NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 83 - Steve Prince, Hononegah

The No. 83 player on the list came out of the Hononegah passing factory of the 1980s.

In 1987, Steve Prince was a backup to record-setting quarterback Kurt Whisenand - Whisenand set a record with 22 touchdown passes - on the Indians' NIC-10 co-conference championship team.

Prince took over the reigns in 1988 and led Hononegah to a 6-4 record. He led the NIC-10 in passing by a wide margin with 1,503 yards and 16 touchdowns and added 247 yards rushing. 

The NIC-10 in the 1980s was an extremely competitive conference that drew recruiters from all over. Despite being just a one-year starter on a fringe playoff team, Prince received a scholarship from the University of Duke in the ACC. He was one of five to sign NCAA Division 1 scholarships in 1989, along with Lenny Williams of Guilford (Northwestern), David Olson of Freeport (Illinois), Belvidere's Todd Martens (Michigan) and Rich Kennedy (Northern Illinois).

Prince was recruited by future college football hall of famer Steve Spurrier. Spurrier had taken over the Blue Devils after a stint as coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL and created a winner, going 5-6 his first year and 7-3-1 his second. Prince was on Spurrier's third team, which went 8-4 and went to the All-American Bowl, the first bowl appearance for Duke since 1960.

Unfortunately for Prince, Spurrier was on his way. Florida stepped in and hired Spurrier away and the 'head ball coach' would turn the Gators into a national power. Prince played the next three seasons under Barry Wilson and the Blue Devils slipped back into irrelevance. 

Prince played sparingly in 1990 and 1991 before finally becoming a starter in 1992. He ended up completing 99 of 202 passes over his career with seven touchdown passes. Although those don't seem like impressive numbers, the number of NIC-10 quarterbacks who made any kind of impact in NCAA Division 1 remains very short.

No. 83 - Steve Prince, Duke
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1987	High School	Hononegah	Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
1988	High School	Hononegah	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			League Leader (passing)	1
1989	College	Duke	Player at Power 5 School	2
1990	College	Duke	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
1991	College	Duke	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
1992	College	Duke	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
Total				21

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 84 - Bill Howard, East

 

The 84th player on our list was a man of many talents and it took a while to figure out which one would suit him best in the Big Ten.

Bill Howard was a star linebacker and bulldozing fullback for the 1959 and 1960 East E-Rabs. He earned first-team all-conference both seasons as a running back for East teams that featured star quarterbacks Ron Fearn and Ron Christian. His senior year, he gained 507 yards on 92 carries.

His play was so impressive in 1960, a season in which East went just 4-5, he was picked as the area's inaugural Prep of the Year by the Rockford newspapers.

Although he was sought out by numerous major football programs, he followed in his father's footsteps - the Howards ran Rockford Blacktop for decades - by going to Purdue.

It took a while for Howard to find his footing at Purdue. He didn't letter as a sophomore or start as a junior. In 1964, the Boilermakers moved him from offensive and defensive guard to linebacker and he thrived with his teammates voting him top defensive player of the year. Purdue finished third in the Big Ten that year with a 5-2 record and 6-3 overall.

After graduating, Howard returned to Rockford and followed his father's footsteps into a long career with Rockford Blacktop.

No. 84 - Bill Howard, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1959	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1960	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Prep of the Year	1
1961	College	Purdue	Freshman at Power 5 School	2
1962	College	Purdue	Player at Power 5 School	2
1963	College	Purdue	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Winning Team	1
1964	College	Purdue	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				21

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 85 - Greg Wallace, Belvidere

The No. 85 player on our list mastered wishbone offenses both in high school and college and actually was better at baseball.

Greg Wallace first stood out at Belvidere as a defensive back. He was named honorable mention All-NIC-10 in 1982 for a Bucs team that went 6-3. That was just Belvidere's second winning season in the first six under coach LaVern Pottinger.

Turns out, that was the beginning of the great Belvidere dynasty. In 1983, Wallace took over at quarterback and led the Bucs to a 9-2 record and their first playoff appearance since 1974. Belvidere would miss the playoffs in 1984 and then qualify for the playoffs for 10 straight years, winning two state titles.

