The 1962 Parsons Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Parsons College of Fairfield, Iowa, as a member of the Iowa Conference during the 1962 NAIA football season. In their first year under head coach Frosty Westering, the Wildcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the Iowa Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 267 to 63.[1] Parsons was ranked tenth in the final National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll.[2]
| 1962 Parsons Wildcats football | |
|---|---|
Iowa Conference champion | |
| Conference | Iowa Conference |
| Record | 9–0 (9–0 Iowa) |
| Head coach |
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Parsons $ | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central (IA) | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Luther | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Upper Iowa | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William Penn | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wartburg | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buena Vista | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dubuque | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa Wesleyan | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simpson | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team won 17 consecutive Iowa conference wins, dating back to the 1961 season, tying a record set by Wartburg from 1958 to 1960. The team's total of 267 also set a new conference scoring record, passing the previous record of 259 points set by Loras in 1950.[3]
Parsons was led on offense by fullback Nat Craddock and halfback Dick Johnson with 897 and 873 rushing yards, respectively. Craddock led the NAIA in scoring with 19 touchdowns for a total of 114 points[4] -- the most points scored by an Iowa college player since 1905.[5] Craddock was selected as a second-team player on the 1962 Little All-America college football team[6] and later played in both the National Football League and Canadian Football League.[7]
Five Parsons players were included on the first team of the 1962 All-Iowa Conference football team: Craddock; Johnson; defensive guard Jerry Kamp; defensive tackle Lou Wilson; and defensive end Jerry Holloway.[8]
Schedule edit
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 15 | Wartburg | Fairfield, IA | W 26–7 | 1,500 | [9] |
| September 22 | at Upper Iowa | Fayette, IA | W 34–6 | [10] | |
| September 29 | William Penn | Fairfield, IA | W 19–12 | 1,800 | [11] |
| October 6 | at Central (IA) | Pella, IA | W 6–0 | [12] | |
| October 13 | Buena Vista | Fairfield, IA | W 44–7 | [13] | |
| October 20 | at Iowa Wesleyan | Mount Pleasant, IA | W 20–0 | 2,300 | [14] |
| October 27 | at Luther | Decorah, IA | W 25–12 | [15] | |
| November 3 | Simpson | Fairfield, IA | W 53–13 | [16] | |
| November 10 | at Dubuque | Dubuque, IA | W 40–6 | [5] |
References edit
- ^ "Grid Records; Iowa Colleges". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. November 12, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Bronchs Top Final NAIA Poll". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Associated Press. November 23, 1962. p. 26. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Buck Turnbull (November 16, 1962). "Parsons Sets 4 Records, Ties Mark of 17 in Row". The Des Moines Register. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Parsons' Craddock Top Scorer In NAIA". Saturday Times-Democrat. November 17, 1962. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Parsons Rolls, 40-6: Craddock Scores 2 for 114-Point Mark as Wildcats Win No. 9". The Des Moines Register. November 11, 1962. p. 5L – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Craddock, Boals Make All-America". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. December 5, 1962. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nate Craddock Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ "Parsons Places Five Players on All-Star Team". Iowa City Press-Citizen. November 20, 1962. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "It's Parsons As Craddock Scores Four". The Des Moines Register. September 16, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Johnson Paces Parsons Paces Parsons". Waterloo Sunday Courier. September 23, 1962. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Parsons Nips Penn, 19-12; Third in Row". The Des Moines Register. September 30, 1962. p. 5S – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "6-0 Victory 4th Straight For Parsons". The Des Moines Register. October 7, 1962. p. 8L – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Parsons' 5th Straight onn 44-7 Romp". The Des Moines Register. October 14, 1962. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "It's Parsons, 20-0: 6th in Row as Wesleyan Fails 4 Times Inside the 20". The Des Moines Register. October 21, 1962. p. 7S – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Parsons Sure of Share of Crown; Luther Victim". Waterloo Sunday Courier. October 28, 1962. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Titles for Parsons, Grinnell: Point Mark By Craddock In 53-13 Tilt". The Des Moines Register. November 4, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.
