CAVOUR — With the biggest football spectacle of the year set to kick off Sunday afternoon, a blast from the past re-appeared this week, courtesy of Doug Friedrichsen of Huron.
“Actually Don Miner, Sr., showed this to me,” Friedrichsen said. What it is is a grainy photocopy of a picture of a football team, but not like most other football teams. It is a photo of the 1927 Cavour football team...and the team is entirely made up entirely of girls.
According a write-up from the Associated Press that was published on Oct. 22 that year, the team received nationwide publicity when it defeated another local team, from Lake Preston, that was made up entirely of boys. The final score was 13-7.

Marjorie Gilchrist was referred to as a “female Red Grange,” in the AP story regarding the Lake Preston game. Gilchrist was also the tackling demon of the team. Even the team’s coach was female, Miss Dauwen.
It’s fun to think that 90 years ago - long before there was a glimmer of a Super Bowl - and when its trophy’s namesake, Vince Lombardi was 14 years old, the girls were taking on the guys - and winning - on the gridiron in South Dakota.

COURTESY PHOTO

Members of the 1927 Cavour football team were, front row, from the left: Eva Brinkman, Margaret Martin and Lois Addison. Middle row: Eula Barton, Lucille Martin, Margaret O’Boyle, Rosalie Costello, Florence Coughlin, Mary Costello, Genevieve Wilson, Luzern Colwell, Catherine Dunlevy and Frances Kelly. Back row: Marjorie Gilchrist, Mary Delvaux, Marie Delvaux, Miss Dauwen (the coach) Pauline Edwards, Viola Voss, Marion Stout and Gladys Edwards.