The game of American Football originated among Ivy League collegians and Pennsylvania coal miners right after
the Civil War. As the rugged sport made its way across the Appalachian Mountains and up the Allegheny River, it finally
arrived in Bradford and Olean in 1893.
High school football came to Portville after World War I. When the team had enough players from grades
7 through 12, helmetless squads were sporadically organized. In 1921, fifteen boys joined the gridiron team coached
by Principal Vern Hutchings. Red Miner was on that unit.
Portville varsity football has been a continuous program since 1929, when Coach Ceylon Hall fielded 16 lads from
the old Union High School on Main Street.
Captain and QB for Portville was Forest Newburg, while the rest of the backfield included Rupert Chaffee, Brayton
Maxson, and FB Randall Hinman.
The linemen included C Hugh West, LG Neil Edgett, RG Bob Husband, LT Wendall Haines, RT Claude (Jazz) Peterson,
and end Henry Hackett. Rounding out the offense were G DeForest Chaffee, LT William Ryder, Theodore Fairchild, and Ward
Jacoby.
The first regular season game that year was played on Saturday afternoon, October 12 at Little Valley.
Portville was called the 'Warriors', and they lost 33-7.
The first victory of 1929 came on October 26 at Cuba, when the boys beat the Greyhounds 7-0. Their first
home win came on November 9 at the expense of Otto-Eldred 13-6.
