NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 41 - Lee Hicks, West

Lee Hicks was a defensive dynamo that led both West and Northern Illinois University to heights not seen in decades.

At West, Hicks starred on both sides of the ball. In 1980, he finished second in the Big Nine in rushing with 750 yards rushing. But he was named All-Conference on defense as a linebacker. Hicks, along with future NIU teammates Vernon and Reggie Sims, powered the Warriors to a 9-3 record and the semifinals of the IHSA Class 5A playoffs. It was West's best season since 1964.

Hicks joined NIU at an opportune time. Coach Bill Mallory took over the program in 1979 from coach Pat Culpepper, who went 14-29 in four years. In fact, since joining NCAA Division 1A in 1968, the Huskies had had just two winning seasons - 1972 and 1973.

Mallory changed that immediately, going 7-4 in 1980. The Huskies took a step back in 1981, going 3-8, but the Huskies were a gathering storm. Hicks moved into the starting lineup in 1982 as a safety. NIU got off to a 1-4 start, but responded by winning four of the final five to finish 5-5.

In 1983, the Huskies opened eyes by edging Kansas of the Big 8, 37-34, to open the season. NIU fell to Wisconsin in the second week, but then ran off six straight wins. A 17-0 loss to Miami of Ohio put their MAC championship hopes in peril, but NIU finished the season off with wins over Toledo and Ohio to nail down the first bowl game since joining the NCAA's highest level.

The Huskies finished the season in style by knocking off Cal State Fullerton in the California Bowl.

Mallory parlayed NIU's success into the head coaching job at Indiana, where he'd stay until retiring after the 1996 season.

Hicks played his senior year under Lee Corso. The Huskies fell to 4-6-1, but Hicks was chosen to the second team All-MAC defensive team. He finished his NIU career with 274 tackles, 13 for loss, and 10 interceptions. Only Auburn's Seth Miller has more interceptions at the NCAA Division I level.

Hicks eventually earned a master's degree in mental health counseling. Today, he's a parent educator and facilitator for the Youth Service Bureau of Illinois Valley.

No. 41 - Lee Hicks, West
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1979	High School	West	Winning Team	1
1980	High School	West	First Team All-Conference	2
			Conference Champion	1
			Playoffs	1
			IHSA Semifinals	1
1981	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
1982	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1983	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1984	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			All-MAC selection	1
Total				27

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 42 - Vernon Sims, West

The No. 42 player on our list came out of perhaps the toughest family in the area in the 1980s.

Vernon Sims was one of a bunch of Sims brothers who made West competitive in the 1970s and 1980s. Three, Vernon, Reggie and Fred - the ninth, 11th and 12th of the Sims kids - would be first-team All-NIC-10 players. Two, Vernon and Reggie, would team up again to power Northern Illinois to its first ever NCAA Division I bowl game.

At West, Vernon was a two-way star. In 1981, he played offensive and defensive guard. The Warriors went 9-3, making the IHSA Class 5A semifinals during Vernon's junior year. Brother Reggie was the star at receiver that year, leading the conference in receiving TDs and finishing third in reception yardage.

In 1981, Vernon moved to defensive end and wide receiver, catching 28 passes for 531 yards and five touchdowns. He led the Big 9 - Hononegah hadn't joined yet - in receiving yards and touchdowns for a West team that fell to 1-8.

Vernon decided to follow Reggie to Northern Illinois University. After red-shirting in 1982, he became a four-year starter on the defensive line under three different coaches.

With Reggie starting at tight end and Vernon on the defensive line, the Huskies went 10-2 in 1983 under coach Bill Mallory. NIU qualified for the California Bowl, the first bowl game for the school since it moved up to NCAA Division 1A in 1968.

NIU wouldn't replicate that success the rest of Vernon's time in DeKalb. The 1984 Huskies went 4-6-1 under Lee Corso and the 1985 and 1986 NIU teams were a combined 6-16 under Jerry Pettibone, who would eventually get the program back on solid footing.

