Thursday, February 3, 2022

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

The 10th greatest player on our list likely would have finished higher if pro football was the big money operation that it is today.

Jerry Stalcup had one of the greatest college football careers of any player to play in the Big Eight/NIC-10. He then walked away from a solid pro football career that had several more years in it to give his family a foundation.

At East, Stalcup was a standout of good but not great E-Rabs teams in 1954 and 1955. Even though he was just a honorable mention all-conference fullback his senior year, he'd impressed scouts enough that Wisconsin offered him a scholarship.

Stalcup joined the Badgers at an opportune time. Milt Bruhn had just taken over Wisconsin. The Badgers struggled Stalcup's freshman year, going 1-5-3. Jerry moved into the starting lineup as a linebacker/offensive lineman in 1957 and was a fixture for his final three seasons.

Wisconsin went 20-7-1 with Stalcup as a starter. The 1959 season was storybook for both the Badgers and Stalcup. Wisconsin went 7-3, winning the extremely competitive Big Ten with a 5-2 mark to qualify for the school's first Rose Bowl trip since 1953.

Stalcup came up big in the season's biggest moments. In the season opener, he recovered an onside kick to preserve a 16-14 win over Stanford. Against Ohio State, he was in on a big hit that knocked out the Buckeyes' star running back Bob White in a 12-3 win. The year's biggest win was over No. 2 ranked Northwestern. In that game, Stalcup had 16 tackles and the game-clinching interception with 50 seconds to play. 

Defensive stats from that era are non-existent, which is a shame because in individual game stories, Stalcup had a handful of games with 20 or more tackles. If those numbers were available, he'd likely be near the NIC-10 record of 513 tackles that Mike Junkin of Belvidere recorded at Duke in the 1980s.

Stalcup was taken in the sixth round of the 1960 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He spent the 1960 with L.A., playing 12 games, starting one and getting his only career NFL/AFL interception. In 1961, he chose to sign with the Denver Broncos of the upstart AFL. He started eight games in 1961 and nine out of 14 games in 1962. 

In 1963, at the age of 25, he chose to walk away from pro football. He'd married his high school sweetheart in 1960 and having to spend half his year out west playing for minimal pay had lost its luster. Instead, he returned to Rockford to go into the insurance business. After a short time in that, he was recruited to return to East as defensive coordinator. He'd spend most of the next four decades as a teacher and coach both at the high school and semiprofessional level.

No. 10 - Jerry Stalcup, East
Year Level Team Accomplishments Points
1954 High School East Losing Team 0
1955 High School East Honorable Mention All-Conf. 0.5
Winning Record 1
1956 College Wisconsin Player on Power 5 Freshman Team 2
1957 College Wisconsin Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
1958 College Wisconsin Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
1959 College Wisconsin Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
All-Big Ten 1
Bowl Game 1
1960 NFL Rams Sixth Round Pick 5
Played in NFL 3
Starter 1
1961 AFL Broncos Played in AFL 3
Starter 1
1962 AFL Broncos Played in AFL 3
Starter 1
Total 41.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

Sunday, January 30, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 11 - Leonard Bell, Jefferson

The No. 11 player on our list remains the second-highest NFL draft pick in NIC-10 history.

Leonard Bell turned out to be the greatest of a number of big-time athletes that made Jefferson a consistent power under Joe Blume in the 1980s.

In high school, Bell was better known as a running back. He was first team All-Big 9 in 1980 with 536 yards on 99 carries in eight conference games for a J-Hawks team that went 4-5. In 1981, he improved those numbers to 712 yards on 112 carries in eight conference games. The J-Hawks improved to 7-2 and Bell was again first team all-conference.

Bell was one of two J-Hawks to earn tickets to the Big Ten off those teams. Defensive demon, Ted Teske, who was named to several all-state teams, signed with Wisconsin, while Bell went to play for the University of Indiana.

Bell redshirted a season and then earned several starts as the Hoosiers went 3-8 under Sam Wyche, who then left Indiana to become head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Bill Mallory, who has ties to several NIC-10 greats because of his stints as an assistant at the University of Colorado and head coach at Northern Illinois, took over for Wyche and started to turn the Hoosiers around.

It didn't happen right away. Indiana would go 0-11 in Bell's sophomore season. The Hoosiers improved to 4-7 in 1985 and then went 6-6 in 1986, qualifying for the All-American Bowl, the school's first since 1979. Bell was named honorable mention All-Big 10. 

For his college career, Bell recorded 296 tackles, including 13 for loss, with nine interceptions. These are big numbers. He ranks fourth all time among all NIC-10 players in tackles at college football's highest level and third in interceptions.

