Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The football team from Washington State College (now WSU) was “thoroughly out-classed” against a surprising opponent: the Whitman College Missionaries, of Walla Walla.

Whitman defeated Washington State 30-0 at Spokane’s Natatorium Park, and the sports correspondent on the scene declared that the Missionaries proved to be “the best football team that ever stuck spiked shoes into a Spokane gridiron.”

They “simply slaughtered” WSC in every facet of the game, although it was mostly the ground game which proved overwhelming.

In fact, another Spokane sports pundit said the game proved the “futility” of relying on the forward pass.

“Out of the multitude of forward passes which were tried yesterday, only one succeeded and that netted a gain of seven yards,” said the pundit.

From the Apple Show beat: People were anticipating an exciting new feature at Spokane’s National Apple Show: The Handsomest Man Contest. A jury consisting of female doctors and prominent local women had been formed, and they planned to choose the handsomest man as part of the festivities.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1938: Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” on her CBS radio program.