AN UNUSUAL WAY TO THE HALL OF FAME

In 1997 or 1998 I was using the fairly new, virgin, world wide web. I was searching for as much information about high school football, Wisconsin as well as national stories. I searched for football records in all places including state athletic organizations. I ran across the WIAA web site and found a listing for school’s information. Overtime, after Todd Clark, WIAA Director of Communications, must have revamped the site because the information on the web there is much improved and is easier to use. I took that directory and sent out massive amounts of e-mails asking coaches to send me records and to send me stats each week during the season. I got a fair response, and I began to do weekly/season leader lists. I continued to send e-mail requests each season.

In 2003, the new head coach at Big Foot, having just moved from Almond-Bancroft and he began sending stats weekly. Rodney Wedig didn’t just send me a short list but his running seasonal stats sheet. He sent me everything but the kitchen sink. I wished everyone would have done that. Rodney and I would e-mail each other every now and then over the years.

In 2014 I read a story about him leaving Big Foot and taking the head job at Beloit Memorial and we conversed some more about the new challenges he faced after leaving a successful program. I wished him success and we didn’t write each other for the next nine years. I hadn’t kept track of him, but I knew that he hadn’t fared well at Memorial. Then, this past March Rodney sent me a message and a file with his coaching record. I was unaware that he had been named to the 2022 class of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. I then learned that he had moved on from Memorial to Milton. I congratulated him being named to the HOF and noted that his file showed the most remarkable record. It was unusual to say the least and is probably one of a kind.

WFCA Hall of Fame Picture

The file showed his season by season coaching record for his four stops…Almond-Bancroft, Big Foot, Beloit Memorial and Milton. If you could see the chart 9Hard to replicate here), you would find that he has coached every possible record, other than ties, for wins…from 0(Zero) to 14 wins.

In 1995, his first year as a head coach, Almond-Bancroft went 0-9, as also happened at Beloit in 2014 and 2015.

In 2016 Beloit won their only game in a 1-9 season as they won the end of the season matchup with Racine Park in a game between two winless teams that failed to make the playoffs.

His 1999 at A-B and 2018 at Beloit his teams won 2-games…2-7 records.

Next up is his two three-win seasons. 3-6 at A-B in 1998 and 3-7 at Beloit in 2017 (Also with a season ending matchup with Park).

Four wins in 1995 and 2000 at A-B and 2021 at Milton.

He collected 5-wins in each of the 2001 season at A-B, twice at Big Foot (2004 & 2005) and at Milton in 2020 during a COVID shortened season. Three seasons were 5-5 as the teams made the playoffs and 5-2 in 2020 when there were no playoffs.

In his first season at Big Foot in 2003 the team marched to a 6-4 and their first ever playoff appearance.

1997 saw Wedig direct Almond-Bancroft to their first ever playoff appearance as they finished 7-3.

2006 brought his first 8-win season as Big Foot advanced to the second round of the playoffs with an 8-3 record.

After posting a 2-7 season at Beloit in 2018, Wedig directed Milton to a 9-2 in his first season there.

Big Foot posted three 10-win seasons…10-1 in 2007, 10-3 in 2010 and a 10-1 year in 2011.

His final year at Almond-Bancroft, 2002, Coach Wedig posted an 11-1 season just as he did in his final year at Big Foot, in 2013.

2012 Big Foot went 12-1 as they battled Somerset in an overtime loss. 35-33 in the state finals.

A 13-1 season occurred as Big Foot made it to the state finals but bowed to Wautoma 20-0.

The crowning season was in 2009 as Big Foot mauled Kewaunee 42-13 for the championship.

Coach Wedig and I talked in May about his career and the upcoming season. You can see that his teams have made the playoffs 16 times, won nine conference titles and a state championship. Not bad for a guy who played football, basketball and baseball at little Belmont High School. Rodney attended Southwest State University in Marshall Minnesota in 1992. He took a job out of college to teach and coach at Holy Redeemer School in Marshall. He then moved back to Wisconsin and became an assistant football and head girls’ basketball coach at Green Lake.

Rodney worked part time for the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper and in 1995 received his first head coaching position at Almond-Bancroft. As noted above his first season was a winless one but he won his first game in 1996 as the Eagles finished 4-5. He finished there with a 36-41 record, but it was his 2002 season record of 11-1 that allowed him to find a better coaching spot. That was in Walworth at Big Foot.

