The Thrill of Victory, 40 Years Later

football reunion

Red Devils reunion celebrates 1976 victory in the “greatest college football game ever played”

Saturday, Oct. 9, 1976, found Red Devils football pitted against the behemoth that was the Widener University Pioneers. It was a game the Devils were never supposed to win and one that had them coming in 40-point underdogs. And it’s a game that will live forever in the collective memory of Dickinson athletics.

football reunion

From left: Bob Penner, Dickinson's equipment manager; Stan Wolowski '77; and Jim Gerlach '77.

Because that day, against all odds (literally), the Red Devils came away with the win, taking down the Pioneers 17-6 on Parents Day in front of a packed Biddle Field crowd.

“It was just euphoric,” recalls Jim Gerlach ’77, Red Devils running back, thinking back to the moment the final whistle blew and the victory was complete. “We had a bunch of students run onto the field, and family, and we were jumping around hugging each other—everybody was hugging each other. It was just really great.”

football reunion

Lanny Johnson '78 (left) and Rob Cleland '77.

This past weekend, that victorious football squad came together for a 40-year reunion to reminisce, watch game footage and marvel over what the team calls the “greatest college football game ever played.”

football reunion

From left: Cal Shields '77, Coach Wilbur "Goby" Gobrecht '52 and Rob Cleland '77.

“For me, while the reunion was to celebrate participation in a great football game, the best part of the event was just reconnecting with old teammates and friends,” says Gerlach. “What a great bunch of guys who were a lot of fun 40 years ago and still are today!”

For more on the reunion, keep an eye out for the winter issue of Dickinson Magazine, where the reunion will be featured. For now, relive the that fateful October 1974 day by watching some online game footage.

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Published October 3, 2016