Indiana State Sycamores football

Indiana State Football
First season 1896
Athletic director Ron Prettyman
Head coach Trent Miles
4th year, 13–32  (.289)
Home stadium Memorial Stadium
Stadium capacity 12,764
Stadium surface Field Turf
Location Terre Haute, Indiana
Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference
All-time record 360–485–23 (.428)
Postseason bowl record 0–3
Conference titles 1
Consensus All-Americans 16
Colors Sycamore Blue and White            
Fight song March On!
Mascot Sycamore Sam
Marching band Marching Sycamores
Rivals Illinois State University
Eastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Website GoSycamores.com

The Indiana State Sycamores football team is the NCAA Division I men's football program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They currently compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Playoffs in the 1984 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Their first season was 1896. The Sycamores boast of 8 Conference Player(s) of the Year; 14 First Team All-Americans, and 90+ First Team All-Conference players. The Sycamore's greatest season was 1983, when coach Dennis Raetz led them to the 2nd round of the 1983 NCAA Division I Football Championship versus the Southern Illinois Salukis and ended the season with a record of 9–4. The Sycamores also appeared in 1984 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Past coaches include Dennis Raetz; Jerry Huntsman, George Ashworth and Wally Marks. The Indiana State Sycamores play their home games at Memorial Stadium (Terre Haute) (12,764), and are currently coached by Trent Miles. There have been recent discussions on replacing venerable Memorial Stadium; according to the new ISU Master Plan, a new football-only stadium in downtown Terre Haute, could be realized in the next 10 years.[1]

Contents

Bowl Games

Bowl Games

Year Bowl Champion Runner-Up
1949 Shrine Bowl Southern Illinois 41 Indiana State 14
1983 Pecan Bowl Southern Illinois 23 Indiana State 7
1984 Pecan Bowl Middle Tennessee Blue 42 Indiana State 41

Div I NCAA Playoffs

The Sycamores have appeared in 2 NCAA Division I Football Championships. Their combined record is 1–2.

Year Result
1983 Second Round 1 - 1
1984 First Round 0 - 1

Conference championships

The Sycamores shared the 1964 Heartland Collegiate Conference title with 4 schools {Ball St. (IN), Butler (IN), Evansville (IN), Valparaiso (IN)}; they finished with a 4-2 conference record and were 6-2 overall.[2] At the time, the Heartland Collegiate Conference was known by its more recognizable name, the Indiana Collegiate Conference.

Stadiums

Year Home
1896 - 1948 Multiple Venues, including Parsons Field.
1949–Present Memorial Stadium (Terre Haute), constructed in 1924.

The Sycamores have played football at venerable Memorial Stadium since the 1949 campaign. Originally constructed in 1922-24, at a cost of $450,000; the 12,764-seat stadium remains a fixture at the intersection of Wabash and Brown Avenues in Terre Haute, IN.

Memorial Stadium’s inauguration was on May 5, 1925, as the local minor league baseball team, the Terre Haute Tots, hosted their Three-I League rivals, the Peoria Tractors, before an estimated crowd of 9,000. Among the esteemed visitors were Major League Baseball Commissioner Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis and Charles Barnard of the Cleveland Indians.

The facility was acquired (via a 99-year lease) by Indiana State University in 1967. The installation of Astroturf made Indiana State the first university to own a football stadium with artificial turf.

Player of the year

Conference (9)

All-Americans (16)

Academic All-American (3)

NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship (1)

All-Conference (98+)

All-Indiana Collegiate Conference (7+)

All-Missouri Valley Conference (42)

All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (49)

Career Leaders

Passing

Player Years Comp Att TD Yds Pct. Int
Jeff Miller 1982–1985 555 1,066 40 6,448 .552 33
John Sahm 1986–1989 341 668 30 5,139 .496 38
Reggie Allen 1978–1981 367 782 29 5,094 .469 46
Ronnie Fouch 2010–2011 322 544 38 4,316 .592 15
Kip Hennelly 1991–1993 249 490 19 3,158 .508 27
Julian Reese 2001–2002 267 499 20 2,961 .535 21
Kevin Cox 1993–1996 238 528 20 2,885 .451 22
Kyle Frondorf 1986–1988 208 391 8 2,778 .532 24
Blayne Baggett 2005 284 473 15 2,741 .464 13
Reilly Murphy 2006–2007 212 406 11 2,154 .522 19

Rushing

Player Years Att Yds Avg. TD
Vincent Allen 1973–1977 832 4,335 5.21 31
David Wright 1992–1995 784 4,181 5.33 22
Derrick Franklin 1989–1991 710 3,231 4.55 23
Shakir Bell 2010–Pres. 325 2,319 7.14 16
Eric Robinson 1979–1982 443 2,169 4.90 22
Jake Shields 2001–2004 521 2,119 4.07 19
Darrius Gates 2006–2010 396 2,010 5.08 20
Jim Brumfield 1967–1969 448 1,998 4.46 23
Darrold Clardy 1981–1984 355 1,594 4.49 19
Tori Vactor 1987–1988 312 1,545 4.95 12

