Keep A-Goin': The Life of Lone Star Dietz by Thomas Ray Benjey

Writer's Digest

The author's obvious passion for his subject truly carries the book above and beyond the average biography. The reader can't help but to become utterly caught up in the enthusiasm of the book and its story. Secondly, the interior of the book is artfully designed, and the use of photographs adds to the amazing story being told. In addition to the photographs, the history is also captured by the author's varied and in-depth research.

Midwest Book Review

Keep A-Goin': The Life Of Lone Star Dietz by Tom Benjey is the remarkable, inspiring and distinctive biography of Billy Dietz, who was a winning athlete in his own right, a successful football coach in the earliest days of the sport (and who was inducted into football's "Hall of Fame"), and popular idol with the general public of his era. As the child of an adoptive couple in Wisconsin, Dietz was unaware of his biological parents (his mother was Native American) until he heard his parents quarreling when he was 15. As readers of Keep A-Goin' will discover this is an encouraging tale of personal persistence in self-discovery and determined survival throughout his prolific career and seemingly endless personal and professional difficulties from his days attending the Carlisle Indian School, through his move to Washington State as head football coach from 1915-1917, then coaching for the Mare Island team of the U.S. Marine Corps during World War I, a trial by the government ending in the imposition of a 30-day jail term, and so much more. A superbly written biography by Tom Benjey, Keep A-Goin' is very strongly recommended for Billy Dietz fans and for sports enthusiasts with an interest in the history of the NFL

ForeWord Magazine

Lone Star's story has been explored before-from a 1912 article by a Carlisle publicist to a recent biography of Angel DeCora-but none has been as meticulously documented as this one, or as replete with the spirited details of Dietz's football expertise, on the field and the sidelines. This foray into his life and times provides rich fodder not only for sports buffs, but also for students of Native American studies. -- Deborah Donovan

What People Are Saying

John J. Patrick
Tom Benjey has written engagingly about the life and times of Lone Star Dietz, a notable football player and coach during the first half of the past century. It is a fascinating tale of a skillful player and innovative coach who made significant contributions to the game that framed his life. Benjey's work, however, is much more than an interesting sports story. It is a penetrating examination of triumphs and tragedies in the life of a man confronted with daunting social and cultural obstacles. Benjey's biography of Dietz is full of insights about one man's search for personal identity in a complex and confounding socio-cultural context. As such, it is a memorable American story. (John J. Patrick, Professor Emeritus of Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana)

John Vorperian
A masterful job! As a lawyer I have to say Benjey has drawn from so many resources, put them together and told a compelling story. (John Vorperian, Host of Beyond The Game)

Ray Schmidt
Lone Star Dietz was one of the most colorful and capable personalities in college football's fabled past and Tom Benjey has made a major contribution to the game's written history with this long-overdue biography on Dietz. (Ray Schmidt, College Football Historical Society)

Product Details

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Table of Contents

Read a Sample Chapter

Keep A-Goin'

Tuxedo Press

Chapter One

Lone Star arrived in Pullman, Washington on the September 1, 1915, train. The city, located in Whitman County in the Palouse region of the southeastern part of the state, was incorporated in 1888, a year before statehood, and named after railroad magnate George Pullman, honoring him for a $50 donation he had made for the 1881 July 4th celebration. Although the town was a hub for three railroads, farming remained the county's principal industry. The Palouse, still a fertile wheat-growing region of loess-covered basalt plains, hills with steptoes and undulating plateaus, has a peculiar topography whose beauty needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. After the wheat crop ripens, the region is awash in a golden hue even after the crop is harvested.

Less than four years later, on January 13, 1892, the State College of Washington opened its doors. The campus consisted of a single 36 by 60 feet brick building that students nicknamed the "Crib" because this was the structure that housed the school when it was first born. A student stayed up the night of January 12th to keep fires burning inside the building in an attempt to dry the freshly applied plaster. The scene that wintry night was one of desolation. There was not a single tree on the barbwire encircled campus, and all that could be heard was the occasional yap of acoyote or howl of some distant neighbor's dog.

