Canton
Massachusetts
Historical Society
The 1932 Springdale Mudhens
THE 1932 SPRINGDALE MUDHENS
By Patrick J. Leonard
Photo taken at Springdale in the fall of 1932. This was the final year for a fantastically good team. The Mudhens started in 1929 with several of the Malcolason family, who lived nearby, as the nucleus. Members changed over the years the Mudhens were active; but one thing did not the change, the Mudhens were NEVER DEFEATED!
In their first year, the Mudhens, with only three available substitutes, played the outstanding professional Pat Smith’s All Stars of Foxboro, a superbly equipped group with three full teams who arrived at Springdale accompanied by hundreds of fanatical followers. The Mudhens surprised the All Stars by outplaying them, the game winding up in a scoreless tie.
Front row, left to right. Captain Louie Beatty, half back and guard. Louie was a durable all around athlete. Ernie Malcolmson, end. Johnny Ruane, quarterback. Johnnie later became the Chief of Police. Toddy Hagen, center. Mike Nardozzo, half back. Mike later owned a pharmacy in Stoughton. Bub Moss, half back. Sammy Malcolmson, end.
Standing, left to right. Frank Witt, fullback. Frank was an artist and one of his paintings, a Civil War scene, is in the Canton Town Hall. Jimmy Malcolmson, guard. Dick Henley, half back. Dick became an executive at the Fore River Shipyards and a Canton Selectman. Bob Gibson, end. Bob, a star in many sports, was a professional baseball player; and taught and coached at Canton High School. Bob passed away in May 1998. Johnny Harris, end. Johnny was unfortunately killed in an auto accident while a young man. Stanley Witt, center. Stan became a department head at Bowdoin College. Teddy Mahar, tackle. Jimmy Gamble, center. Harold Munson, guard. Bob Armstrong, tackle. Fletcher Skehan, tackle. Fletcher was in the family dairy business. Charley Callery, coach. Charlie, a football and baseball star at Boston College, later became a dentist.
Another amazing statistic of the undefeated Mudhens is that as of January 1998, five players are still alive, all in their late eighties. Bob Gibson, Jimmy and Stanley Malcolmson. Mike Nardozzi and Stanley Witt.