The Tremper football team took the field Friday night against Oak Creek with some pretty serious onlookers in attendance. And while the game didn’t exactly go the Trojan’s way, the gentlemen honored at halftime served as a constant reminder that the football bar, at Tremper High School, will always remain high. Honored were several members of the 1979 WIAA Division I State Champions. This group was on the front end of about a 30 game run that would produce back-to-back state championships and the types of memories that literally last a life time. Here are some of the guys I can speak relatively intelligently on:
Randy Grundy. Sideline to sideline linebacker, he was a transfer from somewhere in Texas I believe and he was the absolute difference maker on the defensive side of the ball.
Greg Fraid Wide Receiver who was way way stronger than an average high school wide out. He got every 50/50 ball, held blocks 25 yards down field and could run past you but preferred running through you.
Craig Kadamian Interior lineman on both sides, the man was an animal. The Kadamian brothers had been terrorizing Kenosha football players since the St Thomas/Spartans days back in grade school. Serious trench warfare.
Marc Hujik All-Everything QB. Athletic ability over the moon and that was maybe 3rd or 4th in terms of importance to the team. Winner. Leader. Football IQ off the charts. Easily in the top handful of all time Kenosha ballers regardless of sport.
Russ Robers Tackle. Absolute blocking machine. Technically perfect. Relentless and played with an edge at all times. He and Pat McGeough anchored an O-Line that simply dominated every game they played.
Greg Feivor DB A guy that could lay serious wood. He was exceptionally fast, a plus cover guy and absolutely hit like a monster. The DB’s of this group played down hill, they played aggressive and they took no prisoners.
Ken Zigner No one in the storied history of high school football in this city has ever lived it and breathed it more than Ken Zigner. Then…now..it don’t matter, his passion for the sport and his accomplishments on the field are truly legendary.
Jeff Rusk Lightning fast. Long legged wide out who had state championship high-jumping skills. A perfect safety net, he hauled down more passes and more touchdowns on extended plays than anyone in local history.
Ron Davies A coach that was mature enough to handle this group of winners. I believe he would tell you himself that this group had all the tools necessary to dominate and they just needed the right man in charge. And he most certainly was.
As a graduate of St Joe’s, we were always sparing when it came to compliments headed towards Tremper. And as a life long Packer fan, I spend little time extolling the virtues of anything Chicago Bears related. But for those of us old enough to remember what the ’85 Bears were to the NFL, I can say with confidence that the ’79 and ’80 Tremper football teams were exactly that to the WIAA…absolute dominance. Congratulations on celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of the great high school football teams in WIAA history.
