Homecoming 2025
· Homecoming home page (includes schedule of events)
· Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame
Uniquely Concordia University, Nebraska
· The introduction of the Bulldog nickname
The story of the 1931 Concordia Teachers College football team
America remained in the midst of the Great Depression, Babe Ruth continued to star for the New York Yankees and the average price for a gallon of gas was a mere 10 cents. Such were the circumstances in 1931 when football at Concordia Teachers College had just begun to gain traction. An influential figure at Concordia in the first half of the 20th century, Professor Walter Hellwege served as a pioneer when it came to intercollegiate athletics at the “College in the Cornfield.”
It wasn't until Oct. 3 that CTC officially kicked off the ’31 season. As the crisp air of the fall arrived in Seward, Coach Hellwege likely had little idea of just how dominant his team would become, nor any foresight that this group of future educators and church workers would later be the first team to ever be inducted into the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame. By the middle of November 1931, CTC completed the season with an unblemished 7-0 record as it outscored opponents by a shockingly impressive combined total of 206-19.
There was no athletic recruiting at that time, but Hellwege had the good fortune of leading a roster that included quarterback Herbert “Bulldog” Meyer and fullback Bernard Arkebauer. The two CTC standouts were among the 21 players who appeared in the 1931 team photo along with Hellwege. That number is far fewer than what was reported in a September 1931 article in the Seward Journal that stated, “Coach Hellwege has asked for recruits and fifty hardy and stalwart candidates answered the call. Many of these are old time veterans from former years, though the raw material looks very promising.”
The writer of this preseason publication seemed to have some inkling that this Concordia team had the makings of something special. As the account read, “The college is expecting one of its best years in football, since it has such a fine team.” The veteran players (“Old Timers”) included not only Meyer but also “Fritz” Kauffeld, “Ray” Maag, “Cocky” Hellbusch, “Emilia” Petsch, “Gib” Kufahl, “Bill” Zobel, “Bruno” Neben, “Herb” Lase, “Jay” Tucker, “Pop” Stohlmann and “Ches” Platt. Due to low numbers, a willingness to play both sides of the ball was a requirement.
It was an era of football totally foreign to what we expect to see in the modern day. Padding and protection were limited and leather helmets would have to suffice for protection from head injuries. In the same newspaper that a Concordia game story appeared in 1931, the details of a high school player in Oakland, Calif., who had suffered a broken neck on the football field were also relayed. On the campus of Concordia, students simply appreciated that the school’s makeshift football field finally had bleachers (thanks to a donation) ahead of the ’31 campaign. Furthermore, the Concordia uniforms were not flashy. A giant “C” appeared on the front of their “jerseys.”
Additionally, the season came three years before CTC had any official mascot or nickname (see link to the history on the Bulldog nickname above) and 69 years prior to the formation of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics became a reality in 1952. In other words, Concordia Athletics as an entity was still in its primitive stages of development. For the 1931 season, CTC was joined in the Nebraska Junior College Conference by Dana College, Hebron College and Luther Junior College. As part of that year’s schedule, Concordia would play each team twice (home and away) in addition to one nonconference tilt with Nebraska Central College.
Specific details from each of the season’s seven games were featured in the Seward Journal in a section entitled the “Concordia College News,” which humorously contained bits of gossip from around the campus. Most of the contests for the football team were no contests at all as CTC won five of its seven games in shutout fashion behind Arkebauer, who stands to this day as one of the brightest stars in football program history. As an account in Concordia’s Broadcaster detailed, “Of course, we all know that there is Arkebauer as do all of our opponents. The husky Kansan just seems to have a way of making his presence felt.” Indeed, Arkebauer never came off the field as someone who played every facet of the game.
Remarkably, Arkebauer scored 19 touchdowns in 1931, setting a school standard that has not been duplicated in almost a full century since. “Arkie,” as they called him, made a name for himself the year prior in 1930 when he helped lead Concordia High School to a 6-0 record that included a win over Seward High School. Precious few athletes were featured in Concordia’s Broadcaster magazines of the 1930s, but an exception was made for Arkie. The following passage was taken from a 1930 edition of the Broadcaster, prior to Arkebauer joining the college team at Concordia.
“There goes a man through the line. Too bad, two men are on him at the six yard line. But there are the raised arms of the referee. The man scored. That was Arkebauer! Bernard Arkebauer, fullback, from Haven, Kansas, big, with black, kinky hair, is the boy who has been doing things like that all season. We can quite confidently say without delving into past records of Concordia gridiron heroes, that Arkebauer has set up a record that will be good for quite a number of seasons. He scored thirteen touchdowns and five extra points in six games. These touchdowns have been made in almost any method possible. Long runs, crashing plunges, snaring passes are all in his point-producing repertoire. Then on the defense he comes through with such tackles, and long, high punts. And he is not one of these stars who plays well one game then has an off day. He has played superior football in every game and finished with a flashing game at Bethany. True, he had a good, fighting line to help him, but when a lugger is tackled on the six-yard line and then goes over for a touchdown, that’s not a line, that’s Arkebauer!”
