Week 60: The 1949 Chandler High School Football Team

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It’s football season, and all our favorite teams from high school through the professional ranks are off to great starts in their pursuit of a championship.  To win it all will require hard work, talent, and maybe a little bit of luck.  Back in 1949 Chandler’s first ever state championship team had all of that.

The Chandler High School football team’s season kicked off with high expectations that year.  Coached by Clarence Skousen and featuring a strong running game led by senior Bobby Tarwater, the team knew it had a chance to be good.  Just how good remained to be seen.

Chandler opened their season with blowout wins over Globe and Eloy.  Ready to steamroll through their schedule, the team prepared for their next game.  But Florence had other ideas.  Despite racing out to an early 20-7 lead, Chandler was forced to hang on as Florence scored once in the fourth quarter, but missed on other opportunities.  The 20-13 final in Chandler’s favor would be one of the closest games for the Wolves all season.

A blowout win over Ajo, 61-7, marked the most points Chandler would score in a game during that magical season.  The following week they defeated Casa Grande 38-21.  Casa Grande’s 21 points would be the most scored against Chandler in a game all year.  Superior, Buckeye, Coolidge, and Nogales all fell to a team that many were beginning to believe could challenge the mighty Tempe High Buffalos for the state title.

Ironically, Tempe was the final opponent for the powerful 9-0 Chandler High gridiron squad.  Both teams entered the game undefeated.  Without a playoff system, the winner would be declared the Arizona Class B State Champions.  The stakes were high.

Chandler raced out to an early first quarter lead.  Halfback Art Odom scampered 14 yards for the score, putting the Wolves up 7-0.  A few minutes later, Chandler was knocking on the door again, making things look easy against the vaunted Tempe defense.  But Tempe stood firm and Chandler was unable to score, turning the ball over on downs.  

Chandler battled on.  With Bobby Tarwater, the state’s best running back, they felt they had a great shot at putting the game away.  But fate would deal the Chandler squad a deflating blow.  At the start of the second quarter, Tarwater went down hard on his shoulder.  After being checked by medical staff, it was determined he had suffered a broken collar bone.  He would not return to the game.  It was up to the rest of the Wolves to see who would be the next man up.

Twice the Wolves drove close to the goal line, and twice they fumbled the ball away.  The loss of their leader had clearly shaken the team.

After halftime, the team made adjustments and Chandler was able to take control of the game.  As Tempe attempted a punt, three Chandler linemen broke through and blocked the kick.  The Wolves recovered the ball on the 16 yard line, setting up another Odom touchdown run.  That was all Chandler would need, as they went on to win 14-7.  The Chandler Arizonan proclaimed that “the edge [was] more convincing than the score indicates.” 

In the end, it was Chandler’s dominant running game that worn down the Tempe defense, while the Wolves defense bottled up Tempe’s best offensive talents.  When the final whistle blew Chandler had earned its first state championship in any sport.  The Chandler High yearbook staff declared “This is a team that will go down in the history of Chandler High as one of the greatest.”