His former coach, Wyche, certainly took notice. He drafted Bell in the third round - 76th player overall - of the 1987 draft. The 1987 draft was a historic one for the NIC-10. Former Belvidere linebacker Mike Junkin was taken fifth overall in the first round by the Cleveland Browns. Junkin and Bell remain the two highest picks in conference history.

Unfortunately, that was the highlight of a frustrating pro career for Bell. The Bengals changed defensive coordinators, Bell injured his foot, and never got a chance to play. He appeared in one game for Cincinnati. In 1988, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1988, but then Jerry Jones bought the team and brought in Jimmy Johnson, who released everyone former coach Tom Landry had signed.

Bell gave it one last shot in 1989, signing with the Houston Oilers. When he didn't make that roster he gave up the football dream. He remained in Houston and has been working at the city's largest Toyota dealership for more than 15 years. He's now the lease and purchasing manager at Fred Haas Toyota World.

No. 11 - Leonard Bell, Jefferson
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1980 High School Jefferson First Team All-Conference 2
1981 High School Jefferson First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Team 1
1983 College Indiana Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
1984 College Indiana Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
1985 College Indiana Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
1986 College Indiana Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Honorable Mention All-Big 10 0.5
Winning Record 1
Bowl Game 1
1987 NFL Bengals 3rd Round Pick 8
Played in NFL 3
1988 NFL Cowboys Free Agent Contract 1
1989 NFL Oilers Free Agent Contract 1
Total 40.5

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

Friday, January 28, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 12 - Stuart Walker, East

The No. 12 player on our list was perhaps the most highly regarded player - at least in high school - of the greatest collection of athletes on a single NIC-10 football team.

Stuart Walker was a linebacker/defensive end and special teams ace for the 1973, 1974 East E-Rabs who went 22-0 and rolled to the IHSA Class 4A state title in the first year of the state playoffs. Five players off those teams made our top 100 list - the most for any football team in conference history.

Although those East teams remain city famous for its plethora of offensive stars - quarterback Dean Schlueter led the Big Nine in passing and Joe Black, Ira Matthews and Russell Pope finished fourth, fifth and sixth in rushing - the defense was special as well. The E-Rabs surrendered only 120 points over 22 games in 1973 and 1974. In the 1974 playoffs, East surrender only 35 points in the four playoff games.

East claimed 12 of the 22 first team all-conference slots in 1974. Walker and Matthews were named to the Champaign Gazette All-State team. Only Walker was named to the Parade All-American team. He was the first and remains the only NIC-10 player named as a Parade All-American. It is the longest running and most respected All-American designation.

Walker's closest friend on those East teams was Matthews and the two originally planned to play together at Wisconsin. At the last second, Walker changed his mind and committed to play for the University of Colorado in the Big Eight, battling the likes of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Walker ended up becoming a three-year starter at Colorado. He had 159 total tackles, including 24 for losses and 12 sacks. He still ranks fifth all-time in tackles for loss by a NIC-10 player in college football's highest level. The Buffaloes went 21-12-1 during Walker's three years and played in the 1977 Orange Bowl. It was Colorado's first New Year's Day bowl since 1961.

In 1979, Walker was one of three former E-Rams taken in that year's NFL draft. The Atlanta Falcons took Walker in the 12th round. Walker, who always struggled to keep on weight during football season, was cut but signed to be on the Falcons' taxi squad. After one of that, Walker gave up the football dream.

Walker went back to Colorado and started working with Continental Airlines. He stayed in the industry for more than 30 years through a bunch of mergers and buyouts. Now, he is retired and splits his time between Florida and Colorado.

No. 12 - Stuart Walker
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1973 High School East First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Team 1
Conference Champion 1
Final Four 1
1974 High School East First Team All-Conference 2
Playoffs 1
Conference Champion 1
Final Four 1
State Champion 1
All-State 1
Parade All-American 1
1975 College Colorado Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Winning Record 1
Bowl Game 1
1976 College Colorado Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Record 1
Bowl Game 1
1977 College Colorado Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Record 1
1978 College Colorado Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Record 1
1979 NFL Atlanta 12th Round Draft Pick 1
Taxi Squad 1
Total 40

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Players

Thursday, January 27, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 13 - Tim Scharf, Boylan

The No. 13 player on our list was one of the area's biggest winners in both high school and college.

Tim Scharf was a power fullback and linebacker on Boylan teams in 1991 and 1992 that went 15-1 in the NIC-9 and 23-3 overall. The Titans shared the NIC-9 title in 1991 and won it outright in 1992 and advanced to the IHSA state semifinals both seasons.

