Sidelines column: Lee Trine ...

Don Cantrell

One of Newport Harbor High’s sharpest middleweight football mentors

was a well-dressed and strict disciplinarian named Lee Trine.

Trine, a former football coach at the University of Redlands, knew how

to tutor champions at any grade. His health prompted him to leave

Redlands and football and return to teaching algebra and geometry at the

high school level.

It was surprising after he had settled at Newport, when he accepted

Athletic Director Ralph Reed’s bid to take charge of the Bee football

team.

It is assumed that Trine, a stern individual, believed his system

could handle the physical demands of middleweight football. Reed would

have favored Triune at the varsity level, but obviously respected the

past health problem.

Off the field, Trine was a friendly and helpful teacher to all

students. Math students were constant visitors to his home on Balboa

Island, where they knew he would help them kindly with their math

problems.

In his first opportunity at Tar football, he was granted the reins of

the 1936 Bee squad, which included five top future gridders -- Sheflin

brothers Bob and Frank, lineman George Lumel, speedster Rollo McClellan

at quarterback and versatile Glenn O. Thompson at fullback.

There was ample talent, but the key element was the coach, Trine. And

the superb development would carry them to the league championship, which

became Newport’s first grid title.

It would take time.

The ’34 Tar varsity grid captain, Judd Sutherland, pictured one

example of Trine’s stern methods. He said, “I recall watching one Bee

game where the tackling was so lousy, Trine kept the players on the field

at halftime. He lined them all up in two different lines, then ordered

them to start tackling each other all through halftime. Newport then

whomped the other team in the second half.”

McClellan said, “His basic knowledge of football was probably the best

in the county.”

Although the atmosphere around Trine was generally sober and

businesslike, there were moments of unexpected humor and tickled ribs.

One could be related by Lumel, who remembers times when Giichi Omori, a

halfback and one of the four Japanese-Americans on the team, responded to

a request to tutor Lumel on how to cuss in Japanese.

Ray Crowley was known as the most mature player. McClellan said.

“Mister Trine was always on (Crowley’s) back. (Crowley) knew about the

girls.”

Reflecting back, McClellan recalled most of the victories, which

included: Anaheim, 12-7; Huntington Beach, 7-0; Orange, 13-0; Garden

Grove, 12-0; Capistrano, 14-0; and Tustin, 46-6. And it was doubtful any

rival every scored on Harbor’s first team.

McClellan also recalled that Trine and any other physical education

department staff member, was know as “Mister.” In the early days, only

Athletic Director Reed was known as “Coach.” McClellan said, “It was sort

of an unwritten understanding.”

The ’37 yearbook said, “McClellan was the outstanding star of the Bee

team, accounting for most of the points by his hard-hitting at

quarterback.”

McClellan was a stocky blockbuster, who, in time, could run 10.2, one

of the fastest 100-yard times in the Orange League.

The Bees ran out of the short-punt formation and the play they ran

consistently was geared up for McClellan. The up-halfback would hand off

to McClellan, set 10 yards back, and he’d blaze up the middle.

In fact, the key play was called “the 25 McClellan’s hole,” which was

designed to angle between center Lumel and running guard Dick Carlson.

Although pleased with his role, McClellan extended immense credit and

praise toward his teammates. He said, “There were only 24 members, but

that was enough.”

He recalled Lumel sometimes trying to make a deal across the line with

rivals. Lumel would say, “If you don’t hit me, I won’t hit you.”

McClellan said it fooled some rivals sometimes.

At season’s end, McClellan’s father chose to pay for a big banquet for

all the players at a nice restaurant in Balboa.

It led to an emotional scene when “Mister” Trine finally entered the

door. McClellan said, “There were tears on his cheeks.”

He said all his mates were “very touched.”