Waynesboro Tigers Football: Tiger History
Tuesday, October 7Waynesboro Tigers History!
Original Tigers
The original Tigers were first known as the South End Green Dragons in 1938, and converted into the Waynesboro Tigers in the early 1940s. World War II broke the team up before they formally reorganized in 1947 and joined what would be known as the Interstate Football League, playing their first game against the York White Roses. They played into the early 1950s before being broken up again by the Korean War.
“Nothing was done with the team until 1964,” said Carbaugh, of Greencastle. “We were playing pick-up games on Saturdays and Sundays out at Beck’s Curve and trying to get organized.”
The Tigers fielded a team in 1965 and played what Carbaugh said was a 7- or 8-game schedule in the Interstate Football League, which had teams from all over central Pennsylvania.
End of the Tigers
The Tigers were coached by Bob Pearl and Ron Stoner, and the team played until 1977, when it became too difficult to field a team any longer after issues arose with their home turf, the old Fairview Avenue Stadium.
“The stadium wasn’t approved anymore (in 1974-75) because of the light system and what have you,” Carbaugh said. “And we couldn’t use the high school football field because it didn’t have any lights at the time, and one of the things about the league is you had to have a lighted football field and you had to play Saturday nights. So we played our home games at various towns and we became known for one year as the Tri-State Daggers. We didn’t have anybody but family out at the games. That was generally the sound that we were going to have to go out and just quietly fade away. The things just couldn’t be kept up.”
Carbaugh estimates that over 200 players have worn the black, orange and white Waynesboro Tiger uniform, and even though they were called semi-pro athletes, most of them worked full time jobs while trying to make a couple practices each week.
“There was a gentleman who supported us who brought a gasoline tank down,” Carbaugh said, “and so if somebody came to practice two nights, they would get five gallons of gas. That was about the only payment that we ever made for anybody.”
Most players had to help pay for their equipment, but as a team they organized various fundraisers, such as selling Christmas trees in town, to help cover most equipment and insurance costs.
All the Tigers members at Saturday’s breakfast played in the 1960s and 1970s era. Word spread about the reunion after a meeting six weeks prior in which just a handful of former members were present.