Logo

1979: Rice Meets Moeller in 'Biggest Game Ever'

August 30, 2019

By Ron Pesch
Special for Second Half

DATELINE: Cincinnati, Ohio, 1979

“The Brother Rice-Moeller game is the biggest game any Michigan high school football team has ever played.”

Hal Schram - ‘The Swami’
Detroit Free Press

“I’m nervous as heck,” said Birmingham Brother Rice coach Al Fracassa to Free Press sportswriter Mick McCabe. “This is the biggest challenge of my life.”

On Saturday, September 22, 1979, Fracassa’s Warriors travelled 270 miles south from the hotbed of Michigan high school football to the hotbed of Ohio high school football for a first-ever showdown with Cincinnati Moeller. Heading into the 1980s, many would argue that Brother Rice was the top football (and perhaps the top boys prep sports) program in the state of Michigan. At the same time, many would say Moeller had replaced Washington Massillon High School as the premier grid program in the Buckeye State, and that Moeller also represented the nation’s top prep football team. To quote McCabe in his pregame write-up:

“Moeller had a 53-game winning streak snapped last fall after winning Ohio’s Class AAA state championship the previous three years. It also won the mythical national championship in 1976 and ’77. Seventeen players from (the 1978) Moeller team received college scholarships, including wide receiver Tony Hunter at Notre Dame and Larry Gates, the backup quarterback at Purdue.”

Moeller was coached by 44-year-old Gerry Faust – soon to become a Notre Dame legend. But in the fall of 1979, he was still building his impressive resume at Moeller.

While both were all-male Catholic schools and maintained three football teams – varsity, JV and freshman – there were stark differences. Fracassa’s varsity coaching staff at the time included three members: Mike Popson, Ron Kalczynski and Mike Cieslak. In comparison, Faust had 17 assistant coaches on his varsity staff (and 25 student managers).

“Every year is a rebuilding year for us,” said Faust. “We average between 24 and 38 seniors a year and about 20 of them start.”

“Their second team is as good as most teams around here, and I’m not exaggerating,” Fracassa told McCabe.

Entering the contest, Faust had posted a 152-17-2 record in 17 seasons at Moeller, while Fracassa, in his 20th year as a head coach, was 123-31-8. A former Detroit Pershing and Michigan State quarterback, Fracassa was named head football coach at Royal Oak Shrine in June 1960. After eight seasons at Shrine, Fracassa moved to Brother Rice and compiled an 86-14-3 mark, including a Class A mythical state title in 1974. His Warriors began an impressive 24-game winning streak in 1976, earning an MHSAA Class A playoff title in 1977, but the streak was ended by North Farmington in the Semifinal round of the MHSAA tournament in November 1978.

Faust arrived at Moeller in 1960 to start a football team and had guided the squad since the school began playing varsity ball in 1963. He first started bringing outstate teams to Cincinnati in 1977 with a game against Monsignor Farrell High School of Staten Island, NY. Jesuit High from Dallas, Texas, followed with a visit to Moeller in 1978.

Both Moeller and Rice were undefeated to start the 1979 season. Faust’s Crusaders had allowed only three first downs over three games, including a big 34-7 win over city rival Cincinnati Princeton, the school that had ended Moeller’s long winning streak, and a 30-13 victory over powerhouse Pittsburgh Penn Hills, a school with an enrollment of 4,200 that had compiled consecutive Class AAA Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships in the three previous years under coach Andy Urbanic. With the defeat of Penn Hills, the Crusaders were a flawless 3-0 against teams from across state lines entering the Brother Rice contest.

Undefeated in two games, Brother Rice was rated fourth in Class A in Hal Schram’s initial Top Ten rankings. Inexperienced following the graduation of quarterback Jon English (Michigan State) and receiver Marty Martinez (Stanford), the Warriors had downed St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, 21-7, then Grosse Pointe North, 13-7.

Game Time

A crowd of 20,792 (including members of the Brother Rice pep band) packed the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium for the 8 p.m. prep version of the Michigan-Ohio State game. Moeller did not have its own field, playing games at Nippert, Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium (home to the NFL’s Bengals and MLB’s Reds), or a nearby high school field. Moeller dominated the first half with 282 yards of total offense to Brother Rice’s 64, but held only a 13-7 lead at the half. Senior wingback Eric Ellington awed the crowd with touchdown runs of 43 and 61 yards during the first quarter. Rice rebounded with a five-yard touchdown on a bootleg by 5-foot-11, 170-pound senior quarterback Brian Brennan following a fumble recovery by Emil Nagengast during the second period.