Pullman was a town of 350 inhabitants. Spokane, the nearest city, had less than 20,000. The entire state had a population of less than 350,000 and two-thirds of them lived west of the Cascades, 400 miles distant. Pullman was truly isolated.

The college grew rapidly and by 1912 was in what President E. A. Bryan described as a permanent building program. There were 400 students studying horticulture alone! A quarter century earlier, the new state had begun two fledgling institutions of higher learning at a time when there were only three high schools in the state. By early 1915 when President Bryan submitted his letter of resignation effective January 1, 1916, "after nearly twenty-two years of unrelenting labor," the State College had grown to where Bryan felt it had "a splendid plant, a thoroughly organized curriculum, a competent facility, a fine student body, a good annual income and a magnificent permanent endowment." The campus then consisted of eighteen substantial buildings, 200 faculty members, 1,760 students and 10,000 trees and shrubs. Unstated was that the football team hadn't had a winning season for quite some time. But that was about to change.

As usual, young Edward Muir was dispatched by his father, the owner of a livery stable, to meet the incoming train with a drayage wagon. Muir approached a stranger wearing a tailored three-piece business suit and a pearl gray homburg and asked if he could be of service. After some negotiations, he drove the wagon to the baggage room where he was dumbfounded. Lone Star stood nonchalantly by a huge pile of trunks and suitcases, so many that they required two trips. Dietz's new landlady had far too little room to store his luggage, so they were dispatched to the men's gymnasium to see if J. Fred "Doc" Bohler, athletic director and trainer for the football team, had room to store some of them, at least temporarily. That the new coach "took particular pleasure in dressing at the height of fashion" was an understatement. Pullmanites and Palouse farmers were unaccustomed to such fancy dress and were immediately concerned for the team's future.

Lone Star found himself in a less than ideal situation. The team's difficulties the previous year had not all been caused by on-field events. Coach Johnny Bender also served as graduate manager. Apparently fraternity rivalries made the graduate manager's job an impossible one. Lost to posterity is exactly how Dietz rid himself of that thank-less burden but W. C. Kruegel, an accountant at the school, was soon assigned those responsibilities. Perhaps the school administration had already come to the conclusion that, at least at their institution, the responsibilities must be split for the coach and team to be successful. The Evergreen reported that, "Mr. Kruegel, in his new capacity will be the management of the College Glee Club, lecture course, The Evergreen, the student publication, and other student and college enterprises. Mr. Kruegel is well qualified and the announcement will be well received by the students. All schedules for athletic events will hereafter be arranged by a committee of three selected by the athletic council, this committee for next year to consist of J. F. Bohler, director of athletics; W. C. Kruegel, graduate manager, and William H. Dietz (Lonestar), football and baseball coach."

Shortly after his arrival, the new Washington State mentor announced to a Pullman Herald reporter, "I expect to use the Carlisle System of play [now known as the single wing], without variation, and will have my center pass directly to the man who is to carry the ball. The guards will be pulled back to run interference and the Carlisle System of blocking, in which the guards are used, will be inaugurated. Diversified plays, with good interference, have won many games for Carlisle, and such a system should prove valuable here."

The reporter was apparently impressed with what he saw and heard. "The new coach is a very pleasant man to meet, and his hearty handclasp and pleasant smile at once won the confidence of the people to whom he was introduced by Athletic Director Bohler and Captain Ace Clark. He has the appearance of a man who knows football from A to Z, is comparatively young and has a wonderful physique. He is clean lived, neat and ambitious, and should prove a wonderful inspiration to his men." Lone Star had met the press and they were his. At least for a while.

Dietz asked for the community's support, "The first essential on turning out a good football team, a team that will win games, is the undivided confidence of the people, and without that confidence any coach would be forced to work under a severe handicap. I only hope that every student of the college, every alumnus and every citizen of Pullman will stand solidly in back of us in our effort to develop an effective interference." Talking further about the value of teamwork over individual glory, he said, "Any ordinary man can carry the ball for gains if properly protected, but without good interference and a line that can hold, a sensational backfield would prove of little avail against a worthy opponent. Give me a fair-sized man with speed, nerve and determination. He need not weigh over 180 pounds for any position. Beef won't carry a man far unless he is determined to play the game for all he is worth every minute. I want every candidate to feel that he will be given every opportunity to make the team. I will play no favorites and believe in giving every man a square deal."