After going 6-4 in his first season there, his teams continued to make progress and the playoffs. 11 straight seasons into the playoffs and seven consecutive conference titles. From 2006 through 2013 the Indians were always in the hunt for titles and advancing deep into the playoffs. As at other schools he has used variations of the double-wing and the spread offenses, often with a no-huddle look. At Big Foot he had great linemen who could open huge holes. At his first two stops he was able to “sell the program” to his players, the schools and the community. While at Big Foot he coached running back Mason Dixon who was the WFCA State Player of the Year in 2012. Mason went on to star at Beloit college and is a policeman in southern Illinois. One of his star linemen was former All-Pro center Travis Frederick who played for the Dallas Cowboys'.

Beloit was another story. After going 103-26 at Big Foot, he was only able to garner a 6-41 record at Beloit. While the school has been able to produce some very good individual players that moved on to the college ranks. It has been before 2002 (As far back as I could trace on WisSports.net) that the school has posted a winning season. They have mostly in that 20-year period gone 0-9 or 1-8. A tough nut to crack for anyone.

So, in 2019 he moved to take over at Milton. The team was loaded with seniors who the year before posted only a 3-6 record but under Coach Wedig they progressed to 9-2. Their season ending loss was to always tough Waunakee, 35-28 in the second round of the playoffs. Being in the Badger-South was always tough for Milton but they usually could hold their own with the likes of Watertown, Stoughton, Monona Grove and Edgewood. That’s not to say that Fort Atkinson, Oregon and Monroe were pushovers. But 2020 brought realignment to the league and a move to the Badger-North and now they face Waunakee on a yearly basis and then realignment again in 2022 brings Sun Prairie East and Sun Prairie West into the picture. He does return this season four defensive starters and seven on offense, all linemen so the Red Hawks hope to hold their own. In three seasons at Milton Coach Wedig has posted an 18-10 record.

Rodney was very gracious to spend time in talking to me and I thank him. I asked about his family and his two daughters, Kayleigh and Kelsey played basketball at Big Foot and his three sons played there as well. Jacob was a quarterback and Gus and Matthew were linebackers. Gus played at UM-Duluth and Matthew at Illinois State. He has been married to Tammy for 31-years.

Overall, at age 55, Coach has a 163-118 record going into the 2022 season with more wins to come. It was a pleasure in talking to him and it certainly was an unusual career record to look at as he made his way to the HOF.

The Rest of the Best of the 1920s

After reviewing the best teams of the 1920s I'd like to highlight the best game, coach and players of the decade.

The Best Game

This was another tough call so I had to choose two games and, as it turns out both involved Green Bay East.

The first was the 1927 battle between East and city rival Green Bay West. Before more than 10,000 frenzied fans, Arnie Herber was the difference for West with his passing, rushing, returning kicks, defense and kicking. It was a see-saw battle throughout the game with East taking the lead in the third quarter, 6-0, but a fourth quarter touchdown pass and conversion kick by Herber was the margin to win the game 7-6.

In 1928 Green Bay East met Appleton, a team that would end up in second place in the conference. The Red Devils couldn’t muster much in the way of offense but it was their defense that won the day. There were numerous fumbles throughout the game for both teams. Two safeties, one in the third period and one in the fourth quarter were the margin of victory as East won 4-0. Both safeties were a result of blocked punts.

Two hard fought defensive games that either team in each game could be proud of their performance.

The Best Coach

This era produced many great coaches. First, Curley Lambeau at Green Bay East, who coached the team as well as the Packers during the 1919 through the 1921 seasons. Yes, coaching two teams at the same time!! He was followed by Chester E. Wiley who led the teams for the rest of the decade before returning to his home town of Iron Mountain (MI) to coach. West had Murph White who led them into the 1930s and produced solid teams throughout. Marinette was led by Tom Johnson who led the school to four state titles in six seasons before leaving for Louisville (KY) Male High in 1927. Johnson replaced Harry Wilhelm at Male as Wilhelm in turn moved north to Delafield and coached St. John’s Military Academy to the 1929 state title.

When you look at the list of the top teams of the decade, two coaches stand out. Chester Wiley of Green Bay East coached three of the schools four state title teams in the decade, all in the top 10 and they had another, the 1927 squad, that was defeated by Green Bay West in one of the top games of the decade. They finished 9-1-0 that season. Tom Johnson of Marinette had four state titles and has three teams on the list and posted a 50-5-0 record in six seasons.