Still, Vernon had his moments. He had an interception in the 1983 season and led the team in tackles for losses in 1985. In 1986, he added another 93 tackles to finish with 232 for his career. His signed with an agent but decided not to pursue a pro career.

No. 42 - Vernon Sims, West
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1980	High School	West	Conference Champion	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
1981	High School	West	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (receiving yards)	1
			All-State	1
1983	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1984	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
1985	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
1986	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
Total				27

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 43 - Rex Enright, Rockford

The 43rd player on our list was one of the most famous Rockfordians of the first half of the 20th Century.

Rex Enright was a basketball and football star at Rockford High School and Notre Dame and one of our earliest NFL players. It was his career after he was done playing where he's now remembered the most.

At Rockford High School, Enright had the misfortune of having his junior football season occur during World War I. Enright was a starting end and halfback for the 1918 Rabs. Rockford ended up playing only four games because the draft drained so many players that several games were canceled.

Rockford crushed Beloit, Freeport and LaGrange by a combined score of 164-0 before ending the abbreviated schedule with a 0-0 tie with Elgin. Enright was mostly a blocking back and didn't score a single touchdown.

The 1919 Rabs got to a play a full campaign. Rockford went 8-2 with Ralph "Moon" Baker emerging as a star in the backfield. Enright started the season at right end but was moved to fullback where he was voted second team all-conference. Rex's only touchdown came in week three on a 20-yard pass reception.

Enright spent the next year heading strong amateur basketball teams that played a regional schedule. Finally, in the fall of 1921 he enrolled at Notre Dame hoping to play basketball and make the Fighting Irish football squad then being run by the still legendary Knute Rockne.

The success came more quickly in basketball. He didn't make Rockne's varsity team until 1923, where he was a backup at fullback for a 9-1 Notre Dame squad, scoring two touchdowns.

Enright did not play football in 1924. A clip in the Rockford newspapers said Rex used the season to focus on his studies.

Rockne welcomed Rex back in 1925 and he started in nine of Notre Dame's 10 games - missing one because of injury. He scored four touchdowns, two against Minnesota, and his final one in a 13-10 win over a Northwestern team that featured Baker, his old teammate at Rockford, as the star back. Notre Dame was a "disappointing" 7-2-1 Rex's senior year. It was one of only two years in the 1920s that Rockne's team had as many as two losses in a season.

Still, Enright's play drew notice. He was named to the "All-Western Team" and Chicago Tribune third team All-American and had opportunities to go several directions in 1926. He was offered a coaching position at St. Joseph's College in Pennsylvania and a chance to play for the fledgling Green Bay Packers.

He picked the Packers and spent two years in what was essentially a struggling startup league. He ended up playing in 19 games, starting 10 and scoring five touchdowns. In 1927, he scored a touchdown against the Chicago Bears, which featured his old Rockford teammate Laurie Walquist at quarterback and defensive back.

Two years of getting beat up in professional football for little pay was enough for Enright. In 1928, he joined the University of North Carolina football coaching staff. In 1931, he moved to the University of Georgia as head basketball coach. He held that job until 1938 when he moved to the University of South Carolina as head football coach. He would coach the Gamecocks in football until 1955 - as well as basketball in 1942-1943 because the college's coach was in the military.

Enright never forgot his Rockford roots. He recruited a number of Rockford athletes to come play for him at Georgia and South Carolina, including Frank Johnson, Chuck Prezioso and Stan Stasica.

He ended up 69-70-7 in football and was South Carolina's all-time winningest coach until Steve Spurrier broke his record and had an 82-62 career record in basketball.

Enright died in 1960. From 1956 to 2012, the University of South Carolina athletic department operated out of the Rex Enright Center.

