History Stanfield Wells – Wall of Champions
Stanfield Wells – Wall of Champions
Stanfield Wells was Massillon’s first collegiate All-American, earning that distinction at the University of Michigan. But his claim to fame went well beyond that and he did something in football that very few other players had done up to that time. Here is his story.
Stanfield Wells was born on July 25, 1889, growing up in the great plains. In 1906, prior to his senior year of high school, his family moved to Massillon and he was introduced to the game of football for the first time in his young life. It came at the behest of his classmates, who needed to talk him out of his reluctance join.
“That was my senior year,” Wells recalled much later in life in a letter to Charles Gumpp, President of the Massillon Football Booster Club. “I was a ‘new boy’, having just moved to Massillon that summer from the wide open spaces of South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska. The first day at school several of my classmates came around to suggest that of course I was coming out for football. And although I protested that I had never had a ball in my hands, they countered with the argument that I was a good-sized lump of a boy and would make a fine prospect. So, I promised.
“Well, the only preparation necessary was to take an old pair of shoes down to the town cobbler and have some cleats nailed on them. I think the athletic association must have had some football pants, but I do remember distinctly that you had to furnish your own stockings (any color) and an old sweater. Put these on and you were in business.
“I can’t believe that there were more than eleven candidates out because I made the team the first afternoon. Nor did we have a regular coach. A boy named Fritz Merwin, who I think had played the year before was our coach. If you ask me, he’s the one whose picture ought to be hanging up around there someplace. He didn’t get paid anything. And if a coach ever had an awkward squad of eleven nitwits, he did. But he was out there every afternoon, early and late, teaching us fundamentals instead of fancy razzle-dazzle plays, and in the end it paid off because we won a few games.”
Wells must have made an immediate impact on the team, because he was named team captain, playing left halfback along with his twin brother, Guy. But the season wasn’t as successful as he recalled, with the team having posted a 1-5 record, including a 21-0 win over Wooster and a pair of losses to Canton Central.
Staying with sports, he was then captain of basketball team.
A few years later he enrolled at the University of Michigan, where joined the football team as a tackle, with his 1909 team posting posting a record of 6-1. The following season the Wolverines finished 3-0-3, defeating Minnesota 6-0 to win the Western Conference championship. Wells was stellar. playing the first three games at right tackle and then moving to right end for the remainder of the season. For his effort he was named 1st Team All-American by Walter Camp.
But it was also when Wells put his name in the sports chronicle. Football was considered a very dangerous sport in its inaugural years due to the violence entailed with eleven offensive players constantly crashing into eleven defensive players. So dangerous was it that in 1905 there were 18 fatalities recorded, mostly among high school players. Even U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, whose son was on the freshmen team at Harvard University, took notice and was about to ban the sport if changes were not made. So, a large number of universities met to develop modifications to the rules, including banning the flying wedge on kickoffs, creating a neutral zone between the opposing linemen and increasing the first down requirement from five yards to ten.
But the greatest change was legalizing the forward pass. However, several restrictions were also added to the concept. Passes could not be thrown over the middle of the line, within five yards on either side of the center. A dropped pass resulted in a 15-yard penalty. And a pass that went untouched resulted in the offense forfeiting the ball to the defense. Obviously, the coaches steered totally away from the pass due to the penalties involved, while also believing a pass not to be a “manly” and ethical in regard to the traditional physical nature of the game. Nevertheless, the first pass was completed on September 5, 1906, by St. Louis University in a game against Carroll College. The following year Carlisle, under coach Pop Warner, used the pass as a part of its offensive package, finding great success with it. History will note that Knute Rockne was the father of the passing game, only he didn’t utilize it until 1910, three years later.
That brings us back to Wells, also in 1910. Six minutes remained in the game between Michigan and Minnesota with the two teams battling to a scoreless tie and Michigan having possession of the ball at their own 47. With the running attack stymied through, Wells dropped back and fired a pass to Sanley Borleske for a gain of 27 yards to the Gopher 30. On the next play he again connected with Borleske, who secured the pass and raced to the three yard line. Wells then carried for no gain. Finally, he managed to just breach the goal line on his second attempt for the winning score and the conference championship, scoring his only points of the season. Subsequently, the entire on-field Michigan contingent swarmed Wells and his teammates and it took several minutes before the pandemonium could be quelled and the game resumed. Wells’ effort certainly had an influence on his being named All-American. He was also named all-conference. Eventually, the penalties for an incomplete pass were removed and the aerial game was thereafter embraced by all teams at every level.