Ultimately, the Nebraska Junior College Conference championship came down to outcomes of the CTC-Hebron matchups. The first took place on Hebron’s homecoming, Oct. 17. According to the Seward Journal, one of the game’s referees called it “the most exciting game I have ever seen.” In order to claim victory, CTC was forced to rally after dynamic Hebron running back Roy Beer got loose for two long touchdowns. The Knights led 12-0 and appeared to have added to their lead with a touchdown that was called back due to their offense having only six men on the line of scrimmage. After Hebron failed to score, CTC eventually cracked the scoreboard on a short Arkebauer touchdown run. The deciding points came in the fourth quarter when Herb Meyer delivered a 15-yard touchdown pass to Arkebauer. With the score knotted 12-12, Meyer tossed to Arkebauer for the extra point and the deciding tally, 13-12. As the Hebron Journal-Register wrote, “Pedagogues win from Knights,” with “pedagogues” being a substitute for teachers.
The outright conference title would not be claimed until Nov. 7 when Hebron made a return trip to Seward. The Seward Journal described it as a “peach of a day” on the CTC campus. The CTC defense ruled the day as Zobel came up with a strip sack and fumble recovery and a stifling effort kept Beer in check. Meanwhile, Meyer and Arkie starred offensively. Arkebauer scored all three Concordia touchdowns, one on a 40-yard reception, another on a 28-yard run around the right end and a final one on a 10-yard rush. As the written in the game recap, “Concordia must give credit to the powerful line. The line has played splendidly in every game of the season and made possible the scores of the backfield.”
At 5-0 against Nebraska Junior College Conference foes, CTC had clinched the 1931 league championship. News of the achievement spread to Nebraska’s largest media outlet. In its November 19, 1931, edition, the Omaha World-Herald printed the 1931 CTC team photo on the front of its sport section with a tagline of “Undefeated Concordia gridders … state junior college champs.” Two days earlier, the World-Herald had printed the standings with a short summary of the conference race. It read, “Coached by Walter Hellwege, Concordia presented a well drilled veteran team. Zobel, a tackle, was the most consistent player in the Concordia line, while Arkebauer supplied the big punch in the backfield, scoring 118 points during the season.” The Seward Journal described the ’31 team as having a “magnificent backfield and powerful line” despite no player weighing more than 200 pounds.
While Arkebauer led the team with 118 points, Meyer tallied 50 points, Petsch added 18, Neben 12, Maag six and Lase two. In those days, the extra point was scored by kicking the ball through the uprights or by reaching the end zone with the football (what we understand as a two-point conversion in modern football). Arkebauer piled up 118 points by totaling 19 touchdowns and four extra points.
The influence of the 1931 team is felt in the present. Hellwege helped inspire a passion for intercollegiate athletics at Concordia. He coached the football team through the 1940 season and was quoted as having told his wife, “My boys would run through fire for me!” Posthumously, Hellwege and Herb Meyer were inducted into the initial Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame class of 1994 along with the ’31 team. Meyer took over from Hellwege as football coach in 1941 (a position he held through 1954) and became the school’s athletic director.
The lettermen on the 1931 team were Captain Meyer, Arkebauer, Petsch, Neben, Lase, Blank, Maag, Zobel, Platt, Einspahr, Tucker, Hellbusch, Bouder, Kufahl, Kauffeld, Meyerhoff, Ronnekamp and Stohlmann. It was the only CTC season played by the great Arkebauer, who went on to graduate from Concordia River Forest in 1935. The 1931 (7-0), 1944 (8-0) and 1945 (6-0) teams are the only squads in Concordia football history to enjoy undefeated seasons while playing at least six games. The ’31 team owns one program record in particular that is unlikely to ever be broken: a defensive scoring average of 2.7 points per game.
1931 Concordia Teachers College Football Schedule/Results
October 3 – at Nebraska Central College, W, 25-0
October 10 – vs. Dana College, W, 31-0
October 17 – at Hebron College, W, 13-12
October 24 – vs. Luther Junior College, W, 54-0
October 31 – at Dana College, W, 31-0
November 7 – vs. Hebron College, W, 21-7
November 14 – at Luther Junior College, W, 31-0
--Outscored opponents 206-19.