A Hawaiian Football Vacation: Oregon’s First International Game Was Done Island Style

A Hawaiian Football Vacation: Oregon’s First International Game Was Done Island Style

Originally posted on CampusAttic.com on December 25th, 2013

    The isolated chain of islands comprising Hawaii has always been a great place to visit, for those able to make the journey. From the original Polynesians who braved the open ocean traveling thousands of miles across the Pacific migrating to the islands, to Captain Cook’s arrival in 1778 (though he was eventually killed by the Hawaiians…so maybe not such a great vacation for him), to the annexation of what was then known as “The Sandwich Islands” by the United States in 1898 to secure sugar plantation rights for the mainland while extending the U.S. Territorial reach in the Pacific; it is a place that has been a highly-sought location for centuries.

    Decades before surfing became a global phenomenon, or Hawaii became the 50th state to enter the union, Hawaii was a foreign country under U.S. control, with American military bases and the University of Hawaii dotting the otherwise still largely agricultural landscape. By the 1920s, bits of Hawaii had seeped into mainland culture, particularly Hawaiian steel guitar music being among the most popular music forms of the day, and the islands becoming more of a travel destination with ocean lines opening routes to Honolulu…it became a popular destination even for honeymooning University of Oregon football coaches, with their team in tow.

University of Oregon 1921 varsity football team. (Courtesy 1922 Oregana – University of Oregon Library and Special Collections)

    The 1921 University of Oregon Webfoots football season had been an up-and-down year. Gone were many of the stars of Oregon’s glory years under Hugo Bezdek and his successor, Charles “Shy” Huntington. Oregon had gone to the East-West Tournament Game (Rose Bowl) at the end of the 1919 season, but by 1921 it was an almost entirely fresh roster of new players from the freshman team.

    One of the few seniors on the team, starting quarterback Bill Reinhart, suffered a shoulder injury in the opening game vs. Willamette that kept him out for the rest of the season, but the team managed to fight through it to a respectable 3-1-3 record, the only loss coming at Cal, and ending the year with a 0-0 tie vs. Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State).

    But the annual Civil War game vs. the Beavers wouldn’t be the end of their campaign, a combination of several factors coming together to create an exhibition trip for 14 football players and three coaches to spend a week in Hawaii, playing two games that would be the first time any University of Oregon athletic team traveled to foreign soil.

Ashland, OR native Otto Klum

Benefal, were planning their honeymoons in Hawaii after the 1921 football season, and knowing Klum through his Oregon roots, an idea was hatched…why not bring the Oregon football team along on their honeymoons to play a game vs. Klum’s Hawaii team?

    The University of Hawaii Fighting Deans football team had been playing games since 1909, but only once had they encountered a mainland collegiate team. Every year they played a couple games against local high school teams, military teams, or all-star/club squads comprised of local residents. In 1920 the University of Nevada had played an exhibition game vs. Hawaii on Christmas day, but otherwise their career list of victories included big wins over “formidable” teams such as the Hawaii National Guard, the Outrigger Canoe Club, Mid-Pacific Institute, and Waikiki Surfers.

     Coach Klum was determined to change that, in spite of the great travel difficulties, it was time for Hawaii to have a presence in college football, and bringing Oregon to the islands was a major step forward to legitimizing Hawaii as a football destination.

    Two games would be scheduled during Oregon’s stay in Hawaii – a December 26th battle against Klum’s Hawaii Fighting Deans, and a New Years Day game vs. the Pearl Harbor Navy team. Trainer Bill Hayward would accompany Huntington and Benefal comprising the coaching staff, and 14 Oregon players would join the trip (half of Oregon’s 28-man roster), a week in paradise sounding much better than spending the holidays in frigid Oregon.

