"UNDEFEATED"

BY GARY RINEHART

“Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can."

                                                                                   Vince Lombardi

It’s the start of my senior year in high school. I’ve been working out all summer in preparation for football in the fall. This will be “my year”.  I believe it.  I will make it happen.  More than my year, this will be my team’s year.  I’ve been playing tackle football since 7th grade. In 8th, 9th and 10th grade, I was the starting spin-back—a combination quarterback and fullback in the single-wing offense.  I called the plays.  I touched the ball on practically every play.  I threw the passes.        

The only one that touched the ball more was my center.  I was fortunate to have two exceptional centers all during high school. In the single wing, the center does not simply push the ball into the quarterback’s hands.  Much like the shotgun, the center must snap the ball 4.5 yards to the spin-back.  What makes this offense effective is that as ball is being snapped the entire backfield is in motion.  The ball must be at the same spot each snap.  John Cain and Bob Noth were amazing in their ability to snap the ball perfectly, every time, and still complete their blocking assignments.  Because of the nature of their mechanics, they were both excellent long snappers for punts as well.

I loved my position.  In college, I played quarterback and halfback— neither were as much fun as "spin-back".  It was a great position.  
A few things about our football team:

1.  My teams have never lost a football game in the five years that I’ve played. We tied one game in my junior year, but we did not lose in 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th grade. This unbeaten string had very little to do with me, but a great deal to do with the guys that played on this team.
2.  For some, this would be a lot of pressure entering a final season undefeated. For our team, it did not matter. We weren't going to lose this year.
3.  We are the epitome of a “TEAM”—no one let’s the other guy down.
a. We each cover the other guy’s back.
b. We work harder in practice than we do in the games.
c. It is the way we were coached.
4.  We have great players, but we are a BETTER team.
5.  Our coach is a big, loud, mean, great coach, Merritt Parsons. He made us what we were . . . a TEAM!

All summer I worked out at least 3 hours each day running, lifting, and throwing.  I’m ready.  Let’s play football.  Football starts early as always – three weeks before school starts. It is a typical hot, humid, August in Iowa. Not a problem. We are used to it.  This year is very different from last year.  I’m preparing to be a player not just a bystander.  By the end of two-a-days, I’m the starting left corner-back on defense and the second string spin-back on offense.

Stu Sparling is the starting spin-back and middle linebacker.  Stu is about 6’ and 180 lbs.  He is a weight-lifting champion for his age and size group.  He’s an intimidating guy, but I’m different this year.  I accept Stu starting in front of me on offense, but I believe I’m just as good at the position as Stu.  He’s just bigger (40 lbs heavier and 3” taller).  It is just my challenge. We'll be splitting time on offense giving each a rest in preparation for defense.  Stu is still the starter.    

This year the boosters put a picture of each member of the team in business store fronts in Bettendorf.  My picture makes it to the A&W. Wow!  Every time I go to the A&W, I sneak a peek at me on the wall.  I’m selling season tickets to our football games to the Rinehart clan and members of my church.  There are a lot of Rineharts and I’m selling a lot of tickets (40+ season tickets).  Everyone in town believes that we are going to be very good this year. They all want to attend the games.                

We’ve changed conferences.  Our previous conference, Illowa, was made up of small Iowa and Illinois schools located near the Mississippi.  Most of these schools are about the size of Bettendorf.  This year we move to the Little Six Conference.  This is an all-Iowa conference of schools all much larger than Bettendorf.  Coach Parsons thinks we can still have a pretty good season if we can stay healthy.       

Our first game is against Cedar Rapids Regis.  Bettendorf has never played a team from as large a school as Cedar Rapids Regis.  We are all concerned about this game.  In the first quarter, I’m in on offense.  We are on our 15 yard line. I call “886.”  This is my play where I spin fake to both backs and run into the line.  The hole opens and I find myself running free down the field.  I’m tackled on their 2 yard line.  I complete a couple of jump passes to Curt Vandewalle and gain some more yards during the course of the game.  I played the entire game on defense and stuck a few runners.  No passes were completed in my area that night.  We win 40-6. 

As the team leaves the field, a group of Alleman players are standing by our locker room yelling at us that they will kick our butts when we play them. We’ll see.  I read in the paper on Monday that I’m the leading rusher for the Quad Cities.  I’m second string on offense and the leading rusher in the area. What’s next?              

Our next game is going to be tough.  Burlington was the state champion in football last year and they are favored to repeat – in other words, they are favored to beat us bad.  All week we pound each other in preparing for the game. We travel to Burlington for the big game.  In the first half, two pass plays on my side go for touchdowns.  At half, Burlington is ahead 18-14.  I’m confused.  My keys keep telling me that they are going to run off tackle, I fill the hole only to watch the QB pull the ball and throw deep to a crossing back.  This is my responsibility. I tell Coach that my keys are failing me.  He doesn’t want excuses and really doesn’t believe me.                

