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

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 37 - Ron Carlson, East

The 37th player on the list was one of the most versatile stars of the 1950s whose talents earned him a trip to the Rose Bowl and a shot at the AFL.

Ron Carlson was a basketball and baseball star at East who started out the 1956 football season as a backup quarterback and starting safety. Stuck behind star Ron Adamson, coach Russ Erb used Carlson a variety of ways, and Carlson ended up scoring two touchdowns on punt returns, caught an 11-yard TD pass from Adamson and also threw a 21-yard TD pass in East's 7-0 win over Freeport.

In 1957, instead of taking over for Adamson, Carlson shifted to halfback to make way for Ron Fearn (No. 46 on this list). Carlson starred at the new position. He led the team with nine touchdown runs and added another one receiving. Carlson even threw two touchdown passes on halfback option passes.

No game showed off his all-around abilities better than the 39-0 route of West in week seven of his senior year. Carlson started the game by intercepting a pass for a 22-yard touchdown. He followed that up with a 61-yard halfback option pass to Doug Gitchell. Then, just before halftime, he broke free for a 44-yard touchdown run.

In the final three games of the 1957 season, Carlson scored seven TDs and threw for one.

Carlson followed former East great Jerry Stalcup to Wisconsin to play for Milt Bruhn's rising program. It took a while for him to get started. He red-shirted in 1958 and then was ineligible most of his freshman year.

Carlson finally hit the field in 1960 and contributed from the start. As a sophomore, he had 10 receptions for 101 yards and recorded two interceptions as a linebacker, including a 32-yard interception TD return against Marquette in the opening game of the season.

That would turn out to be his only college TD.

Carlson spent the first few weeks of his junior year on the bench before making it back into the starting lineup as a defensive end and an occasional blocking end on offense. He had a fumble recovery in Wisconsin's 29-10 win over Wisconsin and had the quarterback hit that led to a 60-yard interception game-winning TD in the Badgers' 23-21 upset of Minnesota in the final game of the season.

Carlson had a solid season in 1962 for a Wisconsin team that had a spectacular year as a whole. Behind the passing combination of Ron Vander Kelen to All-American wide receiver Pat Richter, the Badgers won their first four games before falling to Ohio State, 14-7.

Wisconsin rebounded with a win at Michigan and then a 37-6 beat down of the No. 1 ranked Northwestern Wildcats. Carlson tipped a pass that turned into an interception in the second half that keyed the blowout. 

That put Wisconsin in position to clinch a Rose Bowl berth by beating Illinois. The Badgers didn't disappoint. Wisconsin won 35-6 behind a relentless pass rush. Carlson had his best game, throwing the Illinois quarterback for losses on three pass plays - sacks before they were called sacks.

Wisconsin would end the Big 10 season in style, beating fifth-ranked Minnesota, 14-9. The trip to Pasadena didn't go as planned. USC raced out to a 42-21 lead and held on to win, 42-37. It was Wisconsin's second Rose Bowl trip in four years and third in 11. The Badgers wouldn't get to California again until 1993.

The Buffalo Bills of the fledgling AFC took a flier on Carlson in the 25th round of the 1963 draft. Carlson's pro hopes didn't last long. He injured a knee in the summer and accepted a football coaching job at North Boone in the fall. He kept that job for two years, before moving back to Madison where he continued to compete in minor league football, playing for the Madison Mustangs in the Central States Football League, and amateur basketball and baseball.

Eventually, he went into real estate and construction and became co-owner of Sports East Marine. Carlson died in 2014.

No. 37 - Ron Carlson, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1956	High School	East	Honorable Mention All-Conference	0.5
			Winning Team	1
1957	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			All-State	1
1959	College	Wisconsin	Freshman on Power 5 Team	2
1960	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1961	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1962	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Big 10	1
			Winning Team	1
			Rose Bowl	1
1963	AFL	Buffalo	Signed Pro Contract	1
Total				27.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 38 - Joe Coniglio, Boylan

The No. 38 player on our list went from being one of the NIC-10's best running backs of the 2000s to being a mid-major defensive demon.

Joe Coniglio battled Guilford's Montell Clanton (No. 70 on our list) for NIC-9 rushing supremacy in 2002 and 2003. Coniglio rushed for 2,531 yards on 370 carries over those two seasons. He finished second to Clanton in 2002 and first in rushing in 2003.

With Coniglio leading the power running attack, the Titans went 17-5 over those seasons, advancing to the IHSA 6A quarterfinals his senior year.

Coniglio signed with Miami of Ohio and the Mid-American Conference school decided to use his athleticism on the defensive line. After red-shirting in 2004, the RedHawks plugged him right into the starting lineup where he'd stay for four years.

He ended up with 106 tackles, including 31.5 for loss. Only Carlos Polk at Nebraska ever recorded more tacklers-for-loss by a NIC-10 player in college football's Division 1A. Coniglio was voted third-team All-MAC after his junior year.

Coniglio since has turned into a football lifer. After graduating from Miami of Ohio, he joined Kent State University as a special assistant and video coordinator. He moved up to assistant coach at Northern Michigan in 2012. He then served stints at Rhode Island and Kent State. This May, he joined the Naval Academy as a defensive assistant coach.

