1945

An amazing crowd estimated at between 20,000 and 25,000 which overflowed Legion Memorial Stadium here yesterday afternoon, saw the North Carolina all-stars turn back the best from South Carolina by an 8-0 score in the ninth annual Shrine Bowl football game.

The colorful gathering came from all parts of the two states and witnessed a grueling contest, waged chiefly between two fierce hard hitting and quick-charging forward walls with backs just running through their paces as the issue was decided.

Last year the Palmetto team won by 6-0 but the North Carolinian’s held the edge yesterday throughout in achieving their narrow victory. The win gave them an edge of 5 to 2 in the series with two scoreless ties.

B. W. Atkinson of Winston-Salem, a big fellow at 220 pounds who can move around with the best of them, paced the North State line with able help from all his chums up front. Frank Penny of Durham and Jack McCachren of Concord were his most illustrious aides along with John Hobbs of Wilmington’s New Hanover high.

Leading Coach Bill Brannin’s double-wing attack in the backfield was Buddy Bell of his own Charlotte Central team who did the finest running from the North Carolina Team and scored their only touchdown in the fourth quarter.

All the point making was packed into the fourth period following a series of fumbles in which both teams were butter-fingered. Early in the last chapter the Tar Heels were on South Carolina’s 35-yard line, Jay Clark of Wilson passed to Ken Rogers of Wilmington in the flats with the boy from the City by the Sea lugging the leather all the way to the Palmetto 11-yard line. Then Bell who did so much brilliant sprinting for Central this season took it off right tackle to the two-yard line. On the next play Buddy bulled it through the line for the touchdown. Clark missed his placement for the extra point.

Just before that the Tar Heels had collected two points on a safety. This also followed a fumbling contest. The Clark-Rogers passing combination had failed of a touchdown when the Wilson boy’s touchdown pass went out of the playing field. The Palmetto lads were on their own 17 as Curtis Waters of Rock Hill attempted a kick. Concord’s Jack McCachren roared in to block the boot and Waters fell on his own kick behind the goal line as the North Carolinians stormed over him. This gave the Tar Heels their safety and a lead.

From the beginning of the game the blue-shirted Tar Heels held a slight edge over Paul Waggoner’s yellow-jerseyed South Carolina aces. The superiority appeared to be in the line with Atkinson, Penny, McCachren and Hobbs doing the big business. The Tar Heels maintained a slight margin as the backs of both teams failed to show any sustained running attack. Once Bell, hauling back a punt, appeared to be gone but slipped on the slick turf and fell.

Neither team made any serious threat during the first half of the ball game although both clubs were backed up deep in their own territory on defense. Able punting managed to get them out of danger.

While both teams were well organized and obviously well coached, there were frequent fumbles and other accidents. As a result of these circumstances, North Carolina was on South Carolina’s 30-yard line late in the third quarter, Dub Grubb of Salisbury bucked the line for seven yards with Clark losing one as he faked a pass after which Bubber Senn of Columbia’s Brookland-Cayce intercepted a pass to turn back that threat.

In addition to Buddy Bell of Charlotte, Bill Austin of Harding High flashed brilliantly in the latter part of the game. Once he intercepted a pass tossed by Hargrave Robbins of Chester, who did some nifty pitching for the Palmetto team to give North Carolina possession within the 30-yard line. In the next series he stepped off a 20-yard jaunt before South Carolina took over on a pass interception.

The Tar Heels made 10 first downs to South Carolinas four and collected 173 yards rushing to 83

for their opponents. They managed 70 yards in two forward passes by a devastating aerial attack while the South Carolinians failed to connect with a single pass. In all the statistics the Tar Heels maintained a margin. Bell, Bob Davis and Grubb topped the Tar Heel ball carriers. Robbins and Paul Josephs of Georgetown did most of the Palmetto toting, along with Larry Riggs of Charleston.

Leading the South Carolina line was J. C. Barwick of Greenville’s Parker High who several times moved in to throttle the Tar Heel attack. His play was on a par with the better North Carolina forwards. Generally the Tar Heel forwards had the best of the tough battle with their South Carolina foes, which probably decided the outcome.