A Special Note Cardozo Clerks Football 1944

During the era that had High School history in the Washington D.C. area, Hall's squad captured seven South Atlantic High School Association championships and seven Division II city championships.

But let's go back to the final game of the 1944 champion. Long-time area football buffs may recall Cardozo actually had their streak snapped at 23 games by Ted McIntyre's fired-up Armstrong charges spearheaded by such grid greats as Len Ford, later of the University of Michigan and Cleveland Browns' fame; Gus Marshall and Hugh Joiner (Morgan State); and Arthur Smith (Howard University).

Armstrong and Cardozo came into the 1944 season finale undefeated and untied. Hall had beaten his friend and rival, McIntyre, the two previous seasons and many of Cardozo's players and students demonstrated their confidence that the Clerks would add to the streak by pooling their money and placing side bets on the outcome. But Cardozo was no match for McIntyre's powerful aggression that day as Armstrong drubbed the Clerks 32-0. The streak was saved, however, as Armstrong unkowningly had used an ineligible player and had to forfeit the game. The unbeaten string, alive on a technicality, continued over the next four seasons as the Clerks ran their amazing streak to 58.

According to Hall, even though the Clerks had been handed the Armstrong game on a forfeit he always accepted it as a loss around which Cardozo sandwiched unbeaten strings of 23 and 34 games.