A strange thing happens as the half ends.  The Burlington team walks off the field with their heads down.  We charge off the field yelling.  They are the team with the lead.  They are the favored team.  They are the state champions.  We go into the locker room… yelling.  We come back to the field … yelling.

We may be the team that is behind.  We may be the underdogs, but we know we are better.  In the second half, I’m in on offense and direct two touchdown drives with Scott Rocker and Jim Dilts doing most of the carrying. Burlington has an all-state defensive lineman that Steve Grossman, our great pulling guard, is . . . just handling.  I call 6 plays in a row at this lineman.  In the end, Scott could have driven a truck through the hole.  Scott scores four touchdowns in this game.  We beat Burlington 34-18 and win the respect of their coach.  After the second week, I’m one of the top 5 rushers in the Quad Cities.  However, I’m worried about my starting position on defense.  I did not play any downs on defense in the second half against Burlington.

On Monday, Coach Parsons points out during our film session that Burlington was using some unique blocking assignments in the first half.  He shows the team where they were run-blocking on both of their TD passes in my area.  He looks at me and says that only a couple of his players caught this during the game.  Fortunately, the coaches were able to make adjustments in the second half that took this play away from Burlington (we went man-to-man)—job well done.            

Keokuk is coming to town for the next game.  We know nothing of Keokuk except that they have a reputation for being tough, big and mean. I’m starting on defense. I vow that there will be no more touchdowns scored on me for the rest of the year.  Now I have to figure out how I’m going to keep this vow.  It’s not really a game. We win 42-7. I’m now firmly entrenched as the left cornerback and second string spin-back.  I’m still in the top 10 for rushing but both Scott and Stu have passed me for total yards. No touchdowns were scored on my side of the field this week.

We now must prepare for North Scott.  This is a non-conference game.  North Scott is a new school but made up of primarily Dewitt students.  Dewitt was one of our biggest rivals from the Illowa Conference.  In the first half, I’m having the game of my life.  I have 5 unassisted tackles where I’ve really stuck the bad guys. We are killing them. On a kickoff after a touchdown, I race down the field and hit the runner.  As I’m bracing my left leg to plant this guy, Bud Reiselt crashes into us.  I’m in pain.  I’ve sprained my ankle.  It’s bad. I’m out of the game.  We win 34-6.

After busing home, we go to the Italian Village for pizza.  I’m a gimp.  My ankle has swollen to twice its normal size.  This is not good.  When I get home, the ankle has swollen so bad that we have to cut my sock off.  Dad takes me to Doc TouVelle's office on Saturday and the news is even worse.  I have a quadruple sprain.  I’m put on crutches for 3-4 weeks.  Doc says I may not be able to play for the rest of the season.  I’m devastated.  Truly, my small life at this time is built around my playing on this football team.  School’s not so hot.  I barely date.  I need to play!

I now enter my “blue funk” period.  For the next four weeks, I hobble around on crutches, go to all the practices and watch, do my daily whirl-pool sessions and watch the weather turn from warm to cold.  I go to all the games and sit on the bench in street clothes.  The team continues to win and win big.  We kill poor Muscatine.  We beat Assumption 32-14.  At our Homecoming, we hammered Ottumwa 56-14.  Ottumwa and Assumption were to be our big tests for the middle of our season.  No contest.      

I’m finally off the crutches, but the ankle is still swollen and sore.  The coaches want me to try the ankle out in a JV game against Davenport Central.  The coaches really want to win this game . I’m excited to be playing again even if it is a JV game.  I suit up.  This is the first and only JV game that I’ve played while in high school.  We play at Davenport’s field.  The coach wraps so much tape around my ankle it will not move.  It looks like I have a softball stuffed in my sock.  I hobble out to the field.  In the first half, I’m in on all the offensive plays.  I’m on fire.  I’ve thrown 2 touchdown passes and scored a running touchdown while gimping around on the sore foot.  I’m so much better than the rest of the players on my JV team and on the Davenport team.  I had no idea.  The coaches take me out for the second half because the foot has become very sore.  However, I think I’ve shown them that I’m getting close to being able to play again.  We won the game . . . big. 

The next week we are playing Alleman.  I want to play.  Alleman is good.  Coach Parsons tells me that I’ll only play offense and only a few plays if that.  He does not want me to practice defense this week since it requires more cutting and I could hurt the ankle again.  Alleman has an All-State defensive lineman who is huge and the Watts brothers, Jim and John.  Jim was the Illinois state high hurdle champion and John was the Illinois state 100 yard dash champion.  Jim is 6’5” and 225 pounds of muscle. John is 5’9” and a scat back.  Alleman is big, mean, confident, undefeated and we are playing them at their home.  They are rated as one of the top teams in Illinois. We’ve never played Alleman in football before.  In basketball, my team has never beaten them.  We’ve played Alleman every year since 8th grade and we’ve lost big every game.

