Coach
Weaver TOPEKA HIGH SCHOOL c. 1932 "62 Years of History in the Topeka High
School"NEKL Football - Northeast Kansas League: 1927-1961 Return to Area FB HOME
Coach
Weaver TOPEKA HIGH SCHOOL c. 1932 "62 Years of History in the Topeka High
School"
This league existed before 1927 as a basketball league - so far, reference to a football championship can be found no earlier than 1927. The league for that season include the following schools: ATCHISON, ARGENTINE-K.C., K.C. CENTRAL (Wyandotte), LAWRENCE, LEAVENWORTH, OLATHE, OTTAWA, ROSEDALE-K.C., TOPEKA HIGH.
In the early years of league competition a team was not eligible for the championship unless they played at least four league members. In 1927 Lawrence was 7-0 overall - but only played three league opponents and was not eligible for the league title. A simple point system was used to determine champions - a win accounted for 1 point and a tie was counted as a 1/2 point.
League membership stayed the same until 1932 when TOPEKA HIGH, LAWRENCE and OTTAWA dropped out to form a new league (EASTERN KANSAS CONFERENCE). In 1933 the NEKL added SHAWNEE MISSION (later known as SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH) to the group. WYANDOTTE opted for Independent status in 1939 reducing the league to 6 members. When the EKC disbanded in 1941, LAWRENCE returned to the NEKL. ROSEDALE dropped out in 1945 and aligned with the EKL. OTTAWA came back to replace OLATHE in 1948. Membership stayed the same until HIGHLAND PARK of Topeka was added in 1953. The newly formed SUNFLOWER League recruited SHAWNEE MISSION in 1954. Then ARGENTINE dropped out to play as an Independent in 1955. The NEKL continued play with ATCHISON, HIGHLAND PARK, LAWRENCE, LEAVENWORTH & OTTAWA until the league folded after the 1961-1962 school year.
** Rosedale won the NEKL conference but lost a post-season game against Kansas City (Wyandotte) that was billed as the Championship of Kansas City. The two teams tied during the regular season.
| 1927 | Rosedale-K.C.** | (5-0-1) | (7-1-1) | Roscoe Brown |
| 1928 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (7-0-0) | Melvin Griffin |
| 1929 | Topeka High | (4-0-0) | (7-0-0) | E.B. Weaver |
| 1930 | Topeka High | (4-0-0) | (7-0-0) | E.B. Weaver |
| 1931 | Ottawa | (6-0-0) | (7-1-0) | Orlis Cox |
| 1932 | Wyandotte-K.C. | (5-0-0) | (8-0-1) | Percy Parks |
| 1933 | Wyandotte-K.C. | (6-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Percy Parks |
| 1934 | Olathe | (6-0-0) | (8-0-1) | Jay Hurt |
| 1935 | Wyandotte-K.C. | (5-0-1) | (8-1-1) | Percy Parks |
| 1936 | Leavenworth | (5-0-1) | (8-0-1) | C.W. Ridgway |
| 1937 | Wyandotte-K.C. | (5-1-0) | (7-2-0) | Percy Parks |
| Shawnee Mission | (5-1-0) | (8-1-0) | Harold Reade | |
| 1938 | Wyandotte-KC | (6-0-0) | (6-2-0) | Percy Parks |
| 1939 | Shawnee Mission | (4-0-1) | (6-1-2) | Harold Reade |
| 1940 | Shawnee Mission | (4-1-0) | (6-2-0) | Harold Reade |
| 1941 | Shawnee Mission | (5-0-1) | (7-1-1) | Harold Reade |
| 1942 | Lawrence | (6-0-0) | (8-0-1) | Elmer Schaake |
| 1943 | Lawrence | (6-0-0) | (7-2-0) | Chalmer Woodard |
| 1944 | Lawrence | (4-0-1) | (7-1-1) | Chalmer Woodard |
| Shawnee Mission | (4-0-1) | (4-1-3) | Harold Reade | |
| 1945 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (10-0-0) | Chalmer Woodard |
| 1946 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (10-0-0) | Chalmer Woodard |
| 1947 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (8-0-1) | Chalmer Woodard |
| 1948 | Lawrence | (4-1-0) | (7-0-1) | Chalmer Woodard |
| Leavenworth | (4-1-0) | (7-2-0) | Marlin Baer | |
| Shawnee Mission | (4-1-0) | (7-0-1) | Harold Reade | |
| 1949 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Chalmer Woodard |
| 1950 | Shawnee Mission | (4-1-0) | (7-1-0) | Harold Reade |
| Ottawa | (4-1-0) | (7-1-1) | John Giger | |
| 1951 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (8-1-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1952 | Lawrence | (6-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1953 | Lawrence | (5-0-1) | (6-1-2) | Al Woolard |
| Shawnee Mission | (5-0-1) | (6-1-2) | Harold Reade | |
| 1954 | Lawrence | (5-0-0) | (8-0-1) | Al Woolard |
| 1955 | Highland Park-Top | (3-1-0) | (6-2-0) | John Merryman |
| Lawrence | (3-1-0) | (7-2-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1956 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1957 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1958 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1959 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1960 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard |
| 1961 | Lawrence | (4-0-0) | (7-2-0) | Al Woolard |
Firsts Team Yrs in League Outright Champs Co-Champs
| 20 | Lawrence | 26 | 17 | 3 | |||
| 8 | Shawnee Mission | 21 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 5 | Wyandotte-K.C. | 12 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2 | Topeka High | 5 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2 | Leavenworth | 35 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Ottawa | 19 | 1 | 1 | |||
| 1 | Highland Park-Top | 9 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 1 | Olathe | 21 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1 | Rosedale-K.C. | 18 | 1 | 0 | |||
TDC Final Prep Ratings - MYTHICAL STATE CHAMPION
| 1945 | Lawrence * | (10-0-0) | Chalmer Woodard | |
| 1946 | Lawrence | (10-0-0) | Chalmer Woodard | |
| 1947 | Lawrence | (8-0-1) | Chalmer Woodard | |
| 1952 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1954 | Lawrence | (8-0-1) | Al Woolard | |
| 1956 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1957 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1958 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1959 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
| 1960 | Lawrence | (9-0-0) | Al Woolard | |
* Tied with Hutchinson in poll.