Starting their first possession of the third quarter on their own 33-yard line, Ellington ripped off a 34-yard run to the Rice 33 on Moeller’s first play of the drive. Three plays later, he went left for 10 yards and his third touchdown of the game. The Crusaders opened up a 33-7 lead in the fourth quarter before Rice got back on the scoreboard. Fracassa went to the playbook for some “razzle dazzle.”

Operating from their own 32-yard line with 2:19 left to play, “Brennan tossed a deliberate bounce pass on a lateral to reserve quarterback Dave Yarema,” wrote Randy Holtz in the Cincinnati Enquirer. “Yarema then fired a 68-yard touchdown to the wide open Steve Allen to finish the game’s scoring.”

“We’ve been using it a long time,” said Fracassa, commenting on the play with limited delight following the 33-14 loss. “We told the kids before the game that this would be one of the best teams they were ever going to play against. They’re really a tremendous team. If you can’t contain Ellington, you’re in trouble. You’ve got to be something else to catch this kid.”

Ellington ended with 178 yards on 10 carries.

“Eric really ran well,” added Faust. “He’s a great back, but you’ve got to give credit to (our) line up front.”

Due to the early format of the MHSAA playoffs, which were introduced in 1975, the defeat likely had eliminated Brother Rice from the state playoff picture. A 10-7 loss to Catholic League opponent Detroit Catholic Central in Week 5 of the season and a 6-3 regular-season record ensured no postseason play for the Warriors in 1979. Detroit Catholic would end the year as Class A state champ with a perfect 12-0 record.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association had begun its football playoff system in the fall of 1972. To little surprise, Moeller went on to win the state’s Class AAA title for the fourth time in 1979, defeating Parma Padua Franciscan 41-7. Moeller again was proclaimed national champion by the National Sports News Service. (For those interested, highlights can be found here).

College Comes Calling
Back in Michigan, in February 1980, Fracassa applied for the head coaching position at Michigan State to replace Darryl Rogers, but wasn’t interviewed. When Frank “Muddy” Waters was named as MSU’s new coach, he offered Fracassa the position of offensive coordinator. But Fracassa chose not to go. In the fall, his Warriors again won the Class A championship. It wouldn’t be his last opportunity to jump to the college game.

The Great Experiment
In Ohio, Faust’s Crusaders would win the state and national titles again in late November 1980. After more than a month of rumors, on the day after winning the state title, Gerald Anthony Faust was officially announced as “the only head coach Notre Dame has ever selected from the high school ranks.”

Another Chance at MSU
Fracassa was a back-up signal caller at Michigan State. “I was always stuck behind the All-Americans,” he told the Detroit Times in 1960 shortly after taking charge at Royal Oak Shrine.

“First, he understudied Al Dorow,” wrote Wally Dwyer in the Times. “Then it was Tom Yewcic and finally Earl Morrall.”

Morrall’s son Matt, Leon Hart’s son Kevin, Tobin Rote’s son, Rocky, Roger Zatkoff’s son David and Jack Simmons’ son, Terry, were the offspring of past Detroit Lions who played on Fracassa’s 1974 champion.

In December 1982, George Perles was named to replace Waters as head coach at Michigan State. A former teammate of Fracassa’s at MSU and, later, a coaching friend and rival when Perles coached Detroit St. Ambrose and Fracassa guided Shrine, Perles spoke to Fracassa about the possibility of joining the Spartans’ defensive staff. Again, Fracassa chose to remain at Brother Rice.

A Legacy Sealed …
In the fall of 1983, Fracassa’s Warriors grabbed another Class A title. It was the third of nine MHSAA championships his teams would ultimately earn. When he retired following the 2013 season, he was the state’s all-time winningest football coach with a 430-117-7 mark.

… and a Legacy Altered
In November 1985, Faust resigned from his position at Notre Dame.

“Faust said the job was ‘the fulfillment of a lifelong dream,’” wrote Mitch Albom in the Free Press, days after the announcement. “And he did it proud on most counts. He worked feverishly, turned out good men, a clean program. And technically, a winning program, 30-25-1. But nowhere near winning enough for Notre Dame.”

