Lynn's 1947 Clinton football team went undefeated

By George Kampling

Herald Staff Writer

CLINTON — Sixty-two years ago, the Clinton River Kings football squad posted a perfect 9-0 season under coach Max Lynn, who guided Clinton High to its first perfect season (8-0) three years before that (1944). The Kings tied with East Waterloo for the Mississippi Valley Conference championship in 1947.

Clinton and Marshalltown were the only two major cities in Iowa with undefeated football teams, so they were declared co-No.1 in the mythical state championship.

Gene Hood scored the first River King touchdown of the 1947 season and competed the entire season with a broken hand.

Hood, playing right halfback, also scored the only touchdown in a 7-0 homecoming victory over Iowa City.

Quoted in a Clinton Herald 1985 special football section, Hood said: “We had a pretty good team. It was one of the top teams around; it was a good team. Our team was a pretty good-sized team, one of the biggest in the state.”

The Herald backed that up in a pre-1947 story, stating: “Size is certainly no disadvantage for the Clinton eleven. The starting line as planned by the Clinton mentor averages an impressive 183 pounds. The backfield averages 165, which gives the first eleven an overall average of 173.”

Art Nixon, who became a Little All-American back while at St. Ambrose College, was fullback and was described in the 1948 yearbook as “the fastest man in the backfield." Nixon, who became adult community education director in Bay City, Mich., and athletic director of the Bay City public schools after teaching and coaching in that system, said team unity and coaching brought the perfect record in 1947.

“We were undefeated as JVs and had a common unity and common purpose of being undefeated as a varsity team,” Nixon said. “When we were sophomores, during the Dean Burridge (a standout all-around athlete) era, the varsity went 8-0. We felt it was something we could do because somebody else had done it.

“We had some good athletes, people like Jack Schuster, Gene Hood, Bill Vickerstaff, James Lesher, Bob Dippo, Paul Domsalla and Jack Holcolmb.”

Vickerstaff was quoted as saying: “Sometimes Wednesday scrimmages were tougher than the games themselves. The key was, of course, Max Lynn, who kept us together and kept us as a team.

“We had guys like Nixon who could throw the ball a country mile and a terrific line with guys like Roger Gundlefinger, James Lesher, Pat Kramer and Bob Dippo It was a real team effort. Gundlefinger was a little-bitty guy but tougher than nails.”

The River Kings opened the season with a 13-0 victory over Cedar Rapids Roosevelt. Hood scored the first touchdown, Lauren Kramer intercepted a pass for the second TD, with Paul Domsalla catching the extra point pass.

The next team falling to the Kings was Rock Island in a game won by Clinton 15-7. The River Kings drove late in the first quarter after recovering a fumble on the Rocks’ 31-yard line. Jack Schuster scored the touchdown on that drive, then scored again minutes later with Nixon scoring the extra point.

Cedar Rapids Franklin was the River Kings’ third victim by the score of 12-0. Early in the second quarter, Nixon scored the first touchdown, followed by Schuster plunging over from the 3 later in the quarter.

Davenport St. Ambrose gave Clinton its closest game of the season, a 7-6 victory. A pass from Vickerstaff to Jack Schuster for the touchdown, followed by Schuster’s 27-yard drop-kick for the PAT following a holding penalty gave Clinton its winning points.

The River Kings blanked Davenport 14-0 to snap a 12-year Blue Devils’ homecoming winning streak. Clinton recovered six Davenport fumbles in the first half and picked off three passes. Vickerstaff used a quarterback sneak for the first touchdown, and Nixon hit Holcomb with a 37-yard touchdown pass. Jordan kicked both extra points.

Lynn’s club rolled past Cedar Rapids Wilson 21-13 in the sixth game of the season. Schuster scored the first of three touchdowns during the first few minutes of the second quarter and another near the end of the half. The third came with three minutes to play. Holcomb made all three extra point kicks.

Clinton’s homecoming opponent was Iowa City. Hood scored the game’s only touchdown in the second quarter.

The Iowa City victory led the next day’s Herald to use the headline, “Clinton Nears Unbeaten Season.”

Clinton clinched a tie for the Mississippi Valley Conference championship with a 28-6 victory over Dubuque. Nixon passed to Schuster for one touchdown, Hans Andresen ran over for the second, Vickerstaff passed to Schuster for the third and Nixon had the fourth.

Moline fell to the River Kings 26-7 for the second perfect Clinton season.

(The information for this article was obtained from the November 7, 1985, issue of The Clinton Herald; the Herald’s sports department Clinton High football history; and from Clinton Public Library microfilm.)