If they didn't know it already, the article informed players that conditioning would be the first order of the day in training camp, "Coach Dietz announces that he will probably inaugurate one of the mooted Carlisle bucking machines, which he says is a wonderful factor in building up leg and body muscles. Carlisle starting exercises, running, playing games and falling on and diving for the ball will constitute the preliminary training under the new coach. He is an advocate of games that will bring into play every muscle of the body as well as taxing the staying powers for improving the wind of candidates and believes that basketball is the proper game for getting those results." Time would tell how this radical new approach was received.

The September 30th issue of The Evergreen had high hopes for Dietz, the team and the upcoming season. "The optimism prevails largely because Coach Dietz is optimistic, but whenever he says the word gloom can spread over the students like a blanket; there is just that much confidence felt in the coach's knowledge and methods of training. Thus far the outlook has been rosy, but a word or a glance from the coach, showing that he is dissatisfied, could send the sun far back into the storm clouds and cause real anxiety in every corner of the college."

Players turned out in large numbers, for that school at that time, each trying to make the team. The Evergreen printed photos of eight "old players" who were expected to anchor the team: Captain Ace Clark, Hack Applequist, Carl "Red" Dietz (no relation), Arthur "Bull" Durham, Ray Loomis, Benton "Biff" Bangs, Al Langdon and Clarence Zimmerman. Four other experienced players were also back, along with three entire teams of "untried men." Dietz got his chance to test the team under fire in a game against the alumni the following week.

The Evergreen headline and header summed up the results well: "Varsity Wins from Alumni by Three to Two Score" and "Dietz's Men Hardly Escape Defeat at Hands of Old-Timers on Saturday." The varsity scored on a field goal drop-kicked by quarterback Durham. The only other score was a fluke safety scored by the alumni. A muddy field and waterlogged ball hampered both offenses with numerous fumbles resulting. A bright spot for the varsity was that their line yielded only 76 yards to the alumni rushing attack. Since some were predicting victory margins ranging from 30 to 50 points, this squeaker was quite a letdown. Something not to be omitted was that the alumni squad was not just a bunch of has-beens but rather a team of seasoned veterans anchored by Doc Bohler. The alumni center was known for prodigious feats of strength.

The Evergreen editorial page reported that, "Following Saturday's game Dietz declared that he was dissatisfied with the team's showing and promptly set about making changes in the line-up. The captain of the team was switched to a new position in the line, and one man who has played for the past three years was sent to the sidelines, another who played during the past two years was allowed to follow the team around on the field, and five entirely new men were sent into positions on the first team. And all of this with the hardest game of the season only five days away. Still no 'hotbeds of anarchy' have sprung up and the chances of their ever doing so are slight." The piece that immediately followed was ironically titled "Knock the Knocker," in an attempt to exterminate negative comments. Also ironical was the title of the column that followed next, "Team Needs All Support." From this editorial page, one gets the impression that W. S. C. backers had a history of being a feckless lot and needed prompting to stay behind the team, at least until the first game had been played.

Captain Asa (Ace) Clark was slow to jump on the Dietz bandwagon; he needed to be convinced. Prior coaches' practices consisted of scrimmage, scrimmage and scrimmage some more. Lone Star focused on conditioning, first getting the team in shape at the pre-season camp at Liberty Lake and then keeping the team in condition the rest of the season. Minimizing scrimmaging reduced injuries and didn't exhaust the team's energy on the practice field. That the new coach moved Clark to tackle from center, a position at which he made the All-Northwest team, must have caused some questioning on his part. But Clark stayed with the team, put forth his best effort and waited to see what would happen. He even said, "I believe we have an even break," when asked about the team's chances against an experienced Oregon team.