Despite being a run-dominant offense, Wallace led the NIC-10 in passing with 1,045 yards and was named first-team All-NIC-10 over future Texas Southern star Sean Cook.

Wallace was a three-sport athlete at Belvidere and chose to go to NCAA Division III school Augustana where he could play multiple sports as well. He excelled at baseball right away, starting all four years, being named team MVP twice and setting school records in at bats and runs and finishing in the top five in hits, doubles, stolen bases and walks.

Wallace did not go out for football as a freshman, focusing on basketball and baseball. He did go out as a sophomore in 1985 and three games into the season took over at quarterback when the starter wwent down with a knee injury.

With Wallace running the plays, Augustana would go 31-1-1, winning two Division III national titles (1985 and 1986 - you can watch video of the 1986 championship game here). The Vikings wouldn't lose until until the second round of the 1987 playoffs, when Dayton tipped Augustana, 38-36.

Unlike Belvidere, Wallace didn't wrack up impressive statistics in the Augustana version of the wishbone. Over the three years, he would rush for 104 yards and five touchdowns and pass for 1,805 yards and 23 touchdowns. Still, dating back to Belvidere, Greg Wallace-led teams went 40-3-1.

Wallace would later return to Augustana to serve as baseball coach and athletic director. He was inducted into the Augustana Hall of Fame in 2010.

No. 85 - Greg Wallace, Belvidere
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1982	High School	Belvidere	Honorable Mention All-Conference	0.5
			Winning Team	1
1983	High School	Belvidere	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			League Leader (passing)	1
1985	College	Augustana	Played in NCAA Div. III	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Playoff Team	1
			National Champion	1
1986	College	Augustana	Played in NCAA Div. III	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Playoff Team	1
			National Champion	1
1987	College	Augustana	Played in NCAA Div. III	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Honorable Mention All-Conference	0.5
Total				21

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 86 - LaVerne Grell, Freeport

LaVerne Grell, nearly 100 years after graduating from Freeport High School, remains perhaps the most accomplished high school football player in NIC-10 history.

Grell was a three-time All-Big 7 player for the Pretzels in 1923, 1924 and 1925. He was the unquestioned leader of the 1924 and 1925 Freeport teams that remain on the short list of most dominant teams ever put together in the Northern Illinois Conference.

Freeport went 3-3 in 1923 and Grell earned the all-conference nod by leading the team with four touchdown passes and adding one TD run.

In 1924, the Pretzels were a perfect 11-0, scoring 278 points and giving up just 47. Freeport beat Chicago Englewood, 33-10, in what was billed as a state championship game and then traveled to Connecticut for a mythical national championship game. It was no contest as Freeport knocked off Ansonia, 33-0, behind Grell's three touchdown runs and 40-yard TD pass.

For the year, Grell had at least eight touchdown runs and two TD passes. Not every game summary made it into the Rockford newspapers.

In 1925, somehow, Freeport was even better, going 10-0 while scoring 249 points and giving up just 10. Freeport clinched the Big 7 title by crushing second-place Rockford, 67-0, behind Grell's five TD passes and a 40-yard TD run. Freeport then beat Chicago Bowen, 21-0, to claim the Illinois title and hopped on a train to beat Elwood City, Pennsylvania, 13-7, for another mythical national title.

In the 24 games where we could find scoring summaries, Grell ran for 17 touchdowns and passed for 18. The Chicago Defender named him to its All-State teams in 1924 and 1925.

What's interesting is that in the 1920s, the top players from the Big 7 routinely graduated to the Big Ten. None of the players from those great Pretzels teams, however, played major college football. Grell did play two college seasons. The first, in 1926, at Columbia College in Dubuque, Iowa, now know as Loras. The second, in 1927, at Whitewater Teacher's College, what is now known as UW-Whitewater. A paragraph in the Whitewater yearbook described Grell as "an all-star quarterback."

Still, Grell is one of the rare players who made this list almost entirely on his high school accomplishments.

After college, went to work at the Sterling Brewing Company in Freeport. He was killed in 1938 at the age of 31 in a workplace accident.

