NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 25 - Troy King, Freeport

The 25th player on our list knew how to run with an opportunity when it came his way.

After backing up Yancy Shipp in 1977, Troy King took over as feature back in 1978 and led the Pretzels to their best season since 1964. King rushed for 1,423 while powering Freeport to a 9-2 record and its first trip to the IHSA playoffs. He won the conference rushing title by 531 yards. 

He was just the second player in NIC-10 history to rush for 2,000 career yards (2,044). The big finish earned him a scholarship to Wisconsin to play for Dave McClain, who'd finished his first season as Badgers coach.

King was a solid four-year contributor, never taking a redshirt season. He had 855 yards rushing and receiving over the first three seasons. In 1982, he finally took over the feature back role with eight games to go in the season. He rushed for 715 yards as a senior on 7.2 yards per carry. He finished sixth in the Big Ten in rushing yards, fifth in rushing touchdowns (7) and first in yards per carry.

The Badgers finished King's senior season with a 14-3 win over Kansas State in the Independence Bowl to finish the season at 7-5. The Badgers went 22-24 over King's four seasons and Tory ended up averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 1,398 career yards. Only three NIC-10 running backs have more yards than King at the highest level of college football (Merwin Hodel, Jerry Latin and Ira Matthews).

There was some NFL interest in King after his senior season, but he was playing with cartilage damage in his knee and he passed on the opportunity. King eventually settled in Georgia and works in medical sales. 

No. 25 - Troy King, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1977	High School	Freeport	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1978	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			League Leader	1
			All-State	1
1979	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1980	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1981	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1982	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			League Leader	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
Total				30

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 26 - Dick Smith, Rockford

The 26th player on our list was part of two of the greatest collections of talent in local and college history.

Dick Smith was an offensive-defensive lineman for the 1930 and 1931 Rockford Rabs football teams. The 1930 team was believed to be the best Rockford high school football team until the 1973-1974 undefeated East E-Rabs teams came along. 

The Rabs that year lost their opening game, 6-0, to Chicago Bowen in the first night game in Beyer Stadium history. Rockford then won the next eight by a combined score of 277-18. Quarterback Jack Beynon, end Barton Cummings and guard Steve Polaski all went to the University of Illinois from that squad and fullback Ewald Nyquist ended up at the University of Chicago where he opened holes for 1935 Heisman winner Jay Berwanger.

Surrounded by all that talent, Smith was overlooked locally. He was named honorable mention All-Big Six in 1930 and didn't make the all-conference team at all in 1931. Still, he showed enough that he ended up in Minnesota to play for Hall of Fame coach Bernie Bierman.

The Golden Gophers had lured Bierman away from Tulane where his final three teams went 28-2. Smith was part of Bierman's first recruiting class. Freshmen weren't eligible for varsity Division I football in the 1930s so Smith didn't debut with the Golden Gophers until 1933. He took over as starter midway through his sophomore season and never experienced defeat as a varsity player. The Golden Gophers went 20-0-4 (4-0-4, 8-0, 8-0) in 1933, 1934 and 1935.

The 1934 team was a particular powerhouse, outscoring its opponents 270-38. The 1935 had some close calls. The Gophers beat Nebraska, 12-7; Northwestern, 21-13; and Iowa, 13-6. Still, both teams were named national champions by several of the recognized ranking systems of the day.

Smith was one of three Minnesota lineman named to All-American teams after the 1935 season. Smith was honored by the Associated Press, United Press International, New York World Telegram, Look Magazine and Collier's.

That earned Smith a first and perhaps only. General Mills began making Wheaties in 1924. In 1934, the brand began putting athletes on its cereal boxes to go with its slogan, "The Breakfast of Champions." Smith was included in 1936 when the company featured every All-American from the 1935 season. The NIC-10 History Book was unable to unearth any other locals being on a Wheaties box.

After Smith's senior year, he was chosen to play on several college all-star teams. One was in Hawaii where he met a UCLA student. They married in 1936. With a new wife to take care of, Smith turned down a contract offer from the Chicago Bears after he was picked in the seventh round of the 1936 draft. The NFL didn't offer much in terms of salary.