No. 38 - Joe Coniglio, Boylan
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2002	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
2003	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference MVP	1
2005	College	Miami of Ohio	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
2006	College	Miami of Ohio	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
2007	College	Miami of Ohio	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Third Team All-MAC	.5
2008	College	Miami of Ohio	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
Total				27.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 39 - Jerry Holloway, East

Jerry Holloway was one of the greatest athletes among the greatest collection of athletes to ever come together at a NIC-10 school.

Holloway was the leading scorer on the East basketball team that won the 1974-1975 NIC-10 title with a 14-2 record. In track, Holloway was a state-level sprinter and hurdler on an East track team that ranks as one of the greatest NIC-10 track teams ever.

In football, Holloway was a tight end and defensive end on a team so stacked that he was somewhat overlooked. The 1973 and 1974 E-Rabs went 22-0, outscoring their opponents 656-130. Holloway's senior year was the first year the IHSA held playoffs in football and the E-Rabs stormed to the Class 4A state title, winning every game by at least 17 points.

With future Big Ten stars Russell Pope (Purdue) and Ira Matthews (Wisconsin) in the backfield, Holloway wasn't needed much in the passing game. Holloway had just 11 catches in two seasons for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He added other scores on a fumble return and blocked punt and he was one of 12 E-Rabs - out of 22 positions - chosen as first team all Big Nine as a defensive end.

Still, his unique blend of size and speed - Holloway finished second in the state in the 440-yard dash his senior year - made Holloway a hot prospect. Holloway made a unique choice. He turned down dozens of NCAA Division 1A schools to play at Division 1-AA Western Illinois University because it was the only school that would let him play football and run track.

At Western, his game blossomed. Western played him at tight end where he caught 75 passes in his career for 1,330 yards. His average of 17.7 yards per catch remains fourth all-time for the Leathernecks. He starred in track as well. He still holds the Western Illinois records for the fastest 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles. 

Western inducted Holloway into its athletics hall of fame in 2000.

Holloway's speed intrigued the St. Louis Cardinals, who picked him in the 10th round of the 1979 NFL draft. That started a frustrating three-year career for Holloway, who spent two seasons on the taxi squad for St. Louis and then bounced around three teams for the USFL in 1983 without ever appearing in a regular season game.

After 1983, Holloway walked away from football and went into the beer sales business in the St. Louis area. In 2016, he struck out his own with the help of investors, opening Brown Jerry's, a barbecue restaurant in Pacific Missouri.

No. 39 - Jerry Holloway, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1973	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Top Four - Top Ranked Team	2
1974	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
1975	College	Western Illinois	Letter Winner on Division 1AA	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1976	College	Western Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1AA	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1977	College	Western Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1AA	2
			Starter	1
1978	College	Western Illinois	Letter Winner in Division 1AA	2
			Starter	1
1979	NFL	Cardinals	10th Round Draft Pick	1
			Taxi Squad	1
1980	NFL	Cardinals	Taxi Squad	1
1983	USFL	Gunslingers	Free Agent Contract	0.5
Total				27.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 40 - Robert Reitsch, Rockford

The 40th player on our list was perhaps the best lineman of the 1920s who spent his post-football career supporting a number of Rockford causes.

Robert Reitsch was a second-team All-Big Seven center for the conference champion 1922 Rockford Rabs. Big things were expected out of him in the fall of 1923, but Reitsch was injured and missed the season. 

Still, Reitsch had shown enough to be recruited by the University of Illinois, which was one of the country's top programs under coach Robert Zuppke.

Reitsch spent one year on the freshman team and his final three entrenched in the starting lineup. He was third team All-Western Conference as a sophomore, first team all-conference and third team all-American as a junior and second team all-American and, interestingly, second team all-conference as a senior.

The Illini went 5-3 his sophomore year and his 6-2 his junior year. In 1927, Reitsch's teammates elected him team captain and he led them to a 7-0-1 record, winning the Western Conference and earning recognition as national champions. The Illini's only blemish was a 12-12 tie with Iowa State in week three. They closed the season with wins over Michigan, Iowa, Chicago and Ohio State by a combined score of 56-6. The team lacked star power and instead won with collective effort. Reitsch and guard Russ Crane were the only players named to any all-American teams.

Reitsch passed up pro football to come back to Rockford. He served as St. Thomas football coach for three years and as an Illinois assistant until 1936. He got married in 1929, operated a lumberyard before building StrikeAtReitsch's Bowling Center on North Main Street. He was a decades-long supporter of the Rockford Boys and Girls Club.

Reitsch died in 1998.

No. 40 - Robert Reitsch, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1922	High School	Rockford	Second Team All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1923	High School	Rockford	Injured	0
1924	College	Illinois	Freshman at Power 5 School	2
1925	College	Illinois	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Third Team All-Conference	0.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1926	College	Illinois	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			First Team All-Conference	1
			Third Team All-American	0.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1927	College	Illinois	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Second Team All-Conference	0.5
			Second Team All-America	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			National Champion	1
Total				27.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players