NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 55 - Earl Upton, Jefferson

The 1985 Jefferson J-Hawks are probably the least celebrated great team in NIC-10 history.

Jefferson went 8-1 to win its second straight NIC-10 title - this one outright - and two of the teams it beat went on to IHSA state title games. Hononegah went to the 4A championship game where it lost and East went to the 5A title game, which it won easily.

Jefferson was bumped up to 6A, then the largest class, and lost in the second round to Buffalo Grove, which advanced to the 6A semifinals, to finish 9-2.

The heart and soul of that team on offense and defense was Earl Upton, the No. 55 player on our list.

Upton was a key cog in Jefferson's share-the-wealth wishbone attack. He finished third in the NIC-10 in rushing in 1984 with 566 yards in eight games, averaging 7.4 yards a carry. A Rockford teachers strike scrambled the schedule and not every boxscore appeared in the local newspapers.

In 1985, he was second on the J-Hawks in rushing and 11th in the conference with 602 yards in 11 games.

On defense, he keyed the backfield for Jefferson's hard-hitting defense. With Upton in the secondary and Jim Randall at linebacker (No. 56 on our list), Jefferson surrendered just 148 points over 20 games in 1984 and 1985.

Upton joined Randall in choosing to play for Northern Illinois University, a program that was rising under coach Jerry Pettibone by aggressively recruiting NIC-10 players.

Upton redshirted as a freshman, lettered in three of his four seasons and was a starting cornerback his final two. In those final two seasons, Upton recored 100 tackles, defended 14 passes and intercepted five. The Huskies were 27-16 during Upton's time in DeKalb.

Upton now lives in Florida where he's a senior HR partner for Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals.

No. 55 - Earl Upton, Jefferson
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1984	High School	Jefferson	Special Mention All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1985	High School	Jefferson	First Team All-Conference	1
			All-State	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1987	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Div. 1A	1.75
1988	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner for NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Winning Team	1
1989	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner for NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1990	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner for NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				25.25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 56 - Jim Randall, Jefferson

Coach Joe Blume turned Jefferson into a 1980s football power with a simple formula - a wishbone running attack and using his best athletes on a punishing defense.

Jim Randall was the power rusher that made life miserable for running backs and quarterbacks on Blume's back-to-back conference champions. 

With Randall leading the defensive charge, the J-Hawks went 6-2 in the NIC-10 in 1984, tying Hononegah and Boylan for the conference title. Jefferson gave up just 64 points in nine games. In 1985, with Randle making first team All-NIC-10 at linebacker, Jefferson was 8-1 to win the title outright and finished 9-2 overall.

There are lots of teams who had better records than the 1985 J-Hawks, but no team had to navigate a tougher conference. East and Hononegah finished in a tie for third with Belvidere at 6-3. Hononegah would go on to make the IHSA Class 4A state championship game and East would win the IHSA Class 5A state title. Jefferson was bumped up to Class 6A, where it fell in the second round to Buffalo Grove.

A Rockford School District team wouldn't win a NIC-10 football title again until Auburn in 2015.

In the 1980s, Jerry Pettibone was turning Northern Illinois University into a mid-major power by mining NIC-10 talent. Randall headed to DeKalb where he was teammates with fellow NIC-10 stars Reggie Harris of East (No. 90 on our list), Vernon Sims of West, former Jefferson teammates Earl Upton and Greg Heidel (No. 89 on our list), Kevin Frazier of Freeport, Robbie Russell of Harlem and Matt Kentner and Mike Strasser of Hononegah.

Randall lettered for four years in DeKalb and was a starter his final two years at outside linebacker and defensive end. His final three seasons the Huskies went 22-11, earning Pettibone a bigger job at Oregon and sending NIU into a tailspin under Charlie Sadler.

No. 56 - Jim Randall, Jefferson
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1984	High School	Jefferson	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1985	High School	Jefferson	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
1986	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1	3.5
1988	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1	3.5
			Winning Team	1
1989	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1990	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Players: No. 57 - Barton Cummings, Rockford

The 57th ranked player on our list was a star at the University of Illinois who now is way more remembered at the school because of his eventual occupation.

Barton Cummings was a two-time All-Big 7 offensive and defensive end for the Rockford Rabs in 1929 and 1930. He was chosen captain of the 1930 team that was considered the greatest collection of athletes on a Northern Illinois Conference football team until the East powerhouses of 1973 and 1974.