Instead, Smith embarked on a long business career in California, back in Rockford for three years and then for decades out in Arizona. Over the years, he owned and operated a machine shop, worked in banking, became a partner in an auto dealership, bought a sporting goods store, a bowling alley, a lumber yard, a concrete block company, a ready-mix company and a ranch. Along the way, he had four sons. the youngest, Brad, became a world champion steer wrestler.

Rockford's undefeated college football star died in 2000.

No. 26 - Dick Smith, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1930	High School	Rockford	Honorable Mention All-Conference	0.5
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1931	High School	Rockford	Losing Team	0
1932	College	Minnesota	Player on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1933	College	Minnesota	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			National Champion	1
1935	College	Minnesota	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			National Champion	1
			All-American	1
1936	NFL	Bears	Seventh Round Pick	4
Total				29.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 27 - Brock Spack, East

The No. 27 player on our list remains one of the all-time greatest tacklers this area has ever produced and now is one of the top coaches ever to come out of the NIC-10.

Brock Spack was a two-time All-Big Nine linebacker for the East E-Rabs in 1978 and 1979 who also blasted open holes as a fullback. The 1978 E-Rabs tied for the conference title with Freeport, but his 1979 team fell to 4-5. Despite the so-so record as a senior, Spack was picked for several all-state teams.

To improve his football speed, Spack also ran on the track team, finishing second in the conference in the 220-yard run and the 440-yard relay.

His nose for the football and speed made Spack one of the top recruits in the conference in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His final two choices were Colorado, where former E-Rab Stuart Walker had starred, and Purdue, where former East star Russell Pope had played.

Spack picked Purdue because it was closer to home and it offered him a chance to play right away. He made an impact immediately. He was in the linebacker rotation all season in 1980, getting in on 38 tackles and breaking up one pass as the Boilermakers went 9-3 and won the Liberty Bowl.

Spack moved into the starting lineup in 1981 and showed NFL potential. He was in on 131 tackles, including eight for loss. He was voted first-team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America.

Unfortunately, that would be the pinnacle of his career. Before his junior season, Spack injured a foot water skiing and required surgery. It didn't cost him any games - Spack was in on 129 tackles as a junior and 88 as a senior - but it cost him explosiveness. He was never quite the same player.

Still, he ended up with 384 career tackles, which is the second-most ever in NCAA Division I college football by a NIC-10 player since 1980. It also remains fifth all-time on Purdue's list.

The Dallas Cowboys signed Spack to a free agent contract in 1984. Spack lasted a month with the Cowboys. He was released before playing preseason after Dallas chose to keep a fourth-round pick from Boston College.

In 1984, the USFL was an option and he was contacted by the San Antonio Gunslingers. Spack turned it down and retired - and decided to remain in football forever. He took a job as a Purdue graduate assistant coach. The led to an assistant coaching job at Wabash College in 1986 and then Eastern Illinois from 1987 to 1990. In 1991, Purdue brought him back as coach of its defensive backs from 1991 to 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he stepped up to defensive coordinator for Wyoming. That earned him a third job at Purdue as he served as Boilermakers defensive coordinator from 1997 to 2008 under coach Joe Tiller.

When Tiller left after 2008, Spack left as well, finally getting a head coaching job at Illinois State University where he's been ever since. The Redbirds have gone 89-60 in his 13 seasons, qualifying for the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs five times. His 2014 team advanced all the way to the title game, where Illinois State lost to North Dakota State, 29-27.

Spack has maintained strong ties to the area, recruiting several NIC-10 and area starts to play for him. James Robinson, the Jacksonville Jaguars running back who graduated from Rockford Lutheran, played for Spack at Illinois State. This year's Illinois State roster included Zeke Vandenburgh and Keondre Jackson from Freeport, Julian Haynie from Guilford and Noah Hickcox from Boylan.

No. 27 - Brock Spack, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1978	High School	East	First Team All Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1979	High School	East	First Team All Conference	2
			All-State	1
1980	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1981	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Honorable Mention All-America	0.5
1982	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1983	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1984	NFL	Dallas	Signed as free agent	1
Total				29.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 28 - Stan Stasica, Rockford

The 28th player on our list likely would have come in a lot higher if not for a little thing like World War II.

