by Jim Ridgeway George McAfee takes a handoff from Sid Luckman (1947). Ironton, a small city in Southern Ohio, is known throughout the state for its high school football program. Coach Bob Lutz, head coach at Ironton High School since 1972, has won more football games than any coach in Ohio high school history. Ironton High School has been a regular in the state football playoffs since the tournament’s inception in 1972, with the school winning state titles in 1979 and 1989. Long before the hiring of Bob Lutz and the outstanding title teams of 1979 and 1989, Ironton High School fielded what might have been the greatest gridiron squad in school history. This nearly-forgotten Tiger squad was coached by a man who would become an assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns, general manager of the Buffalo Bills and the second director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The squad featured three brothers, two of which would become NFL players, in its starting eleven. One of the brothers would earn All-Ohio, All-American and All-Pro honors before his enshrinement in Canton, Ohio. This story is a tribute to the greatest player in Ironton High School football history, his family, his high school coach and the 1935 Ironton High School gridiron squad. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the undefeated and untied Ironton High School football team featuring three players with the last name of McAfee. It was Ironton High School’s first perfect football season, and the school would not see another such gridiron season until 1978. Ironton was an industrial boomtown in the 1920s. Before the decade ended, the city’s population exceeded 16,000. The arrival of one couple from Kentucky proved pivotal to the growth of Ironton football. Clarence Potter McAfee, from the McAfee family out of Pineville, Kentucky, married Mary Lida Archer on March 6, 1900 in Danville, Kentucky. The couple called Danville home until they moved to Ironton in 1921. Mr. McAfee joined the staff of the nearby Russell (KY) YMCA in 1922 and served as that organization’s assistant secretary. Opening in 1922, the historic Ironton-Russell Bridge was the first highway bridge to span the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Wheeling, WV. The area was so prosperous that construction was locally funded. Bridge was privately operated and tolls were charged to compensate investors. A wooden bridge deck handled traffic for many years. The McAfee family lived in Ironton, Ohio (right side of photo). C.P. McAfee worked at the YMCA in Russell, KY (left side of photo). (Photo by Jim Ridgeway) Clarence and Mary McAfee were parents to twelve children. The McAfee’s first child, Dorothy May, was followed by the birth of James Paul, Clarence Shannon, Perna Buckner, Elbert Archer, John Nichols, William Marion, Mary Ella, Clellan Bertram, George Anderson, Wesley Taylor and Jack Allen. (L) The house where George McAfee was reared as it looks today. (Photo by Jim Ridgeway) (R) C.P. McAfee worked at the Russell YMCA. By 1927, it had become Kentucky’s largest railroad YMCA serving railroad workers and the general community. A larger facility was constructed in 1948 at a cost in excess of $1,000,000 to replace the Victorian structure. The Russell YMCA ceased operations in 1989. George McAfee grew up in a two-story house located just blocks from Ironton’s Beechwood Stadium (now called Tanks Memorial Stadium) and was attracted to the sounds of football. Besides watching high school football games, McAfee could also catch a glimpse of the Ironton Tanks playing professional football. At a McAfee family reunion held in 1978 at Brooksville, Florida, George McAfee told Jim Selman of the Tampa Tribune Times his earliest memory of watching professional football as a child growing up in Ironton. Without money for admission, George McAfee and his father climbed a tree to watch the Ironton Tanks in action. Cold weather eventually forced George’s father to head for the comfort of home, but George stayed to watch the game and became a huge fan of the hometown Tanks. Beechwood Stadium now called Tanks Memorial Stadium, as it looked in 1928. When asked in 2003 about the Ironton Tanks, McAfee responded, “They were a great football team. I had to sneak over the fence to see them play.” Glenn Presnell, a former All-American at Nebraska, was the Tanks star player. Behind the play of Presnell, the Ironton Tanks defeated three NFL teams in 1930. Presnell was George McAfee’s childhood hero, and later in life the two men became close friends. In a 1984 interview with Bob Barnett and Bob Carroll, George McAfee was candid with his opinion on his childhood football hero that