It’s Etched in Stone: Remembering the dynamic Donora Dragons of 1945

By Ralph Stone
MVI columnist

It was a Saturday afternoon in September 1945. In three more months, I would celebrate my 12th birthday as a seventh-grader at Monessen Junior High School.
I boarded a bus, which would take me across the river to Donora, where I would witness what I consider having been the greatest high school football team I have ever seen. My greatest hope on that day was that my Greyhound heroes, “Bullet” Bill Cumpson, George “Jook” Nicksich, Emil Guffa and Bill Karlosky would upend the Dragons of Donora, who had just captured their first of two WPIAL championships.
The 1945 version of that Dragon championship team was a near replica of the previous year champs.
Their dynamic duo of Roscoe “The Rambler” Ross and Deacon Dan Towler were highlighted in an unforgettable backfield, which was complemented with Chip DeFelicis as the third running back, while Lou “Bimbo” Cecconi handled the chores at quarterback.

To read the rest of the story, please see a copy of Thursday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at http://monvalleyindependent.com.