Joliet Junior College football coach Jeremy Richardson. | File photo
National champs: JJC won the non-scholarship national title in 2001 and overall national championship in 2002 under Bob MacDougall.
Yost era: Jerry Yost coached JJC from 1968 through ’83, during which time the Wolves won seven North Central Community College titles, including four straight from 1974 to ’77, and played in several bowl games.
In the NFL: Offensive lineman Byron Stingily, selected by Tennessee Titans in fifth round of 2011 draft; New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich, fifth round in 2005 by New Orleans Saints; Atlanta Falcons defensive back Kelvin Hayden, 60th overall selection by Indianapolis Colts in 2005; several others signed by NFL teams as undrafted free agents.
Season stat leaders: Rushing, Harold Brown, 2,274 yards, 20 touchdowns, 134 total points, 1981; Receiving, Kelvin Hayden, 72 receptions, 13 touchdowns, 2002 (National Player of Year); Passing, Chris Walley, 2,638 yards, 2009; Sacks, Rob Ninkovich, 16, 2003; Interceptions, Willie Washington, 1998, and Steve Belton, 1985, seven; Kick scoring, Greg Gundersen, 72 points, 2002.
A fight between a couple of players in the middle of the field escalated into a scenario in which numerous players left their sideline and joined in a heated verbal exchange before coaches and police restored order.
The Joliet Junior College football game Oct. 22 at College of DuPage ended in an ugly manner with less than a minute remaining. The Midwest Football Conference ruled both teams would forfeit their final game of the season the following week.
Little did we know that would be the final chapter in the 62-season history of football at JJC.
The board of trustees voted last week to pull the plug on the program. Athletic director Wayne King said the fight “was not a factor” in the board’s decision. It was a matter of cost and getting more in compliance with Title IX, always difficult when a junior college offers football.
Regardless, JJC without football is a shame, and you wish it could have ended differently.
“I’m disappointed,” King said. “I’m mad about the decision. But I can step back and see the reasons. It doesn’t make me feel any better, but I can see the reasons.
“There have been conversations about the elimination of football since early August. The altercation with DuPage obviously was not a good scenario, but it wasn’t a reason for this.”
King, the longtime head baseball coach, has been at JJC since 1986 and athletic director since 1995, when discussions also were occurring about the school’s future in football. He has been and will continue to be the overseer of many Wolves’ athletic successes.
But for those who remember JJC football during the Herm Walser, Gil Bell and Jerry Yost eras, this is difficult to swallow. For those directly affected, it is worse.
“For the kids here, it’s a sad day for them,” fourth-year football coach Jeremy Richardson said. “They lose out more than anything. I hate to be part of ruining some kids’ dreams.
“You get into this to coach young men to do the right things in life. I’ve been part of seeing guys move on to four-year schools, get their degrees, get the opportunity to play on national championship teams. For this last class not to have that opportunity, it’s a very sad feeling.”
Richardson — a firm believer in academics first, football second — and defensive coordinator Jason DeWolf will remain employed through June 30. Many of the sophomores on the 4-5 team will advance to four-year schools, whether they continue playing football or not.
But what about the 42 freshmen? King said individual meetings with them will begin Monday. In a sense, they have become sophomores a year early.
“When I met with the players as a group, they were distraught that their sport was eliminated,” King said. “We will give them all the support we can.
“Other junior colleges already are calling us, saying they would like to talk to some of our kids. Some may leave in December to get going with weightlifting and spring football at another school. For some, it may be better to stay here and work on their grades.
“One thing we are doing is burning lots of DVDs so the freshmen can have their game films. It’s the same thing we always do for sophomores.”
Richardson noted that “a lot of guys will have good opportunities away from here. They will make choices that are best for them and their families. The even more devastating thing is this is the end of what we built here at JJC.
“Sixty-plus years of football at this school, it’s hard. Being the oldest juco in the country, you have the feeling we are the Big Brothers of all of this. How does Big Brother lose anything? We’re still trying to cope with that.”
From a personal standpoint, Richardson said, “I’ll be fine. I’m a football coach for life, and I will see what opportunities I have. My concerns are least in this.
“I know we did the right things here. Our goal was to get more Illinois kids in the program, and I think we achieved that. The bottom three-fourths of the state is unattended by community colleges, and this is a great state for athletics. We were here for all those kids.”
A three-sport standout at Bloomington High School, Richardson played football at JJC before moving on to play at Fairmont State in West Virginia.
“As a player, this is where I grew up as a young man,” he said. “Being responsible in your life, that was the biggest and best thing I learned here that guided me to be the mature adult I am now. Getting the opportunity to be the head coach here, it was an eye-opener. It gave me insight into how to run a program and guide young men properly.
“I coach kids just like I’m talking to my son. I would want the same type of coach for my son if he chooses to play sports.”
DuPage and Harper are the only Illinois junior colleges that still have football. King had been keeping their athletic departments abreast of what was happening here, and the same decision from one or both of them down the road would not be a shock.
Just 69 junior colleges nationwide offer football and few are located in the upper Midwest. In addition to other costs, travel has become a primary issue.
However, that does not erase the sadness and anger felt by everyone associated with the JJC program.
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