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Centennial History Book
Since education was important to these people
there were SCHOOLS
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Farnam Baseball Team 1910
Left to right: Delbert Darrah, W. C. Bloom, Dick Walker, Charley Pollard, Walt Pollard, Wayne Parker, Guy Clossen, Raymond Walker, Gene Pollard, Don Divoll.
Sports in the Farnam School system probably began with a baseball team. Since baseball was a popular game and enjoyed and played by young and old alike in the community, it is easy to understand that it was the first sport that was played in the school.
The first account that is available of a boys basketball team in the High School was given by Charles Pollard who graduated from Farnam in 1910 when Farnam School had only a tenth grade high school.
Back row, left to right: Julia Delate, Maude Thompson, fna Austin, Hattie Gardner. Front row, left to right: Ora Waits, Mabel Thompson
In 1910 there was a girls basketball team. It consisted of Mabel (Thompson) Hicks, Julia (Delate) Hill, Maud Thompson, Hattie (Gardner) Dedmore, Ora (Waits) Goethel and Ina (Austin) Rowland.
In 1913 and 1914 Farnam School had a girls basketball team that played Eustis and Curtis and beat both schools. Jeannette Parker who graduated in 1914, said that she was sure that they had played other schools, also. She said they practiced on a dirt court located in the southwest part of town. The court was located on the lot where Bernie Lindvall’s house is today. There was also a baseball diamond east of this site, for both school and town team games. Girls basketball prevailed throughout the years until 1930.
1915 Basketball Team
Beginning in 1915 the boys participated in both baseball and basketball.
In 1919 both boys and girls basketball teams from Farnam were playing at Eustis and Elwood. The games were scheduled so that the boys played their first half of the game, then the girls played their first half; the second half of the games were played in the same manner. Another item about basketball that was different from today was the hoop without a net. This led to some lively debates on some occasions as to whether the ball went through the hoop or not.
In 1919 on a Friday afternoon, September 19th, according to the "Live Wire", a school paper, the Farnam High School went to Eustis to watch the basketball game between the Farnam and Eustis Schools. There were about fifteen cars of people from Farnam that went to see the game. They did not start the game when Farnam arrived as the Eustis School had not been dismissed. But as soon as the school was dismissed the game started and the excitement began. Everyone yelled and the people felt that this helped to encourage the players a great deal since Farnam won nineteen to four. The Eustis girls beat the Farnam girls in their game seven to five. Eustis wanted to play a return game so arrangements were made that both the Eustis teams play the following week at the Farnam grounds. The Farnam teams practiced hard the next week. One of the best players on the boys’ team would not be able to play in the coming game but the Farnam boys were determined to win if possible, according to an account in the "Live Wire". The game was played Friday morning instead of the afternoon, since the Eustis players were going on to Stockville. Fifteen cents admission was charged to help pay expenses.
The games were played with the boys and girls alternating the halves of the game, as the usual method of playing, however, it is, also noted, that the Eustis girls team had not practiced the girls rules in playing basketball nor had the Farnam girls played the boys rules, so the game was divided so that the first half was played by the boys rules and the second half was played by the girls rules. The Eustis girls won with a score of seven to five, and the boys score was twenty-eight to four in favor of Farnam.
On October tenth, on a Friday, in 1919 the two basketball teams from Farnam went to Elwood to play. They left Farnam about one thirty. The Farnam boys lost their game to Elwood thirty-three to eleven and the Farnam girls won their game with a score of eighteen to six. The "Live Wire" said that the games were both very exciting and the Elwood teams were very congenial and everyone enjoyed themselves. They had return matches at those times because Elwood was planning to play the Farnam teams here at Farnam the latter part of October.
