A member the 32nd Division football team runs the ball during one of its games between October and December, 1917. Image from “Camp MacArthur: Fields of Valor”
Army units across the nation preparing for war in the fall of 1917 rallied around their divisional football teams. The teamwork and toughness required by the sport was seen by the Army as desirable traits for the battlefields of France. Image from Nov. 6, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
Just as it does today, the National Guard had an important dual-mission to serve as the nation’s first military responder in times of emergency and as the Army’s primary combat reserve, and organized sports became a very important part of preparing Soldiers for World War I, and troops participated in a variety of activities. Every 32nd Division Soldier training at Camp MacArthur near Waco, Texas, participated in organized sports each Wednesday and Saturday afternoon in order to promote fitness and the unit camaraderie built through spirited competition.
Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard, defeated Camp Logan’s 33rd Division football team comprised of troops of the Illinois National Guard on Nov. 4, 1917 in Waco, Texas. Image from Nov. 6, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
The initial call for tryouts for Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional team attracted 150 men, which was soon whittled down to 45. Most of these players previously had played for Marquette, Michigan and Wisconsin or a dozen other university programs. These players conducted military training throughout the day and then reported to daily football practice at 4:30 p.m.
Walter Tippet of Stevens Point, Wis., was a star halfback at Appleton’s Lawrence College and was one of the top players on Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard. Image from Dec. 4, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
After the 32nd Divisional Team won two warm-up games within the division by a combined score of 57-0, it faced its first real test on Nov. 4 against Camp Logan’s 33rd Division team consisting of troops from the Illinois National Guard. The game was one of the feature events of Waco’s annual Cotton Palace Exposition, which was a two-week festival very similar to a state fair. Twelve thousand watched the men of Wisconsin and Michigan triumph over Illinois by a score of 18-0.
Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard, defeated the Camp Bowie team comprised of troops from the Texas National Guard on Nov. 18, 1917 in Waco, Texas. Image from Nov. 20, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
On the last day of the Cotton Palace Exposition, Nov. 18, the 32nd Division played Fort Worth’s Camp Bowie team, made up of troops from the Texas National Guard. More than 14,000 watched the 32nd blank the Texas men 21-0 and win the Army’s southern camp championship, as well as a handsome trophy awarded by Waco’s Dr. Pepper Company.
Con Hanley of Milwaukee was a star halfback at Marquette University and was one of the top players on Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard. Wisconsin Veterans Museum photo
“The work you have done for the division is worthy of recognition,” Haan said. “The games you have played and the spirit you have shown have brought the division together in a closer bond.”
With the south championship under its belt, the division team set its sights beyond Texas. The team challenged numerous Army camps and colleges across the nation. Some proposed games, such as a Christmas Day tilt in New Orleans with collegiate national champions Georgia Tech, did not make the schedule.
Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard, defeated the Oklahoma A&M college football team Nov. 24, 1917 in Waco, Texas. Image from Nov. 27, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
In early December, the Camp MacArthur gridders ventured to Michigan and suffered its first loss to the University of Detroit, one of the state’s top teams. It rebounded from that 37-7 defeat with a 20-0 victory over Michigan Agricultural College (present-day Michigan State). Attended by thousands of local residents, the proceeds of each game went to the Christmas fund for Michigan National Guard troops stationed at Camp MacArthur.
Coaches of Camp MacArthur’s 32nd Divisional football team, comprised of men from the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard. Image from Nov. 30, 1917 Camp MacArthur Bugle
“I believe in thoroughly surrounding the men in fundamentals as the best Soldiers seek to obtain perfection,” Haan said. “The divisions that have paid strict attention to fundamentals are the ones making the best progress.”
The team returned to Texas and on Dec. 16 faced the 89th Division team from Camp Funston, Kansas. A match between two of the Army’s finest teams, the winner would become the Army champion of the West and arguably the Army’s national champion. A hard-fought contest at Waco’s Cotton Palace field, 15,000 troops witnessed a 12-6 victory by the MacArthur team.
Waco’s Cotton Palace Field was the site of most of the football games played by the 32nd Division football team between October and December, 1917. Image from “Camp MacArthur: Fields of Valor”
“The football squad has done more to create a division feeling than anything that has been undertaken since the camp was opened,” Haan said. “I had thought only a baptism of German fire could so cement the members of the division as one.”