Below you can read the full transcript of Greg Stewart's speech for the induction of the 1916 State Championship Football Team into the 2026 Wall of Fame.
Last year, we looked back 100 years to induct Algona’s State Championship Football team of 1925 into our Wall of Fame. Today, we look back 110 years to recognize and honor Algona’s first championship team - the AHS Football squad of 1916.
First, let’s set the stage. Algona’s high school in 1916 was the not quite 10-year-old Bryant HS, located where Bryant Elementary now stands. Football games were played at “Athletic Park”, now known as Central Park, with the field running east to west. There was no field lighting at the time, so games were typically played on Friday or Saturday afternoons, from late September, through late November. Admission charges were 25 cents for students and 35 cents for adults (equivalent of $11 today). There were no football classes, or playoffs, so the Des Moines Register sports department usually “declared” a state champ among all high schools in the state.
It was just one year earlier that State Street was paved for the first time, while most other city streets remained packed dirt. No roads in or out of Algona were paved, so weather would often dictate travel. The Model T, a popular car of the time, had a top speed of about 45 mph, although most drivers chose to drive about 30 to protect the wooden wheel spokes. This meant driving to an out of town game was a significant undertaking. Trains ran regularly between area communities, often being the transport of choice for teams and fans.
Although Algona High played their first football game in 1898, games were sporadic, and football dropped completely for a few years, until the program was permanently restarted in 1911. Moderate success was experienced at first, but in the fall of 1916, second-year coach Christie McCormick had several key returning players. Pre-season work focused on defense, which would become a real strength for this team that still holds the all-time Algona record for scoring defense.
The season opened with Ames HS coming to Algona on September 30. Although the Algona boys would out-gain their opponents by over 100 yards, they were not able to score, but neither was Ames. The game ending in a 0-0 tie.
A focus on offense in week two ended in a 61-0 rout of overmatched Burt. On Oct 14, a game at Spencer would be described as “listless”. Algona would be near the goal 6 times, but score only once, but again, it was enough as Algona won 7-0.
Next, a strong and unbeaten Emmetsburg team bowed 20-0. Their newspaper noted Algona was the fastest team they had seen in years, and that Algona’s reputation of having maybe the best defense in the state certainly wasn’t damaged. An Algona paper referred to fireworks being shot off at the courthouse in the evening, but that some had been saved back for use after the big Eagle Grove game to be played later in the season.
On October 28, a Mason City squad that was heavier throughout the line-up made the trip to Algona on October 28, along with a 12-piece band with them. The Algona paper commented it would be fine if Algona could have a band, as “we have the talent for it”. It wasn’t so fine for Mason City, though, as Algona won via shutout yet again, 37-0. The Algona paper noted that since scouts were present from Eagle Grove and Humboldt, Coach McCormick “played it straight”, calling for only one pass play all night.
On Saturday, November 4, Algona scored in the first two minutes and coasted to an easy 33-0 win over Webster City. Then, on November 11, snow blanketed the field and continued through the game. Humboldt was unable to record a single first down as Algona won again by a score of 33-0.
Now it was time for the big game with Eagle Grove, who had defeated Algona four consecutive years, Extra efforts went into breaking this string. The Algona Military Band agreed to furnish inspirational music and high school students wrote two special “football songs” for fans to sing during the game. Meeting a challenge from Supt Overmeyer, high schools classes came up with a total of $40 so that all HS students would be admitted to the game. A pep rally was planned for the night before the game, and classes would be dismissed at 2:30 on Friday to allow everyone to march down State Street together for the 3:30 game. Unfortunately, the train from Eagle Grove was about an hour late, so some natural momentum was lost. But once the game started, the Eagles were lost on offense, and for the second week in a row, Algona’s opponent was unable to record a single first down! Meanwhile, Algona’s boys racked up 44 points.
Although they were unable to move the ball, in the 2nd quarter, a decision by Umpire Rodgers from Ames awarded the Eagles a safety…the first points scored against Algona all year. In an odd occurance I can’t imagine happening today, the next morning he revoked his decision, making the official score 44-0 instead of 44-2. As a result, Algona had now recorded 8 consecutive shut-outs, and had an unbeaten record of 7-0-1.