Stan Stasica was the last and one of the greatest all-around athletes to come out of Rockford High School before it closed in 1940. 

In basketball, the Rabs went 48-4 with Stasica on the varsity, including winning the 1938-1939 IHSA state title. Stasica led the Rabs with an average of 12 points per game back when 50 points was a high-scoring affair.

On the football field, in 1937, Stasica powered the Rabs to the school's first conference title since 1934 and a 5-2-1 mark overall with six touchdowns. He scored another eight in 1938 as Rockford finished second to East Aurora. In Stasica's two years, the Rabs were 11-4-1 and he was voted first team All-Big 7 both seasons.

By Stasica's senior season, former Rockford High School star Rex Enright (No. 43 on this list) had taken over as head football coach at South Carolina. Enright was always on the lookout for top talent from Rockford and he convinced Stan to head south. To give Stasica a little more seasoning before college ball, Enright had Stan enroll at Gordon Military College in Georgia for the 1939 season where Stasica would score 17 touchdowns. Stasica then spent the 1940 season on South Carolina's freshman team.

In 1941, Stasica took the Southern Conference by storm. He teamed up with former Harlem running back Ken Roskie to lead the Gamecocks to a 4-4-1 record. Stasica played a starring role throughout. He had 106 yards rushing and the game-winning 66-yard touchdown run against North Carolina. He had the game-winning touchdown run in a 13-6 win over The Citadel. He had the only score in a 7-6 loss to the University of Miami and a 41-yard TD run and 82-yard TD pass in a 19-12 loss to Penn State.

He is probably best remembered by South Carolina fans for throwing two TD passes in the Gamecocks' 18-14 win over Clemson, its biggest rival. One of his TD passes was to Roskie and the other South Carolina was a TD pass by Roskie - oh for the days of the entertaining Single Wing offense.

Stasica was placed on the All-Southern Conference Team by the International News Service and named honorable mention All-America by the Associated Press. He was poised to have one of the best college careers ever by any Northern Illinois Conference player.

In December 1941, though, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Stasica joined the U.S. Army. He spent the 1942 season playing for the Camp Grant Warriors before becoming a paratrooper for the 101st Airborne where he was a genuine war hero.

The 101st Airborne was known as the Screaming Eagles and took part in the D-Day invasion of Normany, the aerial invasion of Holland and fought at Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. Stasica earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Stasica had made such an impression in 1941 that the Cleveland Rams drafted Stasica in the 8th round of the 1943 NFL draft even though he was preparing for the D-Day invasion.

Stasica was finally discharged from military service in late September of 1945. The college football season was already underway so instead of returning to South Carolina, Stasica transferred to the University of Illinois.

It was a rough return. He practiced with the Illini on October 4 and was in the lineup against Indiana two days later. This wasn't a glorious time for Illinois football. The Illini would go 2-6-1 for the year and 1-5-1 with Stasica on the team. He started the last six games but didn't score a single touchdown. Stasica planned on returning in 1946, but he dropped out in the summer despite having gone through spring practice.

In the fall, the Miami Seahawks of the fledgling All-American Football Conference, which was trying to challenge the NFL and was founded in 1941 by Chicago Tribune Editor (and former Rockford Morning Star writer) Arch Ward. Stasica would appear in only one game.

He was on the move again in 1947, playing for the Regina Roughriders in the Canadian Football League. 

That was it for pro football for Stasica. Although no story was printed on why he gave it up, by the fall of 1948, Stasica was 29 years old. He spent the next several years in Rockford where he quickly became one of the area's better amateur golfers. He was the winner of the first Winnebago County Amateur in 1954.

Eventually, though, he settled in Denver, Colorado, where he lived until his death in 2012.

No. 28 - Stan Stasica, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1937	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1938	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Honorable Mention All-State	0.5
1940	High School	South Carolina	Player on NCAA Division1 Freshman Team	1.75
1941	High School	South Carolina	Letter Winner on NCAA Division I Team	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Conference	1
			Honorable Mention All-America	0.5
1944	NFL	Rams	Eighth Round Draft Pick	3
1945	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1946	AAFC	Miami Seahawks	Played in AAFC	2
1947	CFL	Regina	Played in CFL	2
			All-Star	1
Total				29.25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 29 - Mitch Anderson, East

The 29th player on our list was part of one of the most talented backfields in Big 8/NIC-10 history.

