GREAT SUPERIOR TEAMS…PART 9

COVERING SOME GREAT HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS FROM 1930 THROUGH THE MID-1960’S ON SEVERAL CITY OF SUPERIOR FOOTBALL TEAMS

 1964 SUPERIOR EAST  

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN GREATNER

With all the returning lettermen (20) Superior East easily filled 1964 schedule as they were able to rejoin the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference and add several non-conference opponents. One could not say that Coach Jerry Roesch shied away from tough competition.  St. Paul Cretin Prep, a school that had about 1,400 male students was a bigtime opponent.  They were the pre-season #1 Minnesota team.  Cretins Tom Warner was a Minnesota coaching legend with a 93-17-4 record coming into the 1964 season.  They would end the year with a 7-1-0 record and ranked #5.  His squads had won 10 straight Central Catholic Conference titles coming into the season.  The Orientals were up against a very tough team and they came out on the losing end 13-7.  There was one star for East and that was quarterback Mark Fitzgerald who led a furious comeback attempt.  Down 13-0, Fitzgerald drove the team down the field and tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Mike Regenfuss.  Though the comeback failed, Fitzgerald was 20-32-0-209-1 through the air.

BOTH ABOVE PHOTO'S FROM THE SUPERIOR EAST WA-WA-TA YEARBOOK

After the opening loss the Orientals cruised through the next seven opponents.  They scored 287 points after the seven they scored vs. Cretin.  That’s an average of 41 points per game per the final seven games.  Overall, the defense was superb, allowing 44 total points, for a 5.5 per game average.

1964 Superior East football team…from the 1965 East Wa-Wa-Ta yearbook.

Game 2, a 37-0 win over Ironwood saw many of the 1963 stars totally show up.  Tom McCauley scored 5 times including an 83-yard ko return, runs of 32, 12 &10 and a 66-yard reception. He had 4 carries for 61 yards and caught 5 passes for 112 yards. Mark Fitzgerald was 9-16-1-154-2.  Halfback Pat Longrie gained 86 yards on the ground and Pete LaPerre picked up 35-yards on five carries.  It should be noted that both LaPerre and Longrie were transfers from Superior Cathedral and they were added to the experienced East team.  End Bob Peck caught 4 passes for 41-yards and one score.  Mike Regenfuss intercepted a pass.  

Next up was Superior Cathedral and another 37-0 win.  Three recovered Panther fumbles that led to touchdowns.  Tom McCauley scored twice on nine and 18-yard runs plus an extra point.  The team gained 284 yards and allowed only 79.

Wakefield (MI) had won their first four games but East was too strong of an opponent.  East had 196 yards on ground, McCauley picked up 114 -yards.  He scored on a 29-yard run and on a 40-yard interception return plus a 1pt extra point reception   Fitzgerald 10-14-0-145-1 and the extra point conversion.

The season moved on and the Orientals kept scoring.  The Ashland Oredockers had three conference wins and hoped to give East a challenge.  They failed.  They were “dubbed” 48-0 as McCauley scored three times and Pat Longrie pitched in with two more.  In all East put up 48-0 as McCauley scored three times and Pat Longrie pitched in with two more.  In all East put up 30 first downs.  Mark Fitzgerald was injured in the game and missed the next two.  Back-up quarterback Mike Reganfuss moved from his end spot to direct the team.  After the first five games McCauley had 12 touchdowns.

Tom McCaulley scoring vs. Ironwood

The Hurley Miget’s, a team that had a good winning tradition and three wins on the season coming in could not contain Tom McCauley as he scored four more touchdowns.  His scores were runs of 13, 10, and 41 yards and a 63-yard pass reception from Regenfuss.  McCauley had two long touchdown runs called back and now had 99 points on the year on 16 touchdowns and three extra points.  The team rang up 334 yards on the ground.

At this point, McCauley had 434 yards rushing and led the team in receiving with 425 reception yards.  Pat Longrie had 410 yards rushing with six td’s and four extra points. End Bob Peck had 198-yards receiving.  Splitting the passing duties had Fitzgerald with 42 completions on 73 attempts and 604 yards with eight td’s and Regenfuss was 19 of 42 for 289-yards and four scores.

Game #7 was against the Bessimer Speed Boys, and it turned out tom be the Mark Fitzgerald/Pat Longrie show.  Fitzgerald came back from rib injuries that had kept him out for two weeks and he tossed 3 touchdown passes.  Longrie had a 94-yard run and scored three total touchdowns.  McCauley chipped in with a six-yard run and Regenfuss returned to his end position and hauled in a 30-yard touchdown.

