WOODROW WILSON ATHLETIC HISTORY
( 1936- 1962)
After becoming the fifth high school in the Interhigh in the Fall of 1935, Wilson's Basketball
and Baseball teams began their official Interhigh Series competition in the 1936-'37 school year.
A year later the Football team would join the Interhigh Series.
The football team played its first (exhibition) game on October 16, 1936, a 12-0 victory vs St.
Alban's in a driving rain storm. The 1st Football team in '36 was coached by Carl Heintel and
the stars of this inaugural squad that went 3-2 in a non Interhigh season were RB Dave Tate
(who scored Wilson's 1st ever touchdown), RB Nick Cokinos, and E Johnny Stevens. After its'
first year of competition in 1936, Wilson football officially joined the Interhigh Series for the
1937 season/ 37-38 School year..
Coach Heintel coached the Wilson Football, Basketball and Baseball teams.
For his play on the gridiron in the fall of 1937, E Johnny Stevens would be chosen Wilson's first
All High player for football . Also, in the 1937-38 season, Charles Findley was named their first
All High for Basketball. However, a year earlier in the spring of 1937, it was 1B Bill
Hawksworth who batted .500 and "whose play around the base was a thing of beauty", and P
Kilmer Bortz, Wilson's strikeout phenom, who were honored as Wilson's 1st ever All High
selections in a major sport, for baseball.
On April 20, 1937, Wilson Pitching ace, Kilmer Bortz with his "befuddling drop" pitch, struck
out 16 Central batters leading Wilson to a 8-3 victory at Central Stadium - the school's first
ever major sport Interhigh win.
Bortz would later become a highly decorated WW II Navy Aviator in the Pacific, who was
awarded 2 Navy Cross medals for his actions during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf.
The "Presidents" (as they were frequently called by the newspaper sports writers in the early
years) played the first home football game in their new Wilson Stadium on October 6, 1939 (vs
Landon), although the official flag raising Stadium dedication took place on October 27 in
front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 prior to the kickoff of their '39 Interhigh home opener vs
Western.
Wilson's first Interhigh Championship team was its 1942 Basketball squad. Led by All-High
tandem Donald Hillock and Fred Vinson, the Tony Kupka coached "Green Tigers" defeated the
Red Auerbach coached Roosevelt team in the semifinals 28-24, and then beat Central 46-23 for
the title.
Coach Joe Carlo's once beaten 1949 Tigers football squad won their first Interhigh
Championship beating McKinley Tech . The perfection of place kicker Dick Sebastian's 3 extra
points sealed the Wilson victory 21-20.
The following weekend, in front of 7949 Griffith Stadium fans, the Tigers, who had outscored
it's '49 season opponents 206 to 77 , lost to Catholic League Champ Gonzaga in the 2nd
Annual City Championship game,12-7. Stars of that team were B- Leo Speros; E-Pete Haley;
C-Preston Kavanaugh; T-Don Meaney; B- Lee Brinson.
3 seasons later, unbeaten Wilson, still coached by Joe Carlo, would win its' second Interhigh
Football Championship. With 7,000 screaming fans in their Griffith Stadium seats, underdog
Western would take a 13-0 lead, but in the end, the Red Raiders had no defensive answer for All
Met RB Mike Sommer. Sommer, the Interhigh's Track Sprint Champion, would run for over
150 yds and score an incredible 5 touchdowns in the Green Tigers 41-16 victory.
1 week later on December 5, 1952, Wilson would win its' First and only City Championship in
football beating Catholic League champion, St. John's, 24-6 before a crowd of 12,000 in
Griffith Stadium. The spectacular Tiger defense did not allow a St John's first down, or allow
the Johnnies to cross the 50 yd line, in the second half of the championship game. Stars that
day were All Mets B-Lon Herzbrun, B-Mike Sommer, G-Chico Stone and T-Max Carpenter.