A couple days later, Des Moines Register sportswriter Jackie Norenbarsky touted West Des Moines and Sioux City as unbeatens left in the state who had a good shot at the state championship. Someone must have contacted him, because the next day he noted that another unbeaten had been found…in northern Iowa…Algona. Now for the state championship, he argued, it all came down to this: West Des Moines was unbeaten, including a win over Fort Dodge 18-13, but they had been tied by East Des Moines. Unbeaten Sioux City, had beaten East Des Moines, but had been tied by Fort Dodge. Unbeaten Algona also had one tie, that scoreless opener with Ames. If only there were some way of directly comparing West Des Moines, Sioux City and Algona.
One game remained on Algona’s schedule: the annual Thanksgiving Day game, which this year was to be with Milford. Realizing the situation, Superintendent Overmeyer and Coach McCormick quickly went to work and successfully negotiated a swap of Fort Dodge for Milford. The big Turkey Day game at Algona’s Athletic Park would now be played with the Dodgers; their only loss of the year being to state contender West Des Moines. If Algona could defeat them, which Sioux City didn’t, and beat them by more than 5 points, which was the West Des Moines margin, they’d have a direct comparison that would earn the state title.
The much anticipated Thanksgiving title game drew attention from all around the state, and beyond. Cars from many outlying areas motored into town. The train from Fort Dodge brought not only their team, but hundreds of fans. Spectators were packed 3 or 4 deep along the cable surrounding the entire field. Some stood atop their autos in order to see; others watched from the Northwestern depot platform, or the tops of box cars parked across the street. It was estimated that a record crowd of 4000 watched the game. Gate receipts totaled $1108 ($34,000 in today’s dollars).
The tense game was scoreless at half, and tied 7-7 after 3 quarters as the Dodgers recorded the first, and only touchdown scored on Algona all year. In the 4th, conditioning seemed to pay off as Algona would score two more times to win 20-7. The 13-point win topped West Des Moines’ 5 point margin over FD. Coaches and sportswriters now agreed Algona was the clear State Champion for 1916!
Grand celebrations followed. That night, boxes were reportedly stacked 20 feet high to the full width of Nebraska St in front of the Carnegie Library, where a bonfire was lit at 7:00, lighting and warming the surroundings for speeches and cheers. The Commercial Club and area churches joined together to prepare Bryant HS for a large banquet honoring the champs the next night. Jackie Norenbarsky of the Register was a featured speaker, confessing his only previous knowledge of Algona was when the Algona Brownies had defeated Chicago 1903 to win the Western Championship in baseball. Now, he declared, Algona was solidly on the football map, joining the elite programs in the state.
Here’s a few of the outstanding accomplishments by this team currently listed in the top 10 of all-time Algona records:
1st all-time in Algona history in points allowed (7 or 0.77 per game)
6th in offensive average (28.33; 255 pts in 9 games)
2nd all-time in scoring margin (27.67; averaging 28.33 pts - 0.77)
4th in touchdowns scored per game (4.22; 38 td in 9 games)
2nd in rushing td per game (3.89; 35 td in 9 games)
The 1916 team started the longest-ever Algona winning streak of 13 games. (They didn’t lose again until the 6th game of 1917 season to West Des Moines). Started a string of 6 consecutive winning seasons from 1916 through 1921 with a record over that time of 37-5-3! What an outstanding record from the early years of Algona football! 110 years later, welcome to Algona’s Wall of Fame to Algona’s 1916 State Championship football team!
Team members: Fehrm, John Kain, Wendell French, Vic Lowe, Angus Cotton, Bill Johannsen, Claude Nugent, Earl Momyer, Clem Nugent, Streit, Tracy Tripp, Raymond Irons, Paine, Kenneth Crane, Frank Holzbauer, Roger Hutchison, Sutton, Skinner. Coaches: Christie McCormick, Asst. Ed Adams