Stagg, Reed influenced Irwin

DON CANTRELL

Two dedicated men rendered the heaviest influential impact on the

life of Albert Irwin down through the years from high school through

college.

The name of one, Amos Alonzo Stagg, was in the spotlight Jan. 24

at the University of the Pacific when Irwin was named as a recipient

of the award named after the late Mr. Stagg.

The other man was the late Ralph King Reed, Harbor High’s first

athletic director, whose tenure ran from 1930 to 1962.

Irwin learned sportsmanship and pride from both men.

Stagg, who lived to be 104, was an All-American at Yale in 1892,

and advanced to coach football at Chicago University and then College

of the Pacific for many years. He was deemed as one of the founding

fathers of football. In addition, he was a stout Christian.

Reed, born Sept. 3, 1900 in Elyria, Ohio, graduated from Oberlin

College in Ohio before moving on to earn his master’s degree from

USC. He had served five years as a principal at two high schools and

coached one year at Excelsior High before accepting the Newport

position.

Newport opened its doors on Sept. 22, 1930 with 178 students

enrolled. Another mid-westerner, Sidney Davidson, born Feb. 23, 1886,

in Wadena, Minn., was the first principal and hired Reed as the first

faculty member.

Reed, co-author of a coaching book in the early thirties, was the

school’s first football coach, serving from 1931 to 1937. He had two winning teams, the ’35 team (4-3-1) captained by Al Irwin, a

212-pound fullback, and the ’37 team (6-2-1), paced by stars Rollo

McClellan, a fullback, and Glenn O. Thompson, a quarterback.

After coaching football, Reed turned his attention to simply

tutoring basketball and track. His teams earned many championships

over the years in both sports.

Newport had entered the small Orange League by 1933 and then

turned to the newly-formed Sunset League by 1937.

Irwin, who earned 15 varsity letters in four years at Harbor, once

said, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it hadn’t been for Ralph

King Reed.” Reed welcomed him back to coach at Newport in 1948 after

he had coached at Antioch and Valencia high schools following his

World War II service in the Navy.

Other one-time Newport coaches often spoke highly of Reed,

including the late Dick Spaulding, the 1938-39 gird coach, according

to his widow, Thelma.

And Irwin would echo all sentiments years later by stating that

Reed “was Mr. Newport Harbor High School.” Irwin claimed a 55-year

friendship with Reed.

Reed’s favorite times in later years featured a weekly breakfast

meeting with former Newport coaches and happily barging into the home

of his son, Jack.

His familiar joviality with his son was evidenced even as he

departed from his final visit in late April, 1985. He arose to quip,

“Well Skipper, I can’t waste my time around here all day. I have

things to do.”

The tragic news of a car crash in Santa Ana came hours later.

Ralph Reed was dead.

Although grief-stricken, Jack Reed sensed an urgent need to block

an undesired overflow of callers. He instructed his wife, Nancy, to

allow no one into the house.

But two hours later, there was a gentle knock on the door. Nancy

hesitated after viewing the caller, then turned to her husband at a

distance and said, “But it’s Al Irwin.”

Jack Reed quickly exclaimed, “Let him in.”

And hearts ached for the days that would never come again.