Supplement to The Morningsider, Fall/Winter 2004 issue

M-Club Messenger:

The '54 Championship

By Sharon Ocker

The record for the Champs:

Midwestern University, 28-6, Loss

Omaha University, 45-0, Loss

North Dakota University, 28-21, Win

North Dakota State University, 41-27, Loss

Augustana College, 26-0, Win

University of South Dakota, 41-7, Win

Iowa Teachers College, 20-12, Win

South Dakota State University, 39-34, Win

Formation:

The Maroons lined up in a split-T formation but almost always shifted into a single wing with an unbalanced line to the right. Once in a while, though, quarterback Buck Miller 1955 would see an opportunity. He would tap one of the guards on the hinder, yell "Everybody down!" and everyone would block straight ahead on the next sound, and he would sneak for a good gain. Again, he would say "Bob-7-3"and throw a quick pass to that end. They didn't call these plays "audibles," but that's what they were. In one game, team members made at least four unplanned laterals on the way to a big gain. The coaches were going crazy, but it worked.

More Facts & Figures:

--Morningside had several veterans just back from military duty. They were tough, and they expected a lot out of the players. One of the vets, Vern Weyland, was so upset after the loss to Midwestern that he was ready to quit, and he let everybody know about his feelings.

--A number of players had teeth missing. The team photo after the South Dakota State game clearly shows that. The reason? There used to be a lot of elbows thrown before the face masks were improved. One player, however, lost his teeth blocking a point-that would be Bill Holsclaw .

--After the horrible trouncing by Omaha U, lots of fans threw their season passes away in disgust. Al Buckingham, then athletic director, said that there were so many, he thought it was "snowing." When the team began to win, he got several calls from people wondering if their passes could be reinstated.

--The 1954 team had three all-conference winners: Kermit Issacson, guard; Bob Miller, end; and Buck Miller, quarterback. Four other team members went on to win all-NCC honors in 1955: Vern Weyland, Ray Clark, Red Getting, and Jim Welton.

--The "Scouting Report" of Nov. 2, 1954, a feature of the Des Moines Register , told of a special play that the Maroons used to score twice in the victory over Iowa Teaches College. The first time, it worked for a touchdown from Buck Miller to Bob Miller , left, for 77 yards. The second time, it went the other way to Red Getting, right, for 54 yards. It was off the so-called "buck lateral," where the quarterback comes back to become the tailback. The play was instrumental in winning the game and in securing the conference championship.