From An Ironton Tribune Article Dated 9-12-1930
Portsmouth Spartans Make Debut In National Football League Sunday
Portsmouth, O. Sept 12, The Portsmouth Spartans will pry the lid off the football season here Sunday when they clash with the Newark, N.J., team, another new entrant into the National Football League, on the Universal Stadium Field. In this opening clash may rest the championship of the leagues both teams are considered strong contenders for first place in the greatest of the football loops this season. In spite of the fact that they are in the league for the first time this year.
It will be a case of an all eastern team against an all western team when the two powerful eleven clash on the gridiron, as the Newark team is altogether made up of eastern players of note and the Spartans boast an aggregation of western stars. Another incident of note in personnel of the visiting team is the fact that it will have an entire backfield which played in college last season, the Holy Cross backfield. This will be an interesting way of proving whether a backfield from on college can equal a backfield picked from the team of many colleges in post graduate football.
The Newark line will be practically the same as they had last season when the team stood high on a 12 team loop in the east, with the addition of two outstanding stars in the person of Jim Mooney, Georgetown University's All-American guard and John Law, guard and captain of last season's Notre Dame team, who was also mentioned for all-American Choices.
The football fans in this region are well aware of the power of the Spartans of last season as the team won 13 games last fall, tied two and lost one. In each case where they tied the team came back and neatly trimmed the same opponent. The team this year is materially strengthened and is considered by coach Harold W. Griffen to be at least twice as powerful as it was a year ago. Such stars as Mayes McClain, Iowa fullback: Tiny Lewis, Northwestern flash: Father Lumpkin, the tornado from Georgia Tech. Bill Glassgow, all American half-back from Indians, who, incidentally, was awarded the Chicago Tribune trophy for being the most valuable man to a team; Ray Novotny, of Ashland college and high point scorer in Ohio and fourth high point scorer in the country; Cy Kahl, captain and fullback of North Dakota, and Byron Eby, the flashy halfback from Ohio State University, compose the backfield this year.
The Spartan line is made up of ends, Joheph, Ohio State; Mayer, Catholic University; Jennings, Haskell Indians; Braidwood, Chattanooga University; Christonsen, Michigan State; Fenner, former Dayton Triangle player. Tackles: Harris of Marietta University; Babe Lyons of the New York Giants; Vincent Schlousner, all conference man from Iowa; Hastings, Ohio University: Johnson, Chattanooga University; Shearer, Drake University. Guards: DeWeese, Dayton University; Roberts of of Iowa; Meyers, Geneva College: Wesley, Alabama; Wager, Carthage College; Grant Chattanooga college.
Before practice started Griffen had signed contracts with more than 40 stars from all over the country. This number was cut down to 31 at time to report as some of the men were considered as not good enough. After the first game it will be Griffen's unhappy lot to slash the above named squad down to 22 players, the number allowed each team in National League.
Griffen, quite naturally, fells confident of the ability of his men to trim Newark. He has carefully picked some of the finest material in the country for his team this year and in practices they have come up to all expectations. In Lumpkin, McClain and Lewis he has three men with the ability to rip open every line they have ever faced. He counts a great deal on these men to gain through the lines that will confront them this year in Glassgow, Bennett, Eby, Kahl and Novotny he has men who are noted for their broken field running and who will star in deceptive plays. In the opening game Sunday with Newark this Spartans will play the first football game on Portsmouth's new field before a new stadium. Although the stadium will not be completed this year as was originally planned, due to lack of time for the building, the stands will be quite comfortable and will afford a seating capacity for more than 7,500 people. Next year additional stands will be built and the stadium will be made all concreted. The estimated cost is $100,000.