    The Oregon Squad:

Quarterback/halfback Bill Reinhart, who would later go on to coach baseball and basketball at Oregon. (courtesy: UO Library and Special Collections)

Karl Vonder Ahe (right tackle)
Rutherford “”Rud” Brown (right end)
Prink Callison (center)
Hal Chapman (quarterback)
H.B. “Dutch” Gram (halfback)
Mart Howard (left end) – TEAM CAPTAIN
George King (halfback)
Hugh “Hunk” Latham (fullback)
Barkley “Bark” Laughlin (center)
Earl “Spike” Leslie (left tackle)
Charles Parsons (halfback)
Bill Reinhart (quarterback/halfback)
Archie Shields (right guard)
Floyd Shields (left guard)

Charles “Shy” Huntington – Head Coach
Jack Benefal – Graduate Manager
Bill Hayward – Trainer

Images from Oregon football’s 1921 trip to Hawaii. (courtesy: 1922 Oregana – UO Library and Special Collections)

     Reinhart may have started the year as the quarterback, but in the wake of his injury Hal Chapman had taken over the reins and led a group of fresh faces through the rigors of the Pacific Coast Conference. By the Civil War game they were grizzled veterans, but a month off had trainer Bill Hayward concerned, and while almost everyone else took the trip as a vacation, Hayward would have none of it.

    Coach Hayward, fearing the drastic climate change from cold Oregon to tropical Hawaii, implemented strict training rules, and single-handedly prevented the team from participating in many off the offered festivities during their stay. Hayward didn’t want a fattened-up team running at half speed, for a track coach like Hayward getting embarrassed by a local Hawaii team was unthinkable.

     Despite the complaining, Hayward kept a tight ship, taking the team through extra conditioning before the trip and during their stay in Hawaii.

    Not even Hayward though could quell all of the engagements, and players took full advantage of their superiority in numbers to escape Bill’s clutches and fully partake in all that Honolulu had to offer in entertainment, both on land and in the water.

    As much as the Hawaii setting was enjoyed, the facilities were quite lacking. The islands were still very primitive compared to the United States, with little electricity or hot water, and few residences had a stove. It would be another six years before the first major hotel would open on Waikiki Beach. Still, Coach Otto Klum and the University of Hawaii were gracious hosts, and the Oregon team praised the Honolulu hospitality. Yet despite all the food and fun, there were still football games to be played.

    UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII GAME – DECEMBER 26TH, 1921

    Simply put, it wasn’t much of a contest. There would be better years for Coach Klum’s Hawaii teams (in 1925 they went 10-0, including wins over Colorado State and Wahsington State), but in his first campaign at the helm he led an untested and overmatched bunch. Oregon outweighed and outclassed Hawaii in every regard, the weather being the toughest opponent to the Webfoot squad.

Action from the 1921 Oregon – Hawaii football game. (courtesy: 1922 Oregana – UO Library and Special Collections)

    Despite a few days to acclimate, it proved to be an exceedingly hot and humid afternoon when Oregon played Hawaii, to the point where players could only run some twenty yards at a time, at least according to quarterback Hal Chapman’s recollection. The rules were lenient in allowing extra timeouts for both teams, to accommodate rest time to recoup from the overpowering heat.

Hugh “Hunk” Latham, a three sport star at Oregon.

    King, Latham, Reinhart (now recovered from his shoulder injury at the start of the year), and Leslie led the Oregon assault, all praised by the coaches for their extra hard play. Thousands had turned out to watch the game, the largest crowd to have ever witnessed a football game in Hawaii at the time.

    Hugh Latham was a multi-sport star at Oregon, nicknamed “Hunk”, he played baseball and basketball along with football, but the court was where he truly shined. His skills on the basketball court led Oregon to a 42-25 record during his playing years (21-24), his popularity bringing in crowds large enough to begin talk of building a new arena to house the crowds.

     The UO student body voted to tax itself $15 a year to help pay for construction of several new buildings on campus, chief among them a new basketball facility that would come to be known as McArthur Court (built in 1926).

Maui News headline Dec. 27th, 1921. (courtesy: Maui News)

      Latham wouldn’t be the only one from the 1921 Oregon football squad to have a deeper impact on the university though, as senior quarterback Bill Reinhart would return to Eugene in 1924…as Coach Reinhart. He served as the Oregon basketball and baseball coach from 1924 to 1935, while also serving as an assistant football coach 1924 – 1931.

    By the time the referee blew the whistle to thankfully end the game played against Hawaii in the scorching heat, the scoreboard read 47-0. Oregon had their way with Coach Klum’s Hawaii team, beating them in every aspect of the game. Still, it was a rather pleasant affair compared to the rough and tangle battles of the PCC that Oregon was used to, with the hosts thanking the Oregon team for making the trip and the thousands of fans on site to witness the event gracious in their defeat.