On October the 8th, 1920, another basketball game with Eustis was played in the afternoon at 3 o’clock. All of those who had a way to go to Eustis were excused at two o’clock to make the trip of ten miles. On the way down one car had a blow out and was delayed, but even with that everyone was there in plenty of time. The game got underway and it was very exciting for about the first five minutes. It seemed that the teams were pretty evenly matched. However, the first half ended with a score of fifteen to one, in favor of Farnam. The game ended with the score standing forty-three to five in favor of Farnam. This basketball team went on to the State Tournament. At that time the teams did not play in district and regional tournaments to determine if they were good enough to go to the state, they went if they thought they were good enough. Farnam proved to be successful enough against Palmyra, winning 16 to 9 in the first round of the tournament, winning over Kenesaw by 13 to 10 in the second round, and winning over Cortland by 16 to 8 in the third round. This was Class F in the tournament and it had 16 teams in its class so Farnam had to play the winner of another eight team bracket in this class which was Waco. Farnam lost the championship to Waco by a score of 8 to 7. The boys played in the tourney on March 10, 11 and 12th, 1921.
1923 Basketball Team
Left to right: Milo Greenlee, Theodore Smith, Seaton Smith, Prof. Beltz, Harold Velte, Prof. Dowers, Charley Davis, Merton Parker, Robert Pollard
To celebrate the victories up to the championship game the business men of Farnam thought it was only fitting that they show the boys their appreciation for putting Farnam on the map. A banquet was planned after the news had come back to Farnam that the boys had won their third victory in the battle against Cortland. Carl Tanner, Walter Pollard and Clyde McElmoil were appointed as a committee to make all possible arrangements. The invitations went out to the first team, who came so close to winning the championship cup, to all the boys on the second team and to the girls who had played basketball during the year. Also the teachers were invited to be the guests of the business men and tickets were sold to anyone else who cared to attend at a dollar a plate. There were one hundred eighty people served at this banquet that was given on a Thursday evening, March 17th, 1921. The colors of green and white were used for the banquet. The school colors had only recently been voted on by the assembly of the high school and green and white were the official colors of the school. This was the first sports banquet at Farnam High School.
In the spring of 1921 there was a Dawson County track meet in Cozad. Four schools were entered. They were Farnam, Gothenburg, Cozad and Lexington. Farnam placed third in this meet.
There was also a Tri-State Track Meet in McCook on May 7th, 1921. This was the first of its kind held in this part of the state and was a real success. Some of the schools participating were: Cambridge; Wray, Colorado; Bartley; McCook; Arapahoe; Danbury; Holyoke, Colorado; Maywood; and Farnam. Farnam took home one white ribbon for third place in the pole vault from this meet.
1921 was the first year that letters were awarded for athletic work in Farnam High School. On the second of May several of the boys were presented a large letter F. The letters were given to those who had participated on the regular basketball team at some time.
In the fall of 1921 Farnam had their first football team. Their colors were blue and white. In the fall of 1922 they began wearing green and white and were the "Green Backs". A regular practice started the second week of school and there were enough boys for two regular strings. The first game was scheduled with the Cambridge reserves on September 28th. Farnam won 28 to 0. The next game was scheduled with Cozad, who defeated Farnam in 1921, but Farnam took the score 14 to 12. Next they won over the Curtis Aggie reserves 33 to 0. A big defeat was handed to them next. A team that was one of the weakest teams on Farnam’s schedule beat them 14 to 9. It was planned to play the second string which should have been done, but Maxwell managed to score a couple of touchdowns and held the larger end of the score. Farnam then, defeated Callaway, Cambridge and Stockville. Gothenburg changed the course of action by defeating them on November the 17th. The Lexington game was cancelled and the last game of the season was played Thanksgiving Day when Farnam met the Beaver City squad on the local field and defeated them to an overwhelming score of 80 to 0.
Farnam High School Football Squad 1922-1923
From right to left: Coach D. Beltz, Captain Art Peterson, Carol Teel, Marion Johnson, Harold Velte, Byron Taylor, Bob Pollard, Ralph Parker, Clayton Pollard, Bert Hampson, Seaton Smith, Willard Carman, Theron Smith, Ferris Hazen.
In the 1921-1922 basketball season, Farnam had another exceptionally good team. They went to the state tournament in Lincoln and competed in Class C against Clay Center the first round and won by a score of 18 to 13. They defeated Scribner the second night by an unknown score, and defeated Harvard the third round by 8 to 6 for the play-off of the winner of the other bracket. This last game was played at 10 P.M. in the evening and the next morning Farnam was informed that the timekeeper had gone to sleep the night before and that the game would have to be played over at 10 A.M. on Saturday morning. The game was replayed and Farnam lost by the identical score of 8 to 6, that they had won by the previous evening, and Harvard went on to play Valentine for the championship.