Scharf was first team all-conference as linebacker both years and finished fifth in the conference in rushing as a senior with 887 yards and 18 touchdowns on 165 carries.


Despite the stellar career, Scharf had to have some good fortune to end up in the Big Ten. Ray Robey was an outstanding lineman for the Auburn Knights and Northwestern recruiters were impressed by Scharf while scouting Robey. The two headed to Evanston almost as a package deal.

It was great timing. Gary Barnett had taken over the Northwestern program in 1992. The Wildcats hadn't had a winning season since 1971. The futility continued in 1993 and 1994 as Northwestern went just 5-16-1.

Then the magic happened.

The 1995 Wildcats started the season with a massive upset of No. 9 ranked Notre Dame in South Bend to put themselves on the national radar. The win looked to be a fluke when it lost to Miami of Ohio the next week, 30-28. But the Wildcats rebounded by beating Air Force and Indiana and then knocking off Michigan, 19-13. Northwestern would go on to go 8-0 in the Big Ten, winning the first conference title since 1936 and qualifying for its first Rose Bowl since 1948.

The Wildcats would lose to USC in the Rose Bowl, but Northwestern showed the season was no fluke in 1996. The Wildcats would tie for first in the Big Ten with a 7-1 record and be invited to the Citrus Bowl. In Scharf's final two seasons, Northwestern was 19-5. It was the best back-to-back campaigns since 1903-1904 Wildcats went 18-3. Northwestern wouldn't win 19 games over two seasons again until 2017-2018.

Scharf finished his Northwestern career with 150 tackles over four years, 10 of those being for loss. Scharf was invited to the NFL combine where he performed well. He was picked in the sixth round by the New York Jets in 1997. He didn't make that roster but was signed to the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 1998, he played a season in NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores before giving up the NFL dream for good.

Scharf went back to school to get a masters degree in predictive analytics from DePaul University. Today, Scharf is a senior machine learning engineer for Second Spectrum Inc. in Los Angeles

No. 13 - Tim Scharf, Boylan
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1991 High School Boylan First Team All-Conference 2
Playoffs 1
Conference Champion 1
Final Four 1
1992 High School Boylan First Team All-Conference 2
Conference Defensive MVP 1
Playoffs 1
Conference Champion 1
Final Four 1
1993 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
1994 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
1995 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
Bowl Game 1
1996 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
Bowl Team 1
1997 NFL Jets/Steelers Sixth Round Pick/Taxi Squad 5
1998 NFL Claymores Played in NFL Europe 2
Total 40

Friday, January 21, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 14 - Ralph Baker, Rockford

Only one Big Eight/NIC-10 football player ever went on to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and football wasn't even his favorite sport.

Ralph Baker was a star at Rockford High School from the minute he stepped foot on campus. Beginning in 1919, he was a four-year starter in basketball at a time Rockford was one of the top two or three basketball schools in the state. In Baker's four years as the starting center, Rockford compiled a 68-10 record and made it to the IHSA tournament all four years, winning the state title in 1919, finishing second in 1921 and third in 1922.

Baker scored 656 points in 63 games during an era where 40 points by a team was an offensive explosion. He held the school scoring record for nearly two decades.

In football, Baker played on the heavyweights beginning as a sophomore and was a three time all-conference pick. He started out on the line but was moved into the backfield as a junior. In the second week of the 1920 season, Baker set a conference record with 53 points in a 100-0 win over Joliet. Baker scored on five touchdown runs and had TD receptions of 50 and 20 yards. He also kicked eight extra points and added a drop kick. Interestingly, Baker wouldn't score another TD in 1920 as the Rabs went 7-0-2.

In 1921, Baker was the unquestioned star for a Rockford team that went 8-1. The only loss in Ralph's final two seasons was a 6-0 loss to Elgin. Baker scored in every other game in almost every way. He had 13 touchdown runs, four touchdown passes, four punt return TDs, six drop kicks and 13 extra points. The rest of the Rockford team combined to score eight touchdowns on the season.

Baker was heavily recruited by several Western Conference schools and Baker originally picked Illinois, which already had had considerable success with Rockford athletes such as Milton Olander and Laurie Walquist. Baker spent his first year on the freshman team and then transferred to Northwestern. 

A 1977 story by the Rockford Register Star's Mike Doyle quoted a former Baker teammate as saying Baker got a better offer - promise of a job and money - to transfer to Evanston. Baker turned out to be worth the illegal cash.

