Week 3

This is the third article in the nine-week series about the history of Frankenmuth Football in celebration of 500 Wins in the 69-year history. 

1970 - 1979 

Passing Records, New Conference & the End of a Coaching Era 

By Al “Chick” Rodammer 

 The first fourteen years of Frankenmuth football established the program as one of the most successful programs in the State of Michigan.  A winning percentage of .882, six Thumb B Championships and two mythical State Champions set the bar high for future Eagle teams.  A twenty-three-game winning streak will be taken into the start of the 1970 season.   

The 1970 season would open with the traditional non-conference opener against Michigan Lutheran Seminary.  The game was scoreless until the fourth quarter when Seminary would score twice for a 14 – 0 lead as the Eagle offense avoided the shutout, scoring with eight seconds remaining for the 14 – 8 final.  The Eagles bounced back with a 40 – 0 win over Cass City before losing to Bad Axe 18 – 0.  The Eagles would travel to Caro, coached by former Frankenmuth’s Bert Bleke.  Chuck Sanders would break a 12 – 12 tie, scoring on a 3-yard run with twenty-seven seconds remaining.  Robert Galsterer would seal the win with a 50-yard interception return for a score and a 24 – 12 win.  The win over Caro, was the 100th in program history.  The 1970 team would win its next three games with great defense by defeating Laker High 28 – 6, Vassar 14 – 8, and Marlette 40 – 0.  The team would drop the last two games of the season to Sandusky and Otisville-Lakeville, to end the season with a 5 – 4 record.   

Entering the 1971 season, the team consisted of 31 members and twenty returning lettermen.  In the opener versus Seminary, the squad won a cliff-hanging gridiron battle  21 – 20.  Opening Thumb ‘B’ action, Bruce Weiss would score three touchdowns and rush for 113 yards in a 26 – 8 win over Sandusky.  In week three, the Eagles stumbled in a loss to Cass City 12 – 6.  The team bounced back traveling to Bad Axe as the rushing combo of Weiss with 121 yards and Dave Hubinger with 118 yards, led the Eagles in a 30 – 14 win.  This was the first homecoming loss in Bad Axe’s history.  Week five would be a Thumb ‘B’ Conference Championship game with the fifth ranked and unbeaten Caro Tigers visiting the Eagles home field.  The Eagles surprised everyone the first time they had the ball, when Weiss went 78 yards up the middle for the first score of the game.  The game went back and forth with the Eagles tying the score 22 – 22 on a Ken Boesnecker to Bob Huber 60-yard T.D. pass play.  Caro would score in the fourth quarter for the 30 – 22 final score.  Weiss and Hubinger again led the way with 154 and 107 yards rushing respectively.  The 1971 team would close out the season with four consecutive wins.  A narrow 14 -13 win over Lakers and a 31 – 20 over Vassar, in which Bruce Weiss set a rushing record with 327 yards rushing, to break his brother Gary’s record of 285 yards.  Weiss’ rushed for 148 yards in a 37 – 6 win over Marlette.  The final game would feature an undefeated Montrose team, Genesee County Champs with the Eagles winning 23 – 22.  Weiss scored all twenty-three points, rushing for three scores and kicking a 39-yard field goal, while rushing for 156 yards.  The game ended when Randy Gower picked off a Rams pass to preserve the win.  A 7 – 2 record was the final record for the 1971 team.  Weiss would end the season with 1256 yards rushing and scored 124 points.  Gerry Bierlein was the leading tackler with 74.  Weiss would receive 1st Team All-State Honors. 

Prior to the 1972 season, the first annual Frankenmuth alumni game was played.  Nearly 1000 people watched 50 lettermen going back to 1958 play to a 6 – 6 tie.   

