Why SRU football’s unmatched 1972-74 teams held a reunion: ‘Everybody was close’
SLIPPERY ROCK — The era was different. The accomplishment was unprecedented and, to this day, never duplicated.
Slippery Rock University’s football teams from 1972 through 1974 are the only ones to win three consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships in the league’s history.
“That’s something we’re very proud to hang our hats on,” former SRU head coach George Mihalik, quarterback of the 1973 squad, said.
Approximately 50 players from that historic run of titles gathered for a 50th anniversary reunion last Saturday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. The 1974 team played the inaugural game at N.Kerr Thompson Stadium — since renamed Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. That was a 41-3 victory over Waynesburg.
The Rock played its previous home games at Thompson Field, which is now a soccer field located at the bottom of the hill from the current stadium.
“Our last game ever played at Thompson Field was a 76-0 win over Lock Haven,” Mihalik said. “The playing surface there was pristine, as quality a surface as at any Division I or II stadium with a grass field.
“When we first moved into the new stadium, it was a mud pit at times, absolutely terrible. That’s what led to the installation of artificial turf here. It was a necessity.”
Mud games or otherwise, those teams won — and won often. SRU was 25-5-2 in those three seasons, defeating West Chester in all three PSAC title games. The Rock defeated the Golden Rams 29-17 in 1972, 28-14 in 1973 and 20-7 in 1974.
“We didn’t lose a game in the state of Pennsylvania,” former lineman Mark Farabee said. “We beat teams with more talent than we had. We just played together, played for each other. Those teams were very close.
“There was nothing tricky about what we did. We played two tight ends, had two running backs in the backfield and just went at people.”
“The longtime sports guy at the Butler Eagle (Mike Surkalo) called us the Boring Backfield,” former running back Bruce Boliver said, laughing. “Ed O’Reilly, myself, Roy Ripley ... All we did was run the ball.”
Boliver wound up being an assistant football coach at SRU. Mihalik became a Hall of Fame head coach at The Rock. Farabee and 1972 Rock quarterback Tim Nunes became head football coaches at Butler. Mike Kish, an SRU running back, coached football at Slippery Rock High School.
Bob DiSpirito, another Rock Hall of Famer, was head coach of those 1972-74 teams.
“Coach developed the family atmosphere that’s remained here,” Kish said of SRU football. “He also gave us the values of discipline, working together and teamwork that we carried over to our coaching careers.”
While Nunes threw for 1,339 yards and 18 touchdowns in 1972, Mihalik led the 1973 team with 482 yards and six TDs passing. Larry Giusti threw for 510 yards and five touchdowns in 1974.
“Physicality is the biggest difference in the game then compared to today,” Mihalik said. “It’s fast-break football now. We just lined up and went at it. We’d play-action pass on occasion and that was it.”
Terry Factor, a linebacker during those 1970’s title runs, described DiSpirito’s coaching staff as “relentless in preaching execution just as much in practice and in games. Today’s game is so liberal, so open. Everything we did was structured.
“You see a lot of ‘me, me, me’ in college football today, guys celebrating every play they’d make. We partied after the game was over. During the game, it was all business.”
Dan Toomey, a tight end, recalled having 21 seniors on one of those championship teams.
“Everybody was close and worked so hard to do what we did,” he said. “There was so much pride in how we played and who we represented.”
Defensive end Curt Kral, who went on to become a pastor, relished the friendships formed on those teams.
“What I experienced playing on those teams ... just look at the people here 50 years later,” Kral said. “It’s amazing, the friendships we cultivated. The characteristics it took for our teams to win are the same characteristics I took with me in life.
“What I learned playing football with these guys steered my life in the direction I’ve gone.”
Farabee described those Rock football teams as “having just about everything.
“We had leadership, we had commitment, work ethic, drive, pride, all of those things. No matter the quality of opponent or where we were at, we believed we would win every game we played,” he added.
