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Before I begin with my recall of the 1960 University of Northern Iowa football season I would like to give you a little background information.  I was recruited by Clyde “Buck” Starbeck, the longtime Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC) football coach, and enrolled there in the fall of 1957. Freshmen were not eligible to play varsity sports in those years so we were mainly used as practice fodder for the varsity.
Sadly, Coach Starbeck passed away during the Christmas break and ISTC was in need of a new coach. Willard Hammer and Stan Sheriff were hired to take over the program. Stan was Coach Hammer’s assistant and was less than 30 years of age. Coach Hammer’s 1958 team finished with four wins and five losses and his 1959 squad went 6-3. After the 1959 season, Coach Hammer was hired (away) and Stan was named our head coach. The 1960 team was his first as a head coach and what a memorable year it was for he, the team and fans of Panther football.
Football 50 years ago was somewhat different than the way it’s currently played. Here are a few things that pop into my mind. In 1960, NCAA rules limited substitutions; consequently, many players played both offense and defense. The players were lighter. According to a game program, our heaviest player, Ken Kroemer, weighed 225 pounds.
Offensive football was more conservative than the current version. We hadn’t thought of the double and triple wides that teamsemploy now. In 1960, we would split one player left and another to the right in certain situations. Unlike current rules an offensive player was not allowed to use his hands while blocking a defender.  Offensive players had to keep their hands near their chest while blocking or they would be flagged, not for holding, but for illegal use of the hands. Cross body blocks, however, were legal and allowed.
Fall practice begins before the student population arrives (on campus) and our team stayed in Stadium Hall. By the way, there were rooms in O.R. Latham Stadium beneath the bleachers. They were not air-conditioned and could get extremely hot. I recall players dragging their mattresses out onto the bleachers to sleep under the stars to escape the heat.
Multiple practices a day will sap a player’s energy and I recall John Raffensperger (Raff) and I would head to the Root Beer stand to re-hydrate. We called them RB’s. Raff also participated in track and field and was arguably the fastest player on the team. I kidded Raff about his size 14 shoes, versus my size 11’s, as the reason he always beat me in wind sprints. What a career he has had as the track and field coach at City High in Iowa City.
I still think about the 1960 season. The players, how we prepared, the funny things that stick with you after 50 years. I recall Al Sonnenberg, a talented two-way player at the tackle position taking the ball away from an opposing running back who had been stopped at the line of scrimmage. Al not only snatched the ball away, but also ran about 75 yards for a Panther touchdown. Occasionally we would use a formation where our left tackle was eligible to receive passes and athletic Al was the player at this position. He caught several passes during our season.
The bus ride to play South Dakota University at Vermillion was always fun, but seeing our locker room put the frosting on the cake. The ceiling was so low that players over 5 feet 11 could not stand erect. All of us over 6 feet had to walk around all stooped over. It must have made us angry as we shut USD down 40-0. I’m sure they have updated their facilities since then.
Another trip that was a bit unusual was when we played North Dakota University at Grand Forks. We would bus to the Twin Cities, with a work-outen route, and then take the overnight train to North Dakota. Looks good on paper, but here’s the catch. The sleeping berths weren’t designed for your average-sized college football player. It was about the equivalent of the low locker room ceilings, only this was a horizontal problem instead of a vertical one.
The North Dakota game was extremely close and was played in a mixture of rain and sleet. The Fighting Sioux had a first and goal at about the five yardline and I was nervous to say the least. They called four straight running plays and failed to makeit into the end zone. If they had scored it certainly would have changed our season. Panthers prevailed 7-3.
A funny incident happened in our USD game. John Gregory and Jerry Foster, both about the same size and both tough as nails, happened to be tackling the USD ball carrier at the same time.  I don’t know if each of them thought the other got in the way, because after the tackle they each threw a punch at the other. In a South Dakota Sunday paper, the USD coach commented that this was the first team he coached against that fought amongst themselves to make a tackle. Gregory, as I’m sure all you fans know, has had an illustrious coaching career. South Dakota State, several Canadian pro-football teams, and, of course, the Iowa Barnstormers.
Speaking of coaches, Pat Mitchell, the long-time and very successful Cedar Falls Tiger football coach, was a teammate and good friend on the 1960 squad.
I have an image in my mind of Carl Bowman covering a punt and arriving about the same time the returner was catching the ball. A more perfect tackle I’ve never seen. The punt returner was literally jack-knifed over Carl’s right shoulder.
I recall the game that our coaches were virtually silent during half-time. We were playing Augustana at Sioux Falls and were whipping them pretty good at the end of the first half. Our locker room was adjacent to theirs and the walls must have been very thin because we heard everything that was being said. Their coach was livid over his team’s performance. To say he was talking loud would be an understatement. Stan’s decision to keep quiet and let us listen was a good strategy as the Panthers won 27-7. I believe Augustana was unbeaten at the time and was expected to compete for the conference championship.
I can’t go any further without writing about our quarterback, Jerry Morgan. Jerry was steady as a rock and didn’t get rattled. He led by example. When all the players were just arriving at practice, Jerry would already be on the field running and keeping in shape.
The Panther defense during the year was certainly a strong point. During the nine regular season games we only allowed 54 points. In the six conference games we allowed a total of 17 points while holding three conference foes to zero points. Our basic defense was called a wide tackle six, with six players on the line of scrimmage, two linebackers and three defensive backs. It wasn’t a blitzing defense, but a read-your-key and react defense.
I’ve always been a big believer in team chemistry and I think this team had that intangible quality. No player wanted to be the weak link. I don’t believe any player on the team had a huge ego and no player wanted to be responsible for letting down his teammates or Coach Sheriff.
The one occasion I didn’t follow Stan’s advice was the summer before my senior year. I had found the girl I wanted to spend my life with and we had planned an August wedding. Stan heard of my plans and he advised that, in his opinion, I was too young. I know he had my best interests in mind, but we went ahead with our plans none the less. My wife, Corinne, and I will celebrate our 50th anniversary in August. We have two sons, Michael and Warren. By the way, Warren was named after teammate and former roommate, Warren Hansen. Another teammate, Charlie Schulte, was best man at our wedding. Both rock solid teammates and individuals.
Although Hillsdale College broke our winning streak in the Mineral Water Bowl that season, I still have fond memories of teammates, Coach Sheriff, and of the fans who gave us such great support during that magical year.
Mace Reyerson wore no. 83, playing end for ISTC. He scored seven TDs that fall, and earned the team’s “Oil Can Award”, given to the player who made the team run the most smoothly. He lives in Oelwein and still manages to get to a Panther home game just about every year.
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