Hail To Thee Park High (TCY/FOF)

[Wolfpack]

Eh, Northwestern has won the Big Ten a couple of times in recent years and generally have been mid-pack or so much of the time in that span. Certainly that first Northwestern Rose Bowl team back in 1995 (I think) was shocking, but they haven't been terrible.

Wake on the other hand is the all-time losingest Division I-A football program that never won more than eight games in a season until last year. Before they won the ACC last year, the last time they won it was 1970. That was also the only other time they ever won it. I think the Wildcats can beat that just in the last 10 years.

Northwestern, while not a traditional power, at least for much of its history absorbed some benefits from playing in a football conference and consequently has some football tradition. Wake has none. Period.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Wolfpack

Eh, Northwestern has won the Big Ten a couple of times in recent years and generally have been mid-pack or so much of the time in that span. Certainly that first Northwestern Rose Bowl team back in 1995 (I think) was shocking, but they haven't been terrible.

Wake on the other hand is the all-time losingest Division I-A football program that never won more than eight games in a season until last year. Before they won the ACC last year, the last time they won it was 1970. That was also the only other time they ever won it. I think the Wildcats can beat that just in the last 10 years.

Northwestern, while not a traditional power, at least for much of its history absorbed some benefits from playing in a football conference and consequently has some football tradition. Wake has none. Period.

I stand corrected. But yeah, I remember that '95 Rose Bowl game. I couldn't believe that Northwestern of all teams was that good that year.

On the other hand, Wake Forest won their first title 20 years into the universe. That's quite a bit of time to build up a program.

[Izulde]

Year 65: 2067

CB Sammy Kaplan California Golden Bears (Fr)
Sammy's got one hell of a pedigree to live up to, considering Charlie Harper and Rich Arpaci. Unfortunately, at 10/36, it doesn't look as though he'll even come close to matching them or becoming a starter. The redshirt year will help him, but I don't anticipate him being anything more than a nickelback.

C Johnnie Hardwick
15? Nope.

End Season:
Cal goes 10-1 and absolutely crushes Baylor 45-13 in the Orange Bowl. Sammy Kaplan has a terrific 3.26 GPA his redshirt year. He might be the first Panther to get that oh so elusive 3.0 college GPA.

Year 66: 2068

CB Sammy Kaplan California Golden Bears (RS Fr)
Smart Sammy put in considerable effort and he's up to 19/37, but he's the fourth cornerback on the roster. Any playing time he gets this year will be quite minimal, I imagine. Then again, Sammy's here mainly for the superior education he's getting.

G Ryan Reeves
31 rating is close, but no go, particularly as he's the 12th rated guard in the state.

End Season:
The Golden Bears go back a step this year at 7-4 and just narrowly top Wake Forest 24-21 in the Outback Bowl. Sammy Kaplan appears in all 11 games, getting 10 tackles, 5 assists and a hurry. More than what I expected, to be sure.

Year 67: 2069

CB Sammy Kaplan California Golden Bears (RS So)
His rapid acceleration continues, as he now stands at 29/36, but unfortunately for Sammy, the Bears have an extremely talented cornerback corps and he's fifth on the depth chart at CB. Ah well, at least he can say he's played a small role in Cal's continued success.

OLB Kenny Castillo
OMG! OMG! One of the greatest players ever to come out of Racine is a Park Panther!!! His ranking numbers: #147 nationally, #7 national OLB, #4 overall in Wisconsin, #1 OLB in the state. 94 overall by a pretty good Scout. 2.36 GPA and fair attitude are counterbalanced by a 1020 SAT score. Strength is defending the run, zone defense his weak point. He wants nothing but a name school, though if he had his druthers, he'd pick one close to home. I'm predicting Badgers red and white for him.

Week 2
Boston College offers a scholarship and Georgia Tech makes contact.

Week 3
Ohio and Rice make contact, but the big story of the week is Miami (OH)'s scholarship offer and Kenny's immediate visit. He's apparently serious about the close to him secondary concern. Miami (OH)'s prestige isn't that high, though.

Week 4
Rice and Ohio offer scholarships and when Kenny visits much more prestigious in this universe Ohio, teh internets spread the rumour that he's going to be a Bobcat. I'm still waiting for Madison to step in and knock everyone else out.

Week 5
Georgia Tech finally makes a scholarship offer and Lakeland College in Sheboygan and Notre Dame put in offers as well. Some are predicting the Fighting Irish at this point, but most are holding firm to Ohio.

Week 6
OLB Kenny Castillo has decided, the fast choice in Park High history! He'll be playing for...


The University of Miami (OH) Redhawks!!

Wow. The only thing I can think of is maybe he's guaranteed of being a four-year starter for the Redhawks. Incidentally, he was named to the All-State team, obliterating school records with 101 tackles, 12.5 sacks and 3 interceptions. There may never be a player this great ever again in Panther history.

End Season:
California returns to the Orange Bowl after finishing 10-1 and wins 28-14 over the mighty Michigan Wolverines! Sammy Kaplan fights his way in 10 games and has an even better campaign than last year with 14 tackles (4 TFL), 2 assists, a sack, and a hurry.

Miami (OH) went 6-5 on the year and were denied a bowl game, but they've been surprisingly good in this universe. Their last losing record was 21 years ago, in 2048 and the Redhawks have a 10-6 record in bowl games, their last victory coming last year in a 19-10 defeat of Kent State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

[Izulde]

Year 68: 2070

CB Sammy Kaplan California Golden Bears (RS Jr)
Sammy hits the weight room hard over the summer and as a result, makes a vast improvement that's absolutely unexpected. He goes from 29/36 to 44/60 and has an outside shot at becoming a starter! Could he turn into a legitimate NFL prospect?

OLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks (Fr)
He comes in raw, but with an incredible ceiling at 29/81. Right now, he'd be the odd man out in a surprisingly talented Redhawks linebacking corps, so he'll take a redshirt and work on developing his game.

WR Albert Malone
Been a while since we had one of these guys, but 18 isn't good enough.

K Brenden Buckley
32 won't cut the mustard on a specialist.

End Season:
California turns in a respectable 8-3 season before Texas A&M unexpectedly bitchslaps them 38-0 in the Disney Bowl. Sammy Kaplan doesn't start, but he plays in all the games and defends his first pass. He also has 16 tackles (1 TFL), 2 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a hurry. Not bad, all in all.

Miami of Oho is 8-3, too, but they don't play in the Pac-10 and so they're denied a bowl bid. Kenny Castillo shows a 1.56 GPA and almost flunks a class. Not cool. Not cool at all.

Year 69: 2071

CB Sammy Kaplan California Golden Bears (RS Sr)
45/60 isn't much improvement, but he's already a lot higher than what we thought he'd be. The Golden Bears' star quarterback and cornerback both get suspended, so it'll be a long year in Berkeley. On the other hand, Sammy may get to be a starter his senior year as a result.

OLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks (RS Fr)
My jaw just hit the floor. In his redshirt year, he just exploded, going up to 55/81. The scary part is, the Redhawks linebacking unit is so good that Kenny might squeezed out of a starting spot, even though he's the #2 backer in current.

WR Jon Humphries:
It's a bad year for players in Wisconsin when a 28 rating is the 44th best player in the state, 5th best wide receiver. He might still get a look, though, because of the rankings. Poor attitude and academics. Wants to stay close to home at a name school.

Week 3
Bowling Green makes contact.

Week 9
Air Force makes contact.

Week 10
Oklahoma State inquires after Mr. Humphries.

Week 11
Air Force and Oklahoma State go away.

Week 12
Indiana checks Jon out.

Week 13
The Hoosiers leave and Central Florida investigates.

Week 14
All this contact must have made interest in Jon really shoot up, because it just explodes this week. Ball State, Central Florida, and Miami (OH) make walk-on offers and, oddly enough, North Texas and Texas Christian offer him a scholarship. Jon immediately hurries to Texas to make a tour and it looks like he'll play for the Mean Green.

Conference Championships
A decision has been made! WR Jon Humphries will be attending...


The University of North Texas Mean Green!

Sure it's farther away from home than he wanted, but they offered him a scholarship. No way was he going to turn down a free ride.

End Season:
California goes a perfect 11-0, but the Golden Bears are wrongfully denied a title shot. The fans scream bloody murder, but perhaps they're right, for Cal only barely squeaks by Utah 19-14 in the Sugar Bowl. Sammy Kaplan doesn't start his senior year, but he plays 10 games and records his first college interception that he returns 63 yards for a touchdown! He also defended 2 passes and racked up 18 tackles (2 TFL), 3 assists, and a sack. Sammy asked for and kept the game ball that he returned the interception for a TD with, which will be his prized possession.

He also becomes the first ever Park alumnus to graduate with a 3.0 or better GPA in college as he gets his degree in Education with a 3.15 GPA. Congratulations, Sammy! His NFL prospects are pretty dim, but that doesn't matter. If he doesn't cut it, he's got a fine career as a teacher or administrator ahead of him.



Miami of Ohio goes a respectable 7-4 but is again denied a bowl bid. Kenny Castillo wins the starting job and records 40 tackles (6 TFL), 13 assists, a sack, a block, a hurry, 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed. So all in all, a fairly decent year, though nothing that lights up the league or anything.

North Texas finishes 6-5 and they've been astonishingly good in this universe. The last time they had a losing record was all the way back in 2029 (4-7). They've also had 6 perfect seasons in their history and have a nice 22-13 all-time bowl game record, their most recent win 21-17 against Lakeland in the 2067 New Orleans Bowl, also the last year the Mean Green went bowling.

Sammy Kaplan doesn't make the NFL draft pool, but he had a lot more success in college than anyone could've anticipated and that makes up for it.

[Izulde]

Year 70: 2072

OLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks (RS So)
He may be awful in the classroom, but there's no doubting Kenny's football ability. 71/81 in his sophomore season is simply sensational. It also makes him the top-rated Redhawks linebacker and a surefire starter.

WR Jon Humphries University of North Texas Mean Green (Fr)
Jon was extremely lucky to even get a scholarship as his 0/11 rating testifies. He'll likely improve past that and get playing time at some point in his college career, because of the five receivers ahead of them, two are seniors and two are juniors as of this year.

TE Jorge Cleveland
9 isn't fine.

QB Al Cochrane
Loaded Wisconsin class this year as 23 rating is 12th best at the position in the state.

DT Rob Francis
1 rating, 1.98 red GPA and 782 SAT. May be the worst prospect ever.

WR Emmanuel Pierce
30th best player in the state, 5th best Wisconin receiver. Bad academics, poor attitude. Idolizes UW-Parkside. 43 rating by a terrible scout. Like Jon Humphries, catches the ball in traffic but has bad actual hands. Desparately wants to stay close to home, team prestige a secondary concern.

Week 3
Marshall makes contact and Tulsa, interestingly enough, offers a scholarship. The race to be the first non-state school to have more than one Panther in this universe is on.

Week 5
West Virginia makes contact.

And then I accidentally hit Simulate Entire Year

Week Whatever #
WR Emmanuel Pierce will be attending...


The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane!

Awesome to see, but I really wish I hadn't hit Sim Entire Year accidentally. Part of the reason for me even doing this dynasty is seeing the interplay of schools and the back and forth for recruits Emmanuel Pierce did become the first Panther in school history to break the 1,000 yards receiving barrier though, at 1,175. Congratulations Emmanuel!

End Season:
Miami of Ohio finally gets back to a bowl game after a 9-2 season. They demolish Fresno State 31-5 in the Houston Bowl. Kenny Castillo puts up 45 tackles (14 TFL!), 17 assists, and 3 passes defensed. He hasn't turned into the explosive gamebreaker anyone's hoped for, but he's still got two years to make his production match his talents.

North Texas also goes 9-2 and gets a bowl bid, just barely nipping their in-state opponents Rice 27-20 in the Spuds Bowl. Yeah I don't know what it's actually supposed to be either. I changed the boring bowl names around some when I edited the bowls to be more like real life. Jon Humphries continues the not so proud tradition of bad Panther athletes with a 1.22 GPA.

Tulsa has their first winning record since 2004 at 7-4, but it's not enough to get them a bowl game. This abberation aside, they've been just dreadful since Jonathan Wilcox graduated in 2059.

Year 71: 2073

OLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks (RS Jr)
Kenny becomes the first Excellent rated player in Park High history with a 92/92 rating! If he can even come up with half the production his talent indicates, he'll be an absolute beast this year.

WR Jon Humphries University of North Texas Mean Green (RS Fr)
1/11 is enough to make him the fourth wide receiver, so he should get a few balls here and there. You'd think he'd be busting his butt in the classroom since he got luck with the scholarship, but nope.

WR Emmanuel Price Tulsa Golden Hurricane (Fr)
9/15? Ouch! I thought he was a lot better than that, but he'll get a redshirt year in to try and build on that. We haven't been known for great wide receivers at Park in this universe or, to be honest, in real life and it shows. (Side Note: The Park High Panthers in reality are known for a long line of successful running backs and the occassional surpremely talented lineman as in the case of Kevin Barry, who I graduated with.)

OLB Randy Hickman
51st best player in the state, 5th best linebacker. Idolizes UW-Parkside. Pretty good academics, good attitude. Primarily a pass-rusher. Rated 43 by a good scout. Values distance and team prestige equally.

S Tracy Mayes
1 rating? Nah, don't like that.

Week 8
BYU makes contact and UW-La Crosse extends a scholarship. Randy immediately heads to the west border to check out the Eagles. I'm seriously hungry for a Country Kitchen French bread pizza now.

Week 9
A decision's made! OLB Randy Hickman will play for....


The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles!!

Smart man. Very smart, in fact. Rather than holding out like so many other prospects we've had over the years, he takes advantage of the scholarship and goes to a school that's top-notch in his program. Randy also, incidentally, set the Park school record in sacks with 9.

End Season:
The Miami (OH) Redhawks win the MAC title with an 11-1 record and go on to thrash Texas 42-14 in the Independence Bowl. Kenny Castillo has 51 tackles (7 TFL), 18 assists, an interception, and 3 passes defensed on the year, good enough to make him the MAC All-Conference 1st Team OLB!. He's the first non-Sol 8 All-Conference player in Park High history!

North Texas regresses to 7-4 and the Mean Green are denied a bowl bid. Jon Humphries appears in all 11 games and catches 2 passes for 17 yards, with one drop.

Tulsa proves that last year was a fluke, as the Golden Hurricane plunge to 0-11 this season. Emmanuel Pierce comes close to the 2.0 GPA mark, but falls just short at 1.88.

[Izulde]

Year 72: 2074

OLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks (RS Sr)
Kenny, the greatest player in Park High history, is at 94/94 and will be making a run for some kind of first team honors in his final season after making the MAC 1st team last year. Possessed with enormous talent, it hasn't necessarily translated into the kind of on-field dominance one would expect. In any case, he's a surefire bet for the NFL draft pool.

WR Jon Humphries University of North Texas Mean Green (RS So)
Even at a lowly 4/11, Jon's still the fourth-best receiver on the Mean Green and can expect some type of playing time. He certainly appears to have made the right choice in going to UNT.

WR Emmanuel Price University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane (RS Fr)
At 16/16, he's the sixth best receiver on the team and will probably not see time on the field unless there's an injury. It's funny, if he'd gone to UNT with Jon Humphries he could be a potential starter. Here, he's just a practice body.

OLB Randy Hickman UW-La Crosse Eagles (Fr)
Randy's got the highest upside of any of the other UW-L OLBs, but he's still extremely raw at 12/57. In addition, the oldest guy at the position is a true junior and there's only one of him. Randy's going to have to improve quickly if he wants a shot at playing early.

ILB Kerry Chapman
25 rating won't be enough.

G Sedrick Herbert
15'll get you 20... 20 minutes of D-3 ball maybe.

K Mercury Oliver
Sweet name. 10 is ugly though, even for a position player.

Even though no new prospects are headed to D-I, four players in college in one year either ties the highest or sets a new record. Pretty nice considering the drought we had for a while there!

End Season:
Miami (OH) has another great season, going 10-1 before knocking off Texas Tech 16-6 in the Motor City Bowl. Kenny Castillo has his best season since his RS sophomore year, racking up 52 tackles (18 TFL!), 14 assists and 2 passes defensed. It's enough for him to garner MAC All-Conference 2nd Team OLB honours! Congratulations, Kenny! He'll graduate with a horrendous 1.44 GPA in Algebra, but he's all about the NFL dreams.



North Texas stumbles down the stretch, losing three straight to take them out of a bowl game, but they still finish with a winning record at 6-5. Jon Humphries had a fantastic year, appearing in all 11 games and even getting a start. He had 26 catches for 442 yards (17.0 average), 5 TDs and 6 drops, which is far, far more than I ever thought he'd get.

Tulsa was surprisingly competitive at 5-6. Emmanuel Pierce was on the field for 20 plays and was the target of two passes.

UW-La Crosse went 2-9 after going 3-8 last season. Since Travis O'Reilley's senior year in 2064, the Eagles have continued their stretch of losing seasons, including a ghastly 0-11 2048 campaign. Randy Hickman had his redshirt pulled and wound up starting 3 games in which he recorded 7 tackles, 5 assists, and a pass defense. You hate to see them burn a redshirt like that, but it does explain why there's only one successfully red-shirted OLB on the roster. Even with the commitments of unexpected starting time, Randy still pulled a beaut of a 3.14 GPA, a welcome change from our dunderhead Panthers.

The scouting report on Kenny:

SLB Kenny Castillo Miami (OH) Redhawks
6'0" 224 lbs
MAC All-Conference 1st Team and 2 Team his junior and senior years respectively. Can play all linebacker positions and defensive end. Even saw time at safety. Fast (4.59 40), but not very bright. Relied on his speed to stop runners in the backfield for negative yards 45 times in college. Doesn't appear to be as good a run defender as his college numbers suggest. Wants to play for a winner. Best suited to a zone scheme.

Outlook:
A likely backup and rotation guy. Doesn't appear to have the intelligence to become a starter. 7th round or UDRFA. Final Grade: 5.3 (5.1 Adjusted)

Kenny Castillo is taken by the Cleveland Browns with the 11th pick in the 5th round! We have our first NFL draftee!!!!!!

He signs a 3 year, $1.65 million deal with the Browns that includes a $150,000 signing bonus. Way to go Kenny!!!

[MrBug708]

Woot! This is one of my favorite dynasties ever!

[JeffNights]

Woot! Woot!!!

[Izulde]

MrBug708: Thanks It's become one of my faves, too.

JeffNights: Woot indeed!

In fact, you guys have now dubbed Kenny with a nickname.

[MrBug708]

No slacking off!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

No slacking off!

Yessir! Coming right up!

[Izulde]

Year 73: 2075

SLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo Cleveland Browns (Rookie)
Rated a surprisingly low 21/26 before camp, he improves to 23/29 after camp, showing a very encouraging +2/+3 gain that bodes well for the future. I was a little nervous when I saw they'd drafted an incredible SILB named Kim Blood, but fortunately they move the stud to MLB, freeing Kenny up to be the main backup on the strong side.

Since he's our first ever actual drafted NFL player, Kenny's card:



The Dawgs are one of the mediocre teams in this universe, with a sub-.500 all-time record and 23 playoff appearances, the last one a wildcard round loss to the New England Patriots in 2072. They've been to two Super Bowls and lost both of them: a 31-28 heartbreaker against the Minnesota Vikings in 2068 and an equally gut-wrenching 27-24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2044.

The Browns' strongest run came in the 2060s, when they made the playoffs 7 out of 10 years that decade and got the aforementioned Super Bowl appearance, largely on the arms of two QB: First, beloved Joe Walker who played 15 years in the NFL (2051-2065), all with the Cleveland Browns after being a first round selection (#13 overall) in the 2051 draft, was a 2nd Team All-Pro in 2058 and was named the 2065 Legend of the Game. He was the starter from 2055-2064, until a knee injury derailed him in 2065.

Second, the terrifically named Daryl Troutman, the Browns' 2057 4th rounder (28th pick in the rounder), who became Walker's successor after Joe's 2065 routine and not only joined the Two-Mile Club in 2066 and 2070, but who also threw for 330 yards in the 2068 Super Bowl loss. He played for the team for 15 years as well, from 2057-2071 and was the starter from 2065 until his retirement.

WR Jon Humphries University of North Texas Mean Green (RS Jr)
5/10 is still good enough to be the Mean Green's 4th receiver, which is pretty miraculous. With two better freshman being redshirted this year though, this is likely Jon's last season to get any playing time worth talking about.

WR Emmanuel Price Tulsa Golden Hurricane (RS So)
At 20/20, Emmanuel's battled his way up to third receiver on the team, so he should see some significant playing time this year, unless he's bumped down to 4th receiver by virtue of the guy below him having an awesome ceiling.

OLB Randy Hickman UW-La Crosse Eagles (So)
Randy takes one of the biggest tumbles we've seen this universe, dropping all the way down to 7/39. With that in mind, the Eagles' coaching staff are going to once again try and redshirt him this year, so he can get his football head on straight.

No Park prospects this year.

End Season:
North Texas plays strong all year and the Mean Green go 9-2 en route to putting the smackdown 37-7 on SMU in the Spuds Bowl. Jon Humphries appears in 6 games and has 9 catches for 103 yards, 2 TDs, and, most importantly, no drops.

Tulsa is so awful they finish 0-11 and Emmanuel Price is part of that terrible showing. In 11 games, 2 of which are starts, he catches just one pass of the 15 that are directed to him, for 9 yards. Worse yet, he actually drops 3 passes he should've had.

UW-La Crosse takes the mid-road of suckiness in putting together a 2-9 season. Randy Hickman keeps his redshirt on all year this time and it's much needed.

As for the Cleveland Browns, they give themselves the #1 overall pick in the draft by virtue of their NFL-worst 1-15 record. Kenny "Woot" Castillo plays in all 16 games, recording 24 tackles, 5 assists, a hurry, and a QB knockdown, a respectable rookie campaign for a mid-5th rounder I'd say.

Year 74: 2076

SLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo Cleveland Browns (2nd year)
The Browns' staff really liked what they saw out of Kenny's rookie year and he made nice strides in training camp as well. As a result, he's now up to 32/32, the biggest gains coming in run defense and pass rush technique. Even more incredibly, Cleveland names him as the starting SLB, giving us our second NFL starter and our first multi-year NFL player in Park High history!. Kenny loves playing for the Browns and he loves the state of Ohio, where he went to college and now plays in the pros. He'll never return to Wisconsin.

WR Jon Humphries University of North Texas Mean Green (RS Sr)
Jon stayed at 5/10, meaning he's the fifth receiver and not likely to see much playing time at all in his final year. Even in spite of that, however, he's seen the field a lot more than anyone could've expected him to get and he's happy to have played for UNT.

WR Emmanuel Price University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane (RS Jr)
Emmanuel's up to 18/18, once again making him the third receiver, but one has to wonder if he'll get many opportunities given how horribly he played last season. Then again, the Golden Hurricane is one of the worst programs in the country, so anything's possible.

OLB Randy Hickman UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS So)
Thanks to one of his rivals for playing time getting academically suspended, 16/39 Randy has a very good chance at being a starter this year! With a 3.01 cumulative GPA, Mr. Hickman certainly has little chance of getting put on academic probation, so he'll be looking to make the most of the opportunity that's been given to him.

For the first time ever, we have two straight years of no Park High prospects. Hard to complain though, given that we've had four players to track, including our first legitimate NFL player.

End Season:
North Texas finishes 7-4, but it's not enough to get them into another bowl game. Jon Humphries has a very quiet senior year with 1 catch for 9 yards and a drop. He graduates with the ignoble distinction of the lowest GPA in Park High history at 1.19, but he was pretty good with in his Algebra major. It was a fun college career to watch at any rate. I like seeing the guys who overachieve in performance relative to their talent.



Tulsa repeats their 0-11 record from last season, further proving the winning record of a few seasons ago to be an absolute fluke. Emmanuel Price appears in all 11 games again and gets another start. This year, he's much better, with 7 catches for 254 yards and 2 TDs. His 4 drops aren't nearly so bad in that light.

UW-La Crosse improves to 4-7, but Randy Hickman can only take a very small bit of credit for the success as he lost the bid for the starting job. In 11 games, he notched 6 tackles (2 TFL), 2 assists, a sack and a pass defensed. Disappointing that he wasn't a starter, but maybe he'll get a chance next season.

The Cleveland Browns were much-improved this season, to the point of being competitive at 5-11. Cleveland experimented by having Kenny "Woot" Castillo play on the weak side even though he's much more experienced at the strong side and is still listed there. Despite being out of position, he still was the starter and amassed 57 tackles, 14 assists, 2 sacks, and 3 passes defensed. While he probably won't ever light up the league or be a star, Kenny's gradually proving himself to be a respectable NFL linebacker.

[Izulde]

Year 75: 2077

SLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo Cleveland Browns (3rd year)
I forgot to mention that last season Kenny got a Player of the Week mention, though I don't remember exactly when. Way to go, Kenny! He's up to 38/38 and in the final year of his rookie contract. Unfortunately, our lone legit pro won't be starting this season, as the Browns signed a better SLB in free agency. Still, he'll be a primary backup and appears to have improved himself to the point that he has a good chance of getting another contract in the offseason, if not from Cleveland, then from someone else.

WR Emmanuel Pierce University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane (RS Sr)
After years of getting his name misspelled, Pierce concludes his collegiate career at 21/21, which makes the fifth receiver even on this terrible team. Like Jon Humphries, he'll probably have a very quiet senior year.

OLB Randy Hickman UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Jr)
Randy increases only marginally at 18/39, making him the 4th OLB on the roster only by virtue of one of the boys ahead of him getting suspended for the year for academic reasons. Not likely to see the field much at all.

T Marc Tate
Respectable academics, a 46 rating by a terrible scout, good attitude, 65th best player in the state and 9th best tackle means he has a slim chance of getting signed. A better pass blocker than run blocker. Really wants a name school, closeness a secondary interest.