went on to become an All-Pro in the NFL. “I still can’t understand why Glenn Presnell is not in the (Pro Football) Hall of Fame.” Glenn Presnell, science teacher at Ironton High School in 1928 and gridiron player for the Ironton Tanks. Presnell was George McAfee’s childhood football hero. George McAfee also had his older brother, John, to look up to. John McAfee was a star athlete at Ironton High School. John McAfee announced on December 1, 1930 he was going to Notre Dame to play for Knute Rockne. Just days later, rumors hit the press about Rockne planning to retire from Notre Dame. When Rockne officially retired in February of 1931, John changed his mind and joined the football team at Ohio State University for the 1931 season. John McAfee lettered in football for the Buckeyes in 1933 and 1934. George McAfee entered Ironton High School in 1932. The 1936 Ironton High yearbook listed McAfee as a participant in basketball (2, 3, 4), football (2, 3, 4), track (2, 3, 4), and baseball (3). George was also a member of the ‘I’ lettermen club (2, 3, 4). Ironton High School had an indoor swimming pool. George McAfee signed up for interclass swimming his junior year. It was great preparation for George’s future military service. George McAfee was a popular student at Ironton High School. The student body elected George president of the junior class. The 1936 Ironton High School yearbook recorded why the junior class picked George. “When with all the trials and tribulations as a junior we needed a man with broad shoulders, so we elected no other than our football hero, George McAfee as president.” As a junior, George McAfee quarterbacked the football team. George’s brothers, Clellan and Wes, also lettered in 1934. At the Ironton football banquet held on December 13, 1934, the team’s center, Chester Spicer, was named Most Valuable Player. Coach Dick Gallagher announced that the team’s choice for 1935 captain was George McAfee. According to the Ironton Tribune reporter, the announcement drew a “rousing cheer by teammates.” George McAfee’s older brother, John, was a virtual Mr. Ironton High School. He was an outstanding athlete and a popular student. He served as junior class president. By the time George entered Ironton High School, John was arguably the greatest and most famous athlete in school history. John excelled in football and baseball at Ohio State University. George McAfee’s junior year saw Ironton High School defeat the most glamorized basketball squad in the state. George and his younger brother, Wes, played key roles in possibly the greatest upset in Ironton basketball history. This photo depicts the 1935 - 1936 Ironton High basketball squad. George McAfee was known for his proficiency with the hook shot. The legendary Waterloo Wonders won Ohio Class B (small school division) state titles in 1934 and 1935. The Wonders played nearly 100 games in those two seasons. Despite taking on schools much larger and playing most of its games on the road, the Wonders lost only three games in that two-season stretch. The Wonders were so talented that Adolph Rupp expressed interest in recruiting the whole Waterloo team to the University of Kentucky. The Waterloo Wonders have a floodwall mural in Ironton honoring their basketball achievements. (Photo by Jim Ridgeway) The Tigers played the Wonders twice during the 1934 – 1935 basketball season. On February 2, 1935, more than 700 fans filled the Ironton High gym for the first meeting between the schools. Ironton lost to Waterloo by the score of 28 to 25. George McAfee scored four points for the Tigers. Wes McAfee added another two points. The score was tied at 25 with three minutes to go before Waterloo edged ahead. Coach Magellan Hairston, Waterloo head coach, praised the Tigers on the effort. The Ironton Tribune quoted Hairston as calling Ironton the “fightingest team I ever saw.” The Wonders entered the game on February 21, 1935 with only two losses in 87 contests. Over 1,200 fans packed the Ironton High gymnasium to see the famed Waterloo Wonders in action. After filling all the seats, fans lined the court two-deep on the sidelines and five-to-ten deep on the end lines. At that point in time, it was the largest crowd to ever see an Ironton High basketball game. The gate was in the $500 range which was equally divided by the two Lawrence County schools. George and Wes McAfee started for Ironton. George played the entire game at one forward spot. Wes played guard until removed on fouls late in the game. Ironton got off to a strong start in the game and held a 6 to 3 edge after one period of play. The Wonders outscored Ironton 6 to 2 in the next period and went to the intermission with a 9 to 8 edge.