Outrigger Canoe Club fielded its first football team in 1919 after the Club selected Bill Inman to lead the team and appropriated $500 for the team’s expenses. Inman was a former captain of the 1913 Punahou School championship team and had played tackle on the championship Town Team (senior teams) in 1916. Many of the players were former high school stars, and had played on other senior teams.
The OCC team was known as the Surfriders, Surfmen or Surfers for short. They were also referred to as the Beachcombers and the Canoeists by the media.
There were a number of senior teams in Honolulu, most notably the Town Team (Townies) coached by Scotty Schuman, the College of Hawaii (became University of Hawaii in 1920), Waikiki Athletic Club, National Guard, and others such as the high school alumni teams. In addition, both Luke Field and Schofield fielded teams.
The AAU, of which Dad Center was president, attempted to involve all the other clubs in a true senior league where all the teams would play each other and crown a champion, but wasn’t successful. Most teams had already scheduled several games and a full schedule couldn’t be arranged. Instead, Inman scheduled individual games with various teams. The team practiced at Makiki Field and held practice scrimmages against the Punahou School varsity several times.
Members of the Outrigger team were W. A. Anderson, center; Don Brown, halfback; W. Bryant, halfback; Gilbert Canario, captain of the team and played halfback; Sam Fuller, tackle; Jimmy Hart, halfback; Llewellyn Hart, guard; Bill Hollinger, fullback; David Kahanamoku, tackle; Claude King, guard; C. Lambert, tackle; Pat O’Sullivan, guard; Tom Searle, halfback; Tom Singlehurst, end; Robert Spencer, quarterback; Joe Stickney, halfback; J. Thompson, end; William Thompson, end; Stan Waldron, guard; and Chris Willis, end.
Others who were members of the team at some time during the season were: Tom Cockett, James McKinney, George McInerny, Herbert McInerny, and Bob Purvis.
Outrigger members also played on the Town Team and the College of Hawaii team.
Outrigger finished the season with a 3-3-1 record. Home games were played at Moiliili Field.
Results
November 1, 1919–Outrigger Canoe Club 6, College of Hawaii 6
November 8, 1919–College of Hawaii 27, Outrigger Canoe Club 7
November 16, 1919–Outrigger Canoe Club 27, Luke Field 0
November 27, 1919–Outrigger Canoe Club 12, Schofield Barracks 3
December 6, 1919–Town Team 10, Outrigger Canoe Club 0
December 25, 1919–Outrigger Canoe Club 9, Town Team 7
January 1, 1920–Town Team 10, Outrigger Canoe Club 0