The historic Brown v. Board of Education decision came down in May,1954. Five Wilson
players -Don McMurray, John Webster, Bob Rogers, Mike Hixson, and Leland Phillips were
selected to participate in the first integrated High School football game ever played in
Washington DC. On Dec 4, 1954, before a crowd of 8800 at Griffith Stadium, the integrated
Interhigh All Stars ended St Johns 13 game winning streak, defeating the Johnnies 12-7 to
capture the 1954 City Football Championship.
Wilson won back to back Interhigh basketball titles in 1953 and 1954 led on the court by
scoring stars Lon Herzbrun in '53 and super Soph Lew Luce in '54. For his outstanding play in
1952-53, Lon Herzbrun would become the only Wilson athlete to ever be named 1st team All
Met in both Football and Basketball in the same school year.
During that '53 basketball season, Herzbrun broke the Interhigh single Game scoring record (41
pts.), as well as the Interhigh single Season scoring record. In that 41 point game, Wilson ended
the great Tech team's run of 30 consecutive victories.
A year later on the final day of the '54 regular season, Luce would break Herzbrun's Interhigh
single Season scoring record and would then go on to become a 3 time Basketball All Met.
Lefty Sam Swindells (8-0) pitched, and SS Marty Gorewitz batted 4 for 4, as the Sherman Rees
coached "Tigers" defeated Coolidge 8-1 at Griffith Stadium to win their first Interhigh baseball
championship as the team finished the 1959 season with a perfect record of 18-0. Swindells
would go on to be named the Daily News 1960 Baseball Player of the Year.
3 years later , The ' 62 Tigers now coached by Bill Richardson, played their way back to the
Interhigh Championship game, where they defeated a strong Phelps team 1-0 in extra innings at
Griffith Stadium. Wilson Curveball ace Kent Feddeman defeated Ed Cook, who threw a 2
hitter for Phelps. Key to the victory was the solid defense of Wilson SS Pete Swindells. 3 days
earlier Feddeman's extra inning 4 hit victory over Anacostia earned them the right to play for
another championship.
( 1936- 1962)
After becoming the fifth high school in the Interhigh in the Fall of 1935, Wilson's Basketball
and Baseball teams began their official Interhigh Series competition in the 1936-'37 school year.
A year later the Football team would join the Interhigh Series.
The football team played its first (exhibition) game on October 16, 1936, a 12-0 victory vs St.
Alban's in a driving rain storm. The 1st Football team in '36 was coached by Carl Heintel and
the stars of this inaugural squad that went 3-2 in a non Interhigh season were RB Dave Tate
(who scored Wilson's 1st ever touchdown), RB Nick Cokinos, and E Johnny Stevens. After its'
first year of competition in 1936, Wilson football officially joined the Interhigh Series for the
1937 season/ 37-38 School year..
Coach Heintel coached the Wilson Football, Basketball and Baseball teams.
For his play on the gridiron in the fall of 1937, E Johnny Stevens would be chosen Wilson's first
All High player for football . Also, in the 1937-38 season, Charles Findley was named their first
All High for Basketball. However, a year earlier in the spring of 1937, it was 1B Bill
Hawksworth who batted .500 and "whose play around the base was a thing of beauty", and P
Kilmer Bortz, Wilson's strikeout phenom, who were honored as Wilson's 1st ever All High
selections in a major sport, for baseball.
On April 20, 1937, Wilson Pitching ace, Kilmer Bortz with his "befuddling drop" pitch, struck
out 16 Central batters leading Wilson to a 8-3 victory at Central Stadium - the school's first
ever major sport Interhigh win.
Bortz would later become a highly decorated WW II Navy Aviator in the Pacific, who was
awarded 2 Navy Cross medals for his actions during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf.
The "Presidents" (as they were frequently called by the newspaper sports writers in the early
years) played the first home football game in their new Wilson Stadium on October 6, 1939 (vs
Landon), although the official flag raising Stadium dedication took place on October 27 in
front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 prior to the kickoff of their '39 Interhigh home opener vs
Western.