After spending most of his junior year as a backup, in 1970 Mitch Anderson teamed up with future NFL running back Jerry Latin to power East to a 7-2 season and a conference title. Latin dominated the league with 1,325 yards in nine games, but Anderson kept the defenses honest with 1,006 yards passing and 12 touchdowns against just two interceptions.

Although those numbers seem pedestrian when compared with today's quarterbacks. In 1970, the No. 2 quarterback in passing yardage had just 490 and the other seven starting quarterbacks in the Big 8 combined for 19 touchdown passes versus 40 interceptions. Mitch was literally twice as good as any other QB in the league.

In 1995, Anderson told the Register Star his biggest athletic regret was that the IHSA didn't have football playoffs until 1974. He would have liked to see how far that 1970 East team could have gone.

While Latin's big season earned him a ticket to Northern Illinois, Anderson accepted a scholarship to play at Northwestern in the Big Ten.

After playing on the freshman team in 1971 - players weren't eligible for varsity in this era of college football - Anderson won the starting job in 1972. This wasn't a golden era for Wildcats football. In Mitch's three years running the offense, Northwestern went 9-24.

It wasn't Mitch's fault. In 1972, Anderson led the Big Ten in pass completions, completion percentage, passing yards and passer efficiency rating. In 1973, he was No. 1 in the Big Ten in completions, completion percentage and passing yards. In 1974, his play slipped slightly and all he led the Big Ten in was interceptions. Still, he started 33 games for the the Wildcats, passing for 3,841 yards and 26 touchdowns.

He showed enough for the NFL to take a flier on him. The Atlanta Falcons took him in the 17th round in the 1975 NFL draft. He didn't make the team as Atlanta also had taken Steve Bartkowski. In 1976, he got another shot, signing a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers. He didn't make that roster either as the Chargers were beginning to rise with Dan Fouts at QB.

Anderson taught and coached briefly in Elgin before returning to Rockford in 1978 to start Anderson Heat Treating. He spent the rest of his life running the business and coaching. He coached or sponsored youth teams in football, basketball and baseball. He also returned to East, serving as a freshman football coach and offensive coordinator.

Mitch died tragically young. In 1998, at the age of 45, he suffered an aortic aneurysm.

No. 29 - Mitch Anderson, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1969	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1970	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			League Leader (passing)	1
1971	College	Northwestern	Freshman on Power 5 Team	2
1972	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			League Leader	1
1973	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			League Leader	1
			All-Big Leader	1
1974	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1975	NFL	Falcons	Drafted in 17th Round	1
1976	NFL	Chargers	Free Agent Contract	1
Total				29

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 30 - Reggie Sims, West

A player who helped propel West and Northern Illinois University to its greatest heights checks in at No. 30 on our list.

Reggie Sims is the older of two Sims brothers to make this list (Vernon Sims, No. 42)  and the third-highest West Warrior in the top 100.

Sims remains one of the best tight ends to come out of the NIC-10. In 1979 and 1980, the Warriors went 16-5 with Sims in the starting lineup. Sims had 10 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns for the 1979 West team that finished third in the conference with a 7-2 record.

Sims improved those marks to 24 catches for 373 yards and five touchdowns for the 1980 Warriors. He finished third in the conference in receptions and yardage. He also helped open holes for Lee Hicks (No. 41 on the list), his future college teammate, who finished second in the conference in rushing.

The 1980 Warriors tied Boylan for the conference title and the school's first trip to the IHSA playoffs. The Warriors knocked off Arlington Heights Viator, 14-6, to earn a bragging rights game with Boylan. West earned a trip to the semifinals with a 7-6 where the run ended in an 18-6 loss to Darien Hinsdale South.

Hicks and Sims both signed with Northern Illinois University, which finished its first season under promising coach Bill Mallory. Sims lettered but played little as a freshman as the Huskies fell from 7-4 to 3-8. In 1982, Sims worked his way into the tight end rotation, catching six passes for 94 yards as the Huskies improved to 5-5.