Wells completed his career at Michigan by playing right end and then right halfback, with the team finishing the season 5-1-2 and Wells scoring four touchdowns. Wells was again named 1st Team All-American, this time by both the New York Globe and Dr. Henry L. Williams. He was also awarded 3rd Team by Walter Camp. In addition, he was selected for Outing magazine’s Roll of Football Honor and 1st Team All-Western Conference.
Following college Wells played professionally for the Akron Indians, the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Heralds, although his participation was not documented in the semi-accurate pro football archives.
Luther Emery of the Independent visited Wells while he was at Michigan and printed this: “Stanfield Wells was Massillon’s first All-American. He was a fine man, big fellow, played a little pro ball. I went up to Michigan to meet him. He was overjoyed. He got to talking and asking about some of the Massillon people he graduated with. He went back in his bedroom and came out with his Massillonian in his hand. He asked me about quite a number of ones who were in there.” (Ref. Massillon Memories, by Scott Shook).
Following football, Wells became manager of an insurance company in Nashville, Tennessee. He died on August 17, 1967, at the age of 78
In 1994 he was inducted into the Massillon Wall of Champions and in 2016 he entered the Massillon Football Hall of Fame
David was an acclaimed and accomplished actor, starring on TV, in dinner theater, and on and off Broadway. But he first starred as an acclaimed Massillon Tiger. Born in Elwood, Indiana, he moved to Massillon at age five and grew up there. As a Tiger, he played both ways, at offensive and defensive end, and was awarded 2nd Team All-Ohio honors following his senior year, in 1955, on a team that finished second on the state. He attributed his success to his work ethic, which he learned while traversing through the city’s various schools. He always gave 120 percent every time the ball was snapped. He said he wasn’t very fast or big. But he was a good student of the game because he had to be. He just did what the coaches said and learned the fundamentals and tried as hard as possible on every play. He said, “I owe a lot to football!” He also played baseball for the Tigers. High school friends called him “A nice guy, a humble guy.”
After graduating, David continued his athletic career at The University of Cincinnati on a football scholarship. There, he continued to play both ways. In spite of having a small stature for a lineman (5’-11”, 172 lbs.) he was good enough to be named All-Conference. He was also a fine student and was recognized as a Pop Warner Academic All-American. At the end of this time at Cincinnati, Canary graduated with a degree in Voice, and was then selected in the second round of the American Football League draft by Denver. Only, tired of football, he instead joined the Army, where he was also a member of the theater group. He even won an All-Army entertainment contest.
Numerous legacy families have come through the Massillon system during its long history and the Studer family was no exception. Junie and his wife Delores were long-time supporters of the football program, with the two of them founding the 
He would get his chance to become a varsity starter in 1970 as a junior on a team comprised of mostly seniors. And what a start it was. Playing under head coach Bob Commings as a 5’-11”, 200 lb. center, the Tigers fashioned a perfect 10-0 record and were never seriously challenged in any game. In fact, they outscored their opponents by an average margin of 41-3, while rushing for 277 yards per game.
His pride and joy was the weight room that he established at Massillon and the strength program he instituted, which is still in place today. “Our weight room is 55’ by 70’,” said Studer. “It’s the same size as the weight room we had at the old high school. When we built the new high school we patterned it after the old one. It pretty much consists of free weights. We really compare the weight room to a lot of Division 1 colleges. There’s going to be your Tennessees, your Nebraskas and your Michigan where they have a better facility than this. I would compare this to any MAC school. Our core lifts are the squat, the clean, the bench press, and the dead lift. The machines that we have in the weight room are pretty much hammer-strength machines and it’s all top-of-the-line equipment. It’s the same equipment that they use at Michigan, Notre Dame and a lot of the NFL teams.” Studer also formed a powerlifting team in 1994 and the Tigers won the state championship in 1996.
“He was a true Tiger,” said Jack Rose, who as head coach of the Tigers from 1992-97 worked with Studer. “If you ask someone what is a Massillon Tiger, their answer would be Studer. He loved training kids, helping make them stronger for football. He had a great rapport with the players.” – Dave Hutton, Masssillon Independent.
“Playing for him, and being around him, you were just afraid to fail for him,” said Craig McConnell, a former captain for Washington’s football team. “You were afraid to work in his weight room and not to exceed. You had that much respect for him. Everything was Massillon to him – this tow, this program, this school. He was what everyone in this city wanted to be.” – Elbert Starks III, Akron Beacon Journal.