Spring Lake Park was 6-2 on the season but was an undersized team compared to East.  It was another mismatch.  McCauley led the way as he scored three times and Longrie scored twice while Bob Peck caught two touchdown passes.   Fitzgerald threw two touchdowns and Regenfuss tossed one.

This was Easts final football game.   The school ended with a 144-137-17 all-time school record.  1964 was Coach Jerry Roesch’s best season as well as the school's nest all-time single season record with a 7-1-0 posting.  He became the head coach of the newly created Superior Senior High School.  As head coach at East, he had a 70-38-0 record in 14 seasons with the Orientals.  He stayed at the new school for six seasons and had a 30-10-3 record.  Before he moved on to coach Eau Claire North his record stood at 100-48-3.  At North his teams posted a 5-12-1 record in his two seasons with the Huskies.  Superior East finished #11 in UPI poll.

Just Some Superior East Stars:

From The Superior East 1965 WA-WA-TA Yearbook

The Post Season Honors:

Superior News Telegram Newspaper

As you can see, the two teams dominated the All-City team.  Together the 10 Central and nine East players, almost all were seniors.  They two schools would have made up a great combined team if the new school opening hadn’t been delayed.

MORE HONORS:

Central’s Bob Olson, a junior, earned 1^st team UPI All-State, 2^nd team on AP and Scholastic Coach Magazine Honorable Mention All-America in 1964.  He p[icked up 1,007 yards rushing, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and scoring 14 touchdowns.  As a senior in 1965 Olson was named 1st team All-State by both the AP and UPI as well as being named to Scholastic Coach’s All-America 1^st team squad.  In 1962 he played defense as a freshman for Central before playing both fullback and linebacker the next three seasons.  He’s the only player for Central that I found that started four seasons on the varsity.  Olson attended Notre Dame and was, when he graduated, the school’s all-time tackler.  He was a 4^th round draft pick by the Boston Patriots but fractured his elbow and could never play again.  Also had two knee surgeries.  He tried to comeback in 1971 but was cut.

Frank Howenstine was named 4^th team UPI All-State and later played at the university of Minnesota.  Dan Hartlund was UPI honorable mention All-State after completing 49 of 93 passes, only four interceptions and gaining 1,050 yards and 11 scores.

In 1965 tackle Tom Buchanan earned UPI Special Mention while Mike Reganfuss was named as a back on the Honorable Mention UPI squad. Mike, a three-sport player at Central was a great basketball player who started three years at Minnesota and was a two-year team captain.  

Doug Sutherland was the team’s punter, played offensive guard and defensive tackle. In 1965, as a senior, Doug earned honorable mention AP All-State.  Sutherland was a three-year starter at Central and went on to become a 3^rd team Little All American at Superior State.  He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1970 where he played as a middle linebacker and guard before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings. While there Doug played for 10-years as a defensive tackle.  He is in the Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame.

Pat Walsh attended Minnesota along with Packy Paquette who was a sophomore in 1964 and gained 208 yards on a 5.8 average and had seven scores.  Walsh scored eight touchdowns.   Bill Pence also played at Minnesota.  Ed Paquette played at Northwestern after gaining 608 yards on 100 carriers and scoring 12 times.  Sheldon Goldberg was an offensive guard at Nebraska.

East had their own special stars earn awards in the post-season and beyond.  Tom McCauley earned 5^th team UPI All-State after scoring 123 points.  He played for UW as a wide receiver.  Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings but then played three years with the Atlanta Falcons as a defensiove back.  He was a member of the 1959 state championship Little League championship  team and the 1965 state champion American Legion team.    

Bob Peck was named to the UPI All-State 4th team as an end.  He attended Superior State and many observers thought he could have played D-1 ball.  Pat Longire and Bill Pence attended the University of Minnesota and played football there.   

Mark Fitzgerald, a three-sport athlete at East and played hockey for the University of Wisconsin and was team captain as a senior.

Such a great amount of talent between the two schools. 

If they had been one team they couldn’t have been stopped.  

In my opinion, if the teams were combined, this could have been a team of such immense greatness.  THE GREATEST EVER.

One final note:

Ole Haugsrud was born in Superior in 1899 and attended Superior High School (Which later became Central HS).  Haugsrud Stadium in Superior where Central, East and Cathedral often played was named for him.  In the early 1920’s he pooled some money and owned the first NFL team in Minnesota, the short-lived Duluth Eskimos.  In 1960 he became a minority owner of the newly founded NFL Minnesota franchise.  In a meeting he suggested to the other owners the name for the team be called "The Vikings" and he also suggested the team colors be mainly purple. It was agreed and that is how the Minnesota Vikings got their name and color.  A Wisconsin school giving a Minnesota team their legacy.