No. 43 - Rex Enright, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1918	High School	Rockford	Winning Team	1
1919	High School	Rockford	Winning Team	1
			Second Team All-Conference	1
1922	College	Notre Dame	Freshman on Power 5 Team	2
1923	College	Notre Dame	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
1925	College	Notre Dame	Freshman on Power 5 Team	2
			Starter	1
			All-American Selection	1
			Winning Team	1
1926	NFL	Green Bay	Played in NFL	3
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1927	NFL	Green Bay	Played in NFL	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				27

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 44 - Paul Johnson, Boylan

Our 44th ranked player was the greatest Boylan player of the 1980s, who helped power his teams in high school and college to winning records every year he stepped on the field.

Paul Johnson was a two-time all-conference fullback for the Titans in 1985 and 1986. Boylan went 14-6 with Johnson leading the charge. In 1985, he was second in the NIC-10 in rushing to East's John Brown with 1,004 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns in 10 games. In 1986, he won the rushing title with 1,346 yards and 16 TDs in 10 games, beating out Brown by nine yards despite the fact that Brown played two more playoff games.

The monster senior season earned Johnson an All-State nod from the Champaign News-Gazette and a scholarship to Western Michigan.

The Broncos decided to use the hard-hitting Johnson on defense. After redshirting him his first year, Western Michigan plugged him in at defensive end where he was a three-year starter in 1988, 1990 and 1991. Johnson missed the 1989 season because of an off-the-field incident.

Over those three seasons, Johnson was in on 172 tackles, 19 of those for losses, including nine sacks. Only five NIC-10 players have recorded more tackles for loss in NCAA Division 1 football history. He also recovered five fumbles, three of those against Northern Illinois University in one game.

This was a good era for Western Michigan football. The 1988 team went 9-3 and played in the California Bowl. The 1990 and 1991 teams combined to go 13-9. So in Johnson's five seasons of varsity football in high school and college, his teams were 36-18.

No. 44 - Paul Johnson, Boylan
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1985	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
1986	High School	Boylan	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			League Leader	1
			All-State	1
1988	College	Western Michigan	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1990	College	Western Michigan	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1991	College	Western Michigan	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Second Team All-MAC	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				26.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Players: No. 45 - Don Knauff, Freeport

The 45th player on our list proved himself one of the best linemen in the state, took a break to fight in a war, and then became one of the best linemen in the Big 10.

Don Knauff was the key offensive/defensive lineman for the 1943 Freeport Pretzels, who went 4-2-1 in the Big Eight, finishing second to West Rockford. Knauff earned first team All-Big Eight and All-State honors from the Champaign News Gazette.

His college career would have to wait, though, because of World War II. Knauff enlisted in the U.S.Navy and served aboard the USS Langley, an aircraft carrier, and USS Catoctin, an amphibious force flagship.

After the war, Knauff went to Wisconsin to play for Harry Stuhldreher and later Ivy Williamson, earning varsity letters all four years. He earned some starts in 1947 and was a full-time starter for the 1948 team that went 2-7 overall and the 1949 squad under Williamson that went 5-3-1. He was named All-Big Ten as a guard in 1949 and earned an honorable All-American recognition from a couple of publications.

After earning his degree, Knauff became a teacher and a football coach. He started back at Freeport, moved to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and then joined Wauwatosa West High School, where he would spend his final 20 years in education. Knauff died in 2012.

No. 45 - Don Knauff, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1942	High School	Freeport	Losing Team	0
1943	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State	1
			Winning Team	1
1946	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1947	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Starter	1
1948	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1949	College	Wisconsin	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Big Ten	1
			Honorable Mention All-American	.5
Total				26.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 46 - Ron Fearn, East

The No. 46 football player on our list went from East to one of the Big Ten's great Cinderella stories of the 1960s.

Ron Fearn was a run first quarterback who led the E-Rabs to a 6-2-1 record in 1959. The E-Rabs later had to forfeit two wins for playing an ineligible player. Fearn led the Big Eight in rushing touchdowns with 10, added five passing and even one on a punt return.

He was so impressive that he was named first team All-Big Eight over Freeport's Harry Kent, who threw 20 touchdown passes while leading the Pretzels to an 8-0-1 record. The only blemish on Freeport's record was a 19-19 tie with East when Fearn rallied the E-Rabs from a 19-6 deficit in the final quarter.

