Wedey's Traveling Football Show:
The 1948 Wedemeyer All-Star Tour

Now here's a bit of football history! This collection of clippings showcases the Wedemeyer All-Star team, a barnstorming tour of mainland players vs. Hawaii players that took place in January, 1948. The All-Stars played three games with Hawaii's semi-pro teams, the Leilehuas and the Vandals, winning two and tying one.

These gems are new finds from the O'Connor estate. Thanks once more goes to Brian O'Connor, son of late St. Mary's quarterback Denis O'Connor, for sharing this great material, and his brother Matthew for unearthing it. The files can be downloaded in their entirety in a zip file (9.6 Mb).

Wedey's Stars Play Leilehua Today

Hawaii's long football season comes to a resounding close today at the Honolulu Stadium when Herman Wedemeyer leads his All-Stars against the Leilehuas, with the kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.

The All-Stars nosed out Chin Do Kim's Vandals, 28-20, in a spectacular game last week. Wedemeyer and his players are determined not to suffer the fate of other aggregations from the Mainland, who looked good in their first contest here and then got knocked off by the Leilehuas in the finale. ...

It's the last collegiate game for Wedemeyer, who will formally affix his signature to a two-year Los Angeles Dons' contact when he returns to the mainland. The contract reportedly called for close to $30,000 for the two seasons. The Oakland club of the Pacific Coast Baseball League is also seeking his services for next spring.

Chips From Diamond Head
By Dan McGuire

The starting line-up of the Herman Wedemeyer All-Stars. Front row, left to right: Ed Ryan, St. Mary's, end; Jim Cox, Stanford, tackle; John Tsarnas, University of San Francisco, guard; Harry Pieper, California, center; Joe Daughtery, University of San Francisco, guard; Bill Ross, Stanford, tackle; and Harry Agler, California, end. Second row, left to right: Ted Kenfield, California, right half; Denny O'Connor, St. Mary's, fullback; Ainslie Bell, Stanford, quarterback; Herman Wedemeyer, St. Mary's, halfback. (Honolulu Advertiser photo).

When we first saw Mr. Dennis [actually spelled Denis - ed.] O'Connor, he weighed 85 pounds, played a trumpet and was the cheer-leader at St. Mary's Prep in Berkeley. He was even too light to play on the lightweight football team. So he led the yells. And we can report from first-hand knowledge that when Dennis whipped his partisans into a frenzy with the P-A-N-T-H-E-R chant, the team usually went out and racked up a quick six.

By the time he was a senior Denny had growed and growed until he was all over 135 pounds. So he became a quarterback and was rated as the best blocker, pound for pound, that ever trod upon an Alameda County greensward.

Came the war and Dennis, living up to the fighting traditions of the O'Connors--a clan who defeated everyone else in Ireland except a clan whose name we decline to mention because of modesty--joined the Army Air Forces.

In August 1944, they thanked him for his services, slipped him an honorable discharge and dropped him right back into the lap of Mr. James Merlin Phelan.

... the undermanned Gaels played a suicide schedule against schools that had scads of material from the Navy V-12 trainees. Dennis took his bumps and bruises without a murmur, hurling his 160 pounds into the slight cracks that his linemen opened up in the opposing forward walls. St. Mary's wound up the season by playing Fleet City, which had the greatest collection of football players ever gathered under one tent.

Dennis spent the afternoon being tackled by such rugged gentlemen as Bruiser Kinard, the one-man tornado from Mississippi. He also backed up his own line on defense. Fleet City, favored to win by 60 points, finished ahead 26-0, and St. Mary's had every right to consider it a moral victory.

Things changed for the better in 1945. The elusive Mr. Herman Wedemeyer--for whose All-Stars Dennis is playing this afternoon at the Stadium--returned to Moraga and the Gaels surprised themselves by landing in the Sugar Bowl. ...

Dennis was galloping down the field as if he were being chased by banshees from the ould sod. Bob Fenimore, Oklahoma A&M's All-American, was playing safety and was momentarily startled by the sight of the wild-eyed Irishman bearing down on him. Before Fenimore knew what was going on, O'Connor was past him and was gathering in a 50-yard pass from Wedey for the first touchdown of the game.

We believe that must have been the highlight of Denny's career.

The lad has a charming tenor voice, not quite as polished as John McCormick, of course, but when he sings that one about how Ireland got its name there isn't a dry eye in the crowd.

