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The Akron District Marble Tournament Sponsored by The American Toy Marble Museum & The City of Akron
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The Akron District Marble Tournament Sponsored by The American Toy Marble Museum & The City of Akron
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Lock III Park, Akron, Ohio - August 30, 2003 75th Anniversary - Alfred J. Huey 1928 National Marbles Championship
Candy Huey, daughter of Alfred J. Huey, shoots the first marble in the 2003 Akron District Marbles Tournament, 75 years after her father won the same tournament. THE AKRON & NATIONAL MARBLE TOURNAMENT In 1923, Roy W. Howard, the new head of the Scripps Howard Newspapers, created The National Marble Tournament. It would decide who was the best marbles player in the United States. To carry out these plans Howard put the tournament headquarters in the Cleveland Press office and those men recruited the assistance of Samuel C. Dyke - the first American to manufacture marbles, in nearby Akron, Ohio - shown below on the cover of The Country Gentleman magazine in 1923. Each community with a Scripps Howard newspaper, or one subscribing to their press wire service, was eligible to hold a local marbles tournament and send their champion to a national tournament. That year 39 local newspapers sponsored tournaments. By the 1930’s a total of 71 newspapers were sponsoring sanctioned tournaments. The Akron Press and later the Akron Times-Press, sponsored the Akron District Marbles Tournament from 1923 to 1937. In 1938 the Akron Beacon Journal took over the tournament and ran it until the 1950’s, and the American Legion continued them until the 1960s.
The American Toy Marble Museum brought back the tournament in 1991 and is continuing the tradition today. Pictures below, Joe Huber, great grandson of Samuel C. Dyke, addresses the contestants and fans at Ringer Stadium at Lock III Park before the finals of the 2003 Akron District Marbles Tournament.
1928 National Marbles Champion In 1928, 11, year old Alfred Huey of Kenmore Ohio, (now a ward of Akron,) was the Smith School Marbles Tournament, The Kenmore City Marbles Tournament, the Akron District Marbles Tournament and upon winning the National Marbles Tournaments was declared the best marbles player in the United States. Pictures, newspaper articles and news reels showing his victory appeared in papers and movie houses throughout the country. On his return to Akron the city gave him one of the largest and longest parades ever staged. It was a wonderful event in the history of Akron, Ohio - birthplace of the American marble. Al Huey was a sweet little boy who won the hearts of everyone he met. It was as though he came straight out of central casting. He was everything a little boy marbles champion should be - - best of all, he was the real thing. Al Huey was a natural when it came to sports. He won his first grade school marble tournament at Smith School in 1923 when he was six years old. He also won the Akron Beacon Journal’s sponsored Junior Olympics in 1927. As a young man he was quarterback for semi-pro football team. As a retired businessman he spend most of his free time on the golf course, where that keen-eye and sure-fired aim of a marble shark, no doubt made him an excellent putter. THE MARBLES EDITOR In 1928, the fellow who organized and ran the Akron District Marbles Tournament was Paul Van Camp. He was a reporter at the Akron Times-Press who used the by-line "Marbles Editor." Van Camp not only ran the tournament he also reported on each of the qualifying school tournaments, etc. When little Al won the Akron District Marbles Tournament, Van Camp became his marble shooting coach and his wife became his chaperone to the Nationals in Atlantic City, N.J. She was the first to Al after he made his victorious shot, where she hugs and kissed him, and held him while he cried from all the excitement. As a National Champion Al assisted Van Camp to promote the Akron District Marbles Tournament. He coached the younger players, acted as official scorer at tournaments and appeared at numerous public venues as a national celebrity.
ALFRED J. HUEY
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