Two important sports stories took place 100 years ago today. Both involved proud parents.
One was in Pennsylvania, and the other, about 2800 miles to the west, in California.
On November 25, 1914, the lead story in Philadelphia’s Evening Public Ledger was the high school championship football game between Northeast and Central. Here is a story excerpt about the afternoon game:
“Northeast football warriors won the Gimbel trophy this afternoon, and with it the scholastic championship of Philadelphia by defeating Central High 2 to 0. A blocked kick in the third period gave the victors their only score when the ball was recovered behind the goal line by a Central High player.
….The ball was blocked and rolled in the crowd 10 yards back of the goal. A wild scramble followed, and when referee Torrey finally got to the bottom of the mass of players he discovered the ball in possession of Butler, of Central High. This was a safety and gave Northeast the two winning points.”
The newspaper’s page one photo gives you an idea of what parents must have seen from the crowded stands.
Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia), November 25, 1914
And the other big sports story from November 25, 1914, or at least for Giuseppe and Rosalia DiMaggio in Martinez, California, was the birth of their son, Giuseppe Paolo.
He may not have been in the newspaper 100 years ago today, but Giuseppe Paolo “Joe” DiMaggio would be in the news a great deal in the years to come.