No. 86 - LaVerne Grell, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1923	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1924	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State	1
			League Leader (touchdowns)	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			State/National Champion	1
1925	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State	1
			League Leader (touchdowns)	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			State/National Champion	1
1926	College	Dubuque (Loras)	Division III Player	1
1927	College	UW-Whitewater	Division III Player	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				21

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 87 - Chuck Prezioso, East

The 87th player on this list followed the Rex Enright pipeline to South Carolina - and never left.

Chuck Prezioso was a triple-threat running back - run, pass and kick - who didn't get to show off much of his talents because of a polio epidemic in 1945. The E-Rabs were limited to just three games, winning them all. Chuck was so impressive, though, that he was named honorable mention All-State on several lists.

Prezioso's career as a big-time athlete appeared to be over at that point. He didn't appear in the Rockford newspapers at all in 1946 and just once in 1947 when he appeared in an alumni basketball game.

In 1948, though, Enright, a former Rockford High School and Green Bay Packers star, convinced Prezioso to put the pads back on and play for him at South Carolina. Prezioso played on the freshman team in 1948 and then took over the starting fullback job and place kicker in 1949. A knee injury knocked him out during the 1950 season and for the early part of 1951. Still, he perservered and got back in the lineup for the final half of the year.

In the end, Prezioso was a three-year starter for Gamecocks teams that went 12-14-2. Perhaps more importantly to the locals, South Carolina was a perfect 3-0 against Clemson those three seasons.

Prezioso met and married a South Carolina cheerleader. They ended up having three sons, one played golf at South Carolina and another became a South Carolina linebacker. As of 2018, Prezioso and his wife of 65 years were still thriving when this video was shot.

No. 87 - Chuck Prezioso, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1944	High School	East	Winning Team	1
1945	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			Honorable Mention All-State	.5
	No all-conference team named because of Polio outbreak
1948	College	South Carolina	Freshman on Power 5 Team	2
1949	College	South Carolina	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1950	College	South Carolina	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1951	College	South Carolina	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				20.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 88 - Ron Christian, East

The No. 88 player on our list knew how to perform when it was his turn.

At East High School, Ron Christian had to backup Ron Fearn at quarterback. Fearn led the Big Eight in rushing touchdowns with 10, added another five passing and was so impressive that he was recruited to play at the University of Illinois where he'd eventually be chosen team captain.

Christian took over the E-Rabs in 1960 and led the Big Eight with 11 touchdown runs. He was named first team All-Big Eight despite East's 4-5 record.

That earned Christian a scholarship to Northern Illinois University, which was still an NCAA Division II school in the early 1960s.

In DeKalb, Christian left the team in the spring of 1962 to join a U.S. Marines program. In 1963, he backed up George Bork, who was rewriting NIU's passing records. Bork's senior year alone, he set 19 school passing records and tied one more. Bork would go on to play three years in the Canadian Football League.

In 1964, Christian was an occasional starter, but he was more of a second fiddle to Jack Dean in NIU coach Howard Fletcher's ahead-of-its-time spread offense.

Finally, in 1965, as NIU moved into the stadium it still plays in today, Christian was put in charge of the offense. He more than lived up to the standards set by those before him.

He opened the new stadium by passing for 314 yards and four TDs against Illinois State. Christian would go on to lead the NCAA Division II in total offense with 2,307 yards. He was 173 of 323 in passing for 2,140 yards and 23 touchdowns. With Christian running the show, the Huskies went 9-1, losing its final game, 37-20, in the Mineral Bowl, which pitted the top teams from Division II against each other. Christian was named to the NCAA Little All-America team.

No. 88 - Ron Christian, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1959	High School	East	Winning Team	1
1960	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (rushing TDs)	1
1962	College	Northern Illinois	Left Team for Marines	0
1963	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 2	2
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Team	1
			National Champion	1
1964	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 2	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1965	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 2	2
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Honorable Mention All-America	.5
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game (Mineral Bowl)	1
			National Leader (total offense)	1
Total				20.50

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 89 - Greg Heidel, Jefferson

The last J-Hawk on this list was the top lineman for Joe Blume's rugged 1980s teams.