So it's off to the Stadium we'll go this afternoon to see Dennis do some quarterbacking against the Leilehuas, who would like nothing better than to knock off the famed Mr. Wedemeyer and his talented companions.

A Momentous Occasion for Mr. Wedemeyer
By Dan McGuire

'Twill be a rather momentous occasion for Mr. Herman Wedemeyer when he leads his All-Stars into battle against the determined Leilehuas at the Stadium this afternoon.

Wally Dupont of the Leilehuas gives the Wedemeyer back field a run for its money.

It will be the third and last time that Wedey has appeared before his hometown fans as a college football player. His first two showings--with St. Mary's against the U. of Hawaii in September and with the All-Stars when they nosed out the Leilehuas last Sunday--did not make the assemblages stand on their heads in wonder.

It's been a case of expecting miracles from a man who has received more acclaim and publicity than any other athlete in Hawaii's history. When he didn't clip off 60 and 70 yard runs every time he carried the ball against the University and the Leilehuas, some of the fans began wondering if all those stories they had been reading were actually about some fictitious character.

The fact remains that Wedey's spirit and determination carried St. Mary's to a 27-7 victory over the Rainbows after Tommy Kaulukukui's aggregation had dominated the first half. His leadership was again evident against the Leilehuas as the All-Stars fought grimly for a 28-20 decision.

A marked man on every play, Wedey used himself as a decoy to set up at least two All-Star touchdowns. And when he refused to leave the game after suffering a severe leg cramp in the fourth quarter, the audience gave him the finest ovation of the day. They knew he was in there trying his darndest to break away.

... the All-Star offense, polished with the help of co-coaches Johnny McColgan and Joe Kaulukukui, should bring out the best in backs like Ted Kenfield of California, Ainslie Bell of Stanford and Denny O'Connor of St. Mary's.

Ted Kenfield of California making a long run against the Leilehuas.

Johnny Mac, whose knowledge of football has made him highly respected by the All-Stars, made an impressive little talk at the end of Friday's workout at the Stadium. Johnny expressed his thanks at the players' willingness to drill hard every day despite the never-ending round of hospitality to which they have been exposed.

"It is to your own protection to be in the best condition possible for Sunday's game," he continued. "The fans who pay their way in expect every man to play up to expectations. You are one of the swellest group of fellows I've ever met and I know you won't let us down." ...

Denny O'Connor, who steals the show with his dulcet tenor tonsils no matter where he goes, will sing "The Bells of St. Mary's" before the opening kickoff today. The St. Louis College band will be out in full force under the direction of Brother August. ...

From the Game Program

Herman Wedemeyer returns today to the scene of his first headline-stealing feats as he leads his mighty All-Stars from the Pacific Coast against Coach Chin Do Kim's fast and rugged Leihehuas.

Some of the All-Stars (left) and Vandals (right).

When St. Louis College won the Honolulu Interscholastic football championship in 1941 and 1942 under the guiding hand of Johnny McColghan, it was Hurricane Herman who supplied the running, passing and kicking that carried the Crusaders to their greatest seasons of recent years.

Wedey landed at St. Mary's in the fall of 1943 and as an allegedly "green" freshman swiped the sports page superlatives from more established players. He was a unanimous choice for All-Coast halfback.

Absent from the gridiron in 1944 due to war service, Herman returned to St. Mary's in 1945 to spark the Galloping Gaels to their all-time dream season. And although the Oklahoma [A&M] Aggies defeated St. Mary's, 32-13, in the Sugar Bowl of Jan. 1, 1946, Wedey stood so far above the other players that Grantland Rice, dean of the sports scribes, named him America's outstanding all-around athlete for 1945.

Wedey led the Gaels to another post-season classic in '46--the Oil Bowl at Houston--where St. Mary's was vanquished by Georgia Tech.

Jimmy Phelan's gridiron empire at Moraga collapsed the past season as St. Mary's captured only three games. But from the deep vale of sorrow came the cry that Wedemeyer could prove he was the same Squirmin' Herman if he could operate behind a stronger forward wall.

Local fans who saw the Gaels defeat the University of Hawaii here last September realized that the visitors' line was surprisingly weak. Wedey became more of an All-American than ever in the eyes of his thousands of fans as week after week he took physical beatings unflinchingly and never stopped trying.

Came the Shrine East-West benefit game at San Francisco New Year's Day and the prediction that Wedey would come through with an outstanding performance came true. He was named the West's most valuable player. ...