    PEARL HARBOR NAVY GAME – JANUARY 1ST, 1922

    As easy as the Hawaii game had been a week earlier, the Pearl Harbor Navy team would put up quite a fight against the Oregon football team on new years day 1922. Comprised of many former college football players who had gone on to join the military, this was far from the ragtag squad Coach Klum was trying to build, they were seasoned veterans both in military garb and on the football field.

     In this era many military bases had their own teams, in fact during World War I the Rose Bowl had been played between two military teams, an undefeated Mare Island Marines team comprised largely of Oregon players and led by Oregon’s coach Hugo Bezdek defeated Camp Lewis in 1918.

    Coach Hayward hadn’t let the team bask in the glow of their Hawaii victory and get sloppy, which was fine with Shy Huntington who enjoyed Bill Hayward cracking the whip while Huntington and his wife spent the time in the islands on their honeymoon. Players did get to escape some, taking in event dinners, luaus, and canoeing and surfing lessons.

    Played in front of a crowd of 15,000 on new years day in Honolulu, the weather was more cooperative though still blistering compared to Oregon’s temperate climate, but the Navy sailors were no pushovers. Navy fielded a larger squad than Oregon, and their previous collegiate experiences led to a team with a far greater understanding of the intricacies of the game than the University of Hawaii team.

Eugene Register headline Jan. 3rd, 1922. (courtesy: Eugene Register-Guard)

    Yet despite the varsity level of the Navy team, the results would be similar to the Hawaii game. Howard, Gram, Chapman, Reinhart, and Leslie again were the stars for Oregon, powering their way to what in the box score read as a blowout.

    Dutch Gram scored the first touchdown early on a pass from Hal Chapman, setup via big catches by Howard and Latham. Oregon next scored on a blocked punt, recovered in the endzone by Spike Leslie. The third touchdown resulted from a Bill Reinhart run around Navy’s end shortly before halftime, making it 21-0.

    In the heat the Navy men fought hard, but in the second half found tackling difficult, Oregon being outweighed but too fundamentally strong for Navy to compete for a full 60 minutes. Two more scores were added, and Oregon’s defense held strong, final score 35-0.

     The game wasn’t a clean card for Oregon though, at least not for Hugh “Hunk” Latham. Oregon’s budding star was ejected from the game in the third quarter for swearing, following a tripping penalty. In a time when football was a brutish sport occasionally resulting in death, just about anything was legal on the field, except having a referee hear a naughty word uttered during competition.

    With that, the Hawaiian vacation was over, Oregon said goodbye to their hosts and returned to Eugene, much more suntanned than their fellow university students, and with plenty of stories of life in the islands.

    The 1921 Hawaii trip was the first time a University of Oregon team had traveled to international locales, but it wouldn’t be the last. In 1928 a return trip to Hawaii was made to once again play two exhibition games, one against the Hawaii All-Stars Honolulu Town Team on Christmas Day 1928, and again facing Otto Klum’s University of Hawaii team on new years day 1929. Just like in 1921, Oregon walked away with both victories.

Program for the Oregon vs. Hawaii Football game Nov. 23, 1929. (courtesy: University of Oregon Libraries Special Collections and University Archives.)

    The 1928 trip would be historically significant beyond simply being football games won by Oregon, it marked a momentous moment in technology and communications history. The Oregon – Hawaii game was broadcast live from Honolulu to a nationwide audience in the United States, the first time in history a live radio broadcast from Hawaii had been aired in the USA.

     Oregon’s 6-0 victory in the game earned the Webfoots the title of “Champions of the Mid-Pacific.” Hawaii made a return trip to Oregon the following year, playing Oregon at Multnomah Civic Stadium in Portland on November 23rd, 1929. Oregon won that game too, final score 7-0.

   Hawaii would officially become a state in 1959, so the islands would no longer be considered “foreign soil,” but that didn’t stop the international trips. Among the many notable foreign trips, Oregon basketball toured Asia in the 1960s, Oregon and USC played a football game in Tokyo in 1985, and earlier this year Oregon’s basketball team defeated Georgetown in South Korea.

    Oregon would make more trips to Hawaii over the years for multiple sports. Forgotten amidst the improbable run of the 1994 Rose Bowl year was an early trip to Honolulu to face Hawaii, the Ducks getting embarrassed by the Rainbow Warriors 36-16 in what was the low point of a 1-2 start to a championship season. In 1998, Oregon football returned, losing to Colorado 51-43 in the Aloha Bowl.