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By DANIEL E. ENGLER
AlmanacSports.com Football Editor
What could be better than the #1 team in Indiana taking on the #2 team in a special postseason game? The #1 team taking on the #1 team, that's what!
The IHSAA had tightened up some of the rules pertaining to the football season earlier in the 1940s, particularly the number of games a team could play (10), the length of
the season (Sep. 1 to Nov. 30) and its policy on postseason games (not allowed!). The only exception was the Northern Indiana High School Conference Championship game between
the eastern and western division winners.
East Chicago Roosevelt had been ranked #1 for over a year and LaPorte had been at #2 since the third week of the season. They had each battled through and defeated nine
regular season opponents, including their division rivals, and were set to meet in the NIHSC Championship game on Nov. 15. But in the United Press' weekly "Big Ten", James E.
Walters had now put them neck and neck heading into the ultimate showdown: #1 vs. #1 to determine the mythical state champion of Indiana high school football.
Each team's results:
LaPorte Slicers
9-0 overall, 6-0 NIHSC East
* NIHSC Eastern division games
Sep. 6: South Bend Catholic W 38-0
Sep. 13: at Michigan City W 34-6
Sep. 20: South Bend Riley W 13-6 *
Sep. 27: Elkhart W 32-19 *
Oct. 3: at Danville (Ill.) W 32-0
Oct. 11: at Goshen W 26-0 *
Oct. 25: at South Bend Adams W 38-0 *
Nov. 1: at Ft. Wayne North: W 38-6 *
Nov. 8: Michigan City W 26-7 *
Nov. 15 at East Chicago Roosevelt
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East Chicago Roosevelt Rough Riders
9-0 overall, 7-0 NIHSC West
* NIHSC Western division games
Sep. 5: Gary Tolleston W 39-20 *
Sep. 13: at Gary Wallace W 39-6 *
Sep. 20: at Hammond W 15-7
Sep. 26: at Gary Mann W 26-0 *
Oct. 11: Hammond Clark W 26-0 *
Oct. 18: vs. Louisville (Ky.) Male W 21-0
Oct. 25: at Whiting W 39-6 *
Nov. 1: Hammond Tech W 48-13 *
Nov. 8: East Chicago Washington W 19-0 *
Nov. 15: LaPorte
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As a result of the pairing, Hoosier fans were treated to their first mythical state championship game since 1935, when Evansville Memorial defeated Fort Wayne Central
13-0.
Both teams were led by future Indiana Football Hall of Fame coaches. Coach Don Edmonds' Slicers averaged 30.8 points per game and held their opponents to 4.9 points per game
while posting four shutouts on their way to their first undefeated regular season in school history. On the other side of the coin, Pete Rucinski's Rough Riders averaged 30.2
points to 5.8 points per game with four shutouts as they attempted to defend their 1945 state championship claim.
But as it ended up, all the hype was for nothing. The Rough Riders destroyed their opponents 30-0, proving that they were indeed the class of 1946 and arguably one of the
best of all time.
Actual game recap:
Rough Riders
Ride Roughly
Over LaPorte
Win Mythical
State Grid Title
By JAMES E. WALTERS
United Press Sports Writer
Indianapolis, Nov. 16 - There isn't
much question about it, East Chicago Roosevelt's Rough Riders belong at or
very near the top of the list of all-time great Indian high school
football teams.
The Riders, playing figuratively
with one-hand tied behind their back, crushed previously undefeated,
untied LaPorte Friday night at East Chicago, 30-0. The Slicers wound up
with a minus 24 yards from scrimmage and passing.
It was the 22nd consecutive victory
for Coach Pete Rucinski's crew and meant a second straight mythical state
title and a second straight Northern conference crown.
Ace on Bench
What made the victory all the more
impressive was the fact that 200-pound "Torpedo Ted" Toper, who
has been most of Roosevelt's offensive show this fall, didn't get in for
even one play. The junior right halfback re-injured a trick knee a week
ago and Rucinski kept him on the bench until he needed him - which he
didn't.
LaPorte, which had rolled up nine
straight victories in winning the always-tough eastern wing of the
Northern league, couldn't find a single consolation after the game,
unless, perhaps, it was the fact that the Slicers trailed only 6-0 at
halftime.
Roosevelt's line, spotting a
10-pound-per-man average weight bulge, made life so miserable for the
LaPorte line that Coach Don Edmonds finally ordered his club to forget its
vaunted "T" formation.
Alban Tosses
With LaPorte in a short punt
formation, quarterback Dick Alban still was tackled as fast as he
was when operating close-up behind the center in the "T".
Alban got off 13 passes and completed two for 18 yards. The Slicers
also gained 20 yards on the ground. But 66 yards lost by rushing
left LaPorte with a net gain of a minus 24.
