1920's  (1923-24 to 1928-29)                  Return to Year-by-Year             HOME              UPDATE: April 8, 2016

 The early games of the Hayden team were briefly reported in local newspapers. These accounts would rarely include box scores - not that there was ever much in the way of scoring in these early games. Rules of the period contributed to low scoring. There was no 10 second rule in regard to moving the basketball from the back court to front court. A team could stall in the back court as well as the front court. There was a center jump after every field goal. The fast break style of play was virtually unknown in this era.

Hayden was known as TCHS (Topeka Catholic High School) until 1940. The local newspapers covered Topeka High School in detail and probably relied on TCHS students to submit reports to the newspaper. Better accounts of these games can be found in out of town opponent's local newspapers. 

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1922-1923            Intramural League

                                TCHS basketball consisted of an intramural league that started play in January. There were four teams that were captained by John Rossiter, Francis Roberts,  Lawrence Brockish and Paul Gannon. Rossiter's team won out as the top school team. All the games were played on an outside court near the school.

John Rossiter (middle, top row) gathers his players together for a team photo. (1923 SHAMROCK)

Intramural runner-up: GANNON'S TEAM

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1923-24 TCHS first basketball team. (1924 SHAMROCK Yearbook).

       Fred Kelley coached the boys when available. Aurora Catholic arranged to play both their league games on the same day prior to the Catholic Tournament. It was not unusual
to play more than one game in a day. Reports say that the team played three games on the same day - March 12, 1924. Sometimes, in tournament play, the early games were reduced
by one half normal time. Location information was not available for the regular season games with Kansas City Catholic. Guessed at the dates for the games that could only be
found in the 1924 Shamrock.

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 Fred Kelley     WON  6   LOST   8               1924-1925

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1925-26   COACH: Fred  Kelley  WON   7  LOST  10       Independent      4th Place  St Mary's College - CLASS B CATHOLIC STATE

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1926-27   COACH:   Fred Kelley     WON   8  LOST   14      Independent   

          1927 TCHS   L-R  Tim Degginger, Clarence Malone, John Monaghan, Walter Gibbons, Harold Devlin, Paul Spurlock, Lessell Landwehr, John Murphy (CAPT),  Fred Kelley (COACH).                          

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1927-1928  COACH:  C.E. "Frank" Willis    Won 10    Lost   2   1st PLACE  St Mary's College - CLASS B CATHOLIC STATE

                                      1928 TCHS Basketball (1928 SHAMROCK)

!  Maur Hill players were sick - game was forfeited. Two games were played with Herington K of C - not counted in records.

* Overtime Period

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1928-1929   COACH: C.C. Willis      WON   6    LOST    2             1st Place   St Mary's College - CLASS B CATHOLIC STATE

  Sometimes during this era, the Captain served as the Coach of the team. The person who was designated coach might have been just an adult supervisor. Rules of the day actually prevented any direction from the bench even during the timeouts. The idea of coaching gradually evolved over the years. As Captain of the team, "Goose" was in charge out on the court.  Frank Butler (above) as a TCHS Senior. He was a well known Hayden graduate who started the DUTCH GOOSE TAVERN in the 1930s and lived into his 90s. He sold drink to the thirsty and "barking chili dogs" to the hungry. 

Two games were played with Herington K of C - but are not counted in these records.

Yearbook states that the team won 3 games at the CLASS B CATHOLIC TOURNEY at St Mary's College and duplicated their championship of 1928. 

CATHOLIC B Games confirmed : The Hour Glass, St Mary's College Newspaper March 15, 1929.  6th Annual State Inter-Scholastic Catholic Tournament.

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PLAYERS FROM THIS ERA

    Box scores are not available for most of the games listed here. Below are rosters as could be determined from various sources.

1923-24 Francis Connaughton, James Murphy,  Paul Cooney, Milt Slaybaugh, 

1924-25  Murphy, Blades, Smith, Milt Slaybaugh, Paul Cooney, Cuyler, Nedeau, Brewer.

1925-26  Paul Cooney, Gerald Smith, Slaybaugh,  Francisco Vargas, Murphy.

1926-27  Timothy Degginger, Clarence Malone, John Monaghan, Walter Gibbons, Harold Devlin, Paul Spurlock, L. Landwehr, John Murphy.

1927-28  Francis Butler, Manuel Cross, John Devlin, Paul Hildebrand, John Monaghan, L. Landwehr, Harold Devlin.

1928-29 Willard Tarrant, Manuel Cross, Francis Butler, Jerome Hildebrand, Pete Marchetti, John Devlin, Harold Devlin, John Monaghan.