After sitting out for a year, Baker won a starting spot for the 1924 Northwestern squad. Baker was picked for the All-Western Conference team by several publications after scoring four touchdowns and kicking five field goals and seven extra points. His play was so spectacular that he was often called "Northwestern's Red Grange." Grange, Baker's former teammate, had become a national phenomenon at Baker's old school.

Sometime during that season, he picked up the nickname "Moon" because he read the popular comic strip Moon Mullins every day in the Chicago Tribune.

In 1925, Baker's fame had grown so large that he was named to several All-American teams despite the fact that he played in only four games because of an ankle injury.

In 1926, fully healed, Baker was again tabbed as an All-American by several publications after leading the Wildcats in scoring with two TD runs, catching one TD pass, kicking two field goals and 10 extra points and adding three touchdown passes.

By today's standards, Baker's contributions don't seem all that impressive. He had seven TD runs, one TD receptions, eight field goals, 19 extra points and three TD passes in 20 games. The Wildcats, though, averaged 15 points per game in Baker's three seasons. He played a part - either by scoring, kicking or throwing - in 109 of Northwestern's 369 points over those three years.

The Wildcats also went 16-8 during Baker's time in Evanston. He powered the 1926 team to a 5-0 record in the Western Conference and 7-1 overall. It is one of just eight Western Conference/Big Ten titles in school history.

In 1925, Grange gave the struggling National Football League a huge shot in the arm by joining the Chicago Bears and going on a barnstorming tour to raise the league's profile. Grange left the Bears for the 1926 season and Chicago hoped Baker could be his replacement. A story in the Rockford Morning Star said the Bears were signing Baker for the 1927 season.

That's the only mention the NIC-10 History Book could find about Baker and the Bears. He never played a game in the NFL. Instead, he focused on basketball. Baker also played hoops for Northwestern and he made his pro basketball debut in January 1927 with the Burr Athletic Wear team. Ralph would go on to play a few games for the Chicago Bruins in the American Basketball League in 1927 as well.

Baker eventually moved out west. He was a coach at a small college until moving to Redwood City where he became a taxi driver. He remained a cabbie and a supervisor until retiring in the 1960s. He died in 1977 four years after he was first nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame. He was finally inducted in 1981.

No. 14 - Ralph Baker, Rockford
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1919 High School Rockford First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Team 1
1920 High School Rockford First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Team 1
Conference Champion 1
1921 High School Rockford First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Team 1
League Leader (Touchdowns) 1
1922 College Illinois Player on Power 5 Freshman Team 2
1924 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
All-Western Conference 1
1925 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
All-Western Conference 1
All-American 1
Winning Record 1
1926 College Northwestern Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
All-Western Conference 1
All-American 1
Winning Record 1
Conference Champion 1
1927 College Chicago Free Agent Contract 1
Total 37

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

Monday, January 17, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Players: No. 15 - Marshall Starks, West

The 15th greatest player in NIC-10 history was a star from high school to the pros on teams that, for the most part, weren't great but were much better because of his leadership.

The West Warriors were just 7-10-1 on Marshall Starks' two seasons on varsity. Starks essentially was a one-man show his senior year in 1956, rushing for 970 yards and scoring seven touchdowns for a 3-6 West team.

Despite playing for a second-division team, Starks caught the eye of the University of Illinois football staff. He was a three-year starter for the Illini back in the two-way playing days. Starks played defensive back and halfback.

In Starks' three years, the Illinois were 14-12-1. The 1959 team finished 5-3-1 and ranked 13th in the final Associated Press poll. Starks gained 678 yards rushing and had an additional 388 yards receiving in his Illinois career.

Starks was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round of the 1961 NFL draft. He didn't stick, but Starks kept at it. Eventually, he made the New York Jets roster in 1963. He played defensive back and returned kicks. In 1964, he was returning a punt in the Jets' fourth game when his AFL career came to a sudden end because of a broken leg. 

His AFL career ended with 18 games played, 15 starts, one interception and one interesting touchdown. In the third week of the 1963 season, Starks caught a field goal attempt that came up short and returned it 97 yards.

Starks was in traction until December. He rehabbed aggressively and made it to training camp in the summer of 1965. He was a step slower and the Jets released him. In 1966, he tried out and made the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He played 16 games and had another interception.

Starks had lined up a tryout with Miami in 1967, but he didn't go because his family wouldn't leave Rockford. Instead, he played a final season in the Continental Football Season, bouncing between Toronto, Montreal and Orlando. He then returned to Rockford for good and played three final seasons with the Rockford Rams in the Central States Football League. He was the starting safety for the 1971 CSFL champions.

