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1980 (2-8-1)
It’s Experience
- Never really finding a clear-cut
number one quarterback, and
operating with a new offensive line
and defensive secondary, the
Penguins have their first losing
season since 1976…After a 0-7-1
start, the Penguins cop two of their
final three frays to finish the
season on a high note as they look
to 1981.
Another Honor - Jeff Gergel is named to the Kodak
All-American First Team, and along
with fellow defenseman Brett Modic
is named as a co-captain of the 1981
football squad.
1981 (7-4-0)
Turnaround-
It doesn’t take the Penguins long to
turn around a disappointing 1980 as
they post a 7-4-0 ledger, copping
five straight until the season
finale when Northern Iowa topples
the Penguins 45-13…Paris Wicks,
taking over for Robby Robson,
rambles for over 1,300 yards and is
named the Ohio Valley Conference
“Player of the Week” on three
separate occasions.
Many Honors - In addition to his weekly O.V.C. honors,
Wicks is named to the Associated
Press’ First-Team All-America squad
and is also named to the Ohio Valley
Conference’s elite squad as well.
Defensive end Tom Cullen garners
O.V.C. top honors on defense while
being named to the Associated Press
Third Team…Both Wicks and Cullen are
named as co-captains of the 1982
football squad.
1982 (6-5-0)
“A New Home at Last”-
The 1982 season begins with a new
home for the Penguins, the Arnold D.
Stambaugh Stadium and Sports Complex
Dwight “Dike” Beede Field, their
fifth home since the inception of
football back in 1938 and the very
first on the university’s
campus…Arch-rival University of
Akron spoils the Penguins’ opener
and Dedication Day ceremonies as
they defeat the Penguins, 20-19. For
the second straight season, Narduzzi
and the Penguins wished the season
would start in October as they win
the final five games of the season,
salvaging a 6-5-0 mark on the
year…Over the past two campaigns,
the Penguins are 10-1 after the
midway point of the season.
Keep Those Honors Coming - Tailback Paris Wicks etches
his name in the Penguin Record Book
as he becomes the University’s first
two-time Division I-AA First Team
All-American, being named to the
honor by the Associated Press for
the second straight year…Wicks,
along with teammates Rick McDonald
and Dave Peters are First Team Ohio
Valley Conference Picks, while Wicks
is named to the newly-formed O.V.C.
Media Association First Team as well
as garnering their “Player of the
Year” honor. Also named to the
squad were first team selections
Rick Brunot and Tom Cullen and
second teamers Rick McDonald, Paul
McFadden, Dave Peters and Nick Xides.
1983 (4-7-0)
“Disappointment”-
After winning two of their first
three contests, the Penguins go into
a tailspin as they lose six of their
last eight to finish at 4-7-0 on the
year, a sixth-place finish in the
Ohio Valley Conference…Tight end
John Goode etches his name into the
Division I-AA NCAA Record Books as
he catches six passes for a record
of 209 yards against Akron…Goode has
46 catches for 974 yards on the
season, including two, 80-yard
touchdown receptions…It’s only the
second year for the Arnold D.
Stambaugh Stadium and Sports
Complex…Quarterback Jamie Devore is
among the passing leaders after the
first four weeks of the season
before going down with a knee injury
that ends his collegiate career.
Postseason Honors - Offensive tackle Rick Brunot and
John Goode are named to the Ohio
Valley Conference and the O.V.C.
Media Association First Team, while
Goode is an Associated Press Third
Team selection and Brunot an AP
Honorable Mention choice.
1984 (7-4-0)
Prove Them Wrong!
- Preseason prognosticators picked
the Penguins to finish seventh in
the Ohio Valley Conference, but the
Penguins prove them wrong as they
turn around a disastrous 1983
campaign, posting a 7-4-0 overall
ledger (5-2-0 in the conference) and
tie for the runner-up spot in the
O.V.C. with Murray State and Middle
Tennessee State…Nick Xides, Penguin
junior punter, cops his second
straight conference punting title
and will look to -85 to become the
only three-time punting champion in
conference history…Place-kicker John
Dowling, a freshman, fills big shoes
of the departed Paul McFadden as he
connects on 26 straight extra point
attempts. He has yet to miss a
Penguin place-kick… Pat Toler,
senior linebacker, finishes second
in a questionable finish as to the
conference leader in total tackles.
Tailback Robert L. Thompson is
injured in the second game of the
season at Eastern Kentucky and is
granted a medical red-shirt to
return in 1985 for his senior
campaign…Tight end Frank Pokorny
finishes his career as the fourth
all-time leading receiver in Penguin
history.
Keep Those Honors Coming - The Penguins, along with
the Eastern Kentucky Colonels
(conference champion), place five
members on the All Conference team.
Linebacker Pat Toler, defensive end
Chris Stec, fullback Mike Hardie,
tight end Frank Pokorny and punter
Nick Xides are all named to the
squad, while Toler is named to the
Associated Press Third Team Division
I-AA All American squad…Stec, Hrdie,
Pokorny and Xides capture Honorable
Mention honors…Head Coach Bill
Narduzzi, completing his tenth year
at the helm of the Penguin football
fortunes, is named O.V.C “Coach of
the Year” in his recognition of the
turnabout of his squad in ’84.