Wiley replaced Curley Lambeau as the head coach at East who moved on to devote his efforts full time to the Packers after the 1921 season. Chester Wiley is my choice as the best coach who posted a 68-6-0 record in eight seasons at East. When he left the school was in great shape and continued to be a powerhouse on into the late 1950s.

The Best Players

Arnie Herber

Many of these players would go on to have success at both the college and professional level. Milt Gantenbein, Wayland Becker, Champ Seibold, Arnie Herber and Swede Johnston all played together on the 1936 Green Bay Packer championship team. Arnie Herber has received the most recognition, as a member of the pro football hall of fame and considered one of the first great modern quarterbacks, winning 4 NFL championships with the Packers.

The 1920s was a great period in the sport. America made it through the Great Influenza and Word War I, the Great War, and there was new prosperity. Kids were healthier than ever before. The modern age was upon us as auto’s became more affordable, wages for the most part, were better, airplane flying was the rage and yes, there was still trouble abroad but overall life was good. Until the November 1929 Wall Street Crash. It wasn’t unusual for fans of a particular team who would rent rail cars to go even several hundred miles to cheer on their favorites, filing the stands with 200-500 out of towners.

Players were getting bigger and faster. The game was evolving. Passing was becoming more prevalent and even though it would be 19 years before the first known 1,000-yard passer and 35 years before the state produced the first 2,000 single-season passer the game was utilizing this option more and more. It was a time to revel in great coaching and great playing. It would be a bit more difficult during the Depression as money became tighter but still the crowds would still be large.

The Best Teams of the 1920s

Post-World War I America was a wild time in sports. Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees ruled major league baseball. Notre Dame really came into prominence on the college football scene, especially with the “Four Horsemen” backfield. Bobby Jones was the king of the golf links all over America. High school football in Wisconsin was drawing even bigger crowds, sometimes with 3,000-5,000 fans or more in attendance. The 1920s was an exciting decade as offenses were getting better and defenses were just as tough as before. Scoring 100-points in a game became scarce in Wisconsin high school football but overall scoring increased. Of the 20 known times a team scored 100-points against an opponent, all but one occurrence was prior to 1920. The last time known instance of a team passing the 100-point mark was done by West De Pere in a 126-0 win against Kewaunee in 1926.

The Notre Dame Box Formation, a variation of the single-wing that was developed in 1907 by Carlisle College coach Glenn “Pop” Warner, was the rage. Developed by Knute Rockne the Box was utilized by many colleges and was also prominent in the early days of pro football, in particular by the Green Bay Packers. Wisconsin high schools followed suit. The northeast part of the state dominated the scene. Green Bay East and Marinette each won 4 state titles in the 1920s and along with Green Bay West these three schools garnered eight of my top ten spots. All three schools used the Notre Dame Box or a variation of it.

THE BEST TEAMS

10) Green Bay East -1924 - (9-0-0)

The 1924 Red Devils was the first of coach Wiley’s four state champions. They were 9-0-0 and considered the top team in the state and were the first champion of the newly formed Fox River Valley Conference. The Red devils scored 230 pints and allowed only 16 points including six shutouts. Led by David Zuidmulder who went on to play for the Green Bay Packers after college.

9) Green Bay East - 1929 - (9-0-0)

The bookend to the decade was the 1929 GB East team that had many of the stars from the 1928 championship squad. This was coach Wiley’s last season at East and it was a super one at that. The Red Devils stampeded through the Fox River Valley Conference schedule as well as defeating Wausau and Marinette in non-conference play. They scored 271 points and allowed only 40. As usual, their season ending match with GB West was another classic battle ending with a 12-7 victory.

8) Green Bay East - 1920 - (7-1-0)

The 1920 Green Bay East team featured Jim Crowley who was considered one of the top backs in the state along with Superior's John Hancock. It’s not fully understood why East and Superior couldn’t agree to meet but maybe it was because East’s coach, Curley Lambeau couldn’t get away from Green Bay to a neutral site. The Packers played all of their games that season at home except for one. Crowley could do it all, passing, running and kicking plus play outstanding defense. The team's only loss was to Oshkosh Normal, a 15-0 shutout. This East team was not the state champion, the press awarded that title to Superior, but it was a fine unit.

