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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