This should be my final story on earlyer Superior schools but, who knows. I may discover a team that I overlooked. I hope you enjoyed the stories.

GREAT SUPERIOR TEAMS…PART 8

COVERING SOME GREAT HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS FROM 1930 THROUGH THE MID-1960’S ON SEVERAL CITY OF SUPERIOR FOOTBALL TEAMS

1964 SUPERIOR CENTRAL

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN GREATER

1963-PRELUDE:

The football season ended in late October 1963.  Superior Central lost their final game to Wausau, in Wausau, 13-0.  The Vikings ended with a 6-2-0 record.  Playing an independent schedule, they still won the mythical Twin Ports (Superior schools vs those of Duluth) championship.  A day earlier the season was completed for the East Orientals.  They also ended with a 6-2-0 record but ended on a high note as they defeated Duluth Cathedral 26-19.  East finished second in the Twin Ports and second in the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference as well.  East did win the unofficial Superior City title as the defeated both Central and Superior Cathedral.  Coach Jerry Roesch expected the season final game against Cathedral to be his last as the head coach at East.  Afterall, in June, 1964, East was to officially close and along with Central merge into the new high school and Roesch would become the head coach at the new Superior Senior High School.   

But as early as July 1963, construction delays were known and this would hold up the merger of the two schools until August 1965.  Since the two schools had to do separate schedules for 1964, they seemed to forget that they had played each other since East opened in 1925.  Returning to the Michigan-Wisconsin Conference for 1964 East had an open date in the middle of their schedule.  They expected the Vikings to play them.  Central, which had not been part of a conference and scheduled nine games but for some reason they didn’t contact East.  OPPS!!  Unless Central could break a signed contract the two teams would have to matchup in the snow…November.  They were never able cancel their contract or move the opponent to another date. So they were unable to meet in 1964, but they did on October 5, 1963 and East beat Central 14-0.  East had a 2-2-0 record going into the game and Central had been 4-0-0.  The Central loss to East was an upset.

You may ask why the long story title has “WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN GREATNER”.  That’s the story of 1964.  Part 8 is about Superior Central.  Part 9 will be about Superior East and the honors the two teams' players achieved.

1964:

Both teams had a lot of experienced and very talented 1963 lettermen returning.  Much was expected of them for 1964.  The combined teams would have made for one of the best Wisconsin high school football teams EVER!!  Coach Crowley had 22 returning lettermen and Coach Roesch had 20 returning.  Both teams had very good speed and some big linemen.  Several key players didn’t even start on a regular basis until 1965.

CENTRAL

The Vikings opened against Brainard (MN) Warriors and easily defeated them 32-6 Brainard would end with a 6-3-0 record.  Junior fullback/linebacker Bob Olson scored three times.  Olson, who scored seven times with three extra points in 1963, had 14 tackles and broke up two passes.  End/defensive back Pat Walsh scored on a 50-yard interception return to lead the route.

Superior Central 1965 Echo Yearbook

Next was Antigo which gave Central their toughest game.  Quarterback Dan Hartlund tossed a 25-yard TD to Chuck Mahaffey as time ran out vs Antigo.  Antigo lost their first two games (Both non-conference affairs) then rebounded to win the Wisconsin Valley Conference title and ended up with a 7-2-oecord.

After the second win it was full steam ahead as Central averaged 43.4 points per game for the rest of the year.

Game 3 was a surprise destruction of St Paul Highland Park, usually a better team than the 1964 edition.  Bob Olson had two scores, Ed Paquette and brother Fran “Packy” Paquette each scored one as the team ran up 325 yards on the ground and added 140 yards passing.

Next up was Denfeld who was considered Duluth ‘s best team.  Olson again stared on offense as well as on defense.  At 5-11, 235 Olson was a load the opposition to handle.  With Dan Hartlub throwing the ball very effectively, 10-11-0-283-4 and Ed Paquette scoring three times the Vikings gained 584 total yards.

Crosby-Ironton was a cake walk as the undersized and undermanned 11 was out gained 414 to 103.  Their lone score was in the second quarter on a 65-yard pass play against the second team defense.  Yes, Crowley sent in his second team in very early.  Bob Olson did score twice and end Jeff Finn was six of seven on extra-point kicks.