The Rabs dropped their opening game to Chicago Bowen, 6-0, in the first night game in Beyer Stadium history. The Rabs then won their final eight games by a combined score of 276-18. At least six players off that team played major college football.

Cummings and Rockford quarterback Jack Beynon decided to play for legendary coach Robert Zuppke at the University of Illinois. We couldn't find record of Cummings playing for the freshman team in 1931, but he was a starter in 1932, 1933 and 1934. He was honorable mention All-Big 10 in 1932. Several stories said Cummings was an honorable mention All-American, but he is not listed as one in the University of Illinois record book.

The Illini were 5-4 in 1932, 5-3 in 1933 and then 7-1 in 1934. The Illinois won their first six in Cummings' senior year, but a 7-3 loss to Wisconsin in Wisconsin cost Illinois a chance at a national title.

Cummings earned a journalism degree from Illinois in 1935 and joined his father's advertising agency, Earl M. Cummings & Associates. Cummings moved to New York City after World War II to join Compton Advertising and was named president in 1955 at the age of 41. Compton was a national powerhouse in the advertising business with a decades long relationship with Proctor & Gamble. 

Cummings remained in charge of Compton until it was acquired in 1982 by the company now known as Saatchi & Saatchi. Cummings was named board chairman of the newly created company and was chairman emeritus when he died in 1994.

Cummings never forgot his Illinois ties. He is credited with raising $150 million for the university through his advertising connections. He also donated $500,000 to establish the first national center for advertising study, which was named in his honor. Every year since his death, the American Advertising Federation gives out a Barton A. Cummings Gold Medal award to advertising professionals who volunteered their time to improve the profession.

Cummings was so big in the advertising industry that he was featured in Sports Illustrated in 1959 in a "Here Are The Men Who Made It" feature that included Don Hutson of the Packers and his collected papers are in the Smithsonian.

No. 57 - Barton Cummings, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1929	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
1930	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Honorable Metion All-State	0.5
1932	College	Illinois	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Honorable Mention All-Conference	0.5
1933	College	Illinois	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1934	College	Illinois	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 58 - Credell Magee, Guilford

In the fall of 1982, the Guilford Vikings rolled to a state football title using an ahead-of-its-time spread offense powered by quarterback Whitey Anderson.

The star, though, that kept those defenses honest and the only player from that team to make our list was running back Credell Magee.

Magee was one of the NIC-10's top sprinters and he put that speed to good use in the open spaces of coach Jan Jamison's offense. While Anderson was throwing for a conference-record 2,186 yards in Guilford's 13-game run, Magee was running for 1,238 yards and 21 touchdowns and adding 415 yards receiving and another two touchdowns.

He capped the season off with the clinching touchdown run with 45 seconds left in Guilford's 16-12 win over Chicago Robeson.

Magee showed in 1983 that he didn't need a state championship team around him to thrive. He rushed for another 920 yards in nine games to become one of the rare two-time NIC-10 rushing champions as Guilford went 6-3.

Magee had several schools, including Northern Illinois University and several from the Big Ten, showing interest but his first choice was the Air Force Academy. Instead, he chose to go to Nebraska Wesleyan, a top NAIA football program.

Magee continued to be a scoring machine. In 30 games played from 1984-1986, Magee scored 17 touchdowns. Nebraska Wesleyan went 18-12 with Magee in the backfield, winning a conference title in 1986. He's the only NAIA player to make our top 100 list.

Today, Magee lives in Milwaukee and works for Fi-Med Management Inc.

No. 58 - Credell Magee, Guilford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1982	High School	Guilford	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (rushing)	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
1983	High School	Guilford	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (rushing)	1
			Winning Team	1
1984	College	Nebraska Wesleyan	Letter Winner in NAIA	2
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
1985	College	Nebraska Wesleyan	Letter Winner in NAIA	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1986	College	Nebraska Wesleyan	Letter Winner in NAIA	2
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 59 - Mike Larson, Hononegah

Mike Larson was a do-it-all offensive and defensive back who helped power Hononegah to what remains its only IHSA championship game.

Larson, the 59th player on our list, was the rare three-year starter for a NIC-10 powerhouse, actually being called up to the varsity as a freshman.

His senior year (1985), he had to share the running duties with Darryl Graverson and Mike Strasser. The trio combined for 2,319 yards in 14 games. Larson's 702 yards on 149 carries ranked fifth in the conference.

Larson was the No. 1 target in the passing game, though. Mike Schultz led the NIC-10 in passing with 103 completions and 1,419 yards passing. Larson caught 38 of them for 493 yards. He tied for the conference lead in receptions and finished second in yards receiving, beating out future Illinois star Shawn Wax and Illinois State star Clarence Miller (No. 100 on our list).

