As the decade of the 1980’s opened both the WIAA and WISSA were making changes to the post-season. Under pressure from schools/coaches/media the two organizations were listening and they began to slowly expand playoff participation. Some schools were also reaching national recognition in polls like the weekly USA Super-25. There were, of course, some minor rule changes as well as equipment improvements but the big change was a growing threat to the sport…soccer. Parents, concerned with potential injuries to their young child, looked for alternative activities. Yes, some schools had started the sport in the 1970’s but it expanded in the 1980’s and now some football coaches were seeing participation numbers begin to dwindle. In 1982 the WIAA moved the title games to UW-Madison’s Camp Randall Stadium after playing Championships at various locations around the state.
There were some great coaches, players and teams that came out of this decade. So, with that here are the top teams:
THE TOP TEAMS
HONORABLE MENTION
1980/81 Mosinee… Besides winning the D-4 titles going 12-0 and 11-0 in consecutive years the Indians was the runner-up in 1983 (10-1). 1980/81 Cashton…Strong offenses and super defense’s (19 shutouts in 20 games. D-6 state champion in 1981. 1989 Marinette set a then state record 567 points on the season, led by quarterback/defensive back Jeff Messinger as they won the D-2 title. 1980/81 Two Rivers…D-3 champ in 1980 (11-0) and followed up with the D-3 title in 1981 (10-2). 1986 Milton…Running back Mike Saunders took the Red Hawks to a 13-0 season and the D-3 title. 1985/86 Westby… (11-1 in both seasons as they won the D-4 title each year. 1988 Beloit Turner…1987 D-4 runner-up (10-3) and champions in 1988 (11-2) behind the running/scoring of Shawn Nicholson. 1982/83 Grafton…12-0 in ’82 and 11-1 in ’83, led by multi-position player Tim Fullington. 1983/84 DeSoto…D-6 champions 11-1 and 12-1 as well as D-5 runner-up in 1985 (11-1).
Finally, 1984/85 Manawa…D-5 champion in 1985 (13-0). They lost in the 1984 semi-finals 27-24 to Peshtigo after posting 10 consecutive shut- outs to start the season (10-1). The WIAA pages of Football Championship Games has the Wolves listed for the 1985 championship as 11-0 but they really were 13-0 with 6 shutouts and allowing only 47 points. A small school, with about 250 students, Manawa usually matched up with some bigger schools and coach Bob Lieberman took his career 213-76-5 career record to the WFCA HOF.
THE TOP 10
#10 1986 Monroe (12-0)
The Cheesemakers handled New Berlin Eisenhower in the finals, winning 28-7. Defense was their keystone all season allowing only four points per game. The title game was delayed from a Thursday 6pm start to a Monday day game as the weather was deemed too cold to play. The wind chill at game time on Thursday was a minus-1 and it was nearly as cold in the Westby 29-7 win over Stanley-Boyd. Monroe came up with 31 opponents’ turnovers during the season as Coach Pat Martin preached defense. They held Eisenhower to only 2-yards rushing on 35 carries in the title game.
#9 Tie 1981 and 1989 D.C. Everest (11-1 each season)
The 1981 Evergreens crushed Madison West 38-6 to take the D-1 title game. Their lone loss on the season was early to Stevens Point, 6-0 and they still won the Wisconsin Valley Conference title. A 20-7 victor over Waukesha South in the 1989 title game after playing in 2 inches of snow the week before as Everest beat Appleton West 14-13. Despite another early season loss, this time to conference foe Antigo in a tough 22-19 battle they made it to the D-1 title3. Coach Wayne Steffenhagen would win the 1983 D-1 title as well.
#8 1986 Stratford (12-0)
Yes, a small school makes the Top 10. Coach Tom Knauf took his Tigers to the D-5 title backed by 10 shutouts in 12 games, including the 13-0 title game win over three-time champion De Soto. The Pirates came into the championship game having scored 478 points in 11 games only to be shutdown. With the 10 shutouts the Tigers only gave up 13 points all year. This was the first of the 10 titles the school would win through 2024.
#7 1985 Milwaukee Marquette Academy (12-0)
In his 14th year of coaching the Fighting Hilltoppers Dick Basham had his first undefeated season and his third (1975, 1982 and 1985) WISAA Class A title. Winning the Metro Conference title, Marquette, like other above listed champions, played tough defense allowing only 45 points all year and having six shutouts. Only Whitefish Bay Dominican was able to score double digits (12 points) on the Hilltoppers. The team defeated Waukesha Memorial twice, once in the regular season and then first round of the playoffs. After beating Memorial in a classic semi-final battle Marquette was matched up with Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs and won 7-0. Backed by three first team all-state players…defensive back Chris Wagner, quarterback Dan Novotny and defensive end Tim Williams, Marquette beat Green Bay Premontre 21-7 to win the state title.
