1962 Parsons Wildcats football team

The 1962 Parsons Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Parsons College of Fairfield, Iowa, as a member of the Iowa Conference during the 1962 NAIA football season. In their first year under head coach Frosty Westering, the Wildcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the Iowa Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 267 to 63.[1] Parsons was ranked tenth in the final National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll.[2]

1962 Parsons Wildcats football
Iowa Conference champion
ConferenceIowa Conference
Record9–0 (9–0 Iowa)
Head coach
Seasons
← 1961
1963 →
1962 Iowa Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 10 Parsons $ 9 0 0 9 0 0
Central (IA) 7 2 0 7 2 0
Luther 6 2 1 6 2 1
Upper Iowa 6 3 0 6 3 0
William Penn 5 3 1 5 3 1
Wartburg 5 4 0 5 4 0
Buena Vista 3 6 0 3 6 0
Dubuque 2 7 0 2 7 0
Iowa Wesleyan 1 8 0 1 8 0
Simpson (IA) 0 9 0 0 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from NAIA poll

The team won 17 consecutive Iowa conference wins, dating back to the 1961 season, tying a record set by Wartburg from 1958 to 1960. The team's total of 267 also set a new conference scoring record, passing the previous record of 259 points set by Loras in 1950.[3]

Parsons was led on offense by fullback Nat Craddock and halfback Dick Johnson with 897 and 873 rushing yards, respectively. Craddock led the NAIA in scoring with 19 touchdowns for a total of 114 points[4] -- the most points scored by an Iowa college player since 1905.[5] Craddock was selected as a second-team player on the 1962 Little All-America college football team[6] and later played in both the National Football League and Canadian Football League.[7]

Five Parsons players were included on the first team of the 1962 All-Iowa Conference football team: Craddock; Johnson; defensive guard Jerry Kamp; defensive tackle Lou Wilson; and defensive end Jerry Holloway.[8]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 15WartburgFairfield, IAW 26–71,500[9]
September 22at Upper IowaFayette, IAW 34–6[10]
September 29William PennFairfield, IAW 19–121,800[11]
October 6at Central (IA)Pella, IAW 6–0[12]
October 13Buena VistaFairfield, IAW 44–7[13]
October 20at Iowa WesleyanMount Pleasant, IAW 20–02,300[14]
October 27at LutherDecorah, IAW 25–12[15]
November 3SimpsonFairfield, IAW 53–13[16]
November 10at DubuqueDubuque, IAW 40–6[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Grid Records; Iowa Colleges". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. November 12, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com  .
  2. ^ "Bronchs Top Final NAIA Poll". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Associated Press. November 23, 1962. p. 26. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
  3. ^ Buck Turnbull (November 16, 1962). "Parsons Sets 4 Records, Ties Mark of 17 in Row". The Des Moines Register. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Parsons' Craddock Top Scorer In NAIA". Saturday Times-Democrat. November 17, 1962. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Parsons Rolls, 40-6: Craddock Scores 2 for 114-Point Mark as Wildcats Win No. 9". The Des Moines Register. November 11, 1962. p. 5L – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Craddock, Boals Make All-America". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. December 5, 1962. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Nate Craddock Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  8. ^ "Parsons Places Five Players on All-Star Team". Iowa City Press-Citizen. November 20, 1962. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "It's Parsons As Craddock Scores Four". The Des Moines Register. September 16, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Johnson Paces Parsons Paces Parsons". Waterloo Sunday Courier. September 23, 1962. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Parsons Nips Penn, 19-12; Third in Row". The Des Moines Register. September 30, 1962. p. 5S – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "6-0 Victory 4th Straight For Parsons". The Des Moines Register. October 7, 1962. p. 8L – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Parsons' 5th Straight onn 44-7 Romp". The Des Moines Register. October 14, 1962. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "It's Parsons, 20-0: 6th in Row as Wesleyan Fails 4 Times Inside the 20". The Des Moines Register. October 21, 1962. p. 7S – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Parsons Sure of Share of Crown; Luther Victim". Waterloo Sunday Courier. October 28, 1962. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Titles for Parsons, Grinnell: Point Mark By Craddock In 53-13 Tilt". The Des Moines Register. November 4, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.