‘GOLDEN AGE’: It’s time for us to get back into our columns
about some outstanding Bradford athletes, this time going back to
the 1930s when the word “outstanding” seems inadequate.

Bill Moore of Bradford has been following our columns about the
Owls and Ramblers of the 1960s and 1970s but thinks that earlier
athletes also deserve kudos.

“Those pieces made me realize that there are more than likely
many young people out there who don’t know much, if anything, about
Coach Bob Pflug’s Depression era teams of 1933-1939,” he
writes.

“When my old friend Joe Pascarella passed away a few weeks ago,
it seemed to me to be a good time to write a bit about his teams of
1937, 1938 and 1939.

“I know there must be scrapbooks out there as well as people
with sharp memories who can go back 70 years for more details, but
this small effort just might shine a little light again on a part
of Bradford’s exciting past.

“We all have our own period, which seems to be the best to us, I
know, but I have always felt that this was our town’s ‘golden age’
of football.

“In doing this, it was a real treat to read again the late
Johnny Nelson’s game accounts and daily columns in the Era. What a
talent he had for making games and players jump off the pages!

“Coach Pflug came to Bradford in 1932 out of Massillon, Ohio, by
way of Grove City College, and by the start of the 1933 season
began a seven-year succession of powerhouses. There were 57 wins,
two defeats and one tie. This included five undefeated, untied
years and one season with only one tie, no losses!

“The 1933, 1934 and 1935 teams were perfect, going 28-0-0 and
scoring 795 points while giving up only 123. 1936 turned out to be
a transition year with the two losses, to Erie Tech and Olean, both
good teams.

“Then came Joe’s teams of 1937, 1938 and 1939. They went 23-0-1,
with the tie coming against a fine Warren team in the first year.
It was, by the way, the only game of his varsity career that Joe
missed. Nelson reported that the ‘triple-threat sophomore halfback’
was downed by tonsillitis. He was part of what Nelson called
Pflug’s ‘new quartet’ in the backfield in 1937 and stayed there for
three years.

More tomorrow.