Duluth Cathedral ended the season with a 2-7-0 record and one of the losses was in Central’s sixth win, 48-7.  It was the defense that ruled with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries out of five overall Hilltopper dropped balls.  Bob Olson ran 18 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense but he also has 15 tackles.  Packy Paquette scored twice as well.

Against always tough Duluth Central the Vikings only scored four touchdowns with Ed Paquette leading the way as he carried 18 times for138 yards and two touchdowns.  It was the Duluthians passing game that found some holes in the Superior defense that kept the game close but a win is a win.

After seven games Bob Olson had 108-643-11+1 yards while Ed Paquette had toted the ball for 67-388-9+1.  Dan Hartlund and backup Jeff Crisp tossed for 1,209 yards combinerd.  Jeff Finn was 24-30 on extra points.

Game #8 was the top blowout vs. Duluth East, 62-7.  Tied 7-7 in the first quarter the Viking offense was almost unstoppable from then on.  Again, it was the Bob Olson, 12-109 yards and Ed Paquette, 11-111, show on the ground, with Don Hartlund 7-10-0-151-3 yards passing.  The team intercepted five passes, two were returned by defense back Bob Greenburg. Pat Walsh caught three passes for 95 yards and two 35-yards scores. Overall, the team had 168 passing and 270 rushing yards.

The final game for Central in 1964 was against Wausau and things couldn’t have gone better.  The ground attack was again led by junior Bob Olson who picked up 173-yards on 29 carries and scored on a 50-yard run.  Ed Paquette threw in 96-yards on 22 carries and scored twice. The passing game for the Vikings only picked up seven yards but with the run game going strong and solid defense the Lumberjacks were toppled 20-0.  Superior gained 340 total yards and allowed only 101, of which 71 Wausau yards were in the first half.  They ground out 21 first downs, 20 by rushing and allowed only eight.  Highly touted Wausau ended the year with a 7-2-0 record and tied for Big Rivers Conference title.  They scored 260 points and allowed only 74 but were shut out 20-0 by Eau Claire and 20-0 by Superior.

1965 Superior Central Echo Yearbook

In his final season of coaching and Marve Crowley went undefeated for the third time (1957, 1958 and the 1964 season) in his 14-years as head coach.  A Superior native, Crowley posted a career record of 89-29-5 as head coach after being an assistant for Wausau’s Win Brockmeyer (1947-49) and then was an assistant to Harry Conley in 1950 before taking the head spot in 1951.  Marve was inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame in 2011.

1965 Superior Central Football Team from the Echo Yearbook

The Superior Central Vikings (9-0-0) ended the season ranked #2 in the final UPI press poll.  They finished behind Oshkosh (8-0-0).

More on some of Central’s Stars:

NEXT UP, SUPERIOR EAST, POST SEASON HONORS AND MORE

GREAT SUPERIOR TEAMS…PART 7

1958 SUPERIOR CENTRAL

COVERING SOME GREAT HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS FROM 1930 THROUGH THE MID-1960’S ON SEVERAL CITY OF SUPERIOR FOOTBALL TEAMS

The win streak continued in 1958 as the Vikings were accorded the #1 ranking by the UPI at the end of the season. 

Final UPI poll, Nov. 8, 1958 Superior Evening Telegram

Some of the defensive starters from 1957 graduated and a nearly new offensive backfield was introduced to the fans and they delivered.  1957’s star tackle/linebacker Don Kruger was injured early and seldom was healthy enough to play.  Last year’s junior reserves were now the stars of a very good offense. The Vikings were led by two fleet footed halfbacks, Dan Ven Bibber and three-year starter Gene Johnson along with former backup quarterback, junior Chuck Crisp. 

Johnson started in 1956 as a sophomore and scored five touchdowns and then crossed the goal eight times as a junior in 1957.  Look at his 1958 totals: 94 carries for 968 yards for a 10.3 average while scoring eight times and picking up an extra point.  Those totals raised a lot of eyebrows but the stats by Van Bibber were even more impressive. 

Dan carried the ball only 81 times but gained 1,028 yards for a fabulous 12.7 average and 17 scores.  Van Bibber was known for his long scores…32, 68, 34, 64 runs, interception returns of 28 and 65, and receptions of 88, 60 and 37 yards.  He would earn first team All-State on the AP team and second team issued by the UPI.  Scholastic Coach Magazine named him to the national honorable mention list.

