History

History

Webmaster: Diana Dempsey

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The Dunmore Bucks Football Team participates in the Lackawanna League and is a AA Team in PIAA District 2.

The first Dunmore High School football games of record were losses in 1899 to Scranton Business College and the varsity and junior varsity teams of Scranton High School. There were two scoreless ties with Pittston in 1902. The next scores were in 1906, a loss to Scranton and wins over the junior varsities of Keystone Academy and Scranton. The likely incomplete count for 1907 was 4-1-0, the loss to School of Lackawanna. Included was the first win over Scranton. The 1911 tam finished 7-0-1, the tie in a second game with Scranton Central. The 1912 Dunmore team had a perfect 6-0-0 season and was unscored upon. Included were double wins over Scranton Tech and West Pittston and single ones from Keystone Academy and Scranton Central. After a mid-November game with West Pittston, a Dunmore player died of injuries, and football was abandoned for a while.

Football returned to Dunmore in 1919, but the first note worthy record of 6-0-3, was not enjoyed until 1925. The ties were with Carbondale, Olyphant, and Scranton Tech. Another fine season was in 1930 with a record of 9-1-0, the loss to Coal Township. The 1931 season finished 8-2-1.

Dunmore became a member of the Eastern Conference in 1932. Dunmore, Old Forge, and the two Scranton schools became the Big Four in 1934.

In 1936, Dunmore had a 7-1-0 record, the loss to Scranton Tech in the game that decided the title of the local conference, by then the Big Eight. Dunmore enjoyed its first championship, of the Big Eight in 1937 with a season of 6-0-1. In a shortened season in 1943, Dunmore had a 5-0-1 record, with a tie with Blakely. Blakely was then a member of the Lackawanna Conference, in which it edged out Dunmore for the title, but not of the Eastern Conference, the Northern Division of which was won by Dunmore. The playoff was lost 19-0 to Lansford, Southern Division winner. The 1945 Dunmore team, 9-1-0, won the Lackawanna Conference. .

Dunmore then had five straight winners 1948-1952. The 1950 team, 7-2-2, won the Lackawanna Conference due to losses to Berwick and Lock Haven and a tie with Coal Township which were all outside games. The Bucks then experienced a long stretch in which the best records were 7-3-0 in 1954, 1963, 1970, and 1971.

Dunmore was back among the leaders 1973-1975 when the regular season count added to 28-4-1. The 1974 team was 9-2-0, with losses to Old Forge and West Scranton. This record was equaled by Scranton Central and West Scranton resulting in a three-way tie for the Big Eleven and Northern Division titles. The 1975 team was 10-1-0. The two possible area championships were won, but the Eastern Conference title was lost to Shamokin. In 1978 Dunmore finished 10-0-1. Again two titles were won, but the Eastern Conference first round playoff was lost to Wilkes-Barre GAR.

In 1985 The Bucks saw their way to a perfect season, which concluded with the Dunmore bucks winning a State Class A State Championship.

On Saturday, December 9, 1989 at ten am, at the Middletown War Memorial Field in sub-freezing conditions, the Dunmore Bucks would play “smash-nose football” fir 48 minutes to bring the Class A State Championship back to Dunmore.

In 1993 Head Coach Jack Henzes, at the helm of Dunmore’s football program since____, collected his 200th win. The Bucks shared a Big Eleven title with Scranton Prep, and finished 1993 with a 9-2-0 record.

The 1995 Bucks won the Big Eleven Championship, and went on to win their 1st ever District II Class AA Championship.

Some more recent Highlights: