1969 Boys Football

DeWitt’s senior class was ready for a breakthrough in 1969. They lost every game as freshmen. As sophomores, they broke a 36-game losing streak but won only one game. They turned the corner with a 5-4 record as juniors, setting the stage for a memorable senior season. Head Coach Gary Roberts demanded toughness on both sides of the ball, and his Panthers outscored their opponents 249-52. The Panthers started with four consecutive shutouts over Bath (18-0), Portland St. Patrick (12-0), Owosso St. Paul (18-0) and Laingsburg (47-0). Against Webberville, the Panther defense would sacrifice their first score of the season but moved to 5-0 with a 26-6 win. The next week, DeWitt trailed Pewamo-Westphalia 16-6 heading into the final quarter but rallied for an 18-16 victory. The Panthers then faced undefeated and third-ranked Potterville, whose offense was averaging 36 points a game, while DeWitt held teams to just over three points a game. The boys lived up to the challenge and never trailed, handing the Viking their first loss of the season 34-30. Two more shutouts against Fowler (54-0) and Morrice (22-0) sealed the Central Michigan Athletic Conference Championship as DeWitt finished the year with a 9-0 record that surpassed the 8-0 record set by the DHS Hall of Fame 1961 team. Although the state football playoffs did not begin until 1975, the 1969 DeWitt Football Team finished a record-breaking and historic season as “undefeated champions.” The 1969 Boys Football team included the following members: Jim Ashley, Mike Ashley, Tom Ashley, Mike Botke, Gary Bouts, Tom Brockway, Don Brown, Ron Brown, Clayton Church, Mike Cole, Dan Davis, Chuck Gorman, Bob Hudson, Bob Jackson, Tom Keener, Kurt Kluge, Joe LaMacchia, Marty Lankford, Art Nottage, Craig Panwas, Dan Ruble, Randy Sellhorn, Steve Shooltz, Al Singletary, Steve Tews, Bill Thelen, Denis Theroux, Tony Vettraino, Loren Ward, Roger Wardell, Ron Wilcox, Brian Wood; Managers Stan Lenneman, Mark Ward, and Larry Young; Assistant Coach Tom Isanhart and Head Coach Gary Roberts.