 The 1972 season would open with three consecutive wins.  Winners over Seminary 20 – 6 and a 4th quarter score by Steve Wilkenson was the margin of victory in a 12 – 8 win over Marlette.  A  41 – 0 win over Sandusky was highlighted by Bob Rummel’s  7 of 14 passing for 212 yards, with Dave Hubinger receiving for 135 yards.  In a tight defensive battle, Frankenmuth would lose 8 – 0 to eventual Thumb ‘B’ Champs Cass City.  Wins over Bad Axe 14 – 8 where Wilkenson would again score late for the game winner and Lakers 37 – 0 were sandwiched by a loss to Caro.  The final conference game of the season was against Vassar.  In the final quarter, sophomore Steve Wilkenson scored to knot the score at 14 – 14.  With the new overtime rule, Vassar was stopped on their first possession in overtime and now the Eagles had four plays to score.  On fourth down, Dave Bannerman kicked the winning field goal for the first overtime win in Frankenmuth Football history.  With a season ending loss to Montrose, the 1972 team would end up with a 6 – 3 record.  Eagle defensive player Gerry Maurer led the team in tackles with 65.   

 With a young 1973 team with only nine seniors, the team would lose its first three games of the season to Seminary, Vassar, and Marlette.  In the Marlette game, a young sophomore Quarterback named Dave von Behren would get his first start.  The Eagles got into the win column with a 28 – 0 win over Sandusky, von Behren would show what was to come for the next three years throwing four TD passes.  Wins over Cass City, 6 – 0 and Bad Axe, 35 – 14, would even their record to 3 – 3 on the season, before a 6 – 0 loss to Caro.  In a 32 – 13 win over Lakers, von Behren was 22 of 37 passing, with 12 receptions going to Mike Walker for 150 yards.  The ‘73’ team would garner a winning record with a 5 -4 mark with a season ending 33 – 13 win over Montrose.  Steve Wilkenson’s 133 yards rushing and von Behren throwing three touchdown passes led the offense.  Sophomore von Behren would be the first 1000-yard passer in Frankenmuth history with 1080 yards and Walker had 39 receptions.  Seniors Willy Rummel, Rod Weiss, and Jim Schiefer would lead the defense.   

The 1974 team would bring high expectations with 24 returning lettermen and a high-powered offense led by the passing of Dave von Behren and prime receivers Bill Parlberg and Mike Walker, and the rushing of three-year varsity fullback Steve Wilkinson.  The Eagles would open the season with Michigan Lutheran Seminary for the 17th and final time with a 39 – 22 win over the Cardinals.  Von Behren passed for four touchdowns, two going to Parlberg and one each to Walker and Brad Keller.  In the Thumb ‘B’ opener, a record breaking 49 – 0 win over Laker High.  Von Behren was 13 of 22 passing for 296 yards with Parlberg setting a school record that stands to this day, with 243 yards receiving.  Wilkenson scored three rushing TD’s to set up a showdown with Vassar.  The battle between the Thumb B Conference leaders saw Frankenmuth come out on the losing end 14 – 7.    The Eagles scored first on a Wilkenson 5-yard run.  In the second quarter, Vassar scored when von Behren dropped back to pass and a Vassar defender knocked the ball out of his hands and returned the loose ball for a TD.  The Eagles led 7 -6 at the half.  In the third quarter, Vassar took the lead 14 – 7.  In the fourth quarter, torrential rain came, but the Eagles had their chances.  The passing game was greatly affected by the rain and penalties prevented the Eagles from sustaining drives.  Coach Tompkins quoted “We made too many mistakes. You can’t do that against a good football team like Vassar”.  With the disappointment of the Vassar game behind them, The Eagle squad would win their final six games of the season.  A 51 – 22 win over Marlette, holding on for a 21 – 18 win over Sandusky.  In 44 – 7 win over Cass City, von Behren passed for six TD’s, three to Parlberg, two to Walker, and one to Barry Baranowski.  Von Behren was 31 of 49 passing for 417 yards.  A 43 – 14 home win against Bad Axe, and a final conference win over Caro by a 35 – 6 score, where Von Behren’s aerial attack again led the way on a 20 of 37 passing for 410 yards, with Parlberg catching 10 passes for 209 yards.  The Eagles would end the season with an 8 – 1 record with a 34 – 12 win over Midland Bullock Creek. Dave von Behren would set season records in 1974 that are still the tops today.  2589 yards passing and 27 passing touchdowns are two of the many records.  Bill Parlberg caught a record 64 passes, 1283 yards receiving and 15 receiving TD’s.  Milke Waker ended his career with 93 receptions, still number one today. Von Behren and Parlberg each received All-State recognition.   

