Palmer and West renews oldest football rivalry

PALMER -Today, Palmer and West Anchorage are just programs from rival conferences. But it's not always been that way.

When the Moose knock helmets with the Eagles tonight at Machetanz Field, the teams will be renewing one of the oldest rivalries in the history of Alaska prep football.

Though the Moose and the Eagles have met only a handful of times in the last two decades, the rivalry dates back to 1952 - Oct. 4, 1952 to be exact.

That was the date of the first official game in the history of Palmer High football. The team, coached by Norm Rousey Sr., suffered a 25-0 loss to Anchorage High, the school that evolved into what is now known as West. But despite the loss, it was the first step toward building Valley prep football into what fans enjoy today.

Rousey, a native of Ohio, came to Palmer in 1951 and landed a teaching job. He played football at the high school level, and at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, for four years. He knew Anchorage High had started a team, and wanted to bring football to the Valley.

As he recalled the first days of Palmer football, Rousey said there was a mixed reaction. While the community may not have bought into it initially, the students were thrilled.

&#8220The students, the boys themselves, were extremely excited,” Rousey said, recalling the first days of football in the Valley. &#8220It was something that filled a vacancy. They didn't have all of the sports they do today.”

The squad hosted its first practice in the spring of 1952, with the intention of facing Anchorage the following fall. Rousey said there were just about enough players to hold a scrimmage. The numbers might have hit 25. But the biggest obstacle - Rousey was teaching his players concepts that were completely new.

&#8220They didn't know the game, but were so eager to learn,” he said.

The players may not have had the knowledge, but did show the attentiveness, which made the process an amazing experience for him.

Rousey brought his players to an Anchorage High intrasquad scrimmage prior to that first game. That was the players' first taste of live football action.

&#8220It was the first time these guys actually saw a complete football game,” Rousey said.

Palmer played Anchorage four times that year, twice in Anchorage in twice in Palmer, hosting their games on a plot of land where the Pioneer Home sits today.

Rousey said it took a game or two, but fans began to crowd the field. The team didn't have a ton of success early, in terms of wins and losses, Rousey said, but they stressed the importance of playing.

The Palmer-Anchorage games were the official interscholastic matchups, but both teams also played squads from the military bases. To gain practice for the contest against Anchorage, the Moose took on a squad from Fort Richardson. The Army team defeated Palmer 20-18 in the first official action ever for the Palmer football program. The difference in the contest was two missed extra points. The Palmer football program notched their first official win with a 13-6 victory over the 39th Air Depot Wing Team from Fort Richardson on Oct. 17, 1952. Running backs Bob Smith and Johnny Brown scored for the Moose in the win.

Rousey coached Palmer for five seasons, before temporarily leaving the Valley to complete his Master's degree at the University of Southern California. During Rousey's absence the program fell on hard times, and the school district decided to drop football in Palmer.

But that move was temporary. Twelve years later, after Rousey was named the school district's superintendent, he decided to bring football back to the

Valley.

In 1971, the Palmer-Wasilla Falcons took the field for the first time.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.