Wilson's first Interhigh Championship team was its 1942 Basketball squad. Led by All-High
tandem Donald Hillock and Fred Vinson, the Tony Kupka coached "Green Tigers" defeated the
Red Auerbach coached Roosevelt team in the semifinals 28-24, and then beat Central 46-23 for
the title.
Coach Joe Carlo's once beaten 1949 Tigers football squad won their first Interhigh
Championship beating McKinley Tech . The perfection of place kicker Dick Sebastian's 3 extra
points sealed the Wilson victory 21-20.
The following weekend, in front of 7949 Griffith Stadium fans, the Tigers, who had outscored
it's '49 season opponents 206 to 77 , lost to Catholic League Champ Gonzaga in the 2nd
Annual City Championship game,12-7. Stars of that team were B- Leo Speros; E-Pete Haley;
C-Preston Kavanaugh; T-Don Meaney; B- Lee Brinson.
3 seasons later, unbeaten Wilson, still coached by Joe Carlo, would win its' second Interhigh
Football Championship. With 7,000 screaming fans in their Griffith Stadium seats, underdog
Western would take a 13-0 lead, but in the end, the Red Raiders had no defensive answer for All
Met RB Mike Sommer. Sommer, the Interhigh's Track Sprint Champion, would run for over
150 yds and score an incredible 5 touchdowns in the Green Tigers 41-16 victory.
1 week later on December 5, 1952, Wilson would win its' First and only City Championship in
football beating Catholic League champion, St. John's, 24-6 before a crowd of 12,000 in
Griffith Stadium. The spectacular Tiger defense did not allow a St John's first down, or allow
the Johnnies to cross the 50 yd line, in the second half of the championship game. Stars that
day were All Mets B-Lon Herzbrun, B-Mike Sommer, G-Chico Stone and T-Max Carpenter.
The historic Brown v. Board of Education decision came down in May,1954. Five Wilson
players -Don McMurray, John Webster, Bob Rogers, Mike Hixson, and Leland Phillips were
selected to participate in the first integrated High School football game ever played in
Washington DC. On Dec 4, 1954, before a crowd of 8800 at Griffith Stadium, the integrated
Interhigh All Stars ended St Johns 13 game winning streak, defeating the Johnnies 12-7 to
capture the 1954 City Football Championship.
Wilson won back to back Interhigh basketball titles in 1953 and 1954 led on the court by
scoring stars Lon Herzbrun in '53 and super Soph Lew Luce in '54. For his outstanding play in
1952-53, Lon Herzbrun would become the only Wilson athlete to ever be named 1st team All
Met in both Football and Basketball in the same school year.
During that '53 basketball season, Herzbrun broke the Interhigh single Game scoring record (41
pts.), as well as the Interhigh single Season scoring record. In that 41 point game, Wilson ended
the great Tech team's run of 30 consecutive victories.
A year later on the final day of the '54 regular season, Luce would break Herzbrun's Interhigh
single Season scoring record and would then go on to become a 3 time Basketball All Met.
Lefty Sam Swindells (8-0) pitched, and SS Marty Gorewitz batted 4 for 4, as the Sherman Rees
coached "Tigers" defeated Coolidge 8-1 at Griffith Stadium to win their first Interhigh baseball
championship as the team finished the 1959 season with a perfect record of 18-0. Swindells
would go on to be named the Daily News 1960 Baseball Player of the Year.
3 years later , The ' 62 Tigers now coached by Bill Richardson, played their way back to the
Interhigh Championship game, where they defeated a strong Phelps team 1-0 in extra innings at
Griffith Stadium. Wilson Curveball ace Kent Feddeman defeated Ed Cook, who threw a 2
hitter for Phelps. Key to the victory was the solid defense of Wilson SS Pete Swindells. 3 days
earlier Feddeman's extra inning 4 hit victory over Anacostia earned them the right to play for
another championship.