Receiving

Player Years Rcpt Yds Avg. TD
Sam Logan 2003–2006 196 2,385 12.2 9
Rodney Porter 1986–1989 135 1,906 14.1 9
Terry Bell 1982–1985 132 2,048 15.5 13
Joe Downing 1982–1985 115 1,608 14.0 15
Carl Berman 2003–2006 114 1,376 12.1 10
Eddie Ruffin 1978–1981 110 1,831 16.6 11
Larry Brown 1993–1996 105 1,197 11.4 6
Steve Elminger 1987–1989 102 1,823 17.9 10
Steve Schmid 1967–1969 100 1,394 13.9 11
Micah Reid 1993–1996 98 1,239 12.6 5

Career leaders in bold

Coaching Leaders (by wins)

The current coach is Trent Miles

Coach (Alma Mater) Seasons Years Games W L T Pct.
Dennis Raetz (Nebraska, 1968) 18 1980–1997 200 94 105 1 .473
Wally Marks (Chicago, 1927) 16 1927-30, 33-41, 46-48 125 62 56 7 .524
Jerry Huntsman (Wabash, 1952) 7 1966–1972 68 43 24 1 .639
Bill Jones (Ohio Wesleyan, 1939) 9 1957–1965 70 32 37 1 .464
Tim McGuire (Nebraska, 1975) 7 1998–2004 79 24 55 0 .304
Art Strum (Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 1916) 6 1923-26, 32, 42 43 21 20 2 .488
Tom Harp (Muskingum, 1951) 5 1973–1977 51 20 31 0 .392
Mark Dean (Northern Illinois, 1938) 5 1951-54, 56 39 15 20 4 .436
Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987) 4 2008–present 45 13 32 0 .289
Dick Jamieson (Bradley, 1961) 2 1978–1979 22 11 11 0 .500
Phil Brown (Butler, 19--) 1 1945 8 5 2 1 .625
Roy Goodlad 1 1931 7 4 3 0 .571
Bob LeCray 1 1944 6 2 4 0 .333
Paul Selge (Indiana State, 1943) 1 1955 9 2 7 0 .222
George Ashworth (Indiana State, 1935) 2 1949–1950 19 2 16 1 .132
Lou West (Cincinnati, 1976) 3 2005–2007 33 1 32 0 .030
various 13 1896-09,1920,1943 42 9 28 5 .214

Career leaders in bold

Coach of the Year (10)

District (3)

Conference (7)

Notable alumni

Sycamores in Professional Leagues (50)

Fifty former Sycamores have played in professional football leagues. The leagues include the NFL, CFL, AFL.
The most notable players are:

Player Class Year Position Teams Career Highlight(s)
Nate Ramsey 1963 Defensive Back Philadelphia 1963–1973 21 Career INTs
Tunch Ilkin 1980 Offensive Line Pittsburgh 1980–1993 2x Pro Bowl
Craig Shaffer 1982 Line Backer St. Louis 1982–1984 18 Career Games
Wayne Davis 1985 Defensive Back numerous 1985–1990 5 Career INTs
Vencie Glenn 1986 Defensive Back numerous 1986–1995 35 Career INTs
John Bock 1994 Offensive Line Miami 1995–2000 17 Career Starts
Dan Brandenburg 1996 Defensive Tackle Buffalo 1996–1999 42 Career Games
Jamie Petrowski 2006 Tight End Carolina 2006–Present 3rd Team All-American

All-Star Game Participants (12)

  • 1981 – Craig Shaffer, LB (Blue-Gray)
  • 1982 – Kirk Wilson, WR (Senior Bowl)
  • 1985 – Vencie Glenn, DB (Blue-Gray)
  • 1986 – Vencie Glenn, DB (Senior Bowl)
  • 1990 – Steve Elmlinger, WR (Senior Bowl)
  • 1992 – Charles Swann, WR (Senior Bowl)
  • 1992 - Charles Swann, WR (Japan Bowl)
  • 1995 – Dan Brandenburg, DT (Blue-Gray)
  • 1999 – DeJuan Alfonzo, DB (All-Star Gridiron Classic)
  • 2005 – Blayne Baggett, QB (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
  • 2005 - LaDrelle Bryant, LB (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
  • 2006 – Kyle Hooper, PK (East Coast Bowl)
  • 2006 - Madison Miller, DE (East Coast Bowl)
  • 2006 - Carl Berman, (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
  • 2010 - Darrius Gates, RB (FCS Senior Scout Bowl)
  • 2010 - Pat Burke, OG (FCS Senior Scout Bowl)