In 1923 the girls’ basketball team played their first game with Ingham on October 19th and on the 26th of October the Ingham girls were to play a return game at Farnam. The girls of Farnam High School had a basketball team until 1926. It was dropped then until the school year of 1975-1976 when the girls played Maywood. There was only one game this season and the girls lost it by a close score.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s most of the football games were played in the pasture just east of town. In the middle or later 1930’s the field was moved to its present location. In 1952 a fund raising banquet was given at a cost of $7.50 per plate to install lights at this field. The field was graded up and grass was sown. The basketball games were played in the building that is now occupied by the Broken Spoke, from 1931 until around 1935 when Ahrendts Hardware and Mortuary took over the building. From then until 1938 when the old gymnasium east of the grade school building was completed, the court was located on the northwest corner of the present football field.
In the early 1920’s when football, basketball and track began to become popular in the schools, baseball lost out as far as a school activity that was in competition with other area schools.
Farnam High School Football Team 1928
Back row, left to right: Clayton Tillotson, Bill Widick, Ralph McNickle, Kenneth Waits, Richard Carman, Joy Russell, Lyal Beck, Noble Oberg. Middle row, left to right: Supt. Pettijohn, Claude Miller, Ellis Widick, Arthur Wear, Gaylord Velte, Jack Martin, Donald Schnieber, Coach Peterson. Front row, left to right: Richard Reeves, Alfred Wear, Everett Whitney, Fordyce Kerr, Ruppert McNickle, Harold Brown, Leonard Whitney.
Maurice Widick
Among the many changes that have occurred over the years in the field of sports, some of the most notable ones are: the center jump after each basket was eliminated sometime between 1934 and 1938; using two referees in the 1940’s; and going from the two handed shot to the one handed jump shot. Farnam’s going to eight-man football; equipment changes and requirements and the games being played at night instead of the afternoon. Also, the method of transportation to get to the away games. Cars were first used. Buses are provided now. However, there was one occasion that the boys went to Maywood on the train and waited and rested at the schoolhouse until the game started.
When Farnam began playing football in 1921, there was only eleven man football. In 1937 due to injuries and a small squad the games were forfeited and no team was fielded. In 1938, six man football was started. Eight man came in the late 1950’s.
Volleyball was a new game for the girls and it came in for competition about 1951, however, it was played between teams of girls in the physical education classes in the 1940’s. Track has, also, become popular for the girls in the 1970’s.
Farnam has had some very good football teams through the years. In 1972 and 1974 they were the Number One team in the Class D schools. Basketball teams of the years 1967, 1974, 1975 and 1976 have been Number One in our Class D district. The track team has done well, also; in 1973 they were the State Champions.
Front row, left to right: Coach Fuller, Wes Hoppe, Henk Vos, Gary Davis, Randy Edson, Dick Oberg, Bruce Bellamy, Mike Claflin, Coach Gumb. Middle row, left to right: Wendel Hoppe, Carl Dietz, Chuck Brauer, Richard Edson, Marc Smallfoot, Doug Klein. Back row, left to right: Garold Messersmith, Scott Adkisson, Greg Chambers, Karl Randecker, Greg Bellamy, Howard Brown, Jeff Oberg, Scott Hess, Mike Messersmith.
To cheer the school teams to victory and create loyalty and school spirit, there have been the cheerleaders and the pep club through the years. With so many of the girls going out for sports, it left less time for the pep club. In 1979 the pep club was disbanded. Now the cheerleaders that are selected after tryouts by a vote of the student body, lead the cheering section that is comprised of anyone who is not involved in the game that is being played.
The pep band was organized in the seventies. They are present at the home games and help with the cheering. Since this group is made up of students who volunteer, there have been a few years when there hasn’t been a pep band because of lack of interest and lack of players.
October 18, 1895, Dawson County Clipper Citizen
The Farnam Band returned home Sunday from the County Fair at Stockville. They captured second prize in the Band Contest. They would have taken first place had it not bee for one of the lead horns in playing its first piece. The boys received good treatment even if they did not get first prize.
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