The Indians finished 6-3 in conference play, but caught fire in the IHSA Class 4A playoffs. Hononegah knocked off Woodstock, Sycamroe, Lombard Montini and Elmwood Park to reach the title game. The magic ended there in a 28-12 loss to Washington.

In 1986, Larson signed with Indiana, which was a rising program under coach Bill Mallory. Larson thought he'd play flanker, but the defensive coordinator moved him to free safety the first week of practice.

Larson didn't letter on the 1986 Indiana team that went 6-6 and lost the All-American Bowl. He did play on special teams and as a backup safety on the 1987 and 1988 teams that went 8-4 and 8-3-1 and played in the Peach and Liberty bowls. He had 32 tackles over those two seasons.

Unfortunately, instead of being primed for a big senior year, Larson's body was falling apart. As a sophomore, he separated his shoulder, tore an MCL in his knee and then had elbow surgery after the season. The knee injury lingered during his junior year and Indiana had a rising safety Mike Dumas, who would play eight years in the NFL, ready to take his spot. Indiana honored his scholarship but Larson didn't suit up at all his final season. The Hoosiers fell to 5-6.

No. 59 - Mike Larson, Hononegah
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1983	High School	Hononegah	Winning Team	1
1984	High School	Hononegah	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader	1
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1985	High School	Hononegah	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
1986	College	Indiana	Player on Power 5 Conference	2
1987	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1988	College	Indiana	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
Total				25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 60 - Ray Marelli, Rockford

The No. 60 player on our list blasted open holes for a future college football hall of famer in high school and then played for a college football hall of famer in college.

Ray Marelli was a first-team All-Big Seven tackle for the 1920 Rockford Rabs team that went 5-0-1. The offensive star of that team was Ralph "Moon" Baker, who would go on to Northwestern and run his way into the College Football Hall of Fame.

After a couple year hiatus, Marelli was impressive enough to earn a spot at Notre Dame, which was being run by the still legendary Knute Rockne. Notre Dame was the power in the land in the 1920s, winning shares of four national titles from 1920 to 1929.

Marelli did not letter for the Fighting Irish in 1923 or 1924. He did letter for Rockne's 1925 team that went 7-2-1. In 1926, he finally won a starting role for a Notre Dame team that went 9-1.

The Irish missed out on a national title that season because of one of the great upsets in college football history. On Nov. 27, Notre Dame fell to Carnegie Tech, now known as Carnegie Mellon University, 19-0. Carnegie Tech went 7-2 that season so it was no pushover. Still, Notre Dame hadn't given up a point in its first eight games.

In 1928, Marelli signed with the Chicago Cardinals and played two games, starting one. The NFL was a far cry from the national religion that it is today. There wasn't a single story appearing in the Rockford newspapers about Marelli's brief pro career.

Marelli returned to Rockford and went into business, eventually owning the North Town Fuel Co. He also coached the St. Thomas football team for several years. St. Thomas was closed when Boylan opened in the 1960s.

Marelli died in 1976.

No. 60 - Ray Marelli, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1919	High School	Rockford	Winning Team	1
1920	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1923	College	Notre Dame	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1924	College	Notre Dame	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1925	College	Notre Dame	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
1926	College	Notre Dame	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Starter	1
1928	Pro Football	Chicago Cardinals	Played in NFL	3
			Starter	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 61 - Todd Jenkins, Freeport

The 61st player on our list was great at maximizing his opportunities.

Freeport's Todd Jenkins came up during a golden age of Freeport football. His junior year, the Pretzels tied East for their first football conference title since 1963 behind the dominant running of Troy King, who would go on to star at Wisconsin.

Freeport would tie for the title again in 1979 with Jenkins sharing the ball on offense with future Southern Methodist University star Tom Linebarger and Brian Brooks.

With all that talent, Jenkins didn't put up great numbers. He finished fourth in the Big Nine in rushing his senior year with 550 yards. He only played 13 games over the two seasons because of a broken leg his junior year and a thigh injury his senior year. Freeport was 12-1 with him on the field because he was a threat whenever he got the ball. He had four TD runs, one touchdown reception, three kickoff return TDs and even one touchdown pass.

The big-play ability intrigued lots of schools, but Jenkins picked Northwestern over Missouri, Wisconsin and Illinois because the Wildcats were in desperate need of players. They had won just three of their previous 43 games the seasons before Jenkins got there.