“Faust knew it.”

To the dismay of countless Irish fans, Notre Dame continued to honor its contract despite the losses. “No matter how loudly the fans yelled,” noted Albom, “the school would not fire Faust.”

“So, with a choked voice and moist eyes, he saved the university the ugliness of firing him by resigning with one game left on his contract.”

“We probably won’t see another Gerry Faust experiment again,” added Albom at the time. “Everyone will point out that it didn’t work the first time …”

“College football was once a game of its name. College kids playing football. That was long ago. Today it is a multimillion-dollar industry …”

The great experiment certainly altered memories of Faust, the structure of coaching contracts, and the path for all high school coaches who aspired to lead at a higher level. One might even say it was a turning point for winning and losing, and what would be ‘acceptable’ at all levels of sports across America.

P.S. Moeller and Rice again met in 2007, with the Crusaders again topping Brother Rice, this time 14-6. Both schools had entered this match-up with identical 2-1 records.

Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.

PHOTOS: (Top) Brother's Rice's Brian Brennan looks for an opening while a Moeller defender pursues. (2) Brother Rice coach Al Fracassa. (3) Moeller coach Gerry Faust. (4) A Moeller bumper sticker tells of its many successes during the 1970s. (5) Eric Ellington starred for Moeller against Brother Rice. (6) Faust left Moeller for Notre Dame in 1980. (Photos gathered by Ron Pesch.)

1st & Goal: Week 8 In Review

October 20, 2020

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Even with a shortened regular season, football teams across Michigan are equaling past accomplishments or at least making better on their performances of a year ago.

Many of our notes this week highlight the crowning, at least partially in some cases, of a league champion. But those other little successes – like surpassing last season’s win total, or ending a losing streak – also make every week memorable, with many more teams seeing the fruits of work and patience during an otherwise unpredictable fall.

Below is our look at many who found reasons to celebrate during Week 8.

Bay & Thumb

HEADLINER Hemlock 12, Millington 6 Defense reigned as Hemlock (5-0) clinched the Tri-Valley Conference West championship – its first league title since 2012. Millington (4-1) continued to shine defensively, with its average points given up per game rising just a few tenths to 10.6 this season. But Hemlock’s defense was a score stronger, lowering its average points allowed this fall to 14.6 per game. Click for more from the Saginaw News and see highlights below from WJRT.

Watch list Marine City 24, Marysville 21 The Mariners (5-0) finished a perfect run through the  Macomb Area Conference Silver for the second-straight season, while extending their winning streak over Marysville (4-1) to four.

Remember this one Harbor Beach 42, Marlette 20 The Pirates (3-2) will finish second in the Greater Thumb Conference East but made sure only Sandusky will finish first by handing the Red Raiders (3-2) their only league loss of an abbreviated schedule.

More shoutouts Almont 28, Richmond 25 (OT) For the first time in a long time, these two aren’t really in the mix in the Blue Water Area Conference – but the rivalry remains notable as Almont (2-1) extended its winning streak to four.  Bad Axe 26, Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker 6 With Bad Axe (4-1) and Cass City not facing off this season – that game was among those canceled early on – this win cemented a shared GTC East championship for both.

Greater Detroit

HEADLINER Sterling Heights Stevenson 42, Grosse Pointe South 35 At the end of one of the most intriguing league races of this shortened season, Sterling Heights Stevenson finished tied for first with Macomb Dakota, thanks to this win that sent Grosse Pointe South (3-2) into third place. The Titans (4-1) continued a rise that began with last season’s run to the Division 1 Semifinals after they had finished only 1-4 in the Red last fall. Click for more from the Macomb Daily.

Watch list Detroit Cass Tech 41, Detroit Martin Luther King 19 After defeating King (3-2) by eight in their season opener, the Technicians (5-0) more than doubled that during this Detroit Public School League 1-2 championship game – a great sign with the postseason approaching.

Remember this one Clarkston Everest Collegiate 41, Royal Oak Shrine 7 This was the third time in five seasons these two decided the Detroit Catholic League Intersectional 2 championship, and the Mountaineers (5-0) are a win away from a second-straight undefeated regular season.