Greg Heidel comes in at No. 89. Heidel was an all-conference defensive lineman on Blume's 1984 team that finished in a three-way tie for first at 6-2 with Belvidere and Boylan.

The J-Hawks' formula in the 1980s was to win by running the ball and stifling the other team's offense. The 1984 squad, the first of back-to-back NIC-10 champs, was a perfect example. With Heidel disrupting the offense, the J-Hawks gave up just 64 points in nine games. 

Heidel also teamed with center Scott Conti to open holes for Earl Upton in Jefferson's wishbone offense. It was Heidel's athleticism - he was an all-conference wrestler - that earned him a scholarship to Northern Illinois University to play in coach Jerry Pettibone's wishbone.

At NIU, Heidel was on the roster all four years, lettered the last three and started the last two. The 1987 team went 5-5-1 and the 1988 team was 7-4.

After college, Heidel spent several years as a Winnebago County Sheriff's Deputy before spending 16 years in insurance investigations. Today, he's a manager and wine buyer for Sheffields in Chicago. 

No. 89 - Greg Heidel, Jefferson
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1983	High School	Jefferson	Losing Team	0
1984	High School	Jefferson	First Team All-NIC-10	2
			Winning Team	1
			Conference Co-Champion	1
1985	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Division 1	1.75
1986	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Division 1	3.5
1987	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1988	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				20.25

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 90 - Reggie Harris, East

The 90th player on this list was an athletic marvel where football was likely his third best sport.

Reggie Harris of East was the Rockford Register Star NIC-10 Athlete of the Year in 1984 after winning an IHSA shot put state title and qualifying for state in wrestling.

Football? Harris was a two-time honorable mention all-conference linemen for East teams that went 1-8 and 4-5 with him on the varsity.

Still, his size - Harris would eventually grow to be 6-4, 265 pounds - made him a good football prospect. He landed at Northern Illinois University where he ended up starting for three years under coach Jerry Pettibone.

Over his NIU career, he recorded 113 tackles playing the interior line with eight tackles for loss. The number weren't spectacular, but he was voted by his teammates as NIU's top defensive lineman his senior year when the Huskies went 5-5-1.

The Broncos signed Harris to a free agent deal in 1988. Harris made it to the second to last cut before being released. 

No. 90 - Reggie Harris, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1982	High School	East	Honorable Mention All-NIC-10	.5
1983	High School	East	Honorable Mention All-NIC-10	.5
1984	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Division 1	3.5
1985	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
1986	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
1987	College	Northern Illinois	Played in NCAA Division 1	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1988	Professional	Denver Broncos	Signed as Free Agent	1
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 91 - Sean Cook, Guilford

Our No. 91 player on the list is kind of the forgotten great of the Guilford quarterbacks in the 1980s.

Sean Cook was the backup QB to Jeff "Whitey" Anderson in 1982 when Anderson led the Vikings to the 1982 IHSA Class 5A state title. 

Later in the decade, Lenny Williams would go from Guilford to starting for four years at Northwestern before a pro career in the Canadian Football League.

Cook didn't have the high school career of Anderson or the college career of Williams, but he still accomplished enough to land on this list.

Cook took over the Vikings in 1983 and led them to a 6-3 record. Sean finished second in the NIC-10 in passing yardage by eight yards and the league leader, Greg Wallace of Belvidere, needed two playoff games to finish ahead of him. Coaches voted Wallace first team all-conference over Cook.

Cook chose to go Texas Southern, a historically black college in the Southwest Athletic Conference. He was a starter his final two seasons and he essentially rewrote the school record book.

Cook still ranks first all-time in Texas Southern career passing yardage, total offensive yards in a career, total offensive yards in a season, passing yards in a season, passing TDs in a season, total offensive yards in a game and several others.

His best season was his junior year when he threw for 3,065 yards and 28 touchdowns while earning first-team All-SWAC honors. He came back with 1,654 yards passing as a senior and another 13 TDs. Texas Southern was 7-14 Cook's final two seasons.