Ironically, when he did get to Evanston, he spent most of his time battling Auburn's Bobby Anderson (No. 63 on this list), Northwestern's starting safety, who was involved in the 1978 tackle that broke Jenkins' leg at Freeport.

The Wildcats kept losing with Jenkins and Anderson, going 0-11 both Todd's freshman and sophomore seasons. Finally, in 1982, in Dennis Green's second season in charge, Jenkins and Northwestern got better. Jenkins caught 49 catches for 701 yards, including a 15-reception day against Purdue, which was a Big Ten record. The Wildcats broke its 34-game losing streak and ended up going 3-8.

Jenkins was chosen as a team captain, but he had an injury-filled final season, adding just 11 more catches. Still, he ended up with 76 receptions for 1,186 yards at Northwestern. In the history of the NIC-10, only Harlem's Shawn Wax had more receptions and yards at the highest level of college football.

Jenkins got a couple NFL chances. The San Diego Chargers signed him in 1984 and made it to the last cut. The Philadelphia Eagles signed him in 1985, but he hurt his shoulder and didn't make the team.

Today, Jenkins is in digital media sales for Tribune Digital Media in Chicago.

No. 61 - Todd Jenkins, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1978	High School	Freeport	Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1979	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1980	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1981	College	Northwestern	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1982	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1983	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1984	Pro Football	San Diego Chargers	Free Agent Contract	1
1985	Pro Football	Philadelphia Eagles	Free Agent Contract	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

Northwestern has come a long way since Todd Jenkins' day. Click here to get your Northwestern hat!

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 62 - Demry Croft, Boylan

The No. 62 player on our list was poised to soar a lot higher when legal troubles derailed his college career.

Boylan's Demry Croft started the 2013 season as the team's top wide receiver. In the second week of the season, Boylan switched Croft to quarterback and he turned into perhaps the greatest dual-threat QB in conference history.

In 2013, Croft finished 10th in the conference in rushing with 685 yards (and 12 touchdown runs) and second in passing with 1,879 yards and 16 TDs versus just four interceptions. With Croft behind center, the Titans made it to the IHSA 6A semifinals.

In 2014, Boylan struggled, seeing its 75-game NIC-10 winning streak come to an end as the Titans finished 5-5. It wasn't Croft's fault. He was sixth in the conference in rushing with 791 yards and second again in passing with 2,011 yards.

Over those two seasons, Croft rushed for 1,476 yards and thew for 3,890. He accounted for 57 touchdowns either on the ground or through the air.

Croft became one of the rare NIC-10 quarterbacks to graduate to the Big Ten, signing with the University of Minnesota. He played sparingly in 2015 and then redshirted in 2016. In 2017, though, Croft then became the first former NIC-10 quarterback to start a Big 10 game in 24 years. 

He appeared ready for stardom when he rushed for 183 yards against Nebraska, winning co-Big Ten Player of the Week. But he struggled in his other five starts and finished the season with 674 yards passing with just a 41.8 completion percentage.

He left Minnesota after the season, saying he was falsely accused of damaging a door, and transferred to Tennessee State, an FCS school. Croft started the first four games for the Tigers in 2018, passing for 888 yards and rushing for another 146 before suffering a season-ending injury. That would be it for his college career. Croft was charged with counts of rape and sexual assault in both Rockford and Tennessee and was suspended indefinitely. 

Croft eventually was found not guilty of the charges in Winnebago County. There are no links to the results of the cases in Tennessee, but they must have been resolved in Croft's favor because he is back playing football. He was the starting quarterback this season for the Tuscon Sugar Skulls in the Indoor Football League. The IFL is the largest and - since the demise of the Arena Football League - longest running indoor football league. 

Croft played in 11 games, completing 61 percent of his passes for 1,381 yards and 24 TDs. He also led the team in rushing with 446 yards with another 10 TDs.

No. 62 - Demry Croft, Boylan
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2013	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Final Four	1
2014	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
2015	College	Minnesota	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Bowl Game	1
2017	College	Minnesota	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
2018	College	Tennessee State	Letter Winner on NCAA Div. 1	3
			Starter	1
2021	Pro	Tuscon Sugar Skulls	Starter in Indoor Football League	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 63 - Bobby Anderson, Auburn

The No. 63 player on our list was one of Auburn's greatest all-around athletes and probably is remembered more locally for his basketball abilities.

On the football field, though, Bobby Anderson was good enough to be an NFL prospect despite rarely having any talent around him.

