1st – 1940 – MASSILLON (8-0) vs. TOLEDO WAITE (8-0) – 28-0
- Coaches – Massillon: Paul Brown; Waite: Jack Mollenkopf
- Prelude – At this time in Ohio football Toledo Waite was considered a state power. In 1932 they won both the state and national championships and were Toledo City Champs in 10 of the last 14 years, including the last three. Waite also claimed the state title in 1939 (as did Massillon) and held a 19-game winning streak. But Massillon was the biggest name across the state and Waite wanted an opportunity to grab the top spot for themselves. The stage was set.
- The Game – Attendance: 22,000 at Tiger Stadium, with more than 2,500 turned away. There was no peace to be had on this rainy night as Massillon completely dismantled Waite, holding them to a single first down and 28 total yards, 13 on the ground and 15 in the air. Meanwhile, the Tigers slogged out 312 yards of offense. Tom James (Ohio State / Cleveland) scored from the seven on Massillon’s initial drive, which took just eight plays. He would score again later from the 16. Ray Getz and Dick Kingham also tallied, on runs of 47 and 1 yards, respectively. It literally turned out to be no contest against Paul Brown’s precision offense and smothering defense.
- Postscript – The win over Waite was Massillon’s 8th consecutive shutout and 31st consecutive win. Two weeks later they would polish off their third straight undefeated season and become both state and national champions. For the Warriors, it was their biggest loss in many years and their 19-game winning streak went by the wayside. Massillon and Waite faced each other eleven additional times through 1960, with the Tigers winning 10 of those. James, Getz and Kingham, in addition several others, were named 1st Team All-Ohio. Brown would later coach Ohio State, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Mollenkopf would later coach Purdue University.
2nd – 1940 – MASSILLON (9-0) vs. CANTON MCKINLEY (8-0-1) – 34-6
- Coaches – Massillon: Paul Brown; McKinley: John Reed
- Prelude – Both teams were undefeated and Paul Brown held a 5-3 edge in his series with the McKinley. For the Tigers, their goal was to win another state title and keep their 33-game winning streak intact. For the Bulldogs, it was another opportunity to even the slate.
Tom James scores from 3 yards out in the 1940 game vs. Canton McKinley The Game – Attendance 22,000 at Tiger Stadium. McKinley scored first on a 32-yard run, which were the first points against the Tigers all year. But that was all the Bulldogs had for the rest of the afternoon. Horace Gillom (Nevada / Cleveland) hauled in a 45-yard touchdown pass from Tommy James (Ohio State / Cleveland) just before half and then Massillon piled it on. They scored four times in the second half to run away with this one. The locals led in total offense, 381 to 173, while holding McKinley under 100 yards rushing.
- Postscript – The Tigers did win that state title and also the national one. But it would be Paul Brown’s last game at Massillon. The following year he was the head coach at Ohio State and later the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.
3rd – 1943 – MASSILLON (9-0) vs. CANTON MCKINLEY (8-0-1) – 21-0
- Coaches – Massillon: Elwood Kammer; McKinley: Bup Rearick
- Prelude – In 1942 McKinley broke Massillon’s 52-game unbeaten streak convincingly and this year gave the Tigers an opportunity to seek revenge. On paper it was an even matchup, with each team winning against common opponents, except for McKinley’s tie with Warren.
- The Game – Attendance 22,000 at Fawcett Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Massillon scored 21 unanswered points to win going away. First was a Dick Arrington blocked punt and Bill Gable return. Then Arrington intercepted a pass and ran it back 61 yards for a touchdown. Finally, Henry Mastriann scored from 40 yards out and kicked his third PAT. Other than that, the game played out pretty evenly, with both teams churning out about 200 yards of offense.
- Postscript – Massillon won its 7th state championship in the last 8 years and closed the gap in the series with McKinley at 22-23-3.