Washington High School
The entrance to Massillon Washington High School in July 2022
Address
1 Paul E. Brown Drive S.E.

Massillon
,
Ohio
44646-3407

United States
Coordinates40°47′34″N 81°30′10″W / 40.792678°N 81.502912°W / 40.792678; -81.502912
Information
TypePublic high school
School districtMassillon City School District
PrincipalDavid Latunshleger
Faculty73.00 (FTE)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,207 (2018-19)[1]
Student to teacher ratio16.53[1]
LanguageEnglish
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Orange and Black
  
Team nameMassillon Tigers
RivalCanton McKinley Bulldogs
AccreditationOhio Department of Education
North Central Association of Schools and Colleges
Communities servedMassillon
WebsiteWashington High School

Washington High School, commonly referred to as Massillon High School or Massillon Washington High School, is a 9th to 12th grade secondary school within the Massillon City School District in the city of Massillon, Ohio.

The school colors are orange and black, and the school's athletic teams are known as the Massillon Tigers.

Academics

Washington High School provides programs including college readiness and vocational technical careers. Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon (D.R.E.A.M) is a collaborative effort through the Paul & Carol David Foundation, Massillon schools, Walsh University and the Aultman Health Foundation and provides students interested in a career in sports medicine to earn college credits in high school. Rated an "Excellent" school district by the Ohio Department of Education.

History

The original Washington High School was constructed in 1913 and used to sit on the corner of Oak and 1st street southeast in downtown Massillon. The current Washington High School was constructed in 1992 adjacent to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Football

Football came to the Massillon in 1894 with the first high school game between Massillon High School and Canton Central High School. In the early years, the players consisted of working boys because most boys did not attend high school. By 1904 more boys began attending school past 8th grade. 1909 was Massillon's first undefeated football team. From 1910 to 1920 high school football in Massillon grew and improved, and by 1916 they were named the Scholastic Champions of Ohio.[2] The school mascot, the Tiger, was adopted from the city's former professional football team known as the Massillon Tigers.

Paul Brown, a 1925 graduate of Washington High School, returned to Massillon in 1932 to begin his renowned coaching career. In his nine years at Massillon, Brown posted an 80–8–2 record which included a 35-game winning streak and six state championships.

Famous resident football player, coach and founder-owner of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals Paul Brown is memorialized in statue form in front of Massillon, Ohio's "Paul Brown Tiger Stadium".

The Massillon Tigers are historically one of the winningest high school football teams in the United States, currently ranked 3rd in the nation in all-time wins. The Tigers have compiled a current record of 947 wins, 299 losses, and 36 ties. Along with the Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs, the Tigers represent one half of what many consider to be the greatest high school football rivalry in the nation. It is the only high school contest in America to feature odds in Las Vegas. In 128 meetings (1894–2017), Massillon leads the series 70-53-5. Massillon and their fierce rivalry with Canton are subjects of the 2001 documentary film Go Tigers!. A total of 23 professional players, 3 NFL coaches and 14 collegiate all-Americans have graduated from Massillon High School.

The Tigers play their home games at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The stadium currently holds 16,600 people and is named after former Tiger player and head coach Paul Brown. Besides being the regular season home of the Massillon Tiger Football team, the stadium hosts Ohio High School Athletic Association state football playoff games, divisional championship games, as well as numerous other activities such as band shows and other sports including soccer.

Every fall, the booster club provides a live tiger cub named "Obie" who is on the sidelines for each home football game. So strong is the tradition and history, the booster club provides each baby boy born in Massillon a miniature football.[3]

In summer 2008, due to the success of the Tigers' athletic programs, ESPN nominated the city of Massillon as a candidate for Titletown USA.[4] The final results ended with Massillon finishing in the top 4.

