NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 74 - Gary Swalve, Freeport

The No. 74 player on our list, Gary Swalve of Freeport, was converted from big play receiver to a solid starting defensive end in the Big Ten.

Swalve teamed up with quarterback Ron Norman Jr. to form one of the most dangerous duos of the 1960s. In those two seasons, Swalve caught 26 passes for 596 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Pretzels went 7-1 and 6-2-1 with Swalve in the lineup.

That earned him a shot with the University of Wisconsin, where he thought he was going to play split end. Instead, the Badgers moved him to defense. He was a starter his junior and senior years.

Unfortunately, after being a big winner in Freeport, Swalve went to Madison as the Badgers program was sliding to the bottom of the Big Ten. The Badgers were just 3-25-2 during Swalve's three years on varsity.

After graduation, Swalve went into school business administration, leaving most of the rest of his life in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. He died in 2018.

No. 74 - Gary Swalve, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1963	High School	Freeport	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			League Leader (yards per catch)	1
1964	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			League Leader (TD receptions)	1
1965	College	Wisconsin	Player on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1966	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1967	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1968	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				23

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players