Football historian to speak about Tuscarawas County’s 6-man teams

The Dover Public Library will host local author and football historian Randy Miller on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. Miller, a Sugarcreek native, will discuss his new book, “Sons of the Valley: A Story of Six-Man Football in Tuscarawas County.”In the book, Miller tells the story of the area towns and villages that played six-man football in the 1940s that included Sugarcreek, Strasburg, Midvale, Tuscarawas, Gnadenhutten as well as others. Miller details the football history of those years, the impact of World War II on the sport as well as some stories of controversy and tragedy that occurred on the gridiron. A book signing will follow the program, which is free and open to all. Miller said the war overseas played a significant role in the lives of Tuscarawas County residents.“Word War II had a huge effect on the lives of everyone living in the Tuscarawas Valley during the years of 1939 through 1945,” he said. “Teachers and coaches were called away to the armed services, young male students enlisted or were drafted immediately after high school and in some cases during high school.” Six-man football got its start in Chester, Nebraska, in 1934 when a teacher, Stephen Epler of Chester High created a football program that only required six players instead of the typical 11 to allow small schools to field a team.The sport made its way to Tuscarawas County in 1938 when several schools committed to forming six-man teams. The season opener in Tuscarawas County featured the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates versus the Strasburg Tigers. The Pirates would overwhelm the Tigers 48-26 in the first ever six-man game to be played in the county.Miller became interested in the history of six-man football in the region as he grew up in Sugarcreek having heard stories about halfback Merle Smith and his twin brother, quarterback Earle Smith.“I was always aware of the fact that Sugarcreek-Shanesville High School played six-man football,” Miller said. “I had heard stories of the Smith twins, and the fact the Pirates were undefeated for the 1939 and 1940 seasons had always piqued my interest. I always wondered why such a successful sport came to such an abrupt end. Last year, I researched and wrote a story about Sugarcreek-Shanesville High School’s six-man history.” That story was called “Creekers,” and it appeared in the local edition of the newspaper The Budget in four installments. “As I researched, I discovered that there was quite a story left to be retold,” Miller said. “That story became ‘Sons of the Valley.’”Miller said he is more a researcher than he is an author.“I researched the micro-film files of The Budget in Sugarcreek, the great micro-film archive of the Daily Reporter and Daily Times at the Dover Public Library,” Miller said. “I found issues of the Coshocton Tribune and the Butte Montana Standard online. I visited with and interviewed four Tuscarawas County six-man football veterans.”Veterans like Robert Brown, who played for the Sugarcreek-Shanesville Pirates from 1940-43; Dr. Gene Hawk with the Strasburg Tigers from 1939-41; Dick Donahue of the Tuscarawas Broncos from 1944-47 and Mike Borojevich of the Midvale Blue Devils from 1943-47. Some notable coaches still have family in the area, including Charmis Davis from Tuscarawas, Sylvester Harmon from Sugarcreek-Shanesville, Pete Wolfe from Midvale; Walter Mead from Midvale; Emmet Riley, Clayton Kessler and Sam Andrews, all from Strasburg; and Ed Sears from Gnadenhutten. Just like today, games were played at a variety of venues in the region. Miller said Sugarcreek-Shanesville’s field had lights so games could be played at night. The field was in the lot where Garaway High School’s gymnasium now sits. Strasburg’s field was located almost exactly in the footprint of its new school building on Bodmer Avenue. Tuscarawas’s field was located in the current community park, which today is home to several baseball/softball fields. The former six-man football field sat out behind the left field fence of the largest ball field. Gnadenhutten’s field was behind the high school adjacent to the baseball field.Teams had cheerleaders and, in the case of Sugarcreek-Shanesville and Tuscarawas, marching bands as well. To purchase a copy of Miller’s book, contact him by email at millerr47@outlook.com. Copies will also be available at the book signing.The Dover Public Library is located at 525 N. Walnut St. in Dover. To register for the program, call 330-343-6123.