Fearn accepted a scholarship to Illinois, which had just hired Pete Elliot to take over its program. On offense, the Illini tried Fearn at quarterback. He ran for 226 yards and passed for 115 over 1961 and 1962. These were dark days for the Illini. Illinois was 0-9 in 1961 and 2-7 in 1962.

In 1963, the Illini, behind legendary linebacker Dick Butkus, went from the bottom of the Big 10 to the top, going 8-1-1 and making the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1951.

Fearn made his mark in arguably Illinois' two biggest wins. Elliot moved Fearn to running back for 1963, but he used his passing skill to good use in a week two win 10-9 win over Northwestern. The only touchdown came on a 32-yard halfback option touchdown pass from Fearn.

On Thanksgiving, the Illini knocked off the fourth ranked Michigan State Spartans, 13-0. The star on defense was Fearn with two interceptions.

Illinois went on to beat Washington, 17-7, in the Rose Bowl and finish the season ranked No.3 in the AP Poll. Illinois wouldn't make the Rose Bowl again until 1983.

No. 46 - Ron Fearn, East
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1958	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			Honorable Mention All-Big 8	.5
1959	High School	East	Winning Team	1
			League Leader (rushing TDs)	1
			First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State	1
1960	College	Illinois	Player on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1961	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1962	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
1963	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
			Top Four Poll Finish	1
Total				26.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 47 - Donald "Red" Nelson, Rockford

The 47th player on our list was an all-around athlete who ended up contributing to Rockford for decades after his playing career as a business owner.

Donald "Red" Nelson was among a plethora of athletes from Rockford High School in the early 1930s who would go on to play major roles in college football. Nelson was a starting offensive and defensive guard for the 1931 and 1932 Rabs teams, which went 10-7-4 with Red leading the lines. He was named first team All-Conference in 1932 and his play earned him a scholarship to the University of Iowa.

At Iowa, he played baseball and threw the javeline for the track team along with playing football. After playing on the freshman team in 1933, Nelson lettered in 1934, 1935 and 1936. He was a starter his final two seasons and was named second team All-Big 10 as a senior. These were middling Iowa teams. The Hawkeyes were 4-2-2 in Nelson's junior year and 3-4-1 his senior year.

Still, he showed enough for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the NFL to sign him to a contract. Nelson ended up playing in all 11 games for the Dodgers in 1937, who went 3-8-1, starting four.

One season of pro football was enough for Nelson. He earned his degree from Iowa in 1938 and returned to Rockford to go into business. He started out selling Packard automobiles in 1939, becoming the youngest Packard dealer in the U.S. at the age of 24. He sold the dealership in 1947 and bought into O&H Foundry on 15th Street. He become sole owner of the business in 1963 and continued in that role until selling out to another company in 1991.

Nelson spent his last years serving the community on a variety of boards, including SwedishAmerican Hospital, Emmanuel Lutheran Church and Forest Hills Country Club until his death in 2004. 

No. 47 - Donald "Red" Nelson, Rockford
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1931	High School	Rockford	Winning Team	1
1932	High School	Rockford	First Team All-Conference	2
1933	College	Iowa	Played on Power 5 Freshman Team	2
1934	College	Iowa	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
1935	College	Iowa	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1936	College	Iowa	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Second Team All-Big Ten	1
1937	NFL	Brooklyn	Signed with Brooklyn Dodgers	1
			Played in NFL	3
			Starter	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 48 - Shawn Wax, Harlem

The 48th player on our list was perhaps the most unheralded coming out of high school, but he set receiving records for the area that still stand 30 years later.

If you've just watched NIC-10 football for the last 20 years, all you know is that Harlem High School is a consistent winner. That wasn't the case in the 1980s when Shawn Wax was playing at Harlem.

