Archives West Finding Aid

Sports at the University of Washington flourished in the 1920s. Enoch “Baggy” Bagshaw coached the football team, assisted by Dorsett “Tubby” Graves, who also coached baseball. During the 1920s, they headed a very strong UW football team, nicknamed “The Purple Tornado” by sports writers. The most lauded player to come out of the 1920s was halfback George “Wildcat” Wilson of Everett, Washington. In 1925, he was unanimously selected to receive All-American honors. In 1926, Coach Bagshaw said of Wilson that he was “the greatest football player in the history of the University of Washington” (Tyee, 1926). He graduated in 1926 after a standout performance at the 1926 Rose Bowl against the University of Alabama. His number, 33, is one of only three to be retired in UW football history.

George Wilson played alongside his best friend, Elmer “Tez” Tesreau. In 1925, when he was voted by his teammates as the team’s most inspiring player and given the Guy Flaherty Award, George turned it over to Elmer.

Elmer started out on the freshman football team in 1922 and quickly stood out for his defensive playing. He was later put in the backfield as fullback so he could most effectively boost George Wilson’s throwing. Together they were remembered as the “Husky juggernauts” in the 1925 Tyee yearbook. He was frequently among the picks for All-American honors. He was noted nationally for playing with a broken leg in the 1924 Rose Bowl against Navy in Pasadena. To his fellow players he was a “leader, uncomplaining and inspiring” (Tyee, 1926). He became football team captain in 1925 after a tie between him and George Wilson was broken when George said, “Give it to Elmer, boys. He deserves it more than I do” (Tyee, 1926).

Elmer Tesreau was also a skilled member of the UW baseball team under Coach Tubby Graves. He participated in the annual trips to Japan to play against university teams there, particularly Waseda University. The baseball team of Waseda University had first come to play West Coast teams, including UW, in 1905. The Japanese team gained particular praise in Seattle papers. In 1908 the UW baseball team became the first mainland team from the continental United States to be invited to Tokyo to play a series of games. The annual baseball exchange was put on hold during World War One, but picked up again after the War. During these trips, athletes also had time to sightsee, go to the theatre, and visit shrines.

The University of Washington rowing team also had significant successes in the 1920s when the team began to regularly attend the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship Regatta in Poughkeepsie, New York (the “Poughkeepsie Regatta”). In 1923, UW became the first West Coast team to win the Poughkeepsie Regatta. They won the following year in 1924 and again in 1926. UW is the only team to have ever won two back to back Regattas.