Massillon Washington High School


Washington High School is a public high school located in Massillon, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Massillon City School District. Athletic teams are known as the Tigers, and they compete as a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

History

Opened in 1914, Washington High School serves students grades 9-12.
The original Washington High School was constructed in 1914 and used to sit on the corner of Oak and 1st street southeast in downtown Massillon. Later additions were made to the building in 1922, 1936, 1957 and 1965. Numerous bonds were denied of building a new high school between 1979-1987. The bond was finally approved in 1988, with construction beginning in 1990. In 1992, The current Washington High School was opened adjacent to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

Academics

Washington High School provides programs including college readiness and vocational technical careers. Developing Resources for Education and Athletics in Massillon is a collaborative effort through the Paul & Carol David Foundation, Massillon schools, Walsh University and the Aultman Health Foundation and provides students interested in a career in sports medicine to earn college credits in high school. Rated an "Excellent" school district by the Ohio Department of Education.

Athletics

State Championships

Football - 1909*, 1916*, 1922*, 1935*, 1936*, 1937*, 1938*, 1939*, 1940*, 1941*, 1943*, 1949*, 1950*, 1951*, 1952*, 1953*, 1959*, 1960*, 1961*, 1964*, 1965*, 1970*, 2023
*State Championships decided by popular acclaim and Associated Press from 1909-1970

Associated Press National Championships

Football - 1935, 1936, 1939, 1940, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1961

Football

Football came to the Massillon in 1894 with the first high school football game between Massillon High School and Canton Central High School. In the early years, the players consisted of working boys because most boys did not attend high school. By 1904 more boys began attending school past 8th grade. 1909 was Massillon's first undefeated football team. From 1910 to 1920 high school football in Massillon grew and improved, and by 1916 they were named the Scholastic Champions of Ohio. The school mascot, the Tiger, was adopted from the city's former professional football team known as the Massillon Tigers.
Paul Brown, a 1925 graduate of Washington High School, returned to Massillon in 1932 to begin his renowned coaching career. In his nine years at Massillon, Brown posted an 80–8–2 record which included a 35-game winning streak and six state championships. The school's football stadium was named in Brown's honor.
In the summer 2008, ESPN nominated the city of Massillon as a candidate for Titletown USA. The final results ended with Massillon finishing in the top 4.

Paul Brown Stadium

The Tigers play their home games at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. The stadium currently holds 16,600 people and is named after former Tiger player and head coach Paul Brown. Besides being the regular season home of the Massillon Tiger Football team, the stadium hosts Ohio High School Athletic Association state football playoff games, divisional championship games, as well as numerous other activities such as band shows and other sports including soccer.

Extracurricular activities

Massillon Tiger Swing Band

The Massillon Tiger Swing Band was created by George "Red" Bird in 1938 during the Paul Brown era of Massillon football. The band has been credited by some as "The Greatest Show in High School Football."
The Tiger Swing band begins every home football game with the traditional hometown songs of "Massillon Will Shine", "Stand Up and Cheer", “Eye of the Tiger”, “Seven Nation Army”, The W.H.S. Alma Mater, and the Star-Spangled Banner. At the beginning of each half time show, they perform what is known as "Opening Routine". This is a tradition that goes back for decades and consists of the band's entrance followed by "Fanfare", "Tiger Rag" and "Carry On".

Notable alumni