Hall of Fame
It wasn’t by fluke that Indiana State was ranked atop the NCAA Division I-AA polls throughout much of the 1984 football season. Just one year before, the Sycamores had posted a record of nine wins and four losses, advancing two games into the I-AA Playoffs. And in 1984, the program returned 45 lettermen, including 18 starters.
But a roster chocked full of outstanding athletes doesn’t amount to much if they don’t play together, and that’s what made this group such a success. Every man knew his role on the club and accepted that duty. They were a true team.
The Sycamores roared to a fast start, defeating Wayne State, 42-6, in a contest that saw defensive back Vencie Glenn return an interception a school-record tying 100 yards. Momentum took them from that point, as the team went on to win its first nine games, ranking atop the I-AA Polls for nine consecutive weeks. The Sycamores concluded the regular season with a 9-2 record, and received a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
And, while the season came to an end on a losing note, it wasn’t without a fight, as it took three overtimes before the Sycamores fell to Middle Tennessee State, 42-41. That certainly cannot take the luster off what was an outstanding season. Altogether, the 1984 Sycamores set 13 school records, tied the school mark for most victories in a season and had four players from this team selected in the NFL draft.
Team members were: Tom Albright, David Allen, Jack Anderson, Doug Arnold, Kurt Bell, Terry Bell, Steve Bidwell, Mark Blakey, Mark Boster, Bobby Boyce, Mark Brice, Scott Bridges, Steve Brown, Kevin Buchannan, Steve Buxton, Matt Campbell, Gary Cannon, Jeff Chestnut, Kevin Clancy, Darrold Clardy, Chris Clark, Matt Cole, Greg Corsaro, Tim Cunningham, Dan Curley, Wayne Davis, Willie Davis, Herbert Dawson, Richard Dawson, Henry Dixon, Jay Downing, Joe Downing, Pat Duncan, Rick Dwenger, Jimmy Edwards, David Fleet, Brent Fleming, John Gegner, Vencie Glenn, Jeff Gordon, Jim Gordy, Darryl Harris, Darol Harshman, Allen Hartwig, Bill Hayes, Kevin Henderson, David Heuser, Don Hitz, Kenny Hopp, Luke Howard, Mike Hribar, Eric Hurtt, Brian Ingram, Paul Jakopin, Chris Johnson, Troy Johnson, Alvin Jones, Anthony Kimball, Gregg Kimbrough, Andy Kondracki, Antoine Liddell, James Long, Jamie McLaughlin, William Martin, Regis Mason, Rob McIntyre, Steve McKeel, Trent Miles, Jeff Miller, Mark Miller, Mike Miller, Keith Mullen, Darrin O'Neal, Mike Osborne, George Patterson, Paul Prater, Rudy Richard, Eric Roberts, Donald Robinson, Linus Schepers, Rhett Schmidt, Evan Scvhone, Stu Sevald, Mark Sike, Mike Simmonds, Ken Smith, Mike Smith, Tracy Stewart, Chuck Standiford, Kelly Suehr, Carl Uccellini, Brad Verdun, Paul Wafzig, Charlie Walls, Keith Ward, David Watkins, Leonard Winborn, Brad Whitaker, John White, Scott Will, Mike Zdrojewski. Head Coach: Dennis Raetz. Assistant Coaches: Steve Brickey, Pete Buha, Pete Hoener, Jerry Lasko, Max Payne, Alvin Reynolds. Graduate Assistant Coaches: D.A. Daniels, Chris Delaplaine, Eddie Foggs, Mike Nace, Scott Will.
