At the October 6 varsity football game against Summerland, the Plainview Pirates will be taking the field with some extra “support” as the 1973 Pirate “State Championship” football team will be honored for their 50th anniversary that night as well.
The 1973 Pirate football team went undefeated, at 10-0, during their regular season, defeating near everyone within a 60 mile radius that was willing to play, and claiming the NENAC Conference Championship and, as reported in the News at the time, “almost certainly Class C Football Championship.”
The issue was that the Nebraska School Activities Association had not yet been formed, which also created the title of “State Champion.” So while the Pirates ran a season undefeated, and certainly every team from Stanton to Laurel to O’Neill had lost to the Pirates, the “State Championship” title was a technicality that was never actually awarded because it didn’t officially exist.
The NSAA began the title of State Champion in 1975 with the Class C1 title that year going to the
Plainview Pirates as well with wins over Utica Central and Wahoo Neumann in the State Championship semifinals and finals.
The 1973 Pirate Football team included (Jersey #, name):
Coaches: Roger Stafford, Lonnie Ehrhardt, Doug Watts, Dale Swartos
Seniors: 65 Jan Askerd, 62 Dale Bonge, 50 Bob Demerath, 86 Tim Ellis, 46 Randy Foster, 10 Roger Hanneman, 72 Mark Newman, 80 Russ Patras, 12 Kevin Roach, 42 Randy Steinkraus, 78 Roger Wachholtz, 21 Barry Weber, 66 Tracy Wood
Juniors: 40 Dave Bivens, 73 Greg, Born, SM Marcus Hanneman, 41 Dean Kruger, 20 Gene Mauer, 84 Alan Sazama, 70 Curtis Wacker, 75 Alden Zuhlke
Sophomores: 61 Bruce Albin, 85 Dan Blunck, 82 Tom Ellis, 51 Gregg Fusselman, 36 Matt Hoffman, 60 Mitch Holmes, 79 Rodney Horst, 48 Michael Krueger, 64 Randy Kumm, 24 Kim McCrady, 11 Tim McCrady, 52 Doug Miller, 81 Gordon Rasmussen, 71 Tom Scranton, 63 Gary Walton, 83 Rod Watson, 26 Mike Wragge, Duane Zila (Freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity team “back then.”)