The Huskies won just five games in Wax's two years on varsity (1984 and 1985) and one of those was a forfeit. Wax wasn't among the top receivers as a junior, but he was as a senior. He finished third in the conference in receptions (31) and fourth in receiving yards (436).

This was a particularly strong year for the conference with two of the players ahead of him in receiving yards (Clarence Miller and Mike Larson) being on our list of 100 greatest players and the other, Matt Bankord, played for the playoff-bound Belvidere Bucs.

So Wax had to settle for special mention All-NIC-10. That means, in our system, he received just one point for his high school career.

Wax's coach, Jerry Stalcup, played football at Wisconsin and in the AFL and NFL. He thought Wax had the size - 6-3 - and the hands to play in the Big Ten and personally lobbied Illinois coach Mike White to give Wax a look.

White liked tall receivers and he decided to take a chance on Wax. It took a while, but it worked out for both Wax and the Illini.

Wax redshirted his freshman year after breaking his collarbone. He played just a handful of plays the next year and then White resigned and was replaced by John Mackovic. Mackovic challenged Wax to take the game more seriously. In 1988, Wax played in all 11 games and had 15 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He added 26 catches for 465 yards and another three scores in 1989.

In 1990, he had about as good a senior year as you can imagine. He led Illinois in receptions (60), receiving yardage (863) and touchdown receptions (6). He finished second in the Big 10 in receiving yards behind Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. He even threw a 26-yard touchdown pass against Michigan.

These were good Illinois teams. The 1988 Illini went 6-5-1 and played in the All-American Bowl. The 1989 Illini were 10-2, winning the Citrus Bowl and finishing 10th in the final AP Poll. And the 1990 Illini were 8-4, playing in the Hall of Fame Bowl and ending the season ranked 25th.

Wax ended his Illinois career with 101 receptions for 1,588 yards and 12 touchdowns. That's 25 more catches and 402 more yards than the next highest on the list (Todd Jenkins).

The big senior year earned Wax an NFL shot. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts, but all of the receivers ahead of him had guaranteed deals. When he was released, his agent received offers from Canadian Football League teams. Instead, Wax decided to return to college - literally.

He's spent most of the past 30 years working in athletics or fundraising at the University of Illinois and University of Iowa. In 2017, he moved to Chicago to become vice president for development and alumni relations at Columbia College, one of the nation's top arts and media colleges.

No. 48 - Shawn Wax, Harlem
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1984	High School	Harlem	Losing Team	0
1985	High School	Harlem	Special Mention All-Conference	1
1987	College	Illinois	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1988	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1989	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1990	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
			Career college record holder	1
1991	Pro Football	Colts	Signed as free agent	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 49 - David Olson, Freeport

The 49th player on our list was a do-little-bit-of-everything player for the Pretzels who became a fixture at tight end in one of the better runs of success in University of Illinois history.

David Olson started out as a defensive end and tight end for the Pretzels as a junior. He was sixth in the conference in receiving yards with 434 for a 2-7 Freeport squad. As a senior, Olson moved to fullback, rushing for 329 yards and adding 254 as a receiver, and linebacker - where he was named first team All-Conference. Freeport was 4-5 his senior year.

Olson hoped to go the University of Iowa but ended up at Illinois, his second choice. It was good timing. After red-shirting in 1989, Olson would play in all 47 games for the Illinois over the next four years. This was a solid era for the Illini. Illinois went 25-21-1 during Olson's four years on varsity, playing in the Hall of Fame, Sun and Holiday bowls.

Olson had to share time, though, with lots of receivers. He ended up with 52 catches for 461 yards and five touchdowns. His junior year, 1992, was his most productive with 27 catches for 247. His 52 catches, though, remain the fourth most all-time by a NIC-10 player at the highest level of NCAA Division 1 football.

After college, Olson ended up in Cummings, Georgia, where he works in occupational medicine.