Cook stayed in the Texas area after graduating. Today, he's the global engineering system processes and scheduling manager at NOV in Houston. NOV is a leading worldwide provider of components for oil and gas drilling.

No. 91 - Sean Cook, Guilford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1982	High School	Guilford	Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
1983	High School	Guilford	Winning Team	1
1984	College	Texas Southern	Played in NCAA Division 1A	3
1985	College	Texas Southern	Played in NCAA Division 1A	3
1986	College	Texas Southern	Played in NCAA Division 1A	3
			Starter	1
			First Team All-SWAC	1
1987	College	Texas Southern	Played in NCAA Division 1A	3
		Texas Southern	Starter	1
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 92 - Terrell Goldsmith, Auburn

Terrell Goldsmith was the engine of an under-manned Auburn team that recorded the school's last winning season for 15 years.

The Knights went 9-9 in Goldsmith's two years as a starting running back/defensive back. While this may not seem super impressive, Auburn had fewer than 30 players on the squad both of those seasons and Auburn would go just 2-43 over the next five years. 

Goldsmith shared the ball in 1996 with his brother Stephen. Stephen would finish with 869 yards on 91 carries and Terrell would add 590 on 76 rushes as the Knights went 4-5. Both were chosen to the NIC-10 All-Conference team.

In 1997, Terrell won the conference rushing title with 1,228 yards on 172 carries in nine games. He scored 12 rushing TDs. Included in this was perhaps one of that decade's most memorable games. In week eight, Goldsmith ran over, around and through an undefeated Boylan team in a 34-14 route.

Boylan had given up just 59 points in the first seven weeks of the season. Goldsmith gashed the seventh-ranked Titans for 222 yards rushing. That included a 58-yard TD run on a fake punt six seconds before halftime and a 55-yard TD run on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter.

That evened Auburn's record at 4-4 and a 10-9 win over Janesville Craig in the final week clinched the 5-4 record. Goldsmith was named All-State by the Champaign News-Gazette.

Goldsmith played for NCAA Division II power Northern Michigan in an up-and-down college career. He was a starter immediately as a freshman and then a star as a sophomore, rushing for 1,030 yards on 229 carries. He was voted team Co-MVP and first team all-conference for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Then Goldsmith missed all of 2001 after letting his grades slide. Instead of heading home, he put in the work to get back on the field for his senior year where he led Northern Michigan with 731 yards. All told, over three seasons, Goldsmith rushed for 2,355 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Goldsmith didn't get any serious NFL looks, but he continued to play football for several minor league teams over the next decade.

No. 92 - Terrell Goldsmith, Auburn
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1996	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
1997	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			League Leader (rushing)	1
			All-State	1
1999	College	Northern Michigan	Letter Winner in D2	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
2000	College	Northern Michigan	Letter Winner in D2	2
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
2001	College	Northern Michigan	Ineligible
2002	College	Northern Michigan	Letter Winner in D2	2
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 93 - Matt Anderson, Belvidere

Our last Belvidere Buc on the list exploded his senior year and it earned him four years in the Big Ten.

Matt Anderson was a two-year starter for Belvidere in 1997 and 1998. He went from solid for an 8-4 Belvidere team in 1997 to great in 1998. He was first-team All-NIC-9 and was named to several all-state teams as a defensive lineman. Behind his dominating play, the Bucs won the NIC-9 and finished 9-2 overall.

Anderson was recruited to Northwestern by coach Gary Barnett, but Barnett left the Wildcats for Colorado during the recruiting process. Anderson decided to sign with the Wildcats anyway under new coach Randy Walker.

Anderson was on the roster all four years but only lettered in the final two. He ended up starting 15 games in his career with 49 tackles. Most of those came in his final season when he had nine starts and 31 tackles. 

Northwestern went 18-28 during his time in Evanston, including 7-16 his final two seasons when he was in the defensive line rotation. After Anderson graduated from Belvidere, the Bucs wouldn't win the NIC-9 again until 2005.