Central didn’t throw often but Crisp was effective directing the offense and effectively tossing for 300-yards on 29-55-2 with nine touchdown passes.  They used a split-T offense to power through their opposition.  All total the team averaged 373 yards per game on the ground and Crisp gained all the team’s yards in the air.

The first five games were easy wins but then the Vikings played three close games.  Against Duluth Central the game was tied up late in the game.  The 4-3-1 (At seasons end) Trojans played tough with good defense and a wide- open passing attack.  The game was tied 13-13 with 10-seconds left in the game. 

Now a side story before the telling of the game’s final moments.  Kicker Karl Kunz, normally an offensive/defensive tackle, one of eight two-way players, was called upon to kick his only field goal of his career.  Kunz, who had come to Superior as a junior from Germany, had never played American football before 1957.  Yet, he learned the game quickly and as a junior started both ways for the team.  The 6’2, 222 two-way tackle earned first team All-State by the UPI and although he only earned honorable mention on the AP team, he still earned All-America mention.

Back to the game:  Having kicked one extra point earlier (The second attempt was foiled by a bad snap) Kunz kicked a 27-yard field goal and Superior Central had the lead, 16-13 with 10 seconds to go.  But their opponent tried one more pass after the kickoff.  Having completed several passes earlier the Trojans were shooting for a come behind “Hail Mary”.  Van Biebber picked off the ball and raced 65-yards for the final score, his second touchdown of the game, to seal the victory as time expired.  It was the Vikings 16^th consecutive win.

Game seven was even closer against Duluth East, a team that ended the year with a 4-4-0 record and a team that liked to throw the ball.  All total, the Greyhounds threw 25 passes and completed 14, exploiting the Viking pass defense.  For the most part they were short throws and East turned in 168 yards and two touchdowns through the air.  It was an afternoon game played at Duluth’s Ordean Field before 1,000+ fans.  The Vikings scored early on a 48-yard touchdown pass by Crisp and an important extra point kicked by Kunz.  East scored by way of the pass but failed to score the conversion.  In the second period Van Bibber scored on a 17-yard run for the  lead.  The game went back and forth from then on with no scoring until East was able to score late in the fourth quarter, again on a pass.  And again, they failed to convert the extra point.  Van Bibber fumbled on the Duluth nine which was picked up and returned to the Superior 29.  But, three passes failed and Central escaped with a 13-12 win.  The offense did pick up 16 first downs to their opponents 11 but fumbles and penalties held them back. But a win is a win and the streak was up to 17 games.

The final game was another exciting one as Central faced always tough International Falls.  The Broncos were rated #6 in the state and was undefeated as they faced the Vikings who retained their #1 status in spite of recent close wins.  Almost 6,000 fans jammed their way into Superior Memorial Field to see a classic matchup between two great teams.  In the last four minutes the lead changed three times with Van Bibber, Kunz and Johnson being the big heroes of the game.  Falls dominated the first half as they took a 6-0 lead.  Fullback Ron Johnsted returned a kickoff from deep in Viking territory to start the second half, setting up Superiors first score.  Van Bibber scored from the seven-yard line and then Kunz, along with John Springer, tackled the Falls quarterback for a safety.  Superior was now up 15-6.  With four and a half minutes left Falls scored from 2-yards out after a 10-play drive but even with the extra point, Central led 15-14.  With the fans screaming backup quarterback Jim Bartkowski tossed a pass to QB starter Bob Bateman who took it 72-yards for the lead.  The Broncos were now up 20-15.  Only 1:23 remained on the clock. With the ball on the Superior 42, Crisp tossed the ball to Van Bibber who made it to the International 37. Then Van Bibber hauled in a 37-yard reception, fought his way through a number of tacklers and raced down the sideline for the score with 49-seconds left in the game. Kunz kicked his second extra point to help win the game A last moment interception by Van Bibber iced the 22-20 win.

It had been a rough end of the season but Superior Central now had an 18-game win streak and a state title.  The streak would continue into 1959 with Chuck Crisp at quarterback.  Crisp is mentioned in the papers in 1956-59, starting in his final two seasons.  He appears to be the only Central player that I found that played four seasons.

 1960 Echo Yearbook

The Vikings would win their opener against St. Cloud Cathedral,14-12   The second game was a loss to Duluth Cathedral, 26-18 and the streak ended. 1959 would be a letdown for Crowley as the team finished 4-3-1.  The coach was able to turn things around after losing the next two games after the streak ended by winning games four and five, then tying Duluth Central 32-32 to win the final two games.

Next time 1964 Superior East and Central…what might   have been.