1950 Linden Lions Football Team

The 1950 Linden High School football team under head coach Albert Vedovelli won
Linden High School’s first ever football championship. The Lions won the Joaquin
League Small Schools Championship with a league record of 3-0-1 and an overall record
of 5-2-1. This championship culminated a three year turnaround of the fortunes of the
school’s football team. In Coach Vedovelli’s first year at the helm in 1948, the Lions
failed to win one game. But by the 1949 season, Vedovelli’s lessons in hard work,
determination and teamwork began to show significant improvement as the team finished
2 nd in league play.

Heading into the 1950 season, the Lions hopes were high. Led by Senior Quarterback
Richard Maragliano, a strong running game with Junior Halfbacks Delmorris Stockstill
and Loyal Smithee and Junior Fullback Bud Moznett, and the a strong defense led by
linebacker Kenny Angel, the Lions were ready to challenge for the championship they
just missed the year before.

The season started off on a positive note with a 14-6 victory in a pre-season game with
perennial power Escalon. Smithee and Moznett both scored touchdowns in the game and
Maragliano’s play calling kept the Cougars off balance. The Lion defenders held the
strong Cougars to one lone touchdown. The Lions would face the Cougars again in a
non-league game 5 weeks later with very different results and the Cougars would go on
to win their league championship.

The Lions followed their opening week win with a 26-7 win over Tuolumne. One of the
highlights in that game was a school record 99 yard touchdown run by Smithee. The
Lions stumbled in their final pre-season game by losing 20-0 to Bret Harte.
The Lions opened league play the following week with a convincing 26-0 win over
Mariposa. Stockstill led the way with 3 touchdowns and once again the Lion defense
showed its strength with a shutout of the over-matched Mariposa team. Following a 29-0
win against Le Grand, the Lions were on top of the Joaquin League standings and their
defense had not allowed a point in league play.

The Lions entered their non-league re-match with Escalon riding high. But this time the
powerful Cougars prevailed in a convincing 32-0 victory. Back to league play the
following week, the effect of the defeat carried over as the Lions trailed Orestimba High
20-13 in the final minutes of the game. But the Lions came back to score a touchdown
and an extra point in the closing seconds to pull out a 20-20 tie. Touchdowns were
scored by Maragliano, Moznett and sophomore halfback Jerry Coburn.

In the final match up of the season, the Lions traveled to Denair needing a victory to
secure their first ever school football championship. The Lions got off to a fast start with
a first quarter touchdown run from Stockstill to take a 6-0 lead. In the second quarter,
fullback Moznett scored to put the Lions up 13-0. A third quarter Denair touchdown cut

the lead to 13-7 but the strong Lion defense held on for the victory and the league
championship.

The 1950 Linden High School Football team was a group of talented players who loved
to play football and who respected and supported each other. They took the lessons from
Coach Vedovelli and transformed themselves from a team unable to win a game two
years earlier to a team that made school history.

The Linden Athletic Hall of Fame is proud and honored to induct the 1950 Joaquin
League Championship Football Team into its Athletic Hall of Fame.

1950 Season Results
Linden – 14 6 – Escalon
Linden – 25 7 – Tuolumne
Linden – 0 20 – Bret Harte
Linden – 26* 0 – Mariposa
Linden – 29* 0 – Le Grand
Linden – 0 32 – Escalon
Linden – 20* 20 – Orestimba
Linden – 13* 7 – Denair
* - Joaquin League game