1985 (5-6-0)
Fall Short-
For the second time in the past
three season, the Penguins post a
sub-.500 ledger, going 5-6-0 in
league play…The Penguins post a 4-2
record in six home contests, but win
only one of five away contests…For
the second time in as many sessions,
the Penguins play an overtime
contest, this time losing in double
O.T. to the No. 1 ranked Middle
Tennessee State Blue Raiders, 28-21,
in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Honors - Only two Penguins are selected to the All-O.V.C.
squad, wide receiver Rick Shepas,
the league’s leading receiver, is
named to the First Team, while
punter Nick Xides, who finished
runner-up in the O.V.C. in putting,
is named to the Associated Press
Honorable Mention squad.
1986 (2-9-0)
New Leader - The Penguins
post a 2-9-0 ledger in Head Coach
Jim Tressel’s first season as head
mentor…The Penguins lose first four
games of the season with Tressel
gaining his first collegiate win
over Tennessee Tech (also his first
Ohio Valley Conference win), 30-6,
on October 11, at Stambaugh Stadium…Tressel’s
first seasons is a frustrating one,
losing six games by a touchdown or
less, five by a field goal or less,
but capturing the battle of
Northeastern Ohio as they defeat
play-off bound arch-rival Akron,
40-39, on November 21. The loss
eliminates the Zips from any
post-season play-off
consideration…Rick Shepas, Penguin
wide receiver, is the only gridder
named to the O.V.C. First Team, also
capturing Third Team Associated
Press All-American laurels.
1987 (8-4-0)
Playoff Bound -
Head Coach Jim Tressel has his
Penguins primed for their last
season in the Ohio Valley
Conference, leading them to an 8-4-0
overall mark, the co-championship of
the O.V.C and their very first
Division I-AA play-off appearance…Tressel
is named “Coach of the Year” in the
O.V.C. and cops runner-up honors in
the state of Ohio for the Penguins’
success as their turnaround from a
2-9-0 campaign the year before is
one of the top efforts by any squad
on the Division I or I-AA level…It’s
the fourth time a Penguin football
team is invited to post-season play,
but the very first time in the
decade of the 80’s…Linebacker Paul
Soltis is the “Co-Defensive Player
of the Year,” heading the team and
the conference in total tackles with
185, garnering Associated Press
Second-Team Division I-AA honors.
Quarterback Trenton Lykes sets no
less than seven school and
conference marks en-route to his
selection as Ohio-Valley Conference
“Offensive Player of the
Year”…Offensive lineman Jim Zdelar,
defensive back Jerry Dunlop,
linebacker Mike Peterson and wide
receiver Mary Bibent are named to
the O.V.C. Honorable Mention
squad…After spring drills for the
1988 campaign, fullback/tight end
Mike McGlone, linebacker Paul Soltis,
defensive back Jason Price and
offensive lineman Jim Zdelar are
named captains of the squad…Tressel
is also honored with the S.M.A.C.O.
(Sports Media Association of
Cleveland and Ohio) President’s
Award for Collegiate Coaching
Excellence.
1988 (4-7-0)
Regrouping Season - The
Penguins post a 4-7-0 overall slate
in their first season of NCAA I-AA
Independent action…Offensive tackle
Jim Zdelar is named to four
All-American squads, all First-Team
selections, while teammate Paul
Soltis, is also named to the same
four squades, garnering two
First-Team selections and two
Second-Team laurels…Zdelar is
drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the
seventh round of the annual football
lottery…The Penguins post a 3-3-0
ledger…Linebacker Paul Soltis is
granted a medical red-shirt and will
return to the Penguins in 1989 for
his fifth season collegiate
competition, and his third with the
Penguins after transferring to YSU
from Ohio State University in 1986.
1989 (9-4-0)
Back in the Dance -
For the second time in the past
three years, the Penguins make it to
the NCAA/Division I-AA
play-offs…Posting an 8-3-0 regular
season ledger, the Penguins topple
Eastern Kentucky in the first-round
of the play-offs, then are
eliminated in the quarter-finals by
the Furman Purple Paladins (the
defending I-AA National Champions),
42-23…Tailback Archie Herring
becomes the first 1,000 yard+ rusher
since 1982 as he rushed for 1,095
yards (on 166 carries) and 12
touchdowns…The Penguins lead the
nation in turnover margin in the
I-AA ranks…Placekicker Robert Fozkos
made the most of his final season,
leading the team in both scoring and
kicks, scoring with 94 points,
establishing the new standard for
placekickers in both categories in
the Penguin record book…The Penguins
post a 6-1-0 home ledger.
Honors of Note - Linebacker Paul Soltis is a consensus
All-America, named to seven
post-season First-Team
units. Lorenzo Davis is named to the
Third-Team unit of three
publications, while placekicker
Robert Fozkos garners a Third-Team
Associated Press honor…Both Soltis
and Davis are headed for the
professional ranks; Soltis signing
as a free agent with the Miami
Dolphins, while Davis dons the back
and gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers
as a free agent signee…Head Coach
Jim Tressel is one of 12 finalists
for the “Eddie Robinson Award,”
emblematic of the NCAA Division I-AA
“Coach of the Year.” He does not
win the award, but is named the Ohio
Collegiate “Coach of the Year,”
joining former head coach Bill
Narduzzi. |