More shoutouts Dearborn Heights Crestwood 21, Garden City 12 After a down 2019, Crestwood (5-0) clinched its second Western Wayne Athletic Conference championship in three seasons. Canton 49, Hartland 28 The Chiefs (5-0) clinched the Kensington Lakes Activities Association West title outright and can finish a perfect league run against reigning champ Plymouth.

Mid-Michigan

HEADLINER Mount Pleasant 21, Midland Dow 0 The Oilers (4-1) threw a wrench into an anticipated Saginaw Valley League Blue championship decider this week between Dow and Midland High. Mount Pleasant earned itself a chance at a shared championship instead, if the Chargers (4-1) are able to hand the Chemics their first loss Friday. Click for more from the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun.

Watch list Holt 26, Portage Northern 0 The weekend’s biggest upset statewide saw the Rams (2-2) shut down Portage Northern (4-1), not only handing the Huskies their first defeat but holding them scoreless for the first time since 2014.

Remember this one Pewamo-Westphalia 30, Fowler 7 Although the Central Michigan Athletic Conference decided to not award a league champion because of the shortened schedule, the Pirates (5-0) still ran their league winning streak to 39 and run against Fowler (4-1) to six straight since the Eagles handed them that last CMAC loss in 2014.

More shoutouts New Lothrop 49, Durand 6 The Hornets (5-0) clinched another Mid-Michigan Activities Conference title by handing Durand (4-1) its first defeat. Williamston 17, Olivet 6 The Hornets (5-0) prepped for their Capital Area Activities Conference Red decider this week by handing Olivet (4-1) its first loss.

Northern Lower Peninsula

HEADLINER McBain 23, Beal City 19 The Ramblers (5-0) locked up their first Highland Conference title since 2015 with their fourth-straight win over the Aggies (4-1), who also entered the evening unbeaten. McBain is one of 11 undefeated teams left in Division 7.  See below for highlights from MI Sports Now.

Watch list Kingsley 40, Sault Ste. Marie 6 With a game to play, the Northern Michigan Football Conference Legends has belonged firmly to the Stags (5-0), who clinched a second-straight title by handing second-place Sault Ste. Marie (3-2) its first league loss.

Remember this one Traverse City West 45, Cadillac 27 These teams finished second and third, respectively, in the Big North Conference, and West (4-1) continued its string of four-straight 40-plus point offensive efforts since losing to eventual champion Traverse City Central in the season opener.

More shoutouts Traverse City St. Francis 35, Ogemaw Heights 14 The Gladiators (3-2) continued to establish solid footing in advance of the Division 7 playoffs with a win over Division 5 Ogemaw Heights (3-2). Maple City Glen Lake 18, Benzie Central 0 The Lakers (4-1) posted their second shutout of the season and are giving up only 6.6 points per game.

Southeast & Border

HEADLINER Erie Mason 56, Sand Creek 38 The Eagles’ offense continued to roll as they clinched a share of the Tri-County Conference championship, their first league title since 2003, while handing Sand Creek (4-1) its first defeat. Erie Mason (5-0) now also has as many wins as the last four seasons combined – and with 282 points, needs 48 more to equal how many it scored over nine games a year ago. The Eagles are averaging 56.4 per game. Click for more from the Adrian Daily Telegram.

Watch list Reading 26, Homer 19 The Rangers (4-1) losing to Jonesville in Week 6 was no reason to write them off, as they’ve bounced back to hand Homer (4-1) its first loss. Reading no doubt will root for Homer to take down Jonesville this week to set up a shared Big 8 Conference title.

Remember this one Blissfield 42, Ida 40 The Royals (5-0) earned a share of the Lenawee County Athletic Association title, but only after holding off the Bluestreaks (2-3) after they were tied with less than nine minutes to play.

More shoutouts Michigan Center 42, Manchester 7 The Cardinals (2-1) got one game in this fall before having to take two weeks off, but they’ve won both matchups since returning to the field. Adrian Madison 46, Pittsford 6 The Trojans improved to 4-1, equaling their win total from last season and setting them up for a possible fifth victory – which would give Madison its winningest finish since 2009.

Southwest Corridor

HEADLINER Schoolcraft 45, Lawton 14 The Eagles (4-1) clinched a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Valley title, to go with their shared SAC Lakeshore championship from last season, and by defeating the Valley’s 2019 champ. Schoolcraft shut down a Lawton offense that averaged 42.5 points per game during its 4-0 start. Click for more from the Kalamazoo Gazette and see highlights below from FOX 17.