No. 49 - David Olson, Freeport
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1987	High School	Freeport	Losing Team	0
1988	High School	Freeport	First Team All-Conference	2
1990	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1991	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1992	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1993	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 50 - Mike Strasser, Hononegah

The 50th player on our list was one of the key "Mikes" who led Hononegah to what remains its only appearance in an IHSA championship game.

Mike Strasser finished fourth in the NIC-10 in rushing as a fullback with 539 yards in eight published games for the 1984 Indians, who finished in a three-way tie for first in the NIC-10. A Rockford teachers strike wiped out several games and not all boxscores were published.

Strasser added 698 yards on 120 carries in 1985 as the No. 3 option in Hononegah's rushing attack. Darryl Graverson led the Indians with 919 yards and Mike Larson - the other Mike - added 702.

Strasser actually stood out more on defense, being named first team All-NIC-10 as a defensive back. The 1985 Indians went 6-3 in the NIC-10, tying for third. But Hononegah caught fire in the 4A playoffs, advancing to the championship game before falling to Washington, 28-12.

Interestingly, Mike Larson, who was the bigger offensive star in high school, would go on to play safety at the University of Indiana (Larson is the No. 59 player on our list). Strasser, the all-conference defensive back, would go to Northern Illinois University where the Huskies would use him as a running back.

Strasser was never a star at NIU, but he was a solid contributer. He earned four letters (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990) and started games in three seasons. He ended up playing in 42 games over five seasons - he redshirted in 1988 after playing in four games - rushing 156 times for 797 yards and eight touchdowns and adding 282 yards receiving and two TDs on 19 receptions.

This was a solid era for NIU under coach Jerry Pettibone. The Huskies went 29-27 over Strasser's five years.

Strasser earned his degree from NIU then went to the Illinois College of Optometry. Today, Strasser is an optician in Huntley.

No. 50 - Mike Strasser, Hononegah
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1984	High School	Hononegah	Winning Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
1985	High School	Hononegah	First Team All-Conference	2
			Playoff Team	1
			Final Four	1
1986	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
1987	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1989	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1990	College	Northern Illinois	Letter Winner in NCAA Div. 1A	3.5
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

Pausing at 50 - who you won't see on this list

Now that we've reached the halfway point of our list of the NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players, we're pausing to talk about why you won't see some players on this list.

First of all, we didn't consider specialists. The NIC-10 has had a couple of outstanding kickers play Division 1 football in David Frakes of Guilford (Georgia Tech) and Derek Dimke of Boylan (Illinois). Both were good enough in college to get shots as NFL kickers before moving on to other things.

Hononegah also produced a long snapper, Kelly Mason, who became a four-year letter winner at Kentucky.

Under our scoring system, all three would have qualified for the top 100, but we didn't believe it was fair to consider them against every down players.

We also only considered players from local schools when those schools were in the conference. That affected several players. Harlem had a outstanding lineman in the 1940s named Roger Kinson who went on to thrive at Missouri and be picked as a center in the sixth round of the 1952 NFL draft. Kinson likely would have been a top 100 player, but Harlem didn't join the Big Eight/NIC-10 until the 1960s.

Belvidere had a similar player in Bob Funderburg. Funderburg went from playing for the Bucs to playing for Northwestern in the Big Ten. He was picked by the Detroit Lions in the 1946 NFL draft.

We also only considered players who graduated from a NIC-10/Big Eight school. Ken Roskie, who is the only player from Harlem to actually play in the NFL when he played for the Lions and Green Bay Packers in 1948, missed out on our ranking because Harlem wasn't in the conference when he was in high school and his family moved before his senior year.

That's also why you won't see Dan Arnold, former Boylan player and current NFL tight end on the list. Arnold attended Boylan for three years, but his family moved to North Dakota and Arnold graduated from Shanley High School in Fargo.

Ironically, Arnold now is playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which also is the team of James Robinson of Rockford. Robinson was a Rockford Public Schools student until his freshman year when he was enrolled at Rockford Lutheran. So you won't see Robinson on here either.