Pflug was born in Massillon on October 4, 1905, and had the opportunity to play high school ball throughout his entire Tiger career under legendary Coach Dave Stewart.
His first stop as a coach was at Knox High School in Pennsylvania from 1928-31, where he compiled a record of 20-10-1. After that came Bradford High School from 1932-50, which he left with a remarkable record of 126-29-5. Seven times his team was undefeated. He had a 31-game unbeaten streak (1933-36) and a 25-game unbeaten streak (1937-40) overlapping the great years of Massillon’s Paul Brown. But unfortunately, the two teams never met. He departed Pennsylvania as the winningest all-coach in the Big 30, which included teams in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. In 1968, Bradford named their football stadium J. Robert Pflug Field.
The McKinley game was special to James. “You know, the week of the game there’s not a helluva lot on anybody’s mind but the [Massillon-McKinley] game,” he said. “So much is brought up about the tradition and history and former games and former players – and there’s a little hatred mixed in there – competitive hatred. You don’t want to lose to these guys if you lose to anybody. I would compare McKinley Week to, as a coach out at Washington, getting ready to play USC or the Rose Bowl or the Orange Bowl – not just any Bowl – one of the big ones, here there’s so much on the line and so much visibility involved.” – Massillon Memories, Scott H. Shook, 1998.
The Massillon Tigers continue to reap rewards for the success of their 2023 football campaign, which culminated in winning the Division II State Championship. Recently, Head Coach Nate Moore (99-22) was named by Maxpreps.com as their 
Chase Bond – “First and foremost, I would like to thank God and my family. Without them none of this would be possible. I would like to give a few words to my teammates and coaches. You guys helped me to build memories that will last a lifetime. And the coaches, to develop where I am today. There are two things I learned about being a Tiger. Everything earned; nothing really given. That’s a great life lesson. Not just football or golf. That’s everywhere in life. I will be enrolling in North Carolina State University to continue my athletic and academic career. The reason why I chose NC State is that it felt like home. It was the closest thing to Massillon. I love what they’re doing with me on the defensive side of the ball. It’s very similar to what Coach Leno does. It was a no-brainer to me. It felt like nothing else.”
Cody Fair – “First, I would like to thank my parents and God. Without them I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today. I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Next, I would like to thank my teammates for being my brothers to me. Throughout all the thick and thin. Throughout all the years. Next, I would like to thank my coaches for turning me into the player and person I am today. And I would like to thank the City of Massillon for all the constant support throughout my career. What I learned from being a Tiger is you can’t just be successful on the field. You need to also be successful in the classroom and have a presence in the community. I will be enrolling in the United States Naval Academy. I chose the Naval Academy because it felt like home and have the opportunity to serve my country. Go Navy, Beat Army!”
Dorian Pringle – “First, I would like to thank God and my family for pushing me to be the best that I can be every day, on and off the field. And my dad, especially, for being there every step of the way and showing me that life is hard. I would like to thank my coaches and my teammates for pushing me at practice every day. I wouldn’t be this far without them. What stuck out for me for Bowling Green is that it just felt like home to me. I went on three visits there and it feels like they support me all the way and all the decisions came from the heart and I just can’t go wrong.”
What a great season it was. Division II state champions. Perfect 16-0 season. Defeating the Division I state champion for the second consecutive year. Besting the team having the most wins in the country. The national rankings. And on and on. Here is a recap of a season to remember and one that all future teams will surely be measured against.
Akron Hoban game (state finals) – It was two great high school defenses battling it out in front of a near-capacity crowd (fifth largest in a Division II finals) at Tom Benson Stadium, with each team held below 200 yards of offense. Massillon tallied in the second quarter on a 6-yard run by Mylen Lenix, only to surrender a safety later in the period. The Knights, however, although stymied throughout most of the game, were in position to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, following a failed fake Tiger punt near midfield. An errant 3rd down snap led to a 4th and 8 at the 17, setting up a Hoban pass into the end zone for the win. But Pringle closed on the intended receiver and reached him just in time to break up the pass, securing both the game and the state title. Pringle had returned from injury for this game and led both teams with 14 tackles and 3.0 tackles-for-loss. The title was No. 25 for Massillon and the first in the playoff era. Following the game Tiger fans welcomed the team back to town with a rousing celebration. A parade with fireworks was held the following week as a formal salute. And commemorative merchandise went flying off the shelves.