Roosevelt romped to a net gain
of 451 yards, 385 on the gournd and 66 by passing. The first down
statistics were 18 for Roosevelt, three for LaPorte - two of the
Slicers' coming on penalties.
Rider quarterback Bob Lambski
called the plays cautiously for the first period and a half. He send
fullback Fred Viana; halfback Ronnie Clark, who was the individual
hero of the night; and Toper's replacement - Frank Kmak, inside
tackle. It was straight power football. Suddenly Clark swept around
end for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Same Tactics
Roosevelt started with the tactics in the
third quarter. But after several power smashes, Clark again went
around end - 37 yards this time for a touchdown. A few minutes later
he went inside end for 27 yards - and an 18-0 Roosevelt lead at the
quarter mark.
Rucinski began substituting
liberally, but Roosevelt scored twice again in the final period. End
Ben Zaranka, who stamped himself a "certain" all-state by
his crashing defensive play, took a turn at scoring. He went eight
yards on an end around. Sub halfback Joe Bac plunged for the final
score.
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The Rough Riders were once again UP and AP champions. In a mere formality, the final Litkenhous Ratings on Nov. 27 also showed Roosevelt as #1 in the state, giving them the
distinction as undisputed state champions of 1946.
Just as they dominated the title game, Roosevelt also dominated the Associated Press All-State Team. The Rough Riders placed three men on the first team (LE Ben Zaranka, LG
Bob Jones & LH Ronnie Clark) and three more on the second team (RT R. Nestor, RE P. Rokrifciak & FB Fred Viana).
The huge win helped to establish a dynasty for Rucinski and the Rough Riders. They would go on to to win mythical state championships in 1947, '49, '55 & '57, a total of
six with their titles in '45 & '46, and also claimed the national schoolboy championship in 1947.
The win streak that began on Nov. 4, 1944 after beating Hammond Tech, 21-0, continued 31 more games until Roosevelt tied Evansville Memorial 7-7 on Sep. 10, 1948. The
undefeated streak stretched out two more games until suffering a 32-6 defeat to Evansville Reitz on Oct. 1 later that year. Thus the streak ended at 34 games undefeated (33
wins with one tie), the fourth longest in the history of Indiana prep football.
Coach Rucinski stayed on at East Chicago Roosevelt until 1963, compiling an all-time record of 189-52-8. He was elected into the Indiana
Football Hall of Fame's first ever class, in 1973.
The school closed in 1985 when it consolidated with East Chicago Washington to form East Chicago Central.
Throughout the years, the Slicers are usually a force to be reckoned with. Though they are still looking for their first state championship, LaPorte finished undefeated
in 1962 (7-0-2) and made an impressive run in the 2006 Class 5A tournament, falling to Carmel in the semi-state championship.
After the 1946 season, Coach Edmonds left the Slicers to become the backfield coach for the Baltimore Colts of the NFL for a year, then headed to Indiana University to coach
the same position. He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
FAST FORWARD
Roosevelt's "Torpedo Ted" Toper went on to play for the
University of Michigan, while his teammate, Ben Zaranka, played for Bear
Bryant at the University of Kentucky and was drafted 29th in 1950 to the
Green Bay Packers, although he never played in the NFL.
Ironically, it was
the losing team's quarterback who went on to have the most success in football. After graduating from LaPorte, Dick Alban played college at Northwestern University before being picked
in the ninth round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He went on
to play four years there and another four for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The
highlight of his pro career was a berth in the 1954 Pro Bowl.
| Season |
Team |
|
Interceptions |
| G |
GS |
PDef |
Int |
Yds |
Avg |
Lng |
TDs |
| 1952 |
Washington Redskins |
12 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
27 |
27.0 |
-- |
0 |
| 1953 |
Washington Redskins |
12 |
-- |
-- |
4 |
13 |
3.2 |
-- |
0 |
| 1954 |
Washington Redskins |
12 |
-- |
-- |
9 |
81 |
9.0 |
-- |
0 |
| 1955 |
Washington Redskins |
12 |
-- |
-- |
2 |
48 |
24.0 |
-- |
0 |
| 1956 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
12 |
-- |
-- |
2 |
21 |
10.5 |
-- |
0 |
| 1957 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
12 |
-- |
-- |
1 |
35 |
35.0 |
-- |
0 |
| 1958 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
12 |
-- |
-- |
5 |
25 |
5.0 |
-- |
0 |
| 1959 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
12 |
-- |
-- |
6 |
119 |
19.8 |
-- |
0 |
| TOTAL |
0 |
30 |
369 |
-- |
0 |
0 |
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Links of interest
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Dan Engler