At Auburn, Anderson was a two-time first team all-conference point guard for the Knights basketball team. He led the Knights to a 48-12 mark over two seasons. His senior year, his friends talked him into going out for track and he finished third in the conference in the long jump and triple jump.

In football, Anderson didn't wrack up the wins although he still wracked up accomplishments. In 1978, he was named first team All-Big Nine at quarterback for an Auburn team that went 3-6. He led the conference with 1,018 yards passing and seven TDs. Most of those passes went to James Reed, who would sign a football scholarship to play for Illinois. Anderson's passing yardage would remain an Auburn record for more than 30 years.

Heavily recruited, Auburn chose Northwestern because they'd let him play both football and basketball. Once he got to Evanston, he gravitated more and more towards football simply because that's where he was getting the most playing time.

Anderson was one of the very rare athletes from the NIC-10 to start as a true freshman for a Power Five conference team. He would go on to record 275 tackles and intercept eight passes during his four years with the Wildcats.

Like Auburn's football team, although Anderson was putting up impressive numbers, wins were hard to come by. Northwestern went 1-10 his freshman year and then 0-11 the next two seasons. Finally, the Wildcats won three games during Anderson's senior year under second-year coach Dennis Green.

Anderson didn't get to enjoy much of it. He was hurt early in the season and when he recovered he was relegated to backup duty. The NFL dreams, which were very real during his sophomore year when he had 113 tackles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions, disappeared.

Anderson earned his Northwestern degree in economics in 1983 and decided early on to put his trust in himself. Since 1988, he's run B/P Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Inc. in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

No. 63 - Bobby Anderson, Auburn
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1977	High School	Auburn	Losing Record	0
1978	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (passing yards)	1
1979	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1980	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Big 10	1
1981	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1982	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 64 - Frank Johnson, Rockford

The 64th player on our list made a lasting impression in southern sports - in basketball.

Frank Johnson was a three-year starter in basketball for Rockford (1926-1927, 1927-1928, 1928-1929) and was the Big Seven's leading scorer his junior and senior years. This was back in the day where 25-20 was a high-scoring game so Johnson's 503 points in 61 games was impressive.

In football, Johnson was a two-year starter at halfback, scoring four touchdowns rushing and one receiving for teams that combined to go 11-6-2. He was second team All-Big 7 as a senior.

Johnson didn't land any college offers - or at least didn't accept any - until former Rockford Rab Rex Enright was named head basketball coach at the University of Georgia. Needing players fast, Enright convinced Johnson to enroll.

Again, Johnson was a big star for Enright's basketball team. He started every game from 1933 through 1936, leading the Bulldogs in scoring every year. He was third in the SEC in scoring in 1934-1935 and second in 1935-1936. The Associated Press named him first-team All-SEC as a junior and second team as a senior. He ended up with 550 career points in 56 games.

In football, Johnson was almost as effective. Having outgrown the halfback position, Georgia moved him to offensive and defensive guard. He took over as starter midway through his sophomore year. In 1935, he was first team All-SEC. The Bulldogs were 21-9 in his three varsity seasons.

Johnson was 25 when he graduated and Enright kept him on staff as an assistant coach. When Enright left to be South Carolina's basketball coach, Enright took over the hoops program. He went 8-5 and parlayed that into the head coaching job at the University of Mississippi. He went 10-16 there before Enright hired him to coach South Carolina's basketball program. He kept that job until 1957-1958, going 169-172. He remains the second-winningest basketball coach in South Carolina history.

No. 64 - Frank Johnson, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1927	High School	Rockford	Winning Team	1
1928	High School	Rockford	Second Team All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
1932	College	Georgia	Played on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1933	College	Georgia	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1934	College	Georgia	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1935	College	Georgia	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 65 - Greg Gilbaugh, East/Harlem

The 65th player on our list was one of the more prominent athletes to have to find a new school when Rockford Public Schools eliminated sports in 1976-1977.

Greg Gilbaugh was a first-team All-Big Nine defensive lineman for an E-Rabs team in 1975 that went 7-2 the season after East won a state football title, finishing second behind Boylan.

Most of the E-Rabs' top players were going to be back in 1976, but hundreds of athletes were left scrambling to find new schools when the Rockford School Board cut sports because of budget issues.

Gilbaugh ended up at Harlem where he repeated as first team all-conference in the "Big Four" of Boylan, Harlem, Freeport and Belvidere for a Huskies team that went 3-5-1.

