Editor's Note: The 1956 Tarleton State College (now University) football team will be honored at Tarleton's Homecoming, October 20-21. This story is the second in a series of articles about the 1956 team, which had a record of 7-1-1. The team was a contender for a bid to the Junior Rose Bowl game in California. The first article appeared in this newspaper on Sunday, July 30. Today's story covers the unique relationship between the 1954 team and the 1956 team. Thanks to Joey Roberts, Sports Information Director at TSU, for his assistance in putting this story on a computer web site.
The football team of 1954 may have played a pivotal role in the final outcome of the 1956 football season.
As reported in the July 30 story, Tarleton's Plowboys and the Arlington State College Rebels were the finalist on the invitation list to the 1956 Junior Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, California. The Plowboys chances dramatically improved after Tarleton walloped ASC here, 30-7.
The Rebels were a two-touchdown favorite over TSC, and appeared to have the lock on the Junior College Rose Bowl game. Although ASC lost to Tarleton at Memorial Stadium, the Rebels still received the bid to the coveted 1956 bowl game.
The success of Arlington State receiving the bid over the Plowboys primarily came through the efforts of then Arlington Mayor, Tommy Vandergriff, and other Arlington city officials. Prior to the bowl team selections, the group spent a week in early December, 1956, in Pasadena, California. Vandergriff was apparently able to convince bowl officials that Arlington had the better team, although Tarleton had beaten the Rebels in the final game of the 1956 season.
Chances are much of this political atmosphere began two years earlier. It was in 1954 Arlington was riding the crest of an undefeated season. In late November, the Rebels came to Stephenville for the final regular season contest with an 8-0 record.
The contest was witnessed by an overflow crowd at Tarleton's Memorial Stadium on a beautiful fall afternoon. Arlington was the number one ranked junior college team in Texas. The game turned out to be a real "nail-biter. " When the final whistle blew, the Plowboys were victorious, 27-20. The win gave Tarleton the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship with three wins, no losses and one tie. The tie was a scoreless game against the San Angelo College Rams. Earlier in the season, Arlington beat San Angelo. Thus Arlington and San Angelo each had a loss and came in second in the conference standing.
Tarleton's season record was only 5-3-1. The three losses came in non-conference games to Paris Junior College, 0-33; Kilgore Junior College, 13-21; and the Hardin-Simmons University Freshmen, 27-34.
Arlington's loss to Tarleton deprived the Rebels of the Junior Rose Bowl bid. The next season, 1955, the Rebels thrashed the Plowboys at Arlington, 26-7. Tarleton's last victory over the Rebels came in 1956. Only two more games would be played before the long-time series concluded in 1958. The series began in the early 1900s, when Arlington was known as Grubbs Vocational Institute and Tarleton was known as John Tarleton College.
Arlington beat Tarleton in 1957, 32-0 and again the following year, 34-0. Arlington became a senior college in 1959, while Tarleton did not obtain senior college status until 1961. Arlington would later discontinue its football program.
At the Tarleton Athletic Banquet in early 1955, various awards were presented by Stephenville citizens to 1954 football team members. Dr. Vance Terrell, local physician, presented the Most Valuable Back Award to Howard Meissner, a fullback from Dallas.
Rufus Higgs, publisher of The Stephenville Empire-Tribune, presented the John Fielding Higgs Award to Webb Bishop, a center from Hearne, as the Most Valuable Player. The Higgs award was named for the publisher's son, John Fielding, who was killed in World War II.
Jess Elliott Sr., Stephenville businessman, presented the Most Valuable Lineman Award to Herschel (Tootie) Roach, an end from Killeen.
Who presented the Pioneer Conference Championship Trophy to the Tarleton co-captains, Gene Ward, a halfback from Dallas and Bishop? None other than Tommy Vandergriff, who was a good sport and a terrific banquet speaker. The former mayor, who is now Tarrant County Judge, has a degree from the University of Southern California with a major in speech. During his remarks, the Arlington Mayor recalled the 1954 season and especially the final game of the season between Tarleton and Arlington.
Perhaps the seed was planted at that banquet, that if the occasion ever presented again, Arlington State College would not play second fiddle to Tarleton State College in any future Junior Rose Bowl bid. And the Rebels didn't, Arlington received the bid over Tarleton in 1956, and the Rebels went on to win the bowl game, defeating Pasadena Junior College, 14-7.
As one of the famous radio newscasters often says, "That's the rest of the story."
Dr. Chilton is a retired educator/journalist He lives in Stephenville and occasionally writes for this newspaper.