In 1972, the Rams cut the 32-year-old Starks and he moved full time into other pursuits. He was director of the West Side Community Organization (WESCO) in the 1970s and 1980s and then was an active member of the NAACP. Starks was contemplating running for mayor of Rockford in 2016 when he died.

No. 15 - Marshall Starks, West
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1955 High School West Losing Team 0
1956 High School West Second Team All-Conference 1
League Leader 1
1957 College Illinois Player on Power 5 Freshman Team 2
1958 College Illinois Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
1959 College Illinois Player on Power 5 Freshman Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
1960 College Illinois Player on Power 5 Freshman Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Team 1
1961 NFL St. Louis Eight Round Draft Pick 3
1963 AFL New York Played in Regular Season 3
Starter 1
1964 AFL New York Played in Regular Season 3
Starter 1
1966 CFL Edmonton Played in Regular Season 2
Total 34


Friday, January 14, 2022

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 16 - Russell Pope, East

Russell Pope was one of the constellation of stars that powered Rockford East to back-to-back undefeated seasons and the first IHSA state football championships in Rock River Valley history.

The No. 16 player on our list led the E-Rabs to a 9-0 record in 1973, the final year before the IHSA instituted the playoffs, with 893 yards on 125 carries. He was second in the conference only to Freeport's Cal Cummins, the 79th ranked player on our list. Pope also added 171 yards on 11 catches.

In 1974, Pope started in a ridiculously deep backfield that included future Oakland Raider Ira Matthews and Joe Black. Black actually led East with 819 yards rushing, Matthews had 817 and Pope, who twisted an ankle early in the season, had 709 on just 119 carries. Quarterback Dean Schlueter added 1,450 yards passing.

East stormed through the playoffs, crushing Normal to win the 4A state title. In Pope's two years on the East varsity, the E-Rabs outscored their opponents 526-93. East claimed 12 of the 24 all-conference spots in 1974. Pope was named first team all-conference as a running back in 1973 and then first team all-conference as a defensive back in 1974.

Pope was one of four E-Rabs from the 1974 team to play major college football. Matthews and lineman George Wojtowicz (No. 94) went to Wisconsin and Stuart Walker went to Colorado. Pope was hours away from committing to play for Arizona when Purdue cleared a scholarship. Pope's dream was to play in the Big Ten so he headed to West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Boilermakers under Alex Agase started Pope out as a defensive back. He played sparingly as a true freshman and sophomore, recording 21 tackles and breaking up two passes over two seasons. Purdue went 9-13 those two seasons and the Boilermakers replaced Agase with Jim Young. Young and his staff moved Pope back to running back. Pope gained 132 yards on 31 carries and added 187 yards receiving as a junior.

The pieces finally came together for Pope and Purdue in 1978. He gained 673 yards rushing and added another 292 yards receiving. He finished third in the Big Ten in combined yards from scrimmage. Behind Pope's big season, Purdue improved to 9-2-1 and was invited to the Peach Bowl, the school's first bowl appearance in 12 years. 

Unlike former East teammates Walker, Matthews and Jerry Holloway, who were picked in the 1979 NFL draft, Pope's name wasn't called. Immediately after the draft, he became the fourth player from that 1974 East team to sign an NFL contract when he agreed to a free agent deal with the Buffalo Bills.

That started a frustrating pro football odyssey over four years and three leagues. The Bills released Pope in August of 1979. He signed with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 1980. In 1981, he got another free agent deal with the Detroit Lions. Finally, in 1982, he got one last shot with the Chicago Blitz of the USFL. In between, he starred with the Rockford Rams along with a number of former Big Nine stars.

Pope never stuck with any of the teams. If he had, he'd be up a few more spots on this top 100 list. Pope eventually settled in Denver to work for the Colorado Department of Corrections.

No. 16 - Russell Pope, East
Year Level School Accomplishments Points
1973 High School East First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Record 1
Conference Champion 1
League Leader 1
Ranked Top 4 1
1974 High School East First Team All-Conference 2
Winning Record 1
Conference Champion 1
Final Four 1
State Champion 1
1975 College Purdue Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
1976 College Purdue Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
1977 College Purdue Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
1978 College Purdue Letter Winner on Power 5 Team 4
Starter 1
Winning Record 1
Bowl Game 1
1979 NFL Buffalo Free Agent Contract 1
1980 CFL British Columbia Free Agent Contract 0.5
1981 NFL Detroit Free Agent Contract 1
1982 USFL Chicago Free Agent Contract 0.5
Total 34