S Roosevelt Wieland
38 rating by an excellent scout and mediocre academics, but he's also the 3rd best safety in Wisconsin, which might land him a chance (#75 in Wisconsin). A ballhawk who is ill-fitted for single coverage schemes. Poor attitude with closeness and name of equl value.

Week 3
Tulsa makes contact with Marc and UW-La Crosse offers a scholarship. Troy contacts Roosevelt.

Week 4
Marc visits UW-L.

Week 5
Troy and Tulsa give Marc scholarship offers and Wyoming makes contact with him.

Week 6
Bowling Green makes contact with Roosevelt in a year that's seeing a lot of familiar out of state schools look into our guys.

Week 7
A decision has been made! T Marc Tate, the latest in a long line of Panthers offensive line greats, will play for...


The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles!

Troy also mails Roosevelt a scholarship offer.

Week 8
Roosevelt, seeing no other offers, visits Troy.

Week 9
We have our second commitment this year! S Roosevelt Wieland shall attend....


The Troy State Trojans!

End Season:
Tulsa has a surprisingly strong year for them at 4-7 and Emmanuel Pierce matches that shock by unexpectedly winning a starting spot. He has his finest season ever with 20 catches for 282 yards, 4 TDs and 3 drops. He'll graduate with a 1.59 GPA in Trigonometry and probably do nothing related to the field.



UW-L slips and slides to a 1-10 finish. Randy Hickman appears in 9 games, picking up 5 tackles and 2 passes defensed.

Troy's last winning season was 2074 at 6-5, but the team has an all-time .250 winning % and they're one of 17 teams left in the universe never to have been to a bowl game.

Cleveland continues its steady improvement as the Browns go 7-9 this year, but Kenny "Woot" Castillo fails to make the team out of preseason and is cut before Week 1. He then spends the entire year on the free agent list with nobody calling. Although he stands a good chance of getting signed in the next free agent period, he opts for retirement so that all of his post-high school football memories are in his beloved Ohio.

[Izulde]

Racine Park High 75th Anniversary All-Time Panthers Team

QB Omar Berry (2053) UW-Milwaukee Panthers*
Supremely talented QB who threw for over 3000 yards in a season as a starter for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers. Was a Sol-8 1st Team All-Conference player in that year. Academic difficulties led to his suspension and he subsequently declared for the draft before his senior year. Came out too early and never signed with a team.
RB Seth Grafton (2013) Bowling Green Falcons
Starred for Park and went on to Bowling Green, where he played very little until his senior season. Noted for his work ethic and overachieving.
FB Shaun Kimbrough (2021 - All-State) UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
The first All-State player in Park High history, he was inexplicably ignored by the Blugolds coaching staff during his college years, leading to much bitterness and a vow on the part of the Panthers coaches to actively discourage any prospect from attending UW-EC.
TE Tyrell Spurlock (2023) University of Wyoming Cowboys
A walk-on in Laramie, Tyrell played all four years and was the Cowboys' starter his senior year, despite never earning a scholarship. The unsung hero of the powerhouse early-mid 20s Panthers squads.
WR Jon Humphries (2071) University of North Texas Mean Green*
Got an unexpected scholarship offer from UNT and overacheived to become a role player on some very solid Mean Green teams, including a bowl winner or two.
WR Emmanuel Pierce (2072) University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane*
Much higher expectations than those for Humphries ended in disappointment, as while he improved each year and was even a starter his senior season, he turned out to have a limited ceiling, even for a horrendous Tulsa team.
C Jonathan Wilcox (2055) University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane*
A walk-on at Tulsa, he was the starter his freshman year and a top backup the rest of his college days, Jonathan was a respectable center for a wretched team and Park's first four-year player.
G Tyrone Junker (2017) Wisconsin Badgers, Chicago Bears
One of the greatest players ever to put on a Panther uniform and the school's first athlete to make the NFL, Tyrone started at right guard for one year for the Chicago Bears, when they last made the postseason. Had it not been for a shoulder injury his junior year in college, he might have had a longer NFL career.
G George Parnell (2051 - All-State) University of Missouri Tigers
A great backup for two of the three years he saw at Mizzou, he was a starter his senior year and played quite well in full-time duty. Could've started more than his final season, had it not been for the coaching staff's undervaluing his talents.
T Matt Bruce (2022 - All-State) UW-Green Bay Phoenix, New Orleans Saints
The second Park alum to make the NFL, Matt played a year with the New Orleans Saints Saints as their backup tackle after the greatest college career yet by a Panther. A three-year starter at left tackle for the Phoenix, he was a two-time Sol-8 All-Conference First Team selection.
T Ricky Jarvis (2020) UW-La Crosse Eagles
Classic overachiever who was Park's first-ever All-Conference selection when he made the Sol-8 All-Conference Second team his junior year.
DE Jerry Horton (2015) University of Texas Longhorns
The first Panther to see extensive playing time at the collegiate level, his Longhorn years occurred during a fallow period in UT-Austin's storied history.
DT Spencer Kramer (2057) UW-La Crosse Eagles
Part-time starter for the Eagles throughout his collegiate career, but never really did wow anyone.
DE: Craig Desai (2014)
OLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo (2069 - All-State) Miami (OH) Redhawks, Cleveland Browns*
The only player in Park High history to record 100+ tackles and 10+ sacks in his senior year. Made the MAC All-Conference 1st and 2nd teams one time a piece in college, the first non Sol-8 All-Conference star in Panther history. Also the first Park alum ever drafted in the NFL draft when he was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round, 11th pick. Played two seasons for the Browns, the last year as a starter.
ILB: Danny Fields (2004)
ILB: T.J. Ellison (2016)
OLB Randy Hickman (2073) UW-La Crosse Eagles
Consistent backup for the Eagles throughout his college career. Started off strong academically before going into a swoon his junior year to dash hopes of becoming just the second Park D-I football man to graduate with a 3.0 or better GPA (Sammy Kaplan was the first, with 3.15)
CB Charlie Harper (2025 - All-State) UW-Milwaukee Panthers, Buffalo Bills
The third All-State player in the history of Park's program. Three-year starter for the UW-M Panthers and was Milwaukee's career leader in passes defensed when he graduated. Signed a UDRFA deal with the Bills and played one season before retiring.
CB Rich Arpaci (2037 - All-State) University of Wisconsin Badgers, Atlanta Falcons
Played primarily as the Badgers' nickeback, though he did have one year as a starter. Considerable upside as an NFL prospect led to his UDRFA signing with the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately a numbers game led to his being cut after six games. Considered the most talented player ever to play for Park and one unjustly robbed of what should've been a stellar college and professional career.
S Roosevelt Wieland (2077) Troy State Trojans*
Entering his freshman year at Troy State. The first legitimate safety prospect in Park High history.
S: Sean Bailey (2030)
K: Shawn Castle (2030)
P: Skip Piper (2060 - All-State)*

*-denotes change from 50th Anniversary Team and in the below categories, additions since the 50th Anniversary Team

All-State Panthers
FB Shaun Kimbrough - 2021
T Matt Bruce - 2022
CB Charlie Harper - 2025
CB Rich Arpaci - 2037
OLB Kevin Meyers - 2049
G George Parnell - 2051
P Skip Piper - 2060*
OLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo - 2069*

All-Conference Players
T Ricky Jarvis
Sol-8 All-Conference 2nd Team 2024
T Matt Bruce
Sol-8 All-Conference 1st Team 2026
Sol-8 All-Conference 1st Team 2027
CB Charlie Harper
Sol-8 All-Conference 2nd Team 2029
Sol-8 All-Conference 2nd Team 2030
QB Omar Berry*
Sol-8 All-Conference 1st Team 2056
OLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo*
MAC All-Conference 1st Team 2073
MAC All-Conference 2nd Team 2074

NFL Panthers
G Tyrone Junker - Chicago Bears (2023 - Starter)
T Matt Bruce - New Orleans Saints (2028 - Backup)
CB Charlie Harper - Buffalo Bills (2031 - Backup)
CB Rich Arpaci - Atlanta Falcons (2043 - Backup)
OLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo - Cleveland Browns (2075-2076 - Backup, Starter)

Panthers by School
Bowling Green Falcons
RB Seth Grafton (2014-2018)
Miami University of Ohio Redhawks
OLB Kenny "Woot" Castillo (2070-2074)*
Troy State Trojans
S Roosevelt Wieland (2078-?)*
University of California Golden Bears
CB Sammy Kaplan (2067-2071)*
University of Missouri Tigers
G George Parnell (2052-2056)
University of North Texas Mean Green
WR Jon Humphries (2072-2076)*
University of Texas Longhorns
DE Jerry Horton (2016-2020)
University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane
C Jonathan Wilcox (2056-2059)*
WR Emmanuel Pierce (2073-2077)*
University of Wisconsin Badgers
G Tyrone Junker (2018-2022)
CB Rich Arpaci (2038-2042)
UW-Eau Claire Blugolds
FB Shaun Kimbrough (2022-2026)
QB Marco Roach (2029-2033)
UW-Green Bay Phoenix
T Matt Bruce (2023-2027)
UW-La Crosse Eagles
C Luther "Juniorer" Seau (2012-2016)
T Ricky Jarvis (2021-2025)
DT Spencer Kramer (2058-2062)*
QB Travis O'Reilley (2061-2065)*
OLB Randy Hickman (2074-2078)*
T Marc Tate (2078-?)*
UW-Marathon County Extensions
DT Neil Mathews (2043-2047)
UW-Milwaukee Panthers
RB Hunter Turnbull (2021-2025)
CB Charlie Harper (2026-2030)
QB Omar Berry (2054-2057)*
University of Wyoming Cowboys
TE Tyrell Spurlock (2025-2029)

Year 76: 2078

OLB Randy Hickman UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Sr)
Puts in a bit more effort and improves to 22/39, good enough to make him the third linebacker and get some considerable playing time in his senior year.

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (Fr)
Our second set of college teammates and once again, they're playing for the Eagles. Marc has the second highest potential of the Eagles' tackles, but he's as raw as you can get at 1/52. It goes without saying that he'll be redshirted to hopefully begin to fill in that promise.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (Fr)
Could be the third safety right now at 11/29, but the Trojans coaching staff wants to redshirt Roosevelt to give him some time to develop. Nothing wrong with that.

QB Drew Barber
5 rating? Yeah, okay. Bye.

WR Hunter Starks
5 for the QB and 5 for the WR = 0 for D-I hopes.

End Season:
UW-La Crosse has its usual pitiful season at 2-9. Randy Hickman was off to his best start ever before dislocating his elbow and ending his senior year. Before that injury, he appeared in 6 games, with 2 starts, and recorded 12 tackles (1 TFL), 4 assists and a hurry. He graduates with an average 2.30 GPA in Calculus.



Marc Tate stayed redshirted and garnered a respectable 2.80 GPA to start his college life.

Troy went 3-8 and Roosevelt Wieland kept his redshirt, posting a fine 3.20 GPA for his own redshirt year.

[Izulde]

Year 77: 2079

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Fr)
Gains were made, but they were quite small, as Marc went up to 6/52, making him second to last among the Eagles tackles. That's not the way to get playing time, even on a historically poor team like this.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (RS Fr)
Roosevelt made some very nice strides, increasing to 20/29. It's enough to not only have him stay the third safety behind two very good starters, but get a very good shot at being the starter by next season.

S Kerry Finley
At 22, he's even worse than Wieland was.

TE Benjamin Vera
25 is getting better, but still not signable.

CB Ellis Hampton
3? *laff*

CB Travis Tippett
The second half of the Dunder Twins is rated 20. He won't get picked up either.

End Season:
UW-La Crosse bumbled along to a woeful 2-9 record. Marc Tate appeared in some plays, but didn't record a single statistic.

Troy matched the Eagles' 2-9 mark and Roosevelt Wieland fared a little better than Marc, recording a tackle and an assist in the same number of plays. Quite disappointing, really.

Year 78: 2080

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS So)
A deplorable tackle situation at La Crosse means that despite Marc's wretched 10/52 rating, he's the top backup tackle and hence likely to get some increased playing time. Better still, the two starters are seniors, which means open competition next year on the bookend spots.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (RS So)
At 21/29, Roosevelt should have one of the starting safety spots firmly locked up, unless the Trojans decide to go with the talented but raw freshman over him. In any case, as the other starter is a senior, maybe Roosevelt can sneak in the starting lineup next year if he doesn't make it this season.

CB Leroy Bailey
The line of mediocre CBs continues, this one at 17.

End Season:
UW-L improves marginally, to 3-8, with Marc Tate appearing in roughly the same number of plays last year, 1/4 in key run block opportunities, while surrendering two sacks.

Troy finishes 4-7 and Roosevelt Wieland is indeed named the starter. In 11 games (9 starts) he records 31 tackles (7 TFL), 12 assists, a sack, and a pass defense.

[Izulde]

Year 79: 2081

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Jr)
15/52 nominally is good enough to make him one of the two starting tackles, but the range on his competition is from 7-18 current, so anything at all is possible, including him getting shut out of the picture entirely.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (RS Jr)
Roosevelt gets the usual good jump that comes from being a starter, improving to 31/31. He'll once again command a starting spot in the Trojans' lineup and has really pushed himself farther than anyone could've expected.

DT Kent Kaplan
Our second 0 rated player! By an Excellent scout, no less!

OLB Leonard Wright
A rare specimen of smart Panther alum. 44th best player in the state, 3rd best Wisconsin OLB. Despite intelligence, has poor attitude. A sack artist with a 49 rating by a fair scout, he's weakest at the zone. Values closeness and academics equally.

S Harris O'Donnell
The next Park Panther NFL alum? I'm sure hoping his #577 national ranking, 45th best safety in the country, 17th Wisconsin athlete and 2nd best state safety does the trick. His academics are only mediocre, however and his attitude is only fair. Excels in a man scheme, but don't count on him to return kicks. Rated 68 by an Excellent scout, which means his pro prospects don't look so hot. He'll draw lots of attention, though. Academics and name are held in equal measure.

Week 2
And the gun starts early with Leonard getting scholarship offers from UNLV and Troy, with Miami Hurricanes making contact. Harris only gets contact from Boise State.

And then I stupidly hit Simulate to End of Year and crash TCY trying to get the simming to stop.

When I reload, I find out that I didn't save before commencing recruitment and get stuck with a couple scrub Park prospects

I'm so irate I think I'm just going to close up shop on this one and pick up another TCY/FOF dynasty with a different angle.

[Swaggs]

Don't let it end!

Just reload a few times until you get another couple of interesting Park players.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

Don't let it end!

Just reload a few times until you get another couple of interesting Park players.

One side of me says that'd be cheating. The other side of me says it'd be acceptable in this case.

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Izulde

One side of me says that'd be cheating. The other side of me says it'd be acceptable in this case.

When a crash totally dicks you out of a great situation, it is acceptable to reset.

Man law?

[MrBug708]

REload reload!

[RPI-Fan]

Reset!

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

When a crash totally dicks you out of a great situation, it is acceptable to reset.

Man law?

Totally.

[Izulde]

Then reload and continue I shall!

Thanks guys

[Izulde]

Note to self: Saving game before scheduling does not regenerate new recruits for next go-round. :brickwall:

Guess I'll continue with that sucktastic green tackle.

[Izulde]

Year 79: 2081

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Jr)
16/52 now has him tied for the highest current on the team, which should get him the start, but as before, there's a group of closely clumped together tackles, so anything at all can happen.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (RS Jr)
The scout doesn't view him nearly as highly this time, 27/28, but it's still enough to pencil his name in as a starter again.

T Allen Douglas
22? Meh.

End Season:
The Eagles have their first competitive season in eons, but still fall short of a winning record at 5-6. Marc Tate wins a starting spot and promptly stinks up the joint: 3/17 (17.6%) on key run blocks with 10 sacks surrendered. Now that's some seriously bad playing.

Troy has a wretched 2-9 season, but our Park alum fares considerably better than his UW-L counterpart. Roosevelt Wieland gets his first collegiate interception and defends 5 passes to go along with his 52 tackles (9 TFL) and 21 assists. It's his most successful season by far.

Year 80: 2082

T Marc Tate UW-La Crosse Eagles (RS Sr)
24/52 makes Marc tied for the second-best on the team and his main rival performed infinitely better than Tate did last year. Thus, there's a very good chance that Marc may be relegated to backup duty in his final season. Quite frankly, after the way he played last year, I'd pull him from the lineup, too, but who knows? The Eagles may opt to go with experience.

S Roosevelt Wieland Troy State Trojans (RS Sr)
Roosevelt will stay a starter at 34/34, the highest current on the team, even though the second-highest at 30 has a lot of upside to be filled. It's been fun watching Roosevelt be a major player for a bad team and I look forward to seeing a good final year from him.

TE Graham Bender
Cool name. Sucky rating (9).

WR Horace Flynn
28's a lot better, but sadly not enough.

DT Ian Humphrey
Our 3rd 0 rating player!

I also notice, much to my displeasure, that Case has the #102 player in the country, an ILB.

End Season:
UW-L comes crashing back down to the hard, hard earth of a hardcore sucking team with a 2-9 mark. Marc Tate can't be blamed for the crash, though, as he had his finest season in this last year. He not only fended off his challenger for the starting job, he also was 8/33 (24.2%) on key run blocks and gave up just half the sacks from his junior year at 5. Marc graduates with a respectable 2.81 GPA in his Marketing Degree, his highest grades ironically coming in his minor of Tablod Journalism.



