Xavier's Bleier ran over Pacelli again in 1963
By TIM "SHOE" SULLIVAN
Special to The Gazette
1963 was memorable because it was the last time Pacelli had to go against Rocky Bleier. For the third straight year, Pacelli had a new coach at the helm. This time the honor fell to Mike Liebenstein. Many of the previous conference championship players had departed, and the Cardinals had to face a Xavier team that had not lost a game in its school history.
Sept. 14, 1963: Like Coaches Dargis and Miller, Mike Liebenstein realized that you had to stop Bleier if you had any chance of stopping Xavier. With that thought in mind, Liebenstein instructed linebacker Larry Scipior to hit Bleier on every play regardless of the situation.
Thirty-six years later, Scipior still remembers the game like it was yesterday. He recalled: "On Xavier's first play. Rocky didn't carry the ball. He was just standing there and I really blasted him. He went down and kinda just gave me a crazy look."
That play set the stage for some ferocious hitting at Goerke. By the end of the first quarter, neither team had dented the scoreboard, and Bleier was having a particularly rough afternoon. Unfortunately for Scipior, the early banging was taking its toll. The linebacker noted: "Hitting Rocky Bleier was like hitting a tree trunk. But worse yet, Xavier had a couple of 275 lb. linemen.
"On the last play of the first quarter, two of those huge guys sandwiched me and my ankle gave way. I was pretty much done for the day."
Bleier, meanwhile, was just getting started. On the second play of the second quarter, Bleier ran a sweep around left end and raced 66 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
Bernie Prutz of Plover remembers the play vividly. "I was the outside linebacker on that play," Prutz recalled, "and what Bleier did was unbelievable. He ran around end and was only a yard from the sideline. I hit him with my best shot. I mean, I absolutely couldn't believe he wasn't knocked out of bounds. It wasn't any fun just laying there watching him go all the way down the sideline."
Once again, a play by Bleier was the turning point in the game. Until then, Xavier had two offensive possessions and was forced to punt both times.
On Xavier's next possession, Bleier circled right end and sprinted for an 18-yard score. The play was called back on a holding penalty. On fourth and eight, Xavier's Jerry Selgan caught a deflected pass and was knocked out of bounds on the seven after picking up the first down. Fullback Paul Putzer then blasted in for a touchdown making it 14-0. The rout was on.
Following a blocked punt giving them the ball on Pacelli's 44, the Hawks scored in just three plays. Bleier gained 14 yards on two carries, and quarterback Jim Rather finished the drive with
a 30-yard scoring strike to flanker Colin Smith. Xavier led 20-0 at halftime and never looked back.
The final score was 40-0 in Appleton's favor. Bleier gained 134 yards in 12 carries, ran for two extra points, and watched Xavier reserves carry the ball in the second half.
Pacelli's offensive performance against Xavier's terrific defense was less than sparkling. The Cardinals gained 94 total yards to Appleton's 394. Pacelli's passing "highlight" was a 17-yard toss from QB Jim Yach to halfback Dan Houlihan. Pacelli's most effective rusher was reserve fullback Jim Bourn who gained 22 yards on five carries. The Cardinals did reach Xavier's 27 but the drive ended on a sack by Hawk defensive end Jim Pegel.
As indicated earlier, that game between Xavier's Rocky Bleier and Pacelli happened 36 years ago ... but Pacelli players who were on the scene still like to talk about it.
Question: What do you remember best about your 1963 game against Rocky Bleier?Bernie Prutz: "I remember Rocky's incredible sense of balance. Unlike some of those huge linemen Xavier had, Bleier wasn't a big guy at all. You could hit him but he wouldn't go down. I'm sure his outstanding career at Notre Dame and later with the Super Bowl Pittsburgh Steelers was due to his great balance."
Larry Scipior: "This might sound crazy, but I thought Rocky was the second best running back we played against that year. In my opinion, Mike Gharrity of Prairie du Chien Campion was the best. That guy was just a blur."
Jim Bourn: "When you mention Rocky Bleier, you're talking about a guy with a lot of class. Even though Goerke was our home field, we took a bus from Pacelli. I was getting on the bus after our game and Bleier came over. He asked me to tell No. 24, Larry Scipior, that nobody ever hit him harder than the times 'Seep' got him in the first quarter. That showed me a lot of class on Rocky's part."
Mike "George" Glodosky: "I suited up for that game as a sophomore guard but I didn't get in. A few years ago, Bernie Prutz and I were at a company convention in Hawaii, and Rocky was the guest speaker. After the speeches were over. Rocky sat around and talked to us for almost an hour. He wanted to get caught up on Wisconsin, things like that. Rocky Bleier is a very personable guy. After all he's been through and Rocky still had time for us."
Larry Scipior: "You know, Jim Bourn is right about that bus thing. After Rocky talked to Jim, he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to my ankle. He wished me luck with my ankle. They just won 40-0 and he took the time to wish us well, and he meant it. I'll never forget it."
There are a lot of former Pacelli players who can say they played against Rocky Bleier, and the final scores nonwithstanding, all of them say it with a sense of deep pride.