In 1983, Sims and NIU took off. Reggie recorded 27 catches for 279 yards as the Huskies went 10-2, winning the Mid-American Conference championship and qualifying for the first bowl game since NIU moved to the highest level of college football in 1968. The Huskies beat Cal State-Fullerton in the California Bowl in Fresno. Sims had four catches for 43 yards.

That season earned Mallory a job in the Big 10 where he would coach several others on our Greatest 100 list, including Chris Simons, Mike Larson and Leonard Bell. Lee Corso took over NIU for one season and the Huskies slipped back to 4-6. It wasn't Sims' fault. He finished his NIU career strong, catching 39 passes in 11 games for 475 yards. He finished his career with 72 catches for 848 yards.

That appeared to be it for his football career. After NIU, he went to work for the DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau as a recreational and employment coordinator. But he had one more "season" left in him. 

In 1987, the NFL players went on strike. The owners decided to go on with the season using replacement players. Sims dug out the football shoes and made the Cincinnati Bengals roster. He got in 20 plays as a backup tight end in the season opener. Unfortunately, that cost him his job in DeKalb and, while he tried to work that out, his position as a replacement player as well. Still, he is one of rare NIC-10 players to play in a regular season NFL game.

Sims re-entered the working world. He was working for United Parcel Services and living is Oswego when he died of a heart attack in 2004 at the age of 41.

No. 30 - Reggie Sims, West
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1979	High School	West	Winning Team	1
1980	High School	West	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (TD receptions)	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			IHSA Final Four	1
1981	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1A	3.5
1982	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1A	3.5
			Winning Team	1
1983	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			All-MAC	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Team	1
1984	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
1987	NFL	Cincinnati	Replacement Player	2
Total				29

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 31 - Donn Hershberger, Freeport

This is the team photo for the 1948 national champion
Michigan Wolverines football team. Freeport native
Donn Hershberger is No. 85 on the far right of the second row.

The No. 31 player on our list remains kind of a mystery.

There isn't much in the Rockford Register Star archives about Donn Hershberger of Freeport, but, according to our system, he was one of the most accomplished players in Big Eight/NIC-10 history.

He was an offensive and defensive end for the 1943 and 1944 Pretzels. The 1943 Pretzels went 4-2-1 to finish second in the Big Eight Conference to Rockford West. In 1944, Freeport fell to 4-5, but Hershberger impressed enough to be named to the Champaign News Gazette All-State team. An all-around athlete, Hershberger also led Freeport in scoring in basketball.

That earned him a scholarship to the University of Michigan, which was a huge deal in the 1940s. Under coach Fritz Crisler, the Wolverines had finished third in the AP Poll in 1940, fifth in 1941, ninth in 1942, third again 1943 and eighth in 1944.

Hershberger made an impact immediately, most likely because so many college athletes were fighting overseas in World War II. Players in NCAA Division 1 football in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, typically played in freshmen teams. But in 1945, Hershberger stepped in right away as a true freshman as a starting end for a Michigan team that went 7-3 and finished sixth in the final AP Poll.

You can see Hershberger in this video around the 7:30 mark catching a 29-yard touchdown pass - https://bentley.mivideo.it.umich.edu/media/t/1_5utbp0tl. Hershberger also continued to keep busy. Another clip mentioned that he also was competing on the Michigan baseball and track teams.

In 1946 and 1947, Hershberger lettered but it doesn't appear that he started any games for Michigan. The 1946 team went 6-2-1 and the 1947 team went 10-0 in Crisler's last year, crushing USC 49-0 in the 1948 Rose Bowl to win the national championship.

In 1948, Hershberger started at least three games, according to newspaper clippings, as Michigan went 9-0 under new coach Bennie Oosterbaan. Michigan was unable to repeat in the Rose Bowl because the Western Conference rule at the time prohibited teams from playing more than once every three years. Still, Michigan was again voted national champions.

There are no stats on Hershberger and his name only appears in Register Star archives twice after 1948 - when he was in a wedding and when a brother died in 2001. It appears he settled in Cincinnati. Still, based on this system which awards points for being named all-state, lettering, starting and more for being in winning programs, Hershberger's all-state high school career and four years playing at perhaps the top program in the nation was enough to push him far up the list of greatest football players.