Troy State doubles its win total and goes to 4-7. Roosevelt Wieland was relegated to nickel duty as the Trojans decided to go with higher ceiling guys. Despite the demotion, he picked off 2 passes, running one all the way back for a TD! He also defended 2 passes to go with his 15 tackles (1 TFL) and 4 assists. Because of his reduced playing time, Roosevelt had a sensational senior year in the classroom to pull his graduating GPA all the way up to 2.51. He graduates with an Algebra degree.

[MrBug708]

Woot!

And boo to no good players!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Woot!

And boo to no good players!

Agreed on both counts.

[Izulde]

Finally back on my PC and does it ever feel good! Was stuck on a Mac for a few days this week (when I had Net access period) and damned near broke out in hives.

In any case, this isn't about computers, it's about the Park High alums! So let's get this show on, shall we?

Year 81: 2083

...Oh wait, no college players to report on.

Any prospects?

RB Freddie Lyon
Ugh, 2 rating. Yeah, say hello to a long stretch of bad years.

Year 82: 2084

G Chad Connell
2 for 2 in 2 rating! 8 players from the city of Racine this year, none of them worth much of a damn.

I'll try another couple seasons before I go to bed tonight.

[Izulde]

Year 83: 2085

T Charles Wiggins
The run of 2's continues with a 22 rating. It's fascinating in a gallows humour sort of way.

Year 84: 2086

DE Malcom Irwin
Yes!!! The roll of 2's was a lucky one as we come up with a guy who has NFL potential written all over him! 6'1", 222(!) lbs., good attitude, pretty good academics, rated 82 by our excellent scout. Although more of a runstopper than a passrusher at this point in his career, he's rated the 115th best player in the entire country, the closest we've ever come to a Top 100 player! 18th best DE in the US, 2nd best player in Wisconsin, which is the best we've done there too, and top DE. I am henceforth going to nickname him Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin. Closeness to home and academics are equally valued, which leads me to believe he'll be wearing Badger red and white.

Week 2
Things start off slow with just a contact from Boston College.

Week 3
Uh oh. Lawrence University makes a scholarship offer. Stanford makes contact. Interestingly enough, out of the three schools that have contacted Mr. Two so far, Lawrence has the lowest rated Philosophy program at 70. BC and Stanford are 92 and 96 respectively.

Week 4
A whole lot of yellow on the screen as UCLA (88 program, 98 prestige) and Vanderbilt (95 program, 80 prestige) initiate contact. Internet rumour has him pegged for a Commodore, should Vandy extend an offer.

Week 5
My glee at seeing a scholarship offer turns to a rolling, sickening sensation in my stomach when I see that it's Lakeland College of the 85 rated program and 73 miles away. UW-Green Bay gets in on the contact fun as well. Come on, big programs. Where are your offers?!

Week 6
Army makes contact and everyone else keeps ho-humming around, not willing to take the Nestea plunge and make an offer. Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin makes the All-State team and sets school records at DE with 85 tackles, 13 sacks and an interception. Incidentally, that's also a Park High sacks record, a half-sack better than the legendary Kenny "Woot" Castillo had in his senior year. Congrats, Malcom!

Week 7
Here comes the cavalry, here comes the cavalry to save the day!!!!! The Badgers of UW-Madison (99 program, 83 miles) make a scholarship offer along with the UW-Green Bay Phoenix and the Stanford Cardinal. Malcom gleefully visits Madison and also checks out Lakeland College. Teh internets, they sayin dat boy sack real good in red and white.

Week 8
Clear the board folks, because we're down to five finalists and they are: Lawrence University, UW-Green Bay, Lakeland College, Stanford and Wisconsin. All signs still point to Madison, though it'd be cool to see him in the Pac-10. Just as long as he doesn't go Sol-8...

Week 9
A decision has been reached! DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin will be attending....


The University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers!!!!!

Much celebration ensues. Malcom's in good company here in terms of Park alums playing at Camp Randall, by the way. G Tyrone Junker and CB Rich Arpaci both went on to one year NFL careers. Here's to hoping Mr. Two can not only continue that proud Panther-Badger-Pro tradition, but have an extended career to boot.

The Badgers finished 10-1 on the year and won smoothly 28-14 over Utah in the Holiday Bowl, continuing their string of consecutive bowl appearances that dates back all the way to 2013, giving them 80 bowl games out of the universe's 84 years.. Despite this success however, they're just 43-37 in bowl games and have never won a national title, which go a long way to explaining why they only have a 39 prestige. On the other hand, that 39 prestige is good enough to have them ranked #30 in the country in terms of prestige, which is about right--a consistently solid program, but not quite at the elite level.

Perhaps Irwin can help lead Wisconsin to that elusive national championship.

[Izulde]

Year 85: 2087

DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin University of Wisconsin Badgers (Fr)
The most heralded Park alum since Kenny "Woot" Castillo comes in at 35/93, a sensational potential rating. He could be a top backup right now, but the Badgers coaching staff, aware that they have two fifth year seniors as starters, decided to redshirt Malcom to give him every opportunity possible to earn the starting job next season. He's one of three DEs on the roster with a potential of Excellent (86 rated RS So and 100 rated RS Fr respectively).

RB Corwin Mines
10th ranked RB in the state and 21 rating means he won't go anywhere, even despite being a top 100 player in Wisconsin. Too bad, as I like his name.

C Luther Perez
71st player in the state and 6th ranked center. 44 rating by a lousy scout. More of a runblocker than a pass protector, he's got very good academic credentials and decent attitude. Really wants to stay close to home, preferably a name school. Outside shot of getting signed.

OLB Lawrence Terrell
19 rating? Yeah, okay.

FB B.J. Thomason
Our most acclaimed FB prospect since Shaun Kimbrough, he's billed as the 51st best FB in the country, 48th best Wisconsin player and 2nd best fullback in the state. A clutch player who specializes in third down running, he's a little too light at 5'11, 202 pounds to bull his way through for extra yardage. Mediocre academics and rated 39 by a lousy scout, but good attitude. Eyeing a name school first and foremost, academics secondary.

T Mario Glenn
6'4" 274 lb pass-protector who's rated 61 by a lousy scout, ranked 31st best player in the state and number two Wisconsin tackle. It must be a phenomenal year for tackles, because Mario doesn't crack the national position rankings at all. Okay academics, decent attitude. Wants a good History program that's close to home, with both factors equally important.

Mario's a fascinating story. Always a big boy, as young as 8 years old, he wanted to be an offensive lineman, protecting the quarterback. He idolizes former Panther great Matt Bruce and studies game tape of the former NFL'er religiously to pick up information from. History has also been an interest of his from a young age and he's particularly interested in Panthers' football history. He can recite the name, numbers, and statistics of every Park player who's gone on to play college ball, no matter what the level, along with the record, individual statistical leaders and team statistics of every single Panthers football team in the history of the school. He looks forward to becoming the next legend in a long, proud tradition of Panthers offensive linemen.

What a great class. It's the best overall Panthers class in years and Park's bound to be the state champions last year after getting upended by our crosstown rivals, Racine Horlick, in the regionals and denied a chance at state. In fact, the last time we had a pair of classes this good back to back, you have to go all the way back to the powerhouse Panthers teams of the '20s, when we had a string of good classes throughout the decade that led to a player to track just about every year.

Week 2
Thomason gets contacted by Duke, Mario gets scholarship offers from UW-La Crosse and Colorado.

Week 4
TCU contacts Mario.

Week 5
The Mario Glenn Sweepstakes heat up with scholarship offers from Auburn and Clemson, but our proud local boy is visiting UW-L and he's a good bet to become our next Panther-Eagle.

Week 6
Thomason picks up a scholarship invite from Purdue and B.J. is thrilled to be able to visit the Big Ten campus in West Lafayette.

Week 7
Now it's the B.J. Thomason Sweepstakes that are going, as Louisiana Tech invites him to walk on and N.C. State dangles a scholarship. Amusingly enough for our prestige-hungry fullback though, all of the schools who have expressed interest have 11 prestige, save for N.C. State, who sits at 10. Marshall jumps in on the Glenn chase, but Mario's still looking like he'll fly with the Eagles. Luther Perez continues to get no love, which is discouraging. T Mario Glenn becomes our second consecutive All-State player. Way to go, Mario!

[b]Week 8[b/]
Thomason takes a trip to Tobacco Country to check out N.C. State and Duke, the latter of whom finally offered a scholarship. The smart money is still on the Boilermakers, though. Mario cuts down to his final 5: Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, UW-L, and Marshall. The Eagles are still the runaway favourites with the Tigers of the Clemson variety the darkhorse.

Week 9
The Blue Devils pull out of the B.J. Yes, that pun was deliberate and I enjoyed making it.

Week 10
The Boilermakers and Wolfpack both pull out of the B.J., but the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech are game and offer Thomason a scholarship, leading him to visit. Western Michigan, much like LT did earlier, invite him to walk on. In a stunning upset, Mario announced that UW-La Crosse is off his list. He cited the Eagles' poor football history as the reason, saying he wants a chance at NFL dreams like his hero Matt Bruce. The Clemson Tiger rumours get more ground on the news.

Week 11
A decision has been made! FB B.J. Thomason will be playing for...


The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs!!

Thomason got smart and realized he'd better take the scholarship offer while one was out there. Too many guys over the years have had their chances and waited too long. Good to see B.J. avoid holding off for too long.

Mario kicks Clemson out of the running and it's down to Auburn, Colorado, and Marshall. The Thundering Herd are believed to have the inside track, with the Buffs #2 and the Tigers #3. It could very easily be any of the three, however, as no one school truly stands out. Colorado, which has the best History program by far, is also the furthest away. Luther Perez still hasn't gotten any love, which puzzles me.

Week 12
All-State T Mario Glenn has finally reached a decision! He'll be suiting up for....


The University of Auburn Tigers!

So Mario winds up taking the middle ground in terms of both distance and academic program. Perhaps it's no small accident that Auburn also had the highest prestige of the three remaining schools.

The year ends with Luther Perez getting nary a look, but he also turned significantly worse than scouted, so it makes sense.

End Season:
The Wisconsin Badgers stumble a bit with a 7-4 mark, but they once again go bowling and crush Mississippi State 33-10 in the Alamo Bowl. Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin keeps his redshirt and posts a respectable 2.94 GPA in his redshirt year.

Louisiana Tech finished a miserable 2-9, but this is consistent with a program that has a .285 all-time winning percentage in this universe. The Bulldogs' last winning season was back in 2042, when they finished 7-4. They actually had a decent team in the late '30s, with 2 winning, 7-4 seasons amidst some competitive years. Louisiana Tech has a lone bowl appearance to its credit, all the way back in 2020 when they lost a 35-27 contest to Arkansas State in the Spuds Bowl.

Auburn had a respectable 6-5 campaign, but it wasn't enough to get them into a bowl game. The Tigers started off as a pretty good program, but have since dropped in stature, becoming a team that will usually win a few games and once in a while make a bowl game, but nowhere near the level of good. They have a .393 all-time percentage, with 18 bowl appearances and just 2 wins in those 18 games.

[MrBug708]

Yes! Im kinda surprised that Perez didnt get more interest

Hey Izulde, do you think you could do a recap of the schools that have signed all of the players? Obviously Auburn is a first time school but it would be cool to see the breakdown

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Yes! Im kinda surprised that Perez didnt get more interest

Hey Izulde, do you think you could do a recap of the schools that have signed all of the players? Obviously Auburn is a first time school but it would be cool to see the breakdown

If you mean a list of how many players each school has signed, look back at the 75th Anniversary Team post and scroll down to Panthers By School. I keep a running tab there.

For the guys since then, you can either go back and re-read, or you can wait till the 100th anniversary team report comes out

If you mean how the schools that have signed the players have done since they've graduated, I could do that.

And yeah, I'm surprised about Perez too, but so it goes.

[Izulde]

Year 86: 2088

DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin Wisconsin Badgers (RS Fr)
Malcom showed modest gains in the offseason, increasing to 39/93. Though certainly not an explosion by any means, he improved enough in his redshirt year that he should be a starter, a top backup at absolute worst.

FB B.J. Thomason Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (FR)
At 13/66, B.J.'s a very raw prospect, one who's also caught in a bit of a numbers game with five fullbacks on the roster. He'll redshirt obviously, but he may not get a chance to crack the lineup for a few seasons. It'll all depend on how he develops relative to his competition.

T Mario Glenn Auburn University Tigers (Fr)
For all the ranting and raving that went on in the local press around Mario, it appears that he's been grossly overrated, for he's 11/37, last and least of the team's four tackles. Worse yet, they aren't giving him a redshirt year to develop, the coaching staff apparently figuring that his ceiling is so low, he's not worth investing the time in.

S Emmitt Schwartz
The usual expected fodder after a great class, with a 1 rating.

End Season:
Wisconsin has a terrific 11-0 season, but are again denied a shot at the title game and promptly follow up the sting of that with an even more cutting 20-17 loss to Wake Forest in the Cotton Bowl. In spite of the disappointment of losing the bowl game, Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin absolutely lights up the Big Ten as a starter, with 33 tackles (19 TFL), 8 assists, 13.5 sacks, 3 blocks and 17 hurries, leading the Badgers in sacks, hurries, and tying for the team lead in TFL. It was a great year for DEs in the Big Ten, however, so he missed out on a Big Ten All-Conference selection.

Louisiana Tech goes 3-8 and B.J. Thomason has a quiet redshirt year, posting an unremarkable 2.34 GPA.

Auburn wins the SEC South at 7-4 and loses the SEC Championship game before getting hammered 45-21 by Syracuse in the Gator Bowl. Mario Glenn appears in 9 games, going 1/2 in KRB and giving up 2 sacks. Not a great showing, but better than what was expected.

[Izulde]

Year 87: 2089

DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin Wisconsin Badgers (RS So)
After his dazzling season last year, Malcom improves to 52/93, which should be enough to keep him a starter, although there's a lot of guys nipping at his heels because the position group as a whole made some really nice strides. Will Mr. Two keep up his hot streak and become a bona fide NFL prospect? Only time will tell.

FB B.J. Thomason Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (RS Fr)
Ouch, just ouch! BJ goes to 19/20 and the probable third stringer, if not the fourth and last fullback because of his suddenly terrible potential. What a disappointment.

T Mario Glenn Auburn University Tigers (So)
There's a smidgen more upside seen in Mario, but he didn't improve in current at all at 11/40. The coaching staff still refuses to redshirt him and he's still the fourth tackle on the team. Maybe he'll finally redshirt his junior year?

G Sean Caputo
13 is unlucky and so are Thomason and Glenn's college careers thus far.

End Season:
The Badgers have a pretty decent season at 8-3 before they knock out Florida 23-17 in the Alamo Bowl. Given Wisconsin's frustrations in bowling, I think the flagship home state university will take the lesser tier victory over the higher tier losses they've had. Bad news hits Malcom "Mr. Two Irwin. After a slow start, in which he had 4 tackles (2 TFL), a block and a hurry in 4 starts, the reason for his slowness is diagnosed: Repetitive Concussion Syndrome. He's lost not only for the year, but his chances for playing next season are endangered as well. Fuck!

Louisiana Tech is surprisingly competitive at 4-7, but you wouldn't know it by B.J. Thomason, who appeared in one game as a special teams guy or something, probably in a blowout where it didn't matter.

Auburn finishes 6-5, but it's not enough for the Tigers to go bowling, even in the SEC. Mario Glenn makes 3 games, but fails to record a statistic. I have to say his career has been the most disappointing one so far relative to his hype, though Irwin may surpass that with his injury

[Izulde]

Year 88: 2090

DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin Wisconsin Badgers (RS Jr)
He's up to 58/93, but sadly, it's official. Malcom will miss the entire year with concussion syndrome. A once promising career may just have been derailed, his pro dreams gone up in smoke.

FB B.J. Thomason Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (RS So)
No change from 19/20 and he's stuck at third string. This class, which I had so much hope for, is turning out to be the biggest disappointment of any group Park High's ever had.

T Mario Glenn Auburn University Tigers (Jr)
13/40 and he's the third tackle, thanks to one of the starters getting suspended. He might even show enough to be a starter himself, though the chances of that are quite slim. At the very least, he should see some expanded playing time this year. I've given up hope on a redshirt incidentally.

WR Arnie Burks
27 rating won't be enough for him to catch on anywhere.

End Season:
The Badgers don't miss much of a beat without their once-star DE, going 9-2 before returning to the Alamo Bowl to kick the stuffing out of Georgia, 42-17. Wisconsin's done pretty well in the Alamo Bowl in this universe, incidentally, with a 16-7 record. Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin really hit the books this year and had his most successful semesters in the classroom, all As, except for a B-, to bring his cumulative GPA up to 2.75.

The non-Georgia Bulldogs go 2-9 and B.J. Thomason gets his obligatory single special-teams blowout appearance.

Auburn gets back bowling with an 8-3 regular season record before losing the SEC Championship game and the Gator Bowl, again to Syracuse, this time by the margin of 35-16. Mario Glenn appears in 7 games, giving up just one sack.

Year 89: 2091

DE Malcon "Mr. Two" Irwin Wisconsin Badgers (RS Sr)
This is it. His final year and his last chance to show that he's got what it takes to be considered an NFL prospect. At 60/93, both the ability and the potential are there. Malcom's been given a clean bill of health and he'll be giving his all to carry the team as far as he can.

FB B.J. Thomason Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (RS Jr)
The rust hits B.J. a bit and he drops to 18/20, but it's an exciting opportunity for him as there's a chance he could start this year. That's how bad the Bulldogs' fullback situation is, but they'll probably go with the true freshman who has considerable upside instead.