Titles

Prior to the implementation of the playoff system in 1972, Massillon won 0 State Championships. In 2023, the Tigers ended a 53 year drought winning their 1st -- and the first in OHSAA Playoff era -- defeating Archbishop Hoban by a final score of 7-2. The Tigers had previously been playoff runners-up in 1980, 1982, 2005, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Massillon has been recognized as the AP High School Football National Champions nine times - 1935, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961 – the most paper championships in the nation.

Rivals

McKinley Bulldogs The rivalry between these schools has been a 100 year old rivalry. McKinley led the series 76-53-5 while Massillon won the last matchup by 24. Rivalry is known as one of the first rivalries in High school football history. The rivalry between them is one of the most popular rivalries in the country and the State of Ohio. One of the most notable people part of the rivalry is former Massillon alumni and Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown.

Past coaches

  • Hap Fugate, 1909–1911 (19–8–3)
  • Sidney Jones, 1912–1913 (9–9–1)
  • John Snavely, 1914–1919 (41–8–2)
  • Elmer Snyder, 1920 (3–4–1)
  • Dave Stewart, 1921–1925 (38–9)
  • Dan Atkinson, 1926–1927 (8–7–3)
  • Elmer McGrew, 1928–1931 (20–16–4)
  • Paul Brown, 1932–1940 (80–8–2)
  • Bud Houghton, 1941, 1946–1947 (21–6–3)
  • Elwood Kammer, 1942–1944 (26–4)
  • Augie Morningstar, 1945 (5–0–5)
  • Chuck Mather, 1948–1953 (57–3)
  • Tom Harp, 1954–1955 (17–2–1)
  • Lee Tressel, 1956–1957 (16–3)
  • Leo Strang, 1958–1963 (54–8–1)
  • Earle Bruce, 1964–1965 (20–0)
  • Bob Seaman, 1966–1968 (20–9–1)
  • Bob Commings, 1969–1973 (43–6–2)
  • Chuck Shuff, 1974–1975 (12–7–1)
  • Mike Currence, 1976–1984 (79–16–2)
  • John Maronto, 1985–1987 (20–10)
  • Lee Owens, 1988–1991 (35–13)
  • Jack Rose, 1992–1997 (48–17)
  • Rick Shepas, 1998–2004 (53–27)
  • Tom Stacey, 2005–2007 (26–11)
  • Jason Hall, 2008–2014 (57–21)
  • Nate Moore, 2015–present

Notable individuals

Massillon Tiger Swing Band

The Massillon Tiger Swing Band was created by the legendary George "Red" Bird in 1938 during the Paul Brown era of Massillon football. The band became known as "The Greatest Show in High School Football" and is still a very important part of the Massillon football tradition. The band's swing style includes moving formations and musicians marching with a swing step. The Tiger Swing band begins every home football game with the traditional hometown songs of "Massillon Will Shine", "Stand Up and Cheer" (to acknowledge the other team), “Eye of the Tiger”, “Seven Nation Army”, The W.H.S. Alma Mater, and The Star Spangled Banner/ The National Anthem. At the beginning of each half time show, they perform what is known as "Opening Routine". This is a tradition that goes back for decades and consists of the band's entrance ("Turn Arounds") followed by "Fanfare", "Tiger Rag" and "Carry On". This entire routine is marched at 180 beats per minute and is practiced from the beginning of the rehearsals through the entire season. Each home game the Swing Band performs a new halftime show for the crowd, always with a theme. The 2020 edition of the band includes two Drum Majors, four Majorettes, and the mascot, Obie.

The Swing Band is currently directed by Jason Neel, who has been the head director since 2005. The 2020 edition of the Massillon Tiger Swing Band had an enrollment of 135.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Washington High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Massillon Museum | Research | Massillon History: Massillon High School Tigers Football". Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2016-09-22.
  3. ↑ Smith, Eric (2017-08-04). "TRADITION: Miniature Footballs to Newborns". MassillonTigers.com. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  4. ↑ "Titletown" (English). Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  5. ↑ "Lori E. Lightfoot". Massillon Washington High School Alumni Association. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
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