No. 31 - Donn Hershberger, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1943	High School	Freeport	Winning Team	1
1944	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State Selection	1
1945	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Record	1
1946	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Record	1
1947	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Record	1
			Bowl Game	1
			National Champion	1
1948	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			National Champion	1
Total				29

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 32 - Chris Simons, Belvidere

Our 32nd ranked player was a building block of the early Belvidere dynasty and for one of the best stretches ever for Indiana football.

Chris Simons was a 6-4, 245-pound offensive lineman for the Bucs in 1982 and 1983. With Simons and Tyler Mason clearing holes, the Bucs went 6-3 in 1982 and then 9-2 in 1983. The 1983 Bucs were legendary coach Vern Pottinger's first NIC-10 champions and first playoff team in his seventh season.

It was the beginning of a glorious Belvidere run. Beginning in 1985, Belvidere would make the playoffs 10 straight seasons under Pottinger and win two state titles.

While Mason accepted a scholarship to Valparaiso, Simons was being recruited schools such as Iowa State and Wisconsin. He was leaning towards Northern Illinois University where coach Bill Mallory had turned NIU into a mid-major power. When Mallory left NIU for Indiana, Simons followed him to the Big 10.

Simons redshirted in 1984 and played sparingly in 1985. In 1986, he was poised to win a starting position when he broke a leg. He was back in 1987 and 1988 and a fixture as a starter in what was a golden era for Indiana football.

Mallory went 0-11 in 1984 as Simons redshirted. The Hoosiers improved to 4-7 and then 6-6 in 1986 - the season Simons broke his leg. In 1987, Indiana finished second in the Big 10 with a 6-2 mark and 8-4 overall to earn a trip to the Peach Bowl. Indiana was 8-3-1 in 1988 and played in the Liberty Bowl.

Indiana's 16 wins in Simons' final two years were the most for the school since the 1944 and 1945 teams went 16-3-1 under coach Bo McMillin. Indiana hasn't had back-to-back seasons with 16 wins since.

Simons impressed enough that he reportedly was invited to the NFL Combine - although we couldn't find a clip to prove it - but he wasn't drafted or signed.

No. 32 - Chris Simons, Belvidere
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1982	High School	Belvidere	Winning Team	1
1983	High School	Belvidere	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
1985	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1986	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1987	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1988	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
Total				29

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 33 - Jack Beynon, Rockford

The No. 33 player on our list was a Rockford newsmaker from his his high school days to his death.

John T. "Jack" Beynon played tennis and basketball for Rockford High School and was the star quarterback of the 1930 Rockford football team that many considered the finest Rockford high school team before the 1973-1974 undefeated east E-Rabs.

The 1930 Rabs lost their season opener, 6-0, to Chicago Bowen but then ran off eight straight wins, outscoring its opponents 279-18. That included 59-0 romps over Joliet, 40-0 over West Aurora and 52-0 over Freeport to end the season.

Beynon was the unquestioned star of the team, running for 20 touchdowns and passing for four more, including three to team captain Barton Cummings.

Barton and Cummings earned scholarships to the University of Illinois to play for legendary coach Robert Zuppke. Zuppke had coached Illinois to four national titles, but his Illini struggled to records of 3-5 and 2-6-1 in the two years before Beynon took the field.

Illinois no longer has statistics on its teams from the 1930s. The NIC-10 History Book looked up game accounts from Beynon's three seasons. Playing in the old single-wing under Zuppke's entertaining flea-flicker offense, Beynon was a throwing and receiving threat.

Beynon's touchdown totals are modest by today's standards. He threw nine touchdown passes and caught three. But in Illinois' three seasons with Beynon, the Illini averaged 11 points per game. Beynon threw or caught the only touchdown in four games for Illinois.

In 1933, Beynon's best season statistically, he was named honorable mention All-American by Liberty Magazine and Collier's Magazine. In 1934, which Beynon was named team captain, he was named second-team All-America by Red Grange Universal Service, third-team by Hearst and the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and honorable mention by Liberty Magazine.