The football game is no contest.  We are everywhere. At the start of the fourth quarter, we’re ahead 20-7.  Stu scores another touchdown at the start of this quarter.  It is now my turn to play.  In my first series, Steve Grossman tells me in the huddle that he can handle the all-state lineman.  It just happens that this player is in my hole.  I call 886, spin, run and score a touchdown on a 35 yard run.  The next series we are moving down the field again.  I call 886, spin, run and score a touchdown on a 15 yard run.  No wonder Stu was doing so well.  Steve is just destroying his man. Well, two touchdowns in my first game back.  I wonder what this year would have been like had I not been hurt. Final score is Bettendorf 40, Alleman 7.  Where are those loud mouths from our first game?

We are to play Geneseo at Geneseo for our last game. Bettendorf is ranked #2 in the State of Iowa behind Iowa City.  Geneseo was the last team to have beaten a Bettendorf Varsity Football Team and that was in 1957. Since then, the varsity has won 25 games and tied one. We do not intend to lose this one.        

We go to the Bettendorf Gun Club the night before the game for “the annual” team meeting.  It is my turn to tell the guys what playing on the Bettendorf Football team has meant to me.  It has meant everything.  It is my identity.  It is my family.   It is where I want to be.  I’m honored to play on this team with such fine athletes.

One more win and a number of us will have played tackle football without ever losing a game in both Jr. High and High School.  There are nine of us in this group.  Some starters, some not, but all winners:  Tom Johnson, Steve Grossman, Rookie Barretto, Stu Sparling, John Cain, Bud Reiselt, John Brooke, Scott Rocker and myself.  Coach Parsons tells us, “Very few players ever play on an undefeated team.  You’ve had an undefeated career. Cherish it!”

We’re playing at Geneseo.  I get to start my last game on defense.  With seconds to go in the first half, Geneseo scores a disputed touchdown.  Coach Parsons is on the field arguing with the refs.  Geneseo’s coach comes on the field, in front of u—the defensive team—and tells Parsons that he is just like his team, “cry babies.”   At half, we are ahead 21 to 6.  Coach does not say a word to us at half.   In fact, he doesn’t come onto the bus until just before we are preparing to leave to go back onto the field.   Parson steps into the bus and simply says, “We are going to ram this ball up their ass!”  The first string plays the entire second half.  We proceed to “ram the ball up their ass.”  When the game is over, we’ve won 60-20. I’ve scored a couple more touchdowns and played both offense and defense for the first time since North Scott.    

In the locker room, we are told that UPI has selected Bettendorf as state champions of Iowa. Nine and oh, state champions, conference champions, undefeated for 6 years of football, we kicked butt!               

At our football banquet, Jesse Owens, the Olympian, is our guest speaker.  What an honor. The Olympic Champion is soft spoken and gentle.  I find it interesting that this great black athlete is speaking to a football team that is all white. Bettendorf does not have a black family in the entire town. I get Jesse to sign my year book. What an honor!    

A number of my teammates have received all-conference and all-state selections.  Scott and Steve have been selected high school all-Americans.  I have finally earned my varsity letter in football.  Ten players on our team have made the All-State team (either 1st, 2nd, or Honorable Mention).  I’m as proud as any of these winners.

As a team, we’ve been invited to the University of Iowa’s football banquet held in Davenport.  The Iowa football players are really impressive.  They are huge and very well spoken.  At the start of the year, Iowa was #1 in the nation.  They had a couple of setbacks, but they were still a great team.  I would really like to play for Iowa.  I don’t think a 5’9” 140 pound defensive back has a chance in the Big Ten—but I can dream.    

It is now 50 years later and I can still remember every play in the Bettendorf Football Team playbook.  If asked, I could probably draw the play with each player’s blocking assignments.  I cannot remember a single play from my college days.               

This season, this team, helped define all of us in my senior class at Bettendorf. We were undefeated. We will always be undefeated.      

A few statistics taken from the Quad-City Times:             

“The Bulldogs of 1960 set a modern era scoring record by blasting nine straight opponents under a total of 381 points – an average of 42.3 per game. They beat every opponent by 16 points or more and held their opponents to 11 points per game.                

“They set a Quad-City record for rushing yardage, grinding our 2,976 yards or an average of 330.7 yards per game. In addition, they set a Quad-City total offense record, clipping off 3,589 yards or 398.8 yards per game.     

“The Bettendorf Bulldogs of 1960 were the fourth straight Bettendorf football team to win a conference title – three in the Illowa before the final one in the Little Six – and they extended an unbeaten string of games to 26, the third-longest such streak in Quad-City prep football history.”