Indiana Football Hall of Fame (30)

  • Vincent Allen - 2000[8]
  • George Ashworth - 1979[9]
  • Steve Balash - 2009[10]
  • Paul Beck - 1979
  • Phil Brown - 1985[11]
  • Charles "Cocky" Bush - 1976[12]
  • Robert Clements - 1988
  • Jim Conover - 1976[13]
  • Rich Dodson - 2003
  • Stewart "Red" Faught - 1981[14]
  • Wayne Fuson - 1974
  • Joe Goodman - 1998
  • Delby Humphrey - 1974
  • Jerry Huntsman - 1985[15]
  • Bill Jones - 1981[16]
  • Charlie Karazsia - 2006
  • Walter "Wally" Marks - 1974
  • Dick Martin - 1976
  • Bob Nesbit - 1976
  • R. Douglas Reeser - 2006
  • Ed Robertson - 1996
  • Van "Rusty" Rutherford - 1976
  • Thomas Stirling - 1988
  • Kenneth "Zip" Sypult - 1987
  • Phil Teegarden - 2001
  • N.E. "Gene" Wernz - 1977
  • Mark Wildman - 2007
  • Roy Lee Williams - 1976
  • Ernie Zeller - 1979
  • Maurey Zlotnik - 2003

Rivalries

Eastern Illinois

From 1901 - 2009, the Sycamores played Eastern Illinois 83 times; the series stands at 37-42-4 in favor of Eastern Illinois; the 2009 game was the last for the foreseeable future. As of 2010, it is unknown when the series will resume as Indiana State's schedules are complete for the next 4 seasons (2013).

Ball State

From 1924 - 2003, the Sycamores played Ball State (Ind.) University 62 times; the series stands at 23-38-1 in favor of Ball State (née' Indiana State University - Eastern Division).

In 1940, the respective Blue Key chapters sponsored a trophy presentation, the 'Victory Bell' to reward the winner of the annual game between Indiana State and Ball State.

Southern Illinois

The burgeoning rivalry with Southern Illinois has tilted to SIU's advantage in recent seasons, though the overall series record is 23-24 to Southern Illinois' advantage. The SIU Salukies also own a victory in the only playoff meeting between the schools as SIU bounced Indiana State from the 1983 NCAA Div I-AA playoffs, 23-7.

Following the 1949 season, the Sycamores were invited to the 1949 Shrine Bowl vs. the SIU Salukies. The Salukis avenged their earlier 1949 loss to the Sycamores, 41-14.

Traditions

Homecoming

The term Homecoming was first used in print announcements for the Alumni-Varsity Basketball Game on Dec. 9, 1916. By the year 1919, this event became known as Blue and White Day and featured dances and entertainment for alumni of the Normal School. In 1921 the events were organized around a football game scheduled earlier in the autumn. A bonfire and pep rally were added to the festivities in 1922; the Blue-and-White Parade in 1923; and in 1937, Bette Whitmore (Kappa Kappa) was elected ISUs first Homecoming Queen.[17] The 2010 season will mark the 106th season of Sycamore football and the 91st Homecoming; the Sycamores will face conference foe, Illinois State, on October 9. This will mark the 7th time that Illinois State has been the Homecoming opponent; following a tremoundous victory (59-24) the Sycamores now own a 5-2 mark vs. Illinois State in Homecoming games.

As of 2010; Indiana State owns a 48-36-2 record in Homecoming games; the outcomes of the remaining 5 games are unknown.

Victory Bell

Victory Bell- A symbol of the traditional athletic rivalry in football between Indiana State and Ball State. The Victory Bell tradition was inaugurated in 1940 when the Blue Key chapters at both schools arranged to donate a bell to be presented to the victor of the football game. The idea was to start a traditional exchange of the bell as a means of improving relationships between the two student bodies.[18] The Victory Bell series is 17-34 in favor of Ball State.

References

  1. ^ http://www.indstate.edu/news/news.php?newsid=2075
  2. ^ http://collegefootball.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=collegefootball&cdn=sports&tm=5&gps=135_186_1004_595&f=11&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/
  3. ^ http://www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&ATCLID=205343490
  4. ^ http://www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&ATCLID=205347572
  5. ^ http://www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15200&ATCLID=205344499
  6. ^ http://www.gosycamores.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=65228&SPID=7269&DB_OEM_ID=15200&ATCLID=205042992
  7. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/403
  8. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/15
  9. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/23
  10. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/732
  11. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/59
  12. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/67
  13. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/87
  14. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/142
  15. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/403
  16. ^ http://www.indiana-football.org/?q=node/420
  17. ^ http://www.indstate.edu/whyisu/history_trad.htm
  18. ^ http://www.indstate.edu/archives/history/essay/traditions.htm

External links
Current members
Future members
Former members