Beynon played in the 1935 College All-Star Game, along with future President Gerald Ford of Michigan. Beynon later said that Bears owner George Halas offered him a contract for $150 per game, but Beynon would have to pay his own expenses.

Beynon turned it down, and instead worked his way through law school at Illinois by assisting Zuppke as a backfield coach and working as a radio sports announcer. He served for four years in World War II before resuming his law career.

In 1966, Beynon became Winnebago County's first public defender. In 1971, he was named an associate judge and became a circuit judge in 1981. Beynon died in 1989.

No. 33 - Jack Beynon, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1930	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			League Leader (rushing TDs)	1
			All-State	1
1931	College	Illinois	Player on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1932	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1933	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Conference	1
			Honorable Mention All-America	0.5
1934	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Conference	1
			Honorable Mention All-America	0.5
Total				29

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 34 - Vederian Lowe, Auburn

The 34th player on our list should get a chance to someday make the top 10.

Vederian Lowe was one of the two pillars - Donterrio Hannah was the other - on the offensive and defensive lines that helped turn Auburn from an also-ran into NIC-10 champions.

Lowe was a three-year starter and two-time first team All-Conference lineman for the Knights. Auburn had long struggled to compete in football and had won just one of its last 36 games when coach Dan Appino left Boylan to invigorate the Auburn program in 2012.

The Knights went 9-10 in Appino's first two years. Lowe and Hannah - who was a three-time all-conference offensive and defensive lineuman - moved into the starting lineup in 2014.

The Knights would go 6-4 their sophomore years and then 10-2 in the junior and senior years, winning back-to-back NIC-10 football titles. Those were the first NIC-10 football titles for Auburn since 1962 and the first for any Rockford Public School since 1985.

Hannah chose to go to Arizona Western Community College, a junior college power, where he eventually drifted away from football. Lowe signed to play at the University Illinois, where he broke another streak.

No Rockford Public Schools player had been an impact player at the University of Illinois since West's Marshall Starks in the late 1950s. Lowe became an impact player almost immediately.

Lowe made his first appearance and first start in week five of the 2017 season against Iowa. He would end up playing starting seven games, playing in eight and being named honorable mention All-Freshman by the Big Ten Network.

Beginning in 2018, Lowe has started every single game for the Illini. Of course, the coronavirus turned the sports world upside down in 2020 and the NCAA ruled that players could participate last year without it counting against their eligibility. Lowe was named honorable mention All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media and had the size (6-6, 320 pounds) to play in the NFL. Still, Lowe chose to return to Illinois for a fifth season.

Of course, this hasn't been a golden era for Illinois football. The Illini went 14-31 in Lowe's first four years and won't have a winning season in 2021 either. Still, Lowe will get a shot at the NFL. Earlier this season, NFL Draft Analyst Tony Pauline gave Lowe a fourth-round grade, Walterfootball.com projects him as a seventh rounder and profootballnetwork.com sees him as a sixth round pick.

No. 34 - Vederian Lowe, Auburn
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2015	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
2016	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
2017	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
2018	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
2019	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
2020	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Honorable Mention All-Big 10	0.5
Total				28.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 35 - Steve Stark, Hononegah

The 35th player on our list was one of the early building blocks of the greatest sustained success of the Wisconsin Badgers.

Steve Stark was a three-sport athlete at Hononegah who eventually outgrew baseball and basketball. It was the athleticism he showed in all three that caught the eye of Big 10 recruiters at a University of Iowa agility camp. 

Stark, who was a first team All-NIC-9 performer in 1990 for a 7-4 Hononegah team, ended up picking Wisconsin, which wasn't a slam dunk choice back then.

The Badgers of the late 1980's had slid to the bottom of the Big 10, having gone 15-52 since the school's last winning season in 1984. Stark, though, had a feeling that first-year coach Barry Alvarez could turn things around.

Stark redshirted in 1991 as the Badgers improved to 5-6 and then watched and learned in 1992 during another 5-6 season. In 1993, he took over at right guard, playing on an offensive line that featured future NFL players Mike Verstegen (1996-1997), Joe Rudolph (1995-1997), Joe Panos (1994-2000) and Cory Raymer (1995-2005).