The first game was at home on Rogers Field with the University of Oregon. Dopesters, as pundits or oddsmakers were called in those days, had Oregon as a heavy favorite. Assistant Coach Tom Tyrer thought that this would be the hardest game of the year. The head coach was a little more positive. "I do not predict victory or defeat. The team has been working hard this week and I believe they have a good chance to win if you students give us the right kind of support. I am looking for a hard and close game." However, Oregon wasn't the only team that worried Lone Star. He was still grappling with the decision about who would be in his starting line-up.

Getting the full support of the student body was thwarted by the administration. N. M. Barnes, that year's "Rooter King," planned a large pep rally for the night before the game. The activities included speeches, yell practice complete with noise contests, a parade through the business district and a huge bonfire as the climax. Male participants were not allowed to wear civilian clothes; they were to wear nightshirts or crazy costumes. The college administration issued an order that purported to protect women but had the effect of preventing the majority of female students from attending and put a wet blanket on the festivities. Perhaps they considered it inappropriate for young ladies to attend an event where men were in their nightshirts. Things were different at the game.

The partisan crowd at Rogers Field was not disappointed. Although outweighed, Dietz's warriors defeated the University of Oregon handily with the Wazzu offense clicking as it gained yardage on almost every play. President Bryan considered the victory a remarkable achievement for Coach Dietz, due in good part to the plucky play of Captain Clark. Dietz was obviously pleased. "The boys certainly deserve credit. They played to win and I am proud of them." The opening paragraph of The Evergreen front-page article summed it up pretty well.

"By starting with a wonderful rush, driving their heavier opponents steadily before them, showing remarkable team work and the effects of conscientious and wise coaching, and completely outclassing the opposing eleven at phases of the game which were expected by many to bring an Oregon victory, the Washington State College football team on Saturday outplayed and outfought the heavy team from the University of Oregon and won by a score of 28 to 3. It was a wonderful battle, full of thrills and surprises, and 1200 supporters of the team made the most of the victory. Sweetness was added to the result by virtue of the considerable amount of apprehension felt by the state college rooters before the game as to the real effectiveness of the new coaching methods introduced this year by Coach Wm. H. Dietz, but since the contest Dietz and his team of fighters are heroes in every sense."

In his editorial "Vindication for Dietz," the editor of The Evergreen strongly supported the Carlisle alum. "Whatever else the game accomplished it brought an absolute vindication to Coach Dietz and revealed for all time the effectiveness of his coaching methods." And later on, "Nevertheless, the big coach made good and the game is a remarkable tribute to his ability. It has won for him the absolute loyalty of the entire student body, the alumni and faculty, and all friends of the school." But how long would this support last?

Despite the hype in the school paper, Captain Clark was not yet convinced, for another tough opponent waited for them. Scrimmaging so little just didn't seem right.

In a front-page article, The Evergreen trumpeted, "O. A. C. Game to be Hardest of Season." The next week's opponent, Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) had beaten W. S. C. six times in seven previous meetings. Dopesters were convinced that the Corvallis school was far stronger than the University of Oregon in all aspects of the game. To make matters worse, Ace Clark and Clarence Zimmerman were injured in the Oregon game and weren't expected to play the next Saturday. O. A. C. had just upset the dopesters by thrashing a decent Whitman College team 35-7.

The team received a huge sendoff for the O. A. C. game. Thursday evening 250 students, now including many co-eds, responded to the Rooter King's summons and assembled in the auditorium. They paraded through town, picking up recruits from almost every house on the way with the total exceeding 600 by the time they reached the train station. Once there, they gathered about the train and cheered each of the college cheers one time. Then they gave nine rahs for each player and nine big ones for the coach. A steady chant of "We want coach" brought Dietz out to the rear platform of the train where he gave a short pep talk. He thanked the students for their support and, though he couldn't promise a victory, he did promise that every man on the team would fight to the last. Captain Clark and "Hack" Applequist were also called upon to say a few words, but neither of them could promise victory either.

In an odd quirk of fate, the University of Idaho team was on the same train because it was on its way to play Oregon in Eugene. The students cheered the team from nearby Moscow, Idaho, and both teams cheered each other.

(Continues...)

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