'72 East Gary Eagles reigned in football

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'72 East Gary Eagles reigned in football

Post-Tribune (IN) - Sunday, October 24, 2004

Author: John Mutka

 

Three years ago, Lake Station came perilously close to shutting down its football program because of bankrupt numbers. It's a sad fact which former coach Gil Hamilton still finds hard to digest.

It was called East Gary during his eight years as coach, which began in 1972. Manpower and victories were plentiful at the home base, which was dubbed the "Mosquito Bowl" because cascading rains frequently turned the riverside site into a soggy mess.

"We'd have a mud trough in the middle of the field," said linebacker Roger Szostek, who teamed up with Bob Deering in East Gary 's 5-2 defense. "We'd take that into account when we ran our plays."

Back then, the current field was used only for practice. On game nights, the Eagles dressed at the school, then walked several blocks. They stopped traffic, crossing Central Avenue to join their opponents.

In Hamilton's first year, he teamed up with assistant coaches Andrew "Ike" Halaschak and Rich Renn to guide the Eagles to 10 consecutive victories. Many were on the soggy side.

"It must have rained six out of the 10 games," Halaschak recalled.

No matter; the Eagles would not be denied. Their average winning margin was 29 points.

Pint-sized tailback Ricky Kemp (5 foot 5, 150 pounds) led the charge, rushing for 22 touchdowns. Quarterback Terry Barth clicked for 18 touchdown passes.

"Larry Pohlmann (preceding coach) worked with Terry ever since his freshman year," Hamilton said. "Terry probably watched more film than any of the coaches. He was so precise with his passes. He preferred dropping back, but could roll out either way."

Barth usually cocked his arm in end Buddy Faroute's direction. One of the finest athletes the school ever produced, Faroute led Northwest Indiana with 41 catches. In basketball, the 6-foot-7 senior racked up career totals of 1,306 points and 940 rebounds, which earned him a scholarship to Wisconsin.

No one was more dedicated to East Gary than Hamilton, a hometown boy who played fullback and tackle for Steve Georgakis. Hamilton matriculated to Murray State in 1966, where he played football and was a two-time Ohio Valley Conference shot-put champion.

Now on disability because of numerous health problems, Hamilton welcomed the chance to reminisce about his 1972 "dream team."

East Gary 's line was anchored by tackle Jim Ring, one of five Eagles named to the Post-Tribune All-Area Team. Mike Skarja and Rich Borisenko joined him. All three tackles were in the mid-200-pound range. In sharp contrast, noseman Jerry Gruitt barely came up to their belt buckles.

"Jerry probably shouldn't even have played football," said Hamilton, "but he was so quick, nobody could block him."

Added Halaschak: "He had no business being on the field. Probably 5-6, 150 at the most, he was as tough as nails."

East Gary 's closest calls were against Lake Central (26-14), Calumet (16-13) and Gary Wallace (18-14). Calumet nearly upset East Gary on one of those rainy nights, taking a 13-0 lead at the half. Hamilton was so upset, he turned the halftime lectures over to his assistants.

"I didn't want to see them," he said. "I was so hot, I was afraid I'd say something I shouldn't."

Halaschak instructed the Eagles to stick to the ground.

"We were dropping passes left and right," he said. "We knew we could run on them."

"Kemp basically took over," Hamilton said.

For East Gary , beating Portage was its primary goal. Once, the rivals shared membership in the disbanded Calumet Conference, but Portage had dominated.

"We only beat them once in my eight years," Hamilton said.

East Gary manhandled the Indians, who were 7-3 that year, by a 30-8 score. That left only Wallace, which nearly stunned the Eagles in the final game.

Szostek remembered how overconfident the Eagles were.

"We thought we were on top of the world," said the former East Gary police chief. "Wirt had beaten them and we beat Wirt (41-6). It turned out to be a scary game."

It was a down year for the Hornets, but they were still dangerous.

"Wallace had the Travline brothers," Hamilton recalled. "We were lucky to get out of there with a win."

During that fairy-tale season, the community rallied around the Eagles , who were ranked sixth in the state. It was a family atmosphere, which some of the players still nurture.

"Every year, for the last 25 years, a bunch of us get together and go to a (college) football game," Szostek said. "We never fail to talk about the 'old war stories.' "

You can't help but wonder how the Eagles would have fared if a state playoff system had capped that memorable season, instead of starting in 1973.

Slowly, East Gary 's climate began to change, starting with renaming the town Lake Station. Renn departed for Valparaiso, where he still serves as defensive coordinator. Halaschak coached at River Forest from 1973-78 and is now the principal of Willowcreek Middle School in Portage.

Still, they'll never forget that magical season, which catapulted a have-not, blue-collar school into the limelight. Think of it as fantasy football coming to life.

"Such a gifted group," Halaschak recalled. "For a school that size, it comes around once in a lifetime."

What made it even more special is that East Gary didn't have to share the spotlight. Unbeatens Hobart and Gary West stumbled in the final weeks, while the Eagles watched from their pedestal.

E-mail John Mutka at jandgmutka@msn.com.

Record Number: 105FFC684E61705A