That bulldozing line cleared the way for Brent Moss to gain 1,637 yards on the ground and Darrell Bevell to throw for 2,390 yards. The Badgers went 10-1-1 to earn the school's first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1962 when East's Ron Carlson (No. 37 on our list) was starring on the defensive line.

The Badgers beat UCLA, 21-16, in Pasadena to finish ranked No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Stark and his linemates dominated, opening up enough room for Moss to run for 158 yards and two touchdowns and walk off with the game's MVP award.

That really was Stark's zenith at Wisconsin. As a junior, he injured an ankle and missed five games for a 7-4-1 Wisconsin team. Stark was a preseason All-Big 10 pick as a senior, but he sprained so severely in the fourth game of the season that he had to have surgery and miss the rest of the year. Without Stark anchoring the line, Wisconsin fell to 4-5-1.

Still, the foundation had been laid. The Badgers would having winning seasons in nine of the next 10 seasons under Alvarez and make it back to the Rose Bowl in 1998 and 1999. The winning has continued under Brett Bielema, Gary Anderson and Paul Chryst. Since that magical 1993 run, Wisconsin has played in bowl games in 26 out of 28 seasons.

The injury also cost Stark professionally. He was not selected in the 1996 NFL draft and signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets. He didn't make the squad and decided instead to put his Wisconsin degree to use. Stark runs Stark Web Design in the Milwaukee area as well as Trench Training, which focuses on developing the skills of offensive and defensive linemen.

No. 35 - Steve Stark, Hononegah
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1989	High School	Hononegah	Winning Team	1
1990	High School	Hononegah	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
1992	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1993	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Rose Bowl	1
1994	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Hall of Fame Bowl	1
1995	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1996	NFL	Jets	Free agent contract	1
Total				28

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 36 - Josh Black, Harlem

The 36th player on our list is the highest rated Huskie who has a chance to move a lot higher.

Josh Black started out as an offensive lineman. He was first team All-NIC-10 as a junior for the 2014 Harlem team that went 7-3.

College scouts, though, thought his athleticism - Black was a state-ranked shot putter in track - would play better on the defensive side of the ball. So Harlem moved him to defensive end his senior year. Black would record 13 tackles for loss, seven sacks and block two punts for another 7-3 Harlem team and be voted first team All-NIC-10.

That earned him a scholarship to Syracuse, which is not a normal destination for a NIC-10 athlete. In fact, the NIC-10 History Book hasn't found another local player to play for the Orangemen.

Syracuse threw him into the fire immediately. He started nine games and played in 10 as a true freshman, recording 21 tackles, including four against Clemson, and 1.5 sacks.

His momentum slowed in 2017. He injured his knee in the fifth game of the season and took a medical redshirt.

In 2018, Syracuse moved him from defensive end to defensive tackle, hoping his quickness would disrupt things inside. He played in 11 games, starting four, and had 14 tackles.

In 2019, he was moved to nose tackle where he started all 12 games, registered 39 tackles, including six for loss. He had his better games against better competition, recording four takcles against Maryland and a career-high five against N.C. State and Pittsburgh.

In 2020, he started all 11 games, recorded 38 tackles, two sacks and his first career interception.

Of course, the 2020 season was delayed by the coronavirus and the NCAA ruled that everyone who played wouldn't have it count against their eligibility. Black decided to return to Syracuse for 2021 to improve his NFL prospects and to help Syracuse return to competitiveness. The Orangemen went 10-3 in 2018 but tumbled to 1-10 in 2020.

He has the size (6-3, 290 pounds) for the NFL and the quickness to at least get a chance at the NFL. The fact that he played both guard and end at Syracuse with success is likely to earn him at least an undrafted free agent contract.

No. 36 - Josh Black, Harlem
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2014	High School	Harlem	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
2015	High School	Harlem	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
2016	College	Syracuse	Letter Winner on Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
2017	College	Syracuse	Redshirt	0
2018	College	Syracuse	Letter Winner on Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
2019	College	Syracuse	Letter Winner on Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
2020	College	Syracuse	Letter Winner on Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
Total				28

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players