After the 1974 season, Coach Bud Tompkins resigned as the head coach of Frankenmuth football.  Coach Tompkins and his wife Gretchen are graduates of Northern Michigan University and have the desire to find a teaching and coaching job in the Upper Peninsula.  However, in May of 1975, Coach Tompkins was reappointed head varsity football coach for Frankenmuth.  

Coach Harry Kaczynski, Frankenmuth Football’s first Head Coach, was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame on March 15, 1975.  

A second alumni game was held in August of 1975, and as was the case in 1972, the game ended in a 6 – 6 tie.  Players were made up of Frankenmuth players graduating back to the late 1950’s and up to and including 1974 graduates.   

The 1975 season opened with a new non-conference opponent in the Holly Broncos’ and won by a 35 – 12 score. Senior Dave von Behren passed for 222 yards and Brad Keller caught 7 receptions for 171 yards and three TD’s.  In a rain-drenched contest, Frankenmuth beat Caro 13 – 6.  In a 27 – 6 win over Lakers, von Behren threw for 268 yards and four TD’s.  A    20 – 6 win over Vassar and a 36 – 28 victory over previously undefeated Marlette upped their season record to 5 – 0.  They suffered a tough loss in the last two minutes of the game to Sandusky by a 30 – 28 score and the following week suffered a second consecutive loss to Cass City 21 – 17.  Two losses by a total of six points took the Eagles out of conference contention.   A 34 – 6 bounce-back win over Bad Axe, led by Paul Bernthal’s 138 yards rushing and von Behren’s four touchdown passes.  Frankenmuth would end the season with a non-conference narrow loss to Hemlock 26 – 23.  Von Behren would end his career passing 21 of 35 for 308 yards.  Gary Frank had six receptions for 123 yards.  Three narrow losses left the Eagles with a 6 – 3 record for the season.  Dave von Behren would end his career with most of the Frankenmuth program career passing records that stand to this day. - 5601 yards passing, 61 touchdowns, 348 completions and 649 pass attempts.  Von Behren was a consensus 1st Team All-State selection. 

 1975 was the first Michigan High School Football playoffs.  Four classes – Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D – one team from four regions in each class qualifying based on playoff points.  Playoffs constituted two rounds, semifinals and finals.  The larger schools in each class had a big advantage because they could accumulate more playoff points. 

 The 1976 team was dealt an early blow when Paul Bernthal, the leading rusher in 1975 and expected to be a major contributor, broke his ankle in the second quarter of the season-opening loss to Holly.  Frankenmuth would open the season with four consecutive shutout losses before a 15 – 7 win over Vassar broke the scoreless streak.  A Larry Eischer to Gary Frank fifteen-yard TD pass in the second half was the margin of victory.  A 30 – 7 win over Marlette for a second consecutive win was highlighted by a Mark Janson 65-yard interception return for a score.  A loss to Sandusky was followed by a 22 – 13 win over Cass City.   Eischer scored three TDs in the win.  The Eagle gridders fell in the season finale to Hemlock 36 – 24 to end the season with a 3 – 6 record. 

 1977 would be the first playoff expansion since its beginning in 1975.  An extra round of playoffs were added and two teams from each region would qualify based on playoff points, creating quarterfinal, semifinal, and final rounds.   

The 1977 season opened with a tough 21 – 20 loss to Holly.  After a loss to Cass City, Frankenmuth captured their first win of the season with a 16 – 14 win over Bad Axe.  Trailing 14 – 8, the winning score in the third quarter was a Mark Janson to John von Behren 68-yard pass play for a TD and Matt Sanders’ successful two-point conversion.  The ‘77’ team would drop their next four games.  A 20 – 14 win over Sandusky was led by Janson’s 11 of 15 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns.  Bill Oliver intercepted two Redskins passes.  The season ended with a 41 – 12 loss to Hemlock and a 2 – 7 season record.   

In August of 1977, the Frankenmuth School Board approved committing Frankenmuth High School to a new athletic conference.  The new conference would be named the Tri-Valley Conference.  The new conference consisted of Birch Run, Carrollton, Essexville Garber, Hemlock, Swan Valley, Midland Bullock Creek, Millington, and Frankenmuth.  Frankenmuth had been a member of the Thumb B league since 1959.  There were two main factors in making the move to the new league.  One was to reduce travel time and mileage costs and the other was the new league being predominantly Class B schools where as Thumb B was becoming mostly Class C schools. The new league competition will start for the 1979 football season. 

