Before There Was A Valley View
Germantown, OH (July 5, 2004) Did you ever wonder what Valley View was like before it was there was a Valley View?
At one time Valley View's students were friendly rivals. Half of the kids went to Farmersville's schools and half went to Germantown schools.
In 1969 everything changed and the schools were joined, but prior to that, what were the athletics like?
Just like now, both schools prided themselves on academic and athletic excellence. In those times however, the variety of sports available were slim.
Both schools offered basketball, baseball and track for men. Germantown also offered football, but only had a total of 26 players. Girls could play volleyball or basketball.
Carl M. Becker, who wrote The Village: A History of Germantown, Ohio, stated, "They (the voters) felt greater pride in the school as an image of the village as varsity basketball and football teams won championships in the 1950s." As one man put it, we have "good students and good athletes in Germantown."
Both Germantown and Farmersville schools prided themselves on the two A's, academics and athletics, so when the schools combined to make Valley View all those beliefs continued in one school, making Valley View what it is today.
The 1955-56 school year was the first that Germantown became champions in both football and basketball. During that same year Farmersville was runner-ups in basketball.
Germantown's football team went 7-2 in 1954 and captured the Little Buckeye League Championship. The Cardinals basketball team went 14-5 but didn't make it to the District Tournament. Farmersville won the County Tournament, 56-50.
The Germantown High School basketball team of 1955 included team members Paul Smith, Jim Kraus, Dick Short, Don Marker, Larry Staats, Don Cox, Bob Lash, Gary Schaeffer, Herman Watkins, Ernest Riley, Tommy Davis, and Verlin Kidwell. Team Managers were Ken Copenhaver, and Fuzzy Allen while the head coach was Jim Barker.
Football is surrounded by Spartan pride even today. Because of the success that the Spartans have had over the past 10 years, winter sports coaches have had to wait to start their season because of football players who are still competing. Before the schools combined to make Valley View it was a lot different.
The basketball team didn't have a team until the football teams' season was over because the majority of the players played football as well.
Don Cox remembers the glory days of his high school career and said that one year the basketball team lost their first two games because they were playing schools that didn't have a football program, resulting in a forfeit. "The schools we were playing had already played several games because they didn't have a football team. We couldn't start basketball until football was over," Cox said.
Back in the 50s the football team didn't have face masks. They just hadn't been made yet. The football and basketball teams didn't know what a weight room was.
"All the sports have evolved so much. We knew nothing about weight rooms. Our weight rooms were in a corn field. To practice we would run and have scrimmages," Cox commented.
Sports have definitely changed a lot. Cox remembers when water wasn't permitted on the field.
"Water was a bad thing then. I remember players dry heaving on the sidelines, but back then the theory was that water was a sign of weakness," Cox mentioned.
Sports have definitely evolved over the years and one of the biggest changes is on the female side.
Back in the 50s women's sports were rare and the only sports available for women were basketball and volleyball. Girls were only allowed to dribble twice before passing and only had six players on the court at one time. All girls' sports were through the Girls Athletic Association.
A lot of changes have been made over the years, but Germantown and Farmersville's athletic background definitely contributed to what Valley View High School is today.