Watch list Constantine 43, Kalamazoo United 28 Last season these two and Schoolcraft shared the Lakeshore title, and this win over the formerly co-leading Titans (4-1) guaranteed the Falcons (4-1) will do at least the same again.

Remember this one Stevensville Lakeshore 13, Battle Creek Lakeview 7 Although the Southwestern Athletic Conference also isn’t awarding a league champion this season, this was a display of the strength among the league’s teams as Lakeshore (4-1) handed Lakeview (4-1) its first defeat.

More shoutouts Battle Creek Harper Creek 50, Marshall 27 The Beavers (3-2) have picked up two straight impressive victories and with one more would have their winningest season since 2017. Coloma 24, Watervliet 16 The Comets (4-1) put themselves in position to force a shared Lakeshore title with Constantine up this week.

Upper Peninsula

HEADLINER Marquette 27, Escanaba 6 To say the Great Northern Conference has navigated twists and turns this fall would be an understatement. But at the end of the league schedule, Marquette (4-1) is champion for the second straight season, and Escanaba (0-2) was able to get back on the field for the first time this year. Click for more from the Marquette Mining Journal.

Watch list Menominee 41, Gladstone 0 Two losses to Marquette have Menominee at 3-2, but in the Maroons’ two wins on the field they’ve averaged 41.5 points.

Remember this one Houghton 15, Negaunee 13 The Gremlins (2-1) have been forced to miss multiple games as well, but on this night were able to break a recent two-game losing streak to the Miners (3-2) and avenge last season’s 35-0 defeat.

More shoutouts West Iron County 20, Gwinn 14 (OT) The Wykons (5-0)  held Gwinn (2-3) scoreless in overtime and then scored on their ensuing set of downs to remain undefeated. Calumet 34, Hancock 18 The Copper Kings (2-2) tuned up for what could be an intriguing regular-season finale this week with Marquette.

West Michigan

HEADLINER Montague 34, Whitehall 31 (2OT) A double-overtime field goal won this game for Montague in one of the state’s longest- running rivalries, giving the Wildcats a 64-48-2 advantage since they began playing in 1921 – and more importantly, a share of another West Michigan Conference championship. Click for more from the Muskegon Chronicle.

Watch list Grand Rapids Catholic Central 28, Ada Forest Hills Eastern 3 The Cougars (5-0) set themselves up to face Grand Rapids South Christian this week for the outright Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold title.

Remember this one Muskegon 15, Zeeland West 14 The Big Reds (4-1) came back from a 14-0 deficit to knock Zeeland West (4-1) out of a tie for first place (with Mona Shores)  in the O-K Green.  

More shoutouts Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern 35, Lowell 22 the Huskies opened 0-2 but have won three straight to equal their win totals of each of the last two seasons. Grand Rapids West Catholic 34, Allendale 12 The Falcons (4-1) held on to second place in the O-K Blue and will now cheer for Allendale (3-2) to defeat league leader Hudsonville Unity Christian this week.

8-Player

HEADLINER Portland St. Patrick 26, Merrill 22 Both should have championship aspirations, as St. Patrick (5-0) entered this game No. 2 in Division 2 based on playoff-point average, and Merrill (4-1) was tied for No. 2 in Division 1. Click for more from the Lansing State Journal.

Watch list Morrice 57, Kingston 0 The Orioles (5-0) moved into the No. 2 spot alone in Division 1 playoff-point average and have yet to score fewer than 52 points in a game this season while allowing 34 total over five games.

Remember this one Kinde-North Huron 36, Peck 6 The Warriors clinched their second league title in four seasons, this time in the North Central Thumb League Stripes, while improving their scoring margin to a combined 222-12 this fall.

More shoutouts Cedarville 32, Munising 8 The Trojans moved to 4-1 by handing Munising (4-1) its first defeat and locking down an offense formerly averaging 34.5 points per game. Deckerville 56, Genesee 36 The Eagles (4-1) bounced right back from the Week 7 loss to Mayville with another 50-point performance.

PHOTO: Battle Creek Pennfield takes the field at the start of a 49-7 win over Jackson Northwest on Friday. (Photo by Scott Mapes.)