, the custom of annual selections was perfected by Walter Camp. Camp later became the possessor of the title "Glorifier of the American boy." Al! of the Penn State All-Americans mentioned here were mem hers of Camp's teems except Leon Gajecki, who was chosen All American by the News Enterprise Asociation and Liberty Masm zine's board of experts. "MOTHER" DUNN 'O6 First of the Penn State foot ball players to receive national recognition in the All-American ranks was William T. "Mother" Dunn in 1006. Despite his runted 200-lb. frame which towered 6 feet 4 inches. Dunn's quiet man ner and kindly actions earned him the nickname of "Mother." Although Dunn had no prc •, 'pen " , wr--:^rire before reach ;: to he gained a ,enter berth soon after ie reported for the team in 1905. Captain of the squad in 1906, "Mother" Dunn sparked that Year's Lion team to their greatest season since the sport was in augurated at the College. That season the Lions won 8 games, lost 1. and tied 1. Yale's victory over State by 10 to 0 was the only opponent to score against Dunn's leven, "MOTHERLY" QUALITIES .arced to Walter Camp's All aerican team in the same sea l. Dunn was described in 31lier's Weekly" article as "... ideal pivot man. He was n re able ball snapper, secure in locking, active in breaking through, a keen mind on diagnos ing plays .a persistent blocker of kiieks, and the only stumbling block to a great Yale team." On Thanksgiving Day of 11)06. "Mother" Dunn inspired a tired Penn State team to a 6-0 victory over Pitt. playing the greater Dart of the game with a torn ten don and dislocated knee. Dunn's action in this game evoked this eulogy from the press of that day: •'Penn State loves, respects and her `Mother' Dunn." "'"-TE HIG" 'l9 _ .-- present football coach. Bob Hiev.ins. was the sec on Lion aridcler to join the ranks by PETE WARNER of the nation's All-Americans. Struggling against family opoosi tion to his Participation in sports. Higgins was finally able to get their consent while he was a stu dent at Peddie Prep. After graduation from Peddle. Higgins was snatched from the hands of other interested coaches by Dick Harlow. Harvard's pres ent head coach. who was then an nc.'-`^ns coach at Penn State. varsity end in his first at State in 1914. Higginc was elected captain of the Lion eleven in 1917. After a two year lanse spent overseas with the A.A.F. in the first World War. Higgins return ed to captain the 1919 State elev en. It was in this year that Wal ter Camp picked him for an end Post on the only All-American team selected that vear. "HIG" SCORES One of Higgins' favorite foot stories concerns the time one of Lehigh's great teams of old came to New Beaver Field. The score way 0-0 and it was late in the game. A new pass, with Bob on the receiving end, was good for a touchdown, but the happy moment turned to despair when State was penalized for having 12 men on the field. A substitute. obviously sent in to give instruc tions. was on the field when the Play started. It was an angry group of Lion gridders who met that substitute. Chuck Yerger, by name, who had been sent in by Harlow. then the head coach. "Harlow says to throw that Pass." was the Pained answer. "We lust did!" chorused the Time was getting short when the Lions lined up again. They called the same play, threw the pass to the same spot where the waiting Higgins gathered it in and romp ed to another and accepted touch- Corduroy Jackets MEN'S E. College Ave.. State College THE DAILY COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA u 1: kituuvr..l) FOR CASUAL CAMPUS WEAR $15.95 BE SURE TO SEE OUR NEW LINE OF Shirts .& Sweaters R'S SHOP OPPOSITE MAIN CAMPUS down which meant the game, 7-0 GLENN KILLINGER The period around 1920 usher-' ed in the greatest era of football at Penn State, and introduced two more Lion All-Americans to the country's pigskin pano rama. Glenn Killinger, an unherald ed substitute backfield from Har risburg Technical High School. quickly developed into a rugged power runner who could pick up a yard when it counted. His value, when it came to se lecting him for All-American in 1920, lay in his punting, passing and' field generalship which guided Penn State through two undefeated seasons in 1920 and 1921. Killinger was as well known • on the- •••: basket it%- ball court and baseball diamond on the gridiron. He was among State's 14 greatest basket 4, ball players and a brilliant third <•<y, baseman on a fine Lion nine. He went up to _•:;=s.o the major lea- Boa 1/1012110 gue with the New York Yan kees after graduation. "GANG" WAY The other Penn State gridder who received All-American honors during this time of great Penn State elevens was Charlie Way. An untutored, 145-pound, third string quarter back during his first year at college, Way soon became one of the