Sunshine Laundry sponsored some top quality soccers teams in the 1932-34 seasons in the high-powerer St. Louis Manicipal League, and most of those players were from Dogtown. The 1932-33 team is pictured below with most of the players names. Below that is the 1933-34 team photo with all the names and then a story of the team's two seasons.
Mascots: Bill Hense and Ed Corbett
1st row, kneeling: Bob Corbett, John Rooney, Joe Phelan, Bud Carney, Bill O'Shaughnessy and Grimm.
2nd row, standing: Joe O'Hara, Charlie Bat Gallagher, Charles Rooster Corbett, Larry Stamps, name missing and John Red Corbett.
3rd row, standing, Coach, O.J. Norman, John Mahon, Louis Joker Columbo, Mike Delaney, Ed Alex Delaney, Matt McLaughlin, Mr. Hense.
O.J. Norman, much later the starter for golf at Forest Park, was the coach of this team which had three Corbett boys palying (Red, Rooster and Bob). Even Ed (Spider) was a mascot.
This was an experimental period for soccer. On Dec. 11, 1932 a St. Louis newspaper reported:
""The 'penalty box,' an innovation in soccer in these parts, will be introduced at the double-header. Players ejected for infractions of the rules will be set down for a period of time to be determined by the referee and then permitted to return to the game."
This indicates a level of violence in the game at this time which was of serious concern. This experiment from the pro league was not tried in the MUNY league, but well it might have been. The story below of the St. Ambrose game indicates the difficulties of the time.
The Sunshines had a good year. On Dec. 18, 1932 we read that it was the season's 8th game before the Sunshines were scored upon. L. (Geese) Murlo scored for St. Ambrose, but Bill O'Shaughnessy tied it. The 1-1 draw preserved the Sunshine's unbeaten string.
Jan. 8, 1933 brought about a rematch of Sunshines and St. Ambrose and the Sunshines were now 10-0-1 with 29 goals for and 1 against. Joe Phelan, with 13 goals, was the gun to stop. St. Ambrose was up. Alex McNab and Billy McPherson, stars of the Stix team were the St. Ambrose coaches. Sunshines proved too much, however, and goals by Phelan, Carney and O'Shaughnessy gave them a 3-0 victory.
The following week on McLaughlin's goal (a substitute), Sunshine went to 12-0-1. Both Phelan and Carney had to go to Barnes Hospital for stitches.
The playoffs began easily enough for the Sunshines. On Feb. 12, 1933 they beat Meyers 8-1. Bobby Corbett (just sixteen years old) scored his first goal playing as a senior and Phelan added 4, Carney 2 and Rooney 1.
The Sunshine's had they season come to a close in the MUNY semi finals. However, they didn't go down without a fight! On Feb. 26,1933 they battled the German Sport Club to a 2-2 draw. Phelan scored twice more. The newspaper report said:
"Fine combination play, with short passes playing an important part, featured the match between the Germans and Sunshine. Each team scored a goal in the first half, O'Mara tallying or the Germans (ah, where is ethnic purity here) and Joe Phelan for the Sunshines. The Carondelet representatives had more opportunities, but could not break through the stout defense of the Forest Park title winners.
"Starting the closing half, Dumas, German goalie, was tested with hard shots, but he warded off all efforts until after 11 minutes, when Phelan again found an opening. The Germans tied the score 10 minutes later when Hennessy headed in a fine cross from O'Mara . The extra period failed to break the tie."
The next Sunday was a big soccer day in St. Louis. The pro Stix team was in a home and home series with the New York Americans for the U.S. Open championship. The 1922 Scullin Steel team was the last St. Louis team to win it. Stix edged the Americans 1-0 here and later won the U.S. championship with a 2-1 victory in New York. 15,200 people turned out to see the pro match, while another 8,000 came back for the rematch of the Germans and Sunshines.
The Sunshines went down to defeat 3-2. The newspaper recounts that both Sunshine goals came on mistakes by the Germans. The winning goal, however, came on a mistake by keeper Mike Delaney. Bob Corbett remembers it well. Mike went down to field a routine ground ball and it hoped over his head. Bob did not play in the Sunshine's only loss. The week before he had worn a pair of soccer shoes which were too small and his toe nail turned black and came off. His foot was too sore to allow him to play.
The Germans went on to win the MUNY championship against the Cleareys.
This season the Sunshines changed managers and Johnny Rooney became their head. This team seemed to have great promise. The 32-33 season was a good one. The younger players had aged and Bill Corbett had returned to the MUNY league from the U.S. championship Stix team. The lineup included 4 Corbett's now.
Front row left to right: Whitie Zurfluh, Matt McLaughlin, Bob Corbett, Joe Phelan, Charles (Rooster) Corbett, Bill O'Shaughnessy, Art Wack, John Griffin or Larry Stamps (not sure), Mascot Irv Schurwan.
Back row left to right: Bud Carney, Charlie (Bat) Gallagher, Jim Andreatta, Dude O'Neil, Mike Delaney, Joe O'Hare, Ed (Axel) Delaney, John (Red) Corbett, Bill Corbett, Elmer (Banty) Schurwan, John Rooney
The league was a breeze for the Sunshines. On Nov. 12, 1933 they blasted Grandmas 7-0. Phelan took up where he'd left off last year with 4 goals. Rooster and Bill Corbett and Carney added goals.
The next week St. Ambrose fell 2-0. Rooster and Carney scored. Bobby Corbett scored the next week, along with Zurfluh, Phelan and Rooster Corbett again.
However, the Blanchfields scored once in the 4-1 Sunshine victory, destroying their scoreless string.
By Dec. 11, 1933 the Sunshines had won 6 straight games, but not without a battle. The newspaper headline and story was:
PLAYERS BATTLE AS SUNSHINES WIN SIXTH GAME IN MUNY SOCCER
Top gunner, Joe Phelan, received a one game suspension in the fight, but he wasn't much needed. The headline article was:
SUNSHINES SET SCORING RECORD 9-0.
Rooster Corbett had 2, so did Matt McLaughlin and Larry Stamps. O'Shaughnessy, playing manager Rooney and Carney each added singles.
The following week Phelan came back with a vengeance. The 9-0 score was equalled and Phelan scored an amazing 6 goals. Zurfluh, Carney and O'Neal added singles.
The Blanchfields fell 3-0 with Bob Corbett scoring once and Phelan twice. Then St. Ambrose again fell, 3-0. Again, Phelan scored twice, Bobby Corbett once.
The season ended 15-0 in Forest Park and it looked like this was the team to beat. Well, beaten they were. In the first round of the playoffs on March 4, 1934 the Spartans defeated the Sunshines 2-1.
Bob Corbett has painful memories of that loss. "Oh, I'll never forget it. Dart Miller kicked one from the middle of the field. Mike (keeper, Mike Delaney) was saying: 'I got it,' but it floated over is head." Bob allowed that Mike was great in his years past with the Henses, but by this time he was too old for this level of play.
I guess one must take that memory with a grain of salt. After all, Bob was 17 years old that season. "Old man Mike" might not really have been so old.
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