GREAT SUPERIOR TEAMS…PART 8

May 27
5 min read

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.

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.

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.