most decep tive broken field runners ever, seen at Penn State. His ball-carrying prowess later became such a threat to oppos ing teams, that the slogan "Watch Way" became an accepted by word on the oppositions' campus es before a Penn State game. After reeling off a particularly scintillating pair of 85 and 90 yard runs against a strong Dart mouth eleven one afternoon in 1919, he was nicknamed "Gang Way" by sports writers and columnists. A POWERFUL DUO A great passing and receiving combination, Killinger and Way combined to pull one out of the fire in 1920 to keep the Lions undefeated. Lehigh had a 7-0 edge when the tw o All-Ameri cans went to work late in the game. With Way running and receiving Killinger's bullet pass es, the Lions marched 80 yards to pay dirt and 7-7 deadlock. While Way was getting off long runs, it was Killinger who was calling the plays, punting, pass ing, sparking the Lion defense with his hard tackling, and us ing his fighting spirit to lift the State eleven to great heights. JOE BEDENK In 1923, Joe Bedenk, a 200- pound graduate of Mansfield Nbrmal School, became the fifth Penn. State footballer to be named to All-American honors. The present head baseball coach at the College. Bedenk also holds the line coach's post on the foot ball team. Under the tutelage of the same Dick Harlow who brought Bob Higgins to State in 1914, Bedenk developed into the outstanding guard in Lion gridiron history. Not content with playing a brilliant defensive game and leading the interference, Joe shared every lineman's dream of scoring at least one touchdown in his career. The honor came to him in 1921 aaginst North Carolina State on New Beaver Field. Breaking through the Tar Heel's line Be denk knocked an attempted for ! ward pass high into the air. ' Catching the ball on the way ' down, he scampered 25 yards for I the most important touchdown of I his personal football career. JOE VERSUS NAVY Games with Navy will always be remembered by Coach Be denk. In his sophomore year, Penn State scored a 13-7 win over the Midshipmen in Philadel phia. In Washington the follow ing year, Navy retaliated with a 14-0 triumph over the Lion grid= ders, leading up to a third and deciding battle which was played on New Beaver Field in 1923. Although Navy registered 18 first downs to State's 4, the Lions chalked up a 21-3 victory. Three long runs by "Lighthorse Harry" Wilson accounted for the triumph, but it was a guy named Joe Be denk who, as running guard, led Wilson's interference. LEON GAJECKI Leon "Gates" Gajecki, another lineman like Bedenk was th ? sixth All-American to earn his laurels in Lions' den. A 6 foot 1 inch husky from Colver, Pa., Ga jecki was one of a long line of great Lion centers. PASSENGERS RELY ON COCA-COLA AND TRAVEL REFRESHED PLEASE return plus la empty bottles promptly State Tax BOTTLED UNIX* AUTHORITY OF THI COCAMCOLA COMPANY BY COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY OF ALTOONA FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1941 Famed for his consistently brilliant defensive play and stamina, Gajecki played a total of 414 minutes during his junior year in 1939 more than any other Lion footballer of that season. Sports writer Dick Peters of the Collegian described Ga jecki's line work during the same year as "outstanding." In a write-up of a crushing 40- 0 Lion defeat at the hands of the Big Red of Cornell, Peters says, "One bright spot kept the oth erwise tarnished afternoon from complete darkness. That was the brilliant play of Leon Gajecki, Lion center, who played his heart out on defense during the first half. Gajecki was in on every tackle, and until withdrawn from the massacre in the second half proved himself the best backer up in the history of Penn State football." DYNAMITE ON DEFENSE Following the Lions' upset of Penn, Peters again wrote, "Leon Gajecki at center was his usual playful self—only we'll play with dynamite." Named to both the Associated Press and International News Service All-Pennsylvania teams in 1939, Gajecki joined the covet ed circle of All-Americans in 1940. A senior and captain of the Lions in this year, he was chosen on the NEA and Liberty All- American teams, and on the As sociated Press's All-Pennsyl vania squad. He was also picked on the East's team for the East- West game that year. Although Camp's All-Ameri can selection was a highly re spected criterion for nearly 34 years, the early 1020's saw such a swift growth of football throughout the country that it wa simpossible for one man to fairly judge the relative abilities of the nation's gridders. In 1924, the All-American Board of Foot ball, composed of coaches from all parts of the country was es tablished to choose All-American teams. I6j ••..,.,.. k.umpony
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers