Slippery Rock University Football: From Obscurity to National Cult Favorite
Slippery Rock University's football program, known as "The Rock," has a unique and captivating history. Representing Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, the team competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) as part of NCAA Division II football. Their home games take place at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, a venue with a capacity of 10,000 seats.
The Early Years: Building a Foundation (1898-1935)
The Slippery Rock football program began in 1898. Like the vast majority of college football teams during that time, SRU spent its first 38 years of existence competing against other local colleges and high schools unheard of outside of its own little corner of the world. In fact, of Slippery Rock’s first 250 games, only 22 were played against teams hailing outside of Pennsylvania. Slippery Rock's inaugural football season saw them achieve a 1-0 record, marked by a victory over New Castle High School. While the program commenced in 1898, it wasn't until 1906 that John B. Price was appointed as the first head coach in Slippery Rock football history.
The "National Championship" Controversy and Rise to Prominence (1936-1937)
The Rock football mystique began to take shape in 1936 due to a controversy over which team, the University of Minnesota or the University of Pittsburgh, deserved to be the top-ranked team in the country. Both the Associated Press and the Dickinson System ranked Minnesota first. The Football Annual and various coaches polls, including the United Press International ranking, picked Pittsburgh. One journalist thought the argument was foolish. To prove it, he wrote a story supporting Slippery Rock, which went 6-3 in 1936, as the No. 1 team in the nation using the transitive property method.
Backtracking across the scores from the 1936 season, the journalist proved his point: Slippery Rock beat Westminster, which beat West Virginia Wesleyan, which beat Duquesne, which beat Pitt, which beat Notre Dame, which beat Northwestern, which beat Minnesota. Therefore, Slippery Rock should be No. 1. Readers of the article, which was reprinted by newspapers all over the country, enjoyed a story that poked fun at big football schools and supported a small one. They loved the name "Slippery Rock." As a name for a typical small school, it seemed almost too good to be true.
One such person who was quite fond of the Slippery Rock name long before its “national championship” was legendary journalist Bill Cunningham of the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. Cunningham so often referenced Slippery Rock in his columns throughout the 1930s that SRU began to gain quite a following in New England.
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The Fenway Park Game: A Defining Moment (1937)
With Slippery Rock’s popularity at an all-time high, Cunningham spearheaded a campaign to bring Slippery Rock to Boston in 1937 to play the Terriers of Boston University; which played their home games at Fenway Park. While Cunningham continued to champion the idea of Slippery Rock coming to Boston publicly, Dr. A.P. Vincent, Slippery Rock’s faculty manager of athletics, negotiated the details with Boston University officials privately. Finally a deal was reached for Slippery Rock to play Boston University on Oct. 9, 1937 at Fenway Park. Cunningham, who was known for his sense of humor, wrote of the announcement:“It is this way, Mr. Toastmaster, Invited Guests, Ladies, Gentlemen and any others, my Alma Mater that I have never attended is coming to town to play a game of football. Yas, suh, Good ol’ Slippery Rock. Ol’ Soapy Pebble, ol’ Greasy Boulder, herself, in person and not a talking picture.
Slippery Rock entered the 1937 season after having won six of its final seven games to end the 1936 campaign. The Rock’s 1937 roster featured 13 newcomers and 28 returners including senior quarterback Raymond Meals, fullback Loyal Briggs and end Roy Van Horn. Before Slippery Rock could turn its focus to Boston it had to play games against West Chester University and Waynesburg University to start the year. To say the season got off to a rough start would be an understatement. Slippery Rock first lost on the road at West Chester, 7-0, followed by a 21-0 loss to Waynesburg. The Rock’s new offensive line was blamed for the lackluster offense to start the year. Making matters worse was the fact that injuries were starting to take its toll on Slippery Rock early on. Among the injured were Van Horn (fractured fibula) and starting center Johnny Beckert (pulled muscle). Slippery Rock entered its much-anticipated road game winless, without a point scored and beat up.
10,000 fans filled into Fenway Park to watch Slippery Rock and the Terriers square off. Slippery Rock vs. Despite the loss, Slippery Rock received a hero’s welcome nationwide as the small school’s scrappy play was applauded in newspapers like the New York Times, Boston Herald and numerous other large media organizations across the country. This was not a 15-minutes of fame situation; Slippery Rock was here to stay.
Building on the Mystique: National Exposure and Unique Traditions
Slippery Rock built on its popularity in the years following the trip to Fenway Park as it maintained its national exposure as welcomed guests far and wide. In 1963, SRU was invited to play Northeast Oklahoma State in the All-Sports Bowl in Oklahoma City. In 1979, and again in 1981, The Rock played games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Slippery Rock drew 61,143 fans - to this day, the largest crowd to see an NCAA Division II football game - for its 1979 game against Shippensburg University and attracted 30,000 fans for its 1981 season-opening game against Wayne State University.
The foundation for the trips to Ann Arbor were laid many years prior when Steve Filipiak, public address announcer at Michigan Stadium from 1959-71, included Slippery Rock games among the scores he would announce during Michigan contests. Slippery Rock made its first trip to Florida in 1990 when it met Central Florida in the season finale at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. In 1998, The Rock opened their season against South Florida in the final game played in Tampa Stadium. SRU traveled back to the sunshine state in 2001 when it opened the year at Pro Player Stadium (Now known as Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami as the first-ever foe for Florida Atlantic University, which was led at the time by Hall of Fame head coach Howard Schnellenberger.
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Its latest noteworthy road game happened seven seasons ago when Slippery Rock returned to “The Big House” for a third time as SRU and Mercyhurst were invited by the University of Michigan to compete in what was dubbed “The Big House Battle” on Oct. 18, 2014. The game drew 15,121 people despite heavy rain and frigid temperatures throughout the day. "Slippery Rock has a special place in the hearts of our fans," said Dave Brandon, who was at the time the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics, in 2013. All of these road games through the years have enabled Slippery Rock to capture the attention and hearts of college football fans from all over the country thanks to an 83-year old fictitious national championship claim, a quirky sportswriter and a unique name.
Mihalik-Thompson Stadium: Home of The Rock
The Rock play their games at N. Kerr Thompson-Mihalik Stadium on Dispirito Field. The stadium name, however, has been changed starting with the 2011 season to Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, in honor of then-current head coach George Mihalik. It is one of few college football stadiums where stadium was named in honor of the then-current head coach. The stadium name is also in honor of N. Kerr Thompson, who was one of the most successful coaches in Slippery Rock history. "The Rock", located just outside the East endzone of the stadium, was donated by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1995.
The Tradition of Announcing Slippery Rock Scores
Announcing the Slippery Rock score has been a tradition at University of Michigan football games since 1959, begun by Michigan Stadium announcer Steve Filipiak. Slippery Rock's scores have also been announced at the games of many other major schools, including Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Stanford, and California. Such is Slippery Rock's popularity in Ann Arbor that The Rock has played three times at the massive Michigan Stadium. First, in front of a Division II-record 61,143 fans, Slippery Rock lost to Shippensburg, 45-14, in 1979. Two years later, over 35,000 were in attendance in 1981 when the Rock took on Wayne State, with Wayne State winning, 14-13.
In 1959, Michigan Stadium public address announcer Steve Filipiak laid the groundwork for years to come when he started to include Slippery Rock in his list of out-of-town scores. Filipiak didn't just go through the motions when it came to the Rock. He made the SRU score a big deal in Ann Arbor as his infectious enthusiasm for the unknown school with the fun name captivated crowds, some 100,000 people at a time. Mihalik's first memory recognizing his alma mater as a topic of national interest came during his playing days. Back when he was the quarterback at SRU from 1970-74, ABC anchor Dave Diles announced college football scores on national television during Prudential College Football Scoreboard each week. He'd occasionally close his round-up with a lesser-known team. "And now the score you've all been waiting for," Mihalik recalled of Diles' delivery before the Rock score was broadcast across the country.
With the Wolverines on the road at California on Sept. 29, 1979, Michigan Director of Athletics Don Canham set a plan in motion to fill Michigan Stadium on an off weekend. Who better to help fill it than Slippery Rock, the school whose scores were announced weekly in the stadium and kept UM fans engaged. Mihalik was a third-year assistant at the time under head coach Bob DiSpirito, whom he played for. It was DiSpirito who broke the news that the Rock would play at Michigan. Years later, Mihalik still describes his first reaction as disbelief. After all, Slippery Rock's town population was only around 3,000 people. Despite the town's smaller population, filling seats was not going to be a problem. The day prior to the game, the Lansing State Journal referred to the event as a "college football extravaganza," also comparing Canham to P.T Barnum and H.G. Wells. Slippery Rock has since returned to Ann Arbor for games in 1981 and 2014. But make no mistake, the roughly 250 miles that separate the two campuses is just a number. Michigan Stadium has become something of a home for the Rock. And that includes a 1981 game against Detroit-based Wayne State. SRU has broken out alternate uniforms on two of their three trips - wearing yellow pants in 1979 to avoid a resemblance to Michigan State's colors. "It was top-notch," he said. "The folks at Michigan treated us like it was a home game for them. It was a wonderful experience. Slippery Rock remains in search of its first win at the Big House.
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Coaching Legends and Championship Success
Over the course of 112 seasons of football, (no season in 1943-44 because of WWII) Slippery Rock has compiled a total record of 527-354-38. The team has captured 9 PSAC Championships: 1939, 1962, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1997 (PSAC-W), 1998 (PSAC-W), 1999 (PSAC-W), 2000 (PSAC-W), 2011 (PSAC-W); as well as 6 state championships: 1924, 1939, 1962, 1972, 1973, 1974. Slippery Rock has had two undefeated seasons, 1924 finishing 9-0 and 1938 ending 8-0. In 1958, Slippery Rock played in its first bowl game, the Beaver Bowl where they defeated the Edinboro Fighting Scots 6-0. Slippery Rock has played in two bowl games since. The 1963 All-Sports Bowl, where they were defeated by Northeast Oklahoma St. 59-12. The most recent bowl game was the 1972 Knute Rockne Bowl losing 27-22 to Bridgeport.
Key coaches who have shaped the program's history include:
- John B.
- Harry Snyder - 1908-09, 1911-13. 18-8-3 record, .679 winning percentage.
- Loyal S. N. Kerr Thompson - 1920-42, 1945. 126-58-22 record, .674 winning percentage. Led Slippery Rock to 12 Division championships and 8 state championships. Led four of the five unbeaten seasons at the school for football.
- William Meise - 1955-58, 12-17-1 record, .471 winning percentage.
- Charles Godlasky - 1959-64, 31-19-4 record, .611 winning percentage. Took Slippery Rock to three PSAC-Western Division championship, and state championship in 1962.
- Bob Dispirito - 1967-80, 1987. 79-60-3 record, .567 winning percentage. Coached Slippery Rock to three straight PSAC championships from 1972-74.
- Fred Goldsmith - 1981, 2-7-0 record, .222 winning percentage.
- Don Ault - 1982-86, 27-23-0 record, .540 winning percentage.
- George Mihalik - 1988-2015, 185-109-4 record, .628 winning percentage. Mihalik has the highest wins in school history, and is among the most successful. He has also led Slippery Rock to 12 straight winning seasons at one point during his tenure.
Notable Alumni
The Slippery Rock football program has produced several notable alumni who have gone on to achieve success in professional football, including:
- Greg Hopkins - Arena Football League wide receiver/linebacker, Los Angeles Avengers, was a four year letterman and was a three time All American honoree.
- Matt Kinsinger - Arena Football League fullback/linebacker for the Chicago Rush.
- Brandon Fusco - Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round. Played center while at Slippery Rock.
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