WHEN THE TANKS WERE TOPSReproduced with permission of the authors, C. Robert Barnett and Linda Terhume
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| What did the Tanks mean to Ironton?
Consider the statement of Harold Rolph: "The Tanks were something that
pulled the community together, They were something everyone talked about."
The Sunday games were packed. Not only did this give the town pride in
itself, but the games were social events."
Glenn Presnell added: "Anywhere you went and talked with people who knew football, they knew about the Ironton Tanks. We were nationally famous, and that fame reflected well on Ironton. In the 12 year of their existence, the Ironton Tanks splashed a blaze of glory across the semi-professional gridirons of the midwestern America. They were irons of midwestern America. They were the scourge of other semi-pro teams and had the audacity-and talent- to challenge and defeat NFL teams. It is ironic that just as the Tanks reached their time of greatest glory that they were forced to disband. Pushed by the Depression, professional football became a 'big city-money game. "No longer would small towns, with a lot of pride and heart, be able to challenge the big cities on the football team. A golden era for football and Ironton died together. Sometime this fall, preferably on a crisp Sunday afternoon, visit Tank Memorial Stadium, renamed to honor the town's team. Listen closely and you can harken back to an earlier time. If you're lucky, you can hear the faint echoes of football played on that same green field over 70 years ago, and visualize a packed stadium and sidelines jammed with Tank faithful, cheering on their beloved 'Big Red." | ||