T Mario Glenn Auburn University Tigers (Sr)
No one's had a more aggravating college career to watch than Mario, but he might finally get his chance his last season. 18/40, he's the highest rated tackle in current, although there's two underclassmen who have a boatload more potential. If all three of our guys can start this year, it'll be a season of redemption for this class, especially if Irwin gets in on the pro game.

OLB Warren Oliver
83rd best player in the state, 5th best OLB in Wisconsin, but his 33 rating makes him very iffy. A zone defender who has trouble against the run, his best attribute is that he's extremely consistent. Maybe he'll get a look, but I'm doubting it.

End Season
Wisconsin goes 8-3 and disappointingly gets flattened 42-14 by Florida in the Alamo Bowl, denying the Badgers a 3-0 Alamo mark in Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin's college days. Malcom made the most of his senior year and did everything in his power to show the pro scouts that he's ready, with 46 tackles (21 TFL), 13 assists, 12.5 sacks, 4 blocks and 27 hurries. In fact, that performance was so fantastic, he was named to the Big Ten All-Conference 2nd Team! Way to go Malcom!!! In fact, he's the first top-tier conference All-Conference player that Park's ever had! The pro scouts can't possibly turn him down now... or can they? Mr. Two finishes with a 2.66 GPA and will graduate with a degree in Philosophy.



Louisiana Tech posts its first winning record in years as the Bulldogs finish 6-5, just short of a bowl game. B.J. Thomason doesn't start, but he plays in 9 games, rushing 6 times for 32 yards and a TD and catching 1 pass for 4 yards.

Auburn crashes to 5-6, but Mario Glenn at long last got to be a starter. For all 11 games, he ran out as part of the first team and got a taste of fulfilling the potential everyone once believed him to have. His numbers were pretty bad: 8/38 in KRB (21.0%) with 10 sacks allowed, but it's the starting that matters. Mario graduates with a 2.10 GPA and a degree in History. He plans on going back to Wisconsin to get his teaching license and hopefully end up teaching history and coaching football at Racine Park, where he can remind future generations of the Panthers' football past.



And Malcom made the draft pool!!!

DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin Wisconsin Badgers
6'1" 256 lbs
Big 10 Second Team-All Conference DE who came back in a big way from a major concussion syndrome that cost him most of his sophomore season and all of his junior year. Strong (29 reps), fairly quick for a lineman (4.86 40, 7.44 agility), with the potential to be a real surprise in the draft (60 Vol). Ranked in the top 10 of virtually every combine category for defensive ends and is probably the 9th or 10th best end in the draft. Decently developed despite the time missed and might contribute as a part-timer right away. One drawback is suspect endurance.

Projection:
Could develop into a starter with time, but a backup and spot duty in nickel and dime packages is far more likely. Very possible to make it as a multi-year player in the league.
Draft Prediction: 4th-5th round, as it's a weak draft for DEs. (4.9/5.4 adjusted)

For once, the draft writeups are right, for DE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin of Park High and Wisconsin is the 10th DE taken, with the 9th pick in the 5th round by the New England Patriots.

We have our second-ever drafted player in this universe!!!!!!!

[Izulde]

Year 90: 2092

RDE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin New England Patriots (Rookie)
Initial impressions have Malcom rated at 27/41, a real steal in the 5th round for the Patriots, particularly given their deplorable DE situation, especially on the right side, where Irwin plays. Those favorable impressions improve after training camp, when Mr. Two blossoms to 30/41. He's signed a 3 year, $1.65 million rookie contract with $150,000 signing bonus and best of all, the Patriots have appointed him the starter at RDE. This might be the first Panther alumni in the history of the universe to last more than two seasons.

As with Kenny "Woot" Castillo, the other draftee, I present Malcom's initial card:



FB B.J. Thomason Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (RS Sr)
.... Three active fullbacks and they're all 21 current rating. (A fourth fullback is 9 rating, but he's being redshirted) Even more interesting, B.J. and another guy are both 21/21. The third fullback, a true sophomore, has this little thing called upside, and will probably get the start, but I fully expect BJ to pick up some time as well.

DT Joe Kozlowski
A few really nice players from Case and Horlick this season, but we're stuck with this 4 rated DT who won't be going D-I. Ah well, I'm excited about Irwin's potential pro career.

End Season:
Louisana Tech performs its usual ineptitude and goes 3-8. B.J. Thomason appears in all 11 games, rushing 4 times for 10 yards and catching a 9 yard pass. His college career was unremarkable, both on the field and in the classroom, where he barely graduates with his 1.67 GPA in Geology. Don't know how his life is going to go and don't really care. Fullback is the most boring position to follow in TCY/FOF.



The New England Patriots have a nice turn-around season and go 9-7, getting into the playoffs. They thrashed the Steelers 34-13 in the wild card round before falling 24-0 to Miami in the divisional round. Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin had a respectable rookie campaign, starting 15 games after missing Week 1 with a knee injury. He compiled 19 tackles, 12 assists, 4.5 sacks, 3 blocks, 9 hurries and a QB knockdown. He also had 3 QB hurries against Pittsburgh in the wild-card round and an assist against Miami.

Was it a light the world on fire rookie campaign? Not at all, but it was solid enough that I think we've got some real promise here, especially if he can get his endurance up.

Edit: Irwin also intercepted a pass and returned it for a TD!, along with a pass defense, so he's definitely turning into a passing down specialist if nothing else

[MrBug708]

More man, more!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

More man, more!

Coming up either in a bit or later today

[Izulde]

Year 91: 2093

RDE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin New England Patriots (2nd year)
The quiet creep upwards continues, as Malcom's now at 36/42. Despite my slight paranoia that the Patriots would draft a hotshot rookie DE to take over, the New England staff is pleased enough with Mr. Two that he's gone unchallenged and will be the starter for the second straight year in a row, an NFL first for a Park alum!.

WR Roman Lane
11 rating? Mmkay, bye.

End Season:
The NFL is always capricious in its twists and turns from year to year and it's no different this season as the Patriots fall to 6-10. Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin can't be blamed, however, as he greatly improved on his rookie season. Starting all 16 games despite some niggling foot and neck injuries and despite getting tired at the end of the year, he rung up 43 tackles, 26 assists, 6.5 sacks, 3 blocks and 7 hurries. Although he had no pass defense statistics this year, he was nominated for Player of the Week twice, another Park alum NFL first!. What an awesome and fun career to watch.

[Izulde]

I'm still disgusted with how the 1962 season ended and I haven't updated this one in a while, so let's go!

Year 92: 2094

RDE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin Indianapolis Colts (3rd season)
Those stupid, stupid Patriots. They got two years of good production out of Irwin and they cut him, only to replace him later on with an undrafted rookie free agent who sucks. So Mr. Two signs on with the Colts on a one year deal. He appears to have maxed out at 42/42, but Malcom's caught in a numbers game in Indy, with himself the least of the three RDEs Maybe he'll show enough to get some backup work, though.

No Park prospects this year

End Season:
Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin returns to the playoffs, this time with the 10-6 Colts. Indy makes it all the way to the AFC Championship before falling to Cleveland. He didn't contribute much though, only appearing on the field for 16 plays all season and failed to record a stat. To top it all over, he has an Extreme Conflict with the Defensive Front leader. Can we say new team next year? I thought we could!

Those godless heathens in Foxboro finished a satisfying 6-10, by the way.

Incidentally, Malcom's now 44/44, so he should have good enough skills to hang on for a couple more seasons at least

Year 93: 2095

RDE Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin San Diego Chargers (4th season)
He's baaack!!!! Still 44/44, Malcom's -much- happier to be in San Diego, where he can once again be a starter. I honestly never expected his career to last as long as it has, much less that he'd be a starter so often. That's just really cool. What sucks is that he's only signed to a one-year contract, gotten in the first stage of Late Free Agency, but hey at least he's playing, starting, and still in the league.

P Leroy Kinney
38 huh? Go away.

ILB Ronald Galloway
If his 18 rating and Kinney's 38 were flip-flopped, Ronnie might have a shot at playing D-I football, but they aren't and so he doesn't.

End Season:
Another season, another playoff berth for Malcom "Mr. Two" Irwin's team as the Chargers go 10-6 before losing in the wild card round to the Oakland Raiders, who manage not to suck at this point in the universe. Then again, in 93 years, even Wyoming could become a national football power on the level of Florida right now

Malcom has his best season pass-rushing wise, as he amasses 26 tackles, 8 assists, 7 sacks, 4 blocks and 13 hurries. He also picked up 2 more Player of the Week mentions! Congrats, Mr. Two!

The godless heathens in Foxboro went an even more satisfying 4-12.

The Colts made it to the Super Bowl but got romperstomped 24-10 by the New Orleans Saints to ruin their title hopes. Both of Malcom's former teams prove that karma indeed does go a long way.