#6 1983 Fond du Lac St. Mary’s Springs (13-0)
In 1976 Springs made their first attempt to win the WISSA title but they were defeated by Waukesha Memorial 28-6. They lost to Thomas More in both 1977 and 1978 and the to Green Bay Premontre in 1979. Four times a bridesmaid with several of those title losses spoiling an undefeated season. The Ledgers won a convincing 31-0 game over La Crosse Aquinas. The win took the monkey off the back of coach Bob Hyland and his players. The future HOF coach had been working hard since he took over the program in 1971. This would be the first of eight WISAA titles over the next 16 years and they never lost a championship game until 2003, four years after they joined the WIAA.
#5 1982 Antigo (13-0)
1982 would be the Red Robins third state title under the direction of Gordon Schofield. In 1976 it was a close 6-0 final score over Racine Horlick and in 1978 it was also close as they beat Madison Memorial 21-14. The 1982 title game was close at half time as Cudahy was ahead 7-3 but three second half scores led to an Antigo 20-7 victory. Battling through a series of injuries Antigo was still able to average 400+ yards per game on offense and allow only about 165 yards a game for the opposition. This was not a big sized team as most of the starters weighed between 175-190. What they lacked in size they made up with heart and determination.
#4 1980 Kenosha Tremper (11-0)
The defending 1979 D-1 champion repeated in 1980 by beating Wisconsin Rapids 19-6. Having been put into the Milwaukee Conference coach Ron Davies Trojan’s eased through seven conference games and was again undefeated in the regular season. Many starters were pulled after three quarters. In a 41-7 route of Milwaukee South Davies pulled his starters mid-way through the second period otherwise the score may have been 81-7. Hence, there were no 1,000-yard rushers and all- state quarterback Mark Hujik barely tossed for 900-yards, yet the talent shown through as three other players made all-state mention.
#3 1987 Milwaukee Marquette Academy
You might ask “How good was Marquette in the 1980’s”? and I will respond by saying that the Fighting Hilltoppers posted the best D-1 record of the decade. The school, under Dick Basham posted a 93-15 record, won four WISAA championships, five Metro Conference titles and finished in second place in the Metro three times. True, they only had one all-state player and that was punter Al Kasun but they garnered 13 spots on the Milwaukee Journal and Sentinel all-metro teams with several players getting mention on both sides of the ball. Except for a 40-7 season opener smashing of De Pere Pennings and a 35-0 flogging of Milwaukee Pius the team didn’t score a lot of points, only 286 on the year for an average of 23.0 points per game. Only two opponents scored in double digits against the team. 14 by Waukesha Memorial in a 17-14 conference game and in a 26-21 victory over Chippewa falls Mc Donell for the title. Yes, Mc Donell had a three times smaller student population, than Marquette but they did something most other teams around the state didn’t do and that was to throw the ball often and well. In the title game the usually tough Highlander pass defense did give up 218 yards through the air but they picked off three of the Macks 53 passing attempts. The Marquette Fighting Hilltoppers were truly a team that played well together and won.
#2 1983 D.C. Everest (13-0)
Everest again reached the top in D-1 by blowing out many opponents and going undefeated. The Evergreens had a high-powered offense scoring 486 points to go along with a tough defense that allowed 123 points. Quarterback Brian Owen passed 162-111-7-1,609-16 and ran 106-587-5.5-7. The running game was led by halfback Mark Tughkowski with 169-1,101-6.5-13 and fullback Steve Zagerbacki with 180-1,029-5.7-14. All-state defensive back Paul Gauerke intercepted 10 passes and on offense led the team in receiving with 53-738-13.9-7. Coach Steffenhagen’s teams posted a sterling 84-22 record during the decade and the 1983 squad was clearly his best. With a 24-game, three-season win streak and a #19 ranking in the USA Today National Poll on the line, all would be lost on October 30, 1984, when Appleton West (10-0) beat the Evergreens 7-0 in the opening round of the playoffs.
#1 1984-86 Manitowoc (12-0 each season)
Three consecutive D-1 titles, a 39-game win streak (As part of a then state record 48 consecutive wins 1983-87) and teams that were known for tough defense and having a number of all-state (13) players over the three years. In 1984 the Shipbuilders posted seven shutouts and allowed only 36 points while scoring 329. The 1985 team intercepted 33 passes, recovered 14 fumbles and allowed 64 points while scoring only 274 points. In 1986 the offense came to life and scored 398 points and all the while the defense gave up 133 points. They were tough when needed. Surprisingly, after five games (Mid-October) in 1986 undefeated Fond du Lac was rated #16 in the USA Today National Poll but Manitowoc was missing from the list. A 40-26 loss to Manitowoc dropped Fondy from the poll. The Shipbuilders, for some reason, entered the poll only at the 21st spot. They stayed at #21 for several weeks before moving up to #19 in mid-November where they finished the year. HOF coach Ron Rubick and his staff did a masterful job in keeping their players focused and the 48-game win streak would be the tops until the great Kimberly 70-game streak, 2013-17.
The next blog will have the top game, the top coach and the top players of the 1980’s.