Gilbaugh showed enough at the two stops to earn a scholarship to the University of Iowa. The Hawkeyes moved Gilbaugh to offensive line where he was a starter in three of his four seasons. The Hawkeyes were a lower division club during Greg's time. Iowa would go 15-29 during Gilbaugh's four seasons. Still, he was a small part of the turnaround.

In 1979, Iowa hired Hayden Fry. He would lead the Hawkeyes to a 9-13 mark Gilbaugh's final two seasons. In 1981, after Gilbaugh's eligibility was up, Iowa would go 8-4, the first of 13 winning seasons out of the next 16.

Gilbaugh would earn his degree from Iowa in 1981 and then enter Iowa's dental school. He's been a dentist since 1986. In 2019, he also launched the Kalos Business Group, which has a mission of helping business owners and entrepreneurs connect their religious faith better with their business interests.

No. 65 - Greg Gilbaugh, East/Harlem
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1975	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1976	High School	Harlem	First Team All-Conference	2
1977	College	Iowa	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1978	College	Iowa	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1979	College	Iowa	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
1980	College	Iowa	Letter Winner for Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 66 - Keith Mooney, East

One of the defensive demons of the 1985 East football team that went from third place in the NIC-10 to the IHSA state championship checks in at No. 66.

Keith Mooney was a linebacker who teamed up with Derrick Spack to shut down opposing offenses. Over the two seasons with Spack dominating on the line and Mooney charging in from linebacker, the E-Rabs went 20-6 and gave up just 274 points in 26 games.

They were especially stingy in the 1985 playoffs when they gave up just 30 points in five playoff games, which culminated in a 28-3 win over Arlington Heights Forest View.

Mooney was named special mention all-NIC-10 as a junior and then first-team all-conference and all-state in 1986. Spack ended up accepting a scholarship to Wyoming where he made little impact. Mooney chose Purdue where he was a three-year letter winner and earned several starts his final two years. The Boilermakers went 12-31-1 during his four years in the program.

Mooney didn't let his free education go to waste. Today, he is the co-owner and managing partner of Mooney Lyons Financial Advisors in West Dundee.

No. 66 - Keith Mooney, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1985	High School	East	Special Mention All-NIC-10	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
1986	High School	East	First Team All-NIC-10	2
			All-State	1
			Playoff Team	1
1987	College	Purdue	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1988	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1989	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1990	College	Purdue	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 67 - Todd Brooks, Michigan

The 67th player on our list was perhaps the most heavily recruited receiver ever from the NIC-10 only to have a frustrating college career end with a unique accomplishment - a national championship.

Brooks burst onto the NIC-10 scene as a junior, finishing second in receptions (24), receptions yards (460), touchdown catches (4) and tying for in yards per catch for players with more than 10 catches (19.2). Brooks helped keep the defenses honest for running back Dennis Dunn, who won the conference rushing title with 1,333 yards as the Pretzels qualified for the playoffs and went 7-4 overall.

In 1993, without Dunn, the Pretzels moved Brooks all over the field. He led the conference in receiving with 37 catches and 690 yards. The next best in either category was 28 and 393. He also led Freeport in rushing with 624 yards on 88 carries. He scored 19 touchdowns - 16 rushing and three receiving. He was the runaway NIC-10 MVP for a Freeport team that went 6-4 overall.

Brooks was recruited by schools all over the country and his three finalists were Notre Dame, Stanford and Michigan. He went with the Wolverines.

Michigan redshirted Brooks in 1994 and then the coach who recruited Brooks, Gary Moeller, resigned and was replaced by Lloyd Carr. That certainly didn't help Brooks. He spent most of his sophomore and junior years on special teams. He got his only college reception - for 14 yards - as a sophomore. Michigan went 9-4 and 8-4, losing the Alamo Bowl and Outback Bowl.

In 1997, Brooks had worked himself up to second string receiver when he first strained an abdominal muscle and then tore a rotator cuff. The Wolverines would go 12-0, beating Washington State, 21-16, in the Rose Bowl to win the national championship, but Brooks wouldn't receive a letter.

Brooks went on to earn his bachelor's degree in communications from Michigan in 1999 and he remained in the area. Today, he is the diversity supplier relationship manager for 3Li in the greater Detroit area.

No. 67 - Todd Brooks, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1992	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (yards per catch)	1
			Playoff Team	1
1993	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (receptions, yards)	1
			Conference MVP	1
			All-State	1
			Playoff Team	1
1995	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1996	College	Michigan	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1997	College	Michigan	Player on Power 5 Team	2
Total				24

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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