Nov 29, 2021 8 min read

Joe Knapp

It took them over a week to make the trip to Pasadena and they had no idea that they’d be making history when they arrived.  

One of the most memorable seasons in the annals of college football.

Mike Clark report

Charlie West was so fast, he once took on a horse in a race and beat the horse.

The game was Jan. 2 1922

Cal only had 56 yards rushing, did not complete a pass nor got past the 50-yard line.

House on the corner of North Lincoln and Spruce 

50-year career as a medical professional in the D.C. area.

Quaterback injured in game against Pitt, forcing West to play QB in the Rose Bowl.

Smallest team to play in the Rose Bowl.

“Certainly quite a feat given the cultural issues of the 1920

Chair of Rose Bowl hall of Fame football committee.

Theme was making a difference. 

Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Inducted Rose Bowl Hall of Fame Dec. 30, 2017.

One stoaway.

he was told he had to ride in the colored car.

members of the team in the whites only car got up from their seats to sit with Charlie in the colored car so he would  not be alone.

He was their teammate and their QB for this game. That was the atmosphere at W&J at that time and to this day one of inclusion, loyalty and respect for all human beings. 

nancy 860-655-5503

grandafther.

I was [prett young when he died 9 years old.

my cousing give me a scarbook my grandfather kept stacsk fo western uniont trelegrams dicsiussion at family reunions his family history.

What was really intessrting to me looking throu8gh telegarms the amount of community support for this team that went west whether it was from fraternities chife of police doctors. sndoing words of suppoort to the team It was really pretty awmazing.

nespaper articles Los angeles tims recap of the game reinforced the validfity of some of the stories I had heard game where they were the littlo collge from the east playing trhe great california team with a great reuoputaion they wanted to burts their bubble My grandpa brick mueller muddy field my grandafryther 

Mullere let me shake your hand my gradfther wiped his hand on muller’s unofmr and prced to wipe his hand Famous mueller W&J team, didn’t really take Californa tea,m seriuoiusly Washington & jefferson team wouldnpt Instaed of bieng awed by them wiped mud from hanfd on referee’s california team.,

They said it W&J played a psychological menatl game and really was abnle to match california because of that.

Only team only polay without a singkle substitute 

athletuixc director somneboidy had to mortage their house to play cvross country snet copies of those 

brochures post cards for their archives as thery traveld actross country fun to se advertisements from 1922.

Oh dsure. a number of my famil;y going to be at the game for the 100th anivesary It is a sense of pridce they had the first black QB first freshman to play It reiterated depmpahasizes the type of man as we knoew my grandafther the lesson he taught about people for what they are.

met wiuth Charklie West’s daughter talked about how the team supported her father went to southern tyowns there was segreagated whpole tesam rode on nthe same bud.

the whole team rode with him the way my mom was raised to view people as himan begins and treat them with equality.

Nice to hear the stories Dr. West daughter.

exactlkty w

we had gone out ikn the aryl 90 indictyed until roase bowl hall of fame inas the 100th anniversarty was appraocing I acquired this scrapbook thjrough my cosuin we werre really able to spend some timew grandmother 50th anniversary of ther game. It also ays was a sense of price he played pro football part of the Pottsville Maroons controversy that all tied in his football paying.

were the past year or so it’s really filled me in It’s validated some of nthe stories I heaadrd growing up about his particpation.

1972.

He wasd the MVP goin out to pasadena make a banner my grandpa was MVP in the roads 

11 of us.

grew up watching football mom 

big football 

he is 

my cousin tells stories sopme of stop by my grandparents home I think my gradafther and brothe first al;-american bopthethers played Pitt.

left colleg durinbg World War I played with army air corps played exhibition games to make money.

for war effort.

Scott McGuinness

WE’

re just really proud of it proud opf the accom plisments of the twaM 1100 years ago how dauntingm small school go from one coast to the other to play a migghty power like this to accomplish all of that seems really dauinting how impressive those men must of been love to have met them hearing theiur stories from family members how proud they of the accomplujnbe,ents of these men, ththis small school actua;lly had an team that went to Pssadena and went to the Rose Bowl.

there’s spo many things out therer 

worked here for 20 years ad for 8 years.

Shippensburg

It’s a molment in our history that we’re just really proud of so much of it from an angle leadership component intyegrity the stories subsequent washington and leigh Charles West ther’s so many sgtories from that are from that team clezarly represemntatrive from of the best teams if not the best ion profrram history those are stories we like to tell to our curremnt students did it with integrity.

Robert Murphy decisions he m,ade decisions cpoaches made intergirty of beigna W&J president that’s what W&J has been it means a lot to us.

people are still surproised smaller school in southewerster those students fdon’t know thsat stiory exciting for us to be able to tell that strory so many good component gtryly cvhractyeristics ogf ewhat you’d want from a stiudent at W&J

If you look back these were men they did not look like 18=22 year olds I can]t place myself be that age in the 1920 battled grizzzled men who loved playing football there was no dividion W&J was this small school only major bowl ga,me there were for W&J to play inn that game it’s like wow how did that erv hjappen W&J very competitive was one of the dominat programs of that era they probably didn’t view thmselves they beleived they were competing it’s hard for us to say this is such a trmendous small school type making it to the big time they were big time they were competing probably son'[t give them enough credit.

We have meorbailia on a lot buildings alumni room rpose bowl emeoribalia. We have aof the ttwem photos of Charles WEst we’ve tried to we’re obviolsyu very proud of it every opportunity we have we try to tell the story to give an idea top those who don’t know what am tremendous accompioshment tat was. Picture of the ga,me from the corner of trh nd zone we have some old voideo from reel-to-reels iconic photos. 

Chrles west wash high grad from wasshingtron extra special to play QB in rose bowl college your hjometown is in. All of those accomplishments in his professional career of those as we are him being a football player in his 

Next year a lot of anniovgersary 100 years of rose bowl game W&J game not played at roseball played at Toruna,ment park in Pasdena 

80 W&J alumni take part in the game.

Linda Nickens

The power of this Eastern eleven lay in its ability to rip through and smear opposing plays. Its uncanny faculty in this department was pronounced especially so in a season where the attack was featured and the offensive often given no great attention. Any attack in the country, including that bewildering onslaught launched by Notre Dame, would have found great trouble in hammering out any extensive distance against Neale’s machine.

Grantland Rice, describing the 1921 football team