The phrases Herculean task and mission impossible cannot adequately describe the degree of difficulty in voting for an all-time Akron City Series football team.
The main challenge is Akron Public Schools has produced too many great players since the City Series began play in 1911 to narrow them down into a manageable list without omitting dozens of worthy candidates.
Despite those realities, the Beacon Journal is attempting to celebrate the City Series, honor its rich history and provide local sports fans with nostalgia by tackling this project with a nod to an old Thanksgiving tradition. In 1990, Buchtel defeated Garfield 26-22 in the final Turkey Day title game. The 35th anniversary is this year.
Several members of the Beacon Journal’s sports staff filled out ballots for an all-time City Series football team. We asked legendary guest panelists to do the same. We also received help with research from APS Athletics Hall of Fame coach Mike Buckner, who was a star player at East before he served at the helm of Buchtel from 1971-78 and worked as the APS athletic director from 1992-2002, and former longtime Beacon Journal sports editor and reporter Larry Pantages, an Ellet graduate.
All involved conceded a perfect ballot is unattainable.
The good news is we want to hear from you about which players slipped through the cracks during our voting process. Check out our ballots below and send your name, city of residence and feedback to nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. If there are enough responses, a follow-up will be published. Learning and having fun are among the goals.
Each panelist was asked to vote for 30 players — 11 on offense, 11 on defense, a kicker, a punter and six who fill flex spots. Any combination of positions could be used for the flex spots. Adjusting for different offensive and defensive schemes was permitted. For example, a panelist could construct a ballot for an offense featuring two or three running backs and for a 4-3, 3-4, 5-2 or nickel defense.
Individuals who did not play in the City Series were not eligible for selection. It’s why you won’t find Kenmore running back Cliff Battles or Ellet quarterback Jacky Lee on any ballots. Battles is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he played for Kenmore in the 1920s when it competed in the Trolley League. Lee played in the AFL from 1960-69, yet his Ellet teams were in the Metropolitan League. Battles and Lee would have been popular picks had they played in the City Series.
Even with the exclusion of Battles and Lee, there are more than 50 former City Series players who appeared in at least one NFL or AFL game. Of the names we unearthed, a whopping 16 played running back.
Without further ado, the ballots …
Do you know about All-American and College Football Hall of Famer Howard Harpster, who was an All-City QB at West?
Voter: Nate Ulrich, Beacon Journal sports columnist and features writer and member of the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame board of directors who played City Series football for Firestone from 1999-2002 before covering the league and interviewing countless APS legends
East’s Doug Marsh took his blocking and receiving prowess to the University of Michigan and the NFL
Voter: Ron Linger, an All-City center and Turkey Day champion with East in 1975 who went on to become Central-Hower’s football coach and athletic director, East’s athletic director, an APS assistant athletic director and a member of the APS Athletics Hall of Fame’s executive committee
List of elite City Series running backs includes John Wooldridge and Ricky Powers, both of whom played for coach Tim Flossie
Voter: John Wooldridge, an APS Athletics HOF and Summit County Sports HOF inductee (and a member of the SCSHOF’s board of directors) who was a legendary RB at Central-Hower, winning the Turkey Day championship and being named the Beacon Journal player of the year in 1981 and then playing for Ohio State and signing with the Dallas Cowboys before suffering a career-ending injury
Before Harry Welch became a USC cornerback and Rose Bowl champion, he starred for Kenmore in the late 1940s
Voter: Richard Stallsmith, longtime Beacon Journal sports editor
Thomas Lewis starred at Garfield High School and for Indiana University football before the New York Giants drafted him
Voter: Ralph N. Paulk, an author, a retired Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist whose career included covering the City Series for the Beacon Journal and a member of the APS Athletics Hall of Fame’s selection committee
Akron City Series always has football stars from the Buckey twins to Ricky Powers to Whitney Mercilus
Voter: Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal sports writer who graduated from Firestone High School in 2001 and the University of Akron in 2006, played baseball and basketball growing up, lettered in baseball at Firestone and has interviewed hundreds of City Series athletes and coaches from 2004 to the present
Jeff Merrow, Dave Brown became NFL stars in the 1970s, ’80s after first starring in the City Series
Voter: Chris Beaven, USA TODAY Network Northern Ohio regional sports editor since 2020, in addition to Canton Repository sports editor since 2010. Thanks in large part to my late grandpa — thank you, Bill Rodgers — I grew up attending City Series football games at the Rubber Bowl in the late 1970s and throughout the ’80s (including some cold Turkey Day games), attending Akron Public Schools throughout and graduating from Firestone in 1986.
Which players received the most votes on the Akron Beacon Journal’s all-time City Series football ballots?
The following players are unanimous selections by our seven voters: defensive back Dave Brown (Garfield), defensive lineman Mike Fox (North), wide receiver Thomas Lewis (Garfield), defensive end/linebacker Whitney Mercilus (Garfield), kicker Gene Mingo (South), running back Ricky Powers (Buchtel) and defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr. (Garfield).
The following players received six of seven possible votes: offensive lineman Henry Allison (South), linebacker Jay Brophy (Buchtel), offensive lineman Eric Cunningham (South), tight end Doug Marsh (East), running back Larry Poole (Garfield), defensive back Ramon Walker (Buchtel), running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Garfield) and running back John Wooldridge (Central-Hower).
The following players received five of seven possible votes: quarterback Dave Buckey (Kenmore), defensive lineman/linebacker Sonny Gandee (Garfield), wide receiver Jim Lash (Garfield) and defensive lineman Jeff Merrow (Firestone).
The following players received four of seven possible votes, meaning they appeared on a majority of our ballots: offensive lineman Levert Carr (Buchtel), running back Don Clark (Central), tight end Steve Craig (Garfield), running back Charles Gladman (Garfield), offensive lineman Les Olsson (Central), defensive back Jarrod Wilson (Buchtel) and tight end Dave Young (East).
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Picking an all-time Akron City Series football team is daunting. We tried anyway | Opinion
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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