St. Petersburg High School 1991 Yearbook (St. Petersburg, FL) - Full Access

Walking through the hails of SPHS were groups of spirited students, but if you were to ask them one simple question, "Why are we called Green Devils?" you might have received answers similar to the ones I received. David Young simply shrugged, "I have no idea ." I felt it necessary to go to a higher source. Luckiiy for me, I happened across Ms. Susan Cooper, our Instructional Specialist. "Some time in 1915, the SPHS football team was playing their first game," Ms. Cooper commented. She continued, "The crowd was getting rowdy because we were getting t----38_ • Student Life/Devil History Why slaughtered. A spectator jumped up and said, 'Go, you Green Devil! ' " I hurried myself down to see Mrs. McClelland. Right away, she was in the vault digging through old yearbooks. When that failed , she offered me Mr. Pfeiffer's number, and wished me luck. Later that night I was elated to have such a wealth of information at my disposal. Mr. Pfeiffer began, " In 1915 Luke Atkins and a few of his friends were hanging out in downtown St. Pete. The boys heard about football being played in Tampa, and decided to go to school so they could join the football team." Mr. Pfeiffer continued, " Back in 1915, kids only went to Above: Asking an expert. Rich Woody seeks the assistance of Mrs. McClelland for his search. school if their parents wanted them to." Mr. Pfeiffer added, " Green meant that the team was new and inexperienced. Back then, the kids wanted a tough name for their teams." "A St. Pete Times reporter was covering the game that day, and heard the man say Green Devils." "In his next story, he used that name, and we have been referred to as the Green Devils ever since." Now, I, and David Young, and all of you have benefitted from the efforts of my quest. You'll never again have to wonder about where we got our name. -Rich Woody Right: Getting the facts . Ms. Susan Cooper, our Instructional Specialist, knows her Green Devil History.