Also, whenever you have a list, that means there are players who just missed. If this list was the NIC-10's Top 110 Players then you would have seen:

No. 101 - Scott Sholl, Harlem
No. 102 - Ken Hornbeck, Auburn
No. 103 - Dean Koester, Guilford
No. 104 - Mike LaLoggia, Boylan
No. 105 - Scott VanSchelven, Hononegah
No. 106 - Dave Weisendanger, Freeport
No. 107 - Steve Harris, Boylan
No. 108 - John Pinnow, Freeport
No. 109 - Kevin Keller, Guilford
No. 110 - Ken Franzen, Eastz

So tomorrow back to the list.

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 51 - Al Benz, West

One of West's best all-around athletes of the 1970s makes our list at No. 51.

Al Benz was a hard-charging fullback for the Warriors, gaining 1,031 yards over two seasons.

It was at linebacker, though, where he made his name. He was first-team All-Big Nine as a junior in 1972 despite missing the last three games with a collarbone injury. He repeated in 1973, leading West in tackles and in "first hits" with 91 in nine games. That earned him an all-state nod as well.

With Benz anchoring the offense and defense, the Warriors went 13-5. The 1973 team went 7-2, finishing third, but few remember that West era because of the 1973 and 1974 East teams that went 23-0 over two seasons.

Benz, who also was a two-time all-conference first baseman in baseball, earned a scholarship to Northwestern where he had a star-crossed career.

Benz got off to a great start in 1974, earning a starter position by week five. Unfortunately, he broke his leg against Iowa in a game where he already had nine tackles. When Benz returned in 1975, he didn't have the same explosiveness and lost his starting spot.

Benz was back in the starting lineup in 1976, but then fell out of favor and was relegated to second team in 1977. Still, he was a four-time letter winner in the Big Ten. Unfortunately, Northwestern was sliding to the very bottom of the conference. The Wildcats went 3-8 both Benz's freshman and sophomore years and then fell to 1-10 his junior and senior years. 

That's not a great record, but the Wildcats would go 1-42 the four years directly after Benz graduated. 

No. 51 - Al Benz, West
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1972	High School	West	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1973	High School	West	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
			All-State	1
1974	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
1975	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
1976	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
			Starter	1
1977	College	Northwestern	Letter Winner at Power 5 School	4
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 52 - Rob Dal Santo, Belvidere

Belvidere's greatest offensive weapon of the Verne Pottinger era is the highest ranked player on our list to play his college football at a NCAA Division III school.

Rob Dal Santo blitzed the NIC-10 with two seasons never before seen. As a junior in 1988, Dal Santo rushed for 1,523 and 18 touchdowns in 14 games as he powered Belvidere to its first IHSA title game. There, Dal Santo rushed for 171 yards on 30 carries, but the Bucs fell to Peoria Richwoods, 29-26.

Dal Santo came back to rewrite the NIC-10 record books in 1989. He set conference records for yards in a game (306), season (1,922) and career (3,445). The Bucs won their first 11 games before falling to Wheaton Central, 28-12. Still, over the course of his two seasons, Belvidere went a stellar 23-3, he won two rushing titles, was twice first team all-conference and all-state.

Dal Santo hoped to play at Northern Illinois University. When that didn't come to fruition, he chose to play at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. There, he again rewrote the school record books. Dal Santo still holds the Platteville records for career rushing yards (3,529), and remains in the top five for rushing touchdowns in a career (30).

After college, Dal Santo returned to the area where he's run Rob Dal Santo Painting for more than 14 years.

No. 52 - Rob Dal Santo, Belvidere
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1988	High School	Belvidere	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (rushing)	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			Final Four	1
1989	High School	Belvidere	First Team All-Conference	2
			League Leader (rushing)	1
			Playoff Team	1
			Conference Champion	1
			All-State	1
1991	College	UW-Platteville	Division III Player	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1992	College	UW-Platteville	Division III Player	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Conference	1
1993	College	UW-Platteville	Division III Player	1
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
1994	College	UW-Platteville	Division III Player	1
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-Conference	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players