1978 would be the 20th and last year Frankenmuth football would be a member of the Thumb B conference.  After finishing below .500 for the past two seasons, the 1978 team was looking to rebound to the winning ways of Frankenmuth football.  The Eagles would open with future Tri-Valley neighbors Birch Run in a non-conference game in the first game ever between the two schools.  The Eagle defense shined in a 28 – 0 win over the Panthers to start the season on a winning note.  In the Thumb B season opener, the defense posted a second straight shutout with a 12 – 0 win over Sandusky, limiting the Reskins to 115 yards of offense.  Week three was a 29 – 8 win over Cass City led by the rushing attack of Tom Wolohan (116 yards) and Bill Tucker (98 yards).  Next would be a final Thumb B showdown with Bad Axe, with both teams unbeaten.  Bad Axe jumped out to a 14 – 0 lead, but Frankenmuth bounced back to tie the score at half on two Tucker rushing TD’s.  The third quarter was scoreless but with 3:22 remaining in the game, Bad Axe would score for a 20 – 14 final score in a well-played game.  Bad Axe would end the season as Class C state runner-ups.  Wins over Caro 30 – 12, and Laker High 38 – 12 would set up a final Thumb B tilt over neighboring Vassar.  Vassar took a 16 – 0 lead, but the Eagles scored the next 22 points to take a 22 – 16.  Vassar scored with one second remaining in regulation to tie the score, but the two-point conversion failed sending the game in to overtime.  In overtime, Wolohan connected with Tim Gilmour on a halfback option play for a touchdown.  Vassar’s attempt fell short ending the game on the one-yard line for a 28 – 22 Eagle win.  A win over Marlette would be the last game in the Thumb B league, ending the 20-year affiliation with the league with a 102 – 34 – 3 record.  The Eagles won six titles and finished runner-up five times.  Hemlock would beat the Eagles 21 – 6 in the non-conference finale.  A 7 – 2 record surprised area fans as Terry Bussenger and Dave Galganski ended their careers with outstanding line play.  Tucker led the scoring with 11 touchdowns.   

1979 would be the first season of the newly formed Tri-Valley Conference.  A veteran Eagles squad of 24 returning players would open the season against a familiar foe, but in a non-conference game against the Vassar Vulcans.  Three Tom Wolohan touchdowns would lead the way for a 19 – 0 win against Vassar.  The first Tri-Valley contest would be a close 12 – 8 win over Carrollton, highlighted by a 96-yard TD pass play when Tom Wolohan connected with his brother Jack late in the fourth quarter.  Losses to Essexville Garber and Swan Valley, two of the top teams in the new league, would indicate the more tenacious, more intense, and more physical football compared to the Thumb B.  A 46 – 12 win over Midland Bullock Creek was led by Tom Wolohan’s 158 yards rushing.  The win was the 150th in program history.  The Eagle team would stumble to a winless Birch Run 12 – 6 in three overtimes but rebound to beat Millington 25 – 7, with Tom Wolohan rushing for 121 yards.  To end the Tri-Valley inaugural season, Frankenmuth dropped a 32 – 14 contest to Hemlock.  The Eagles would salvage a winning record with 5 –4 with a season non-conference win over the Thumb B champs Caro Tigers by a 26 – 12 score.  Phil Bernthal would be recognized as a 1st Team All-State selection.  The Caro game would be the last game for Coach Budd Tompkins after fourteen seasons and an 88 – 37 record, four Thumb B Championships and two mythical Class ‘C’ State Championships.   Tompkins requested that his coaching duties be reassigned and be allowed to coach the freshmen team where he believed he could help the program better.   

The Frankenmuth Football era of the 1970’s had many ups and downs.  A 54 – 36 overall record during the decade and no championships did not match up to the early success of the 1950’s and 60’s.  The Frankenmuth Football Program record after the 1979 season, twenty-four seasons was 152 – 49 – 4.  With the end of the Budd Tompkins coaching era, the 1980’s would bring a new coach and new enthusiasm.  Next week’s series will be the decade of the 1980’s.