7) Marinette - 1926 - (8-0-0)

Tom Johnson capped his six-season coaching stint at Marinette with the 1926, 8-0-0 team that beat Superior in a season ending scheduled game. Like the other Marinette teams the Purple Warriors had a stellar defense and shutout six of their opponents and allowed only 10 points overall. The offense only scored 165 but with their tough defense they didn’t need to pile up the points.

6) Marinette - 1922 - (9-1-0)

1922 Marinette was undefeated against their Wisconsin and Michigan foes but they accepted a challenge from Toledo (OH) Scott and they did go down in flames, 45-19 but they came away with their heads held high. Why, after taking a beating? Because Scott was the 1922 and 1923 mythical national champion. Marinette scored more points against Scott than any other opponent the Ohio team played in their championship seasons. All 11 starters would go on to play college ball and their seven reserves also played college football. Marinette scored 319 overall points and allowed only 55.

5) Green Bay West - 1927 - (9-0-0)

1927 Green Bay West and Green Bay East season ending match was played before more than 10,000 fans. Both teams were undefeated heading into their annual game. They battled with West winning 7-6 thanks to the play of quarterback Arnie Heber. Future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Arnie, named as the first team All-Time quarterback by the Milwaukee Journal in 1993, passed for a fourth quarter score and then kicked the extra point for the margin of victory. The team only scored 197 points but they were a great defensive unit with seven shutouts and allowing 12 points.

4) Superior - 1920 - (9-0-0)

John Hancock and his Superior Vikings closed out their great three-year run as the top team in the northwest and state champions in 1918 as well as 1920. Their second game of the season was a close battle with Duluth Cathedral, a 7-6 win, while Hancock was injured for much of the game. Superior played Madison for the title, winning 47-7 against a team that was 7-1-0 coming into the game.

3) Green Bay East - 1928 - (10-0-0)

Green Bay East bulldozed through the 1928 season as they won the Fox River Valley Conference shutting out eight of ten opponents. They gave up a field goal to the Alumni in their opener and then a touchdown to Manitowoc in a 32-6 victory. The Red Devils scored 314 points while giving up only 9 all year. Their biggest win was a season ending battle with rival Green Bay West, 26-0.

2) Delafield St. John’s Military Academy - 1929 - (9-0-0)

In his third season at St. John’s, after a 7-1-0 record in both 1927 and 1928, Harry Wilhelm took a big step forward by going undefeated in 1929. The team beat four college teams…the Marquette University freshman, the Platteville School of Mines (Now UW-Platteville), Oshkosh Normal (Now UW-Oshkosh) varsity and the Ripon College varsity. In mid-November St. John’s beat Culver (IN) Military Academy 25-7 before nearly 25,000 football fans at Chicago’s Soldiers Field. They were awarded the National Military Prep Championship, the Western Prep Championship and the North Central Academy Association Championship banners and trophies. St. John’s ranked higher in my overall rankings over their 1929 co-champs, Green Bay East, because of their tougher schedule.

1) Marinette - 1923 - (10-0-0)

The Purple Warriors blasted through their opponents scoring 455 points and allowing only 25 including 7 shutouts. This was the last season a “match game” for the title could be played but Marinette passed on Wisconsin teams and instead felt they could stand on their own 9-0-0 record and chose to play Rockford (IL) instead. Their star player, Einer Lund was ineligible because of age, he had turned 20-years old, and didn’t play in the team’s 14-12 victory over Rockford. The 455 points that Marinette scored in 1923 broke the previous single season scoring record of 427 points, set by Superior Central in 1918 (in just 8 games). The record stood for an incredible 60 years! No Wisconsin high school team is known to have scored more points in a single season until 1983's Schofield D.C. Everest put up 486 points in 13 games.

Honorable Mention:

Pio Nono - 1927 - (8-1-0)

Prairie Du Chien Campion - 1928 - (9-0-0)

The catholic schools of the time are not thought to have been on the same level as the best of the public schools. There was little overlap in schedules but Pio Nono defeated a good Milwaukee Lincoln team on their way to an 8-1-0 season and the first mythical Catholic state championship. A close loss coming mid-season to Racine St Catherine. Prairie Du Chien Campion lost to Pio Nono in the final game of 1927 before going undefeated in 1928 to win the mythical Catholic state championship.

Pio Nono - 1927