[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1005-E1006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      PASSAIC HIGH SCHOOL INDIANS

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM J. MARTINI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 1995
  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
commemorate one of the greatest high school basketball teams of all 
time, the 1919-25 Passaic High School Indians. Over that 6-year 
stretch, the Indians enjoyed the longest winning streak ever for a high 
school, college, or professional team. They won an incredible 159 games 
in a row.
  From December 17, 1919, to February 6, 1925, Passaic High was 
unbeatable. In an era of low-scoring basketball, they outscored their 
opponents by an average of 39 points, topping 100 points a dozen times. 
They once crushed an opponent 145 to 5.
  While these teams were blessed with great players, such dominance 
transcends individual stars and usually begins with the coach. It was 
Prof. Ernest Blood that led the charge for these young men for so many 
years. Blood began playing basketball just a year after it was 
invented, and soon after he stopped playing he was coaching. In 
Potsdam, NY, his high school team did not lose to another high school 
team from 1906 to 1915.
  A move to Passaic. NJ, in 1918 brought him to the job that would make 
him famous. Although his first season was marred by a defeat in the 
State championship, the streak began on the first day of the 1919 
season. Win after win turned into State championship after State 
championship. As the streak progressed, the team became the center of 
attention for this industrial city: A factory whistle would indicate 
the results of the game, two loud blasts for a win, one long blast for 
a loss. Blood's foresight and desire kept the team ahead of its time, 
and he eventually led them [[Page E1006]] to five consecutive 
undefeated seasons, 147 games in all.
  Blood left after the 1923-24 season, but the streak continued well 
into the next season, finally coming to an end in a 39 to 35 defeat at 
the hands of Hackensack High on February 6, 1925. It had been 159 games 
since the Indians had experienced a defeat, and the magnitude of their 
accomplishments did not go unnoticed. Coach Blood was the third coach 
ever elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and one of the team's 
greatest stars, Johnny Roosma, was also accorded that honor.
  And to this day, the wonder teams of Passaic High are enjoying much-
deserved accolades. On May 18 of this year, they will be inducted into 
the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey. Congratulations to the families 
and friends of all of those connected with these special athletes. 
Their accomplishments are rightly being enshrined into the memory of 
our great State, and memorialized for basketball fans across the 
country.


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