Remembrances of  Kearny, NJ High School’s 1948 Football Season

Written By Dick Baker, Class of January, 1950 and Team Member, For

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Pre-season scrimmages were against Thomas Jefferson, Clifton, and Bloomfield (Coach Argauer didn't believe in throwing in any patsies).  Clifton was a strong team with a couple of all-staters returning.  One, a lineman named Ray Malavasi, would go on the next year to West Point along with our John McShulskis.  West Point was still a power house in college football, but that was all to change in the next couple of years.  In the spring of 1951, a NY paper reported cheating among the cadets' team. This launched a major investigation and John told me every player was called in and questioned.  Most were not involved, but  knew it was going on.  Since they had not reported it they were all dismissed from the academy for violating the Code of Honor. Two players from the Clifton game, Alex Webster and Ray Malavasi, would eventually go into pro football and on to head coaching jobs in the NFL.  Malavasi with the Rams and Alex with the Giants.

  Coach Argauer loved West Point.  He took several of us to spring practice games at West Point in the spring of 1949. He had a beautiful home in Clifton and we would go over on a Saturday and do chores such as removing his storm windows and putting up his screens. Then he bought  lunch at Ruts Hut and we drove  to West Point. The cadets were the called "The Black Knights of the Hudson" and he sometimes referred to our 1948 team as the Black Knights even changing our uniforms in 1948 to black and gold jerseys, gold pants and gold helmets.  A change from our traditional red. He was instrumental in getting John McShulskis into West Point, as well as Bill MacPhail the following year. 

  Our first game was Columbia at Maplewood field.  We scored early, but blocking on the extra point we lost Alex Webster to a separated shoulder.  Our offense was crippled but we won 7-0.  Defense was to be the mainstay of this team.  Only two teams scored on us all year. Montclair scored 8 points in our monumental upset  (breaking their 21 game winning streak) and Belleville who scored 12 points against our 2nd and 3rd teams (we won 35-12).  Webster missed the Hillside game (one of two 0-0 ties) but returned for Montclair.  He played all year with a special harness protecting his shoulder, but it had an impact, particularly on passing.  Alex was always thought of as an offensive player.  In 1948 everyone played two ways.  Alex and Sammy Mathewson ( QB) were the outside linebackers and they were tough. 

  Montclair was very tough and we played at their home field.  A new hero in that game as defense came through again. James Wagner, using some of his basketball skills, picked off a pitch on an option play and ran it in for a touchdown.  Another time we were backed up to our goal line and had to punt, so we took the safety (2 points) and then Alex free kicked us out of trouble.The final score was 13-8 and the bus ride home was one huge celebration.

  We beat West Orange and East Side Newark handily and then came Irvington at Irvington.  Prior to getting on the buses Sammy Mathewson had not shown up.  He arrived the last minute and we learned he had been up all night with his dad who was gravely ill.  He had not wanted to play, but his dad insisted he should.  So, a red eyed Sammy boarded the bus at the last minute.  We were held on the bus waiting for Sammy to change. Argauer got on before Sammy and told us he had a phone call and Sammy's dad had died after Sammy had left. His family asked Argauer to let Sammy play, but requested Argauer to tell him after the game.  We won 27-0 and our bus return home was like a wake.  The only sound on that bus was Sammy sobbing.

  We defeated Belleville and Weequahic and came into the Thanksgiving Day game a heavy favorite to beat Nutley, our arch rival.  The papers had us a shoo in for the state championship.  We played at home and pretty much dominated the game except the scoring.  Nutley stopped us inside of the 10 yard line several times.  We just couldn't get it done.  Almost worse, Nutley intercepted a pass inside of their 10 yard line and the Nutley player returned it the length of the field with Bill MacPhail collaring him from behind at about the 5 yard line in a season and championship saving tackle. The game ended in a 0-0 tie, but we did win a shared state championship (3-way with East Orange and Montclair).

  Coach Argauer had shown us film of his 1939 Garfield team playing Christmas Eve in the Junior Orange Bowl.  Garfield won 16-13 on a 50 yard field goal by Benny Baboola, their all state back.  His friends in Miami invited us to play in their 1948 Christmas Eve game. The Kardinal Booster Club agreed to pick up all of our expenses, but at the last minute Walter Short, head of NJHS Athletic Association refused to allow us to play a post season game. That didn't dampen our enthusiasm over a wonderful season.  Just three years earlier Kearny had lost 17 games in a row , the entire 1944 and 1945 seasons, and now we had earned Kearny's first  football championship.