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