No. 93 - Matt Anderson, Belvidere
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1997	High School	Belvidere	Playoff Team	1
1998	High School	Belvidere	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State Selection	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
1999	College	Northwestern	Played on Power 5 Team	2
2000	College	Northwestern	Played on Power 5 Team	2
2001	College	Northwestern	Letterwinner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
2002	College	Northwestern	Letterwinner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 94 - George Wojtowicz, East

Our No. 94 player was the dominant offensive lineman on the 1973 and 1974 East teams that combined to go 22-0 and outscore its opponents 656-130.

George Wojtowicz was a two-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines. The 1973 team went 9-0 and won by an average score of 24-6. Wojtowicz was first team All Big-9 for the 1974 team that went 13-0 and won the IHSA Class 4A championship 34-15 over Normal Community.

Wojtowicz was one of five players off the 1974 team to play major NCAA Division 1 college football. He joined running back Ira Matthews at Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, Wojtowicz suffered a knee injury early in his college career. Although he was on the roster all four seasons, he only lettered his senior year. After going undefeated as a high school player, his senior year was the only season the Badgers had a winning record.

No. 94 - George Wojtowicz, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1973	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Ranked in Top Four	1
1974	High School	East	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Final Four	1
			State Champion	1
1975	College	Wisconsin	Played for Power 5 Team	2
1976	College	Wisconsin	Played for Power 5 Team	2
1977	College	Wisconsin	Played for Power 5 Team	2
1978	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 95 - Adam Schlamp, Freeport

Adam Schlamp is one of the rare players who made this list mostly because of his accomplishments in high school.

Schlamp was a three-year starter and all-conference player for Freeport football teams that went a perfect 24-0 in conference play with him in the lineup.

The Pretzels used Schlamp everywhere. He punted and kicked field goals, he returned kicks. He played wide receiver, flanker and tight end and he anchored the defense as a safety.

He was first team All-NIC-9 as a field goal kicker as a sophomore. That year he also finished second in the conference in receptions (31 and third in receiving yards (545). As a junior, he was first team All-Conference as a defensive back an added another 25 receptions for 376 yards on offense. As a senior, he was defensive MVP and had another 17 catches for 344 yards on offense.

The Pretzels went 29-4 overall with Schlamp in the lineup.

The stellar career earned Schlamp a scholarship to Northern Illinois University, but he made little impact. Although he was on the roster for four seasons he never lettered.

No. 95 - Adam Schlamp, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2001	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
2002	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
2003	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Defensive MVP	1
2004	College	Northern Illinois	Player on Division 1A	1.75
2005	College	Northern Illinois	Player on Division 1A	1.75
2006	College	Northern Illinois	Player on Division 1A	1.75
2007	College	Northern Illinois	Player on Division 1A	1.75
Total				20

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 96 - Anthony McKinney, Harlem

 The 96th player on this list was a somewhat reluctant warrior.

Anthony McKinney of Harlem grew up wanting to be a champion wrestler. His size - he eventually grew to be 6-8 and 314 pounds - made him a constant target of the Huskies football staff.

They wore him down and McKinney began playing the sport as a junior. That size, his wrestling training and overall natural abilitiy - McKinney would win a NIC-10 wrestling title and discus title in track - quickly made him a standout. He was first-team All-NIC-10 as an offensive lineman his senior year.

The late start forced McKinney to go the junior college route. He went to Iowa Western Junior College where he developed into a 4-star recruit. He chose Texas Christian University over dozens of schools where he would start 20 of 24 games and get invited to the Hula Bowl.

In 2020, McKinney went undrafted, but the Tennessee Titans signed him as a free agent. McKinney was the only Titans player to opt out because of the coronavirus pandemic. In June of 2021, the Titans waived McKinney after reaching an injury settlement. It is unclear if McKinney plans to continue to pursue a football dream or go into MMA.

No. 96 - Anthony McKinney, Harlem
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
2014	High School	Harlem	Playoff Team	1
2015	High School	Harlem	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
2016	College	Iowa Western	Played D1 JUCO	1
2017	College	Iowa Western	Played D1 JUCO	1
2018	College	TCU	Letter winner on Power 5 team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
2019	College	TCU	Letter winner on Power 5 team	4
			Starter	1
2020	Professional	Titans	Free agent contract	1
Total				19

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players