Top Ten Athletes in LaSalle History

 
60's Haucke, Schoenfeld, Ruwe, Luken, Tenkman
70's Don Hasselbeck, Mark Naehring, Ted Duggins, Jerry Doerger, Neal Neyer, Scott Trefzger, Darryl Meadows, Mike Schneider.
80's Doug Shields, CHris Smith, Tom Doerger, Dan Fulmer, Mike Berwanger, Tim Naehring

You young folks can talk 90's and 00's I have an AARP card so I'll stick to the first 30 years of the school. THe coach is Frank Russo..... not much debate there. Coach Cady is second. Bob Freemal is 3d (hahahahaha)

Haucke is my athlete of the 60's. THough an argument can be made for Luken, who played 5 or 6 years in the NFL out of Purdue.

In the 70's, Hasselbeck was a Parade All American, played 10 years in the NFL,and is the only Lancer to win a Super Bowl ring... also a very good BB center-- 3 year starter and all city. AND I think he won the GCL high jump championship as well ( He was like 6'9") At Colorado he was All American AND Academic All American-- one of only 2 CU fb players ALL time to do this.

In the 80's I picked Shields over Smith and Naehring. I would argue first that Doug Shields is LS best QB EVER. If you were there the night at CTC that LS beat Princeton in '84, then you'd agree. And he's also on the ALL time Missouri Valley Conference Baseball team. Was POY in that conference twice I think. Other Outfielders on that team include Joe Carter, Kirby Puckett, and steve Finley. He was inducted into the SIU Hhall of Fame a few yr ago.

Of the three in Bold...... Don HAsselbeck was tops.

Note: Haucke, Hasselbeck, and Coach Cady are the only members of the LARosas HOF.

Lancermania.... is there a LS HOF web page? We need one if there ain't.
 
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Doug Bockenstette '94 led La Salle to its first state championship in any sport in 1994 with two state individual titles in the 1600m run and 3200m run with both times making the state all time top ten list. He also ran on the 4th place at state 4 X 800 meter relay.
 
Diving. I put Scott Trefzger in b/c he won state in the 70's. Marty Bare doesn't make the list.
 
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You have to mean A.J Nieman and not Shields as the best QB in LaSalle history. A.J Nieman was probably the best football player in LaSalle history.
 
You have to mean A.J Nieman and not Shields as the best QB in LaSalle history. A.J Nieman was probably the best football player in LaSalle history.

AJ didn't have the speed that Shields had. Shields could roll out and if the receivers were covered he cold run for 20 yards. AJ couldn't do that.

I believe Shields was 16-5 as the LS QB where Niemann was 13-7. Shields took us to a 4th spot in the Harbin's and our first playoff game. In fairness to AJ, as a Jr he led the team to an 8-2 and 3d in the Harbin's..... but only 2 teams made it then.

As for AJ being the best FB player in LS history....... he's really not even in the top 10

Hasselbeck, Luken, LaFary, Jerry Doerger, Meadows, Celek, C Smith, Douthard, Posey, Ben Martin..... there's a few others before you get to Niemann.
 
So was Scott T. a 5th a 3d and a 1st at State. And 2 GCL champs. I'd call that a good career. Bare never made it to state. And it's not like the divers even had a "season" anyway. Not alot of dual meets back in the 70's.


For the sports like Wrestling, Diving and T/F you have to win state if that's the only sport you competed in. For this list anyway.
 
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I'm not THAT flippant. Bare had a great diving career. But it wasn't as good as Scott Trefzger's...... and we are discussing the top 10 athletes of all time at LS. NOw if we talk top 10 all time liquid lancers then he's there.
 
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You younger guys..... throw us out a list from 1990 to today

Burden and Posey
Martin
Douthard
Zac Day
Brent Celek
Justin Orr

etc. And give us a line on each one.

LM can you give us a list of LS HOF'ers?


And then lets have a poll thru jun and July till FB starts........ you know.... to give us some reason to post here till we start trashing Grippa again...... hehehehe
 
Candidates for the top ten not in any order

Scott Trefzger was the first individual state champion for La Salle in 1974 when he was state diving champion.

Neal Neyer was a state champion in wrestling in 1976 and also led the wrestling team to a 4th place finish at state which at that time was the highest finish by a Cincinnati area team.

Mark Arlinghaus wins the first track and field state championship in 1991 when he wins the state pole vault.

Doug Bockenstette becomes the first cross country runner to win an individual state title in 1993. He also wins two state championships in track in 1994 in the 1600 and 3200 to become the first La Salle athlete to win three individual state titles and the first Lancer to win two on the same day. He almost single-handedly led La Salle to its first state team title in any sportin 1994 when he won two events and was a member of the 4th place 4 X 800 relay team at state.

Dean Fulmer wins the state 1600 meter run title in 1995. He also finishes 3rd at the Junior Nationals 5000 meter run and makes the USA team which travels to Santiago, Chile for the Pam American Junior Games.

Steve Padgett wins the state cross country title in 1999. Steve also wins the state 3200 meter run in track and sets a state record in the process. He also goes to California for the Golden West Invitational and sets a new city record in the 3200 meter run which still stands today. He is the only runner from Cincinnati to break 9:00 in the 3200 meter run and he did it twice.

Allen Bader wins two consecutive state titles in cross country in 2000 and 2001. He is the only Lancer to repeat as state champ in an event. He also wins the state 1600 meter run title in 2002 and becomes the second Lancer to win three individual state titles.

Bryan Bosse win the state pole vault championship in 1993.

Mike Chia wins the state pole vault championship in 2004

Chandler Burden wins two state titles on the same day in 2008 in the shot and discus to become the first and only throw from Cincinnati to win both at state.

Devier Posey is named an all American in football in 2007 and wins the state 400 meter title in track in 2008.
 
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WHat about all those who have competed at the HIGHEST level attainable in their sport?

Tom Luken...... Philadelphia Eagles 1972-78 Purdue University
Dave LaFary.... NO Saints 1977- 1986 Purdue
Don Hasselbeck Patriots, Raiders, VIkings 77-85 Colorado Univ (All American at Colo)
Jerry DOerger 82-85 NFL and USFL U Wisconsin
CHris Smith 85-86 KC Chiefs NOtre Dame
TY DOuthard 1997 Bengals U Illinois
Brent Celek 2007- Eagles. UC.
TIm Naehring Red SOx... 90-97
Zach Day 4 MLB teams 02-06.


THere's 9 off the top. Add Posey and Martin. Possibly Burden as well.

THe guys who won state in wrestling and diving as well as track are fun to discuss....... but NONE has gone on to do anything. And when you start paring the list down they drop off. Burden and Posey are the exception because of success in other sports. When one competes in the olympics or on the pro circuit then that guy is worthy to be discussed further.

I think those 9 above plus Doug Shields are all worthy to be discussed. But keep it going. We need some younger guys opinions on the 90's and 00's guys.
 
WHat about all those who have competed at the HIGHEST level attainable in their sport?

Tom Luken...... Philadelphia Eagles 1972-78 Purdue University
Dave LaFary.... NO Saints 1977- 1986 Purdue
Don Hasselbeck Patriots, Raiders, VIkings 77-85 Colorado Univ (All American at Colo)
Jerry DOerger 82-85 NFL and USFL U Wisconsin
CHris Smith 85-86 KC Chiefs NOtre Dame
TY DOuthard 1997 Bengals U Illinois
Brent Celek 2007- Eagles. UC.
TIm Naehring Red SOx... 90-97
Zach Day 4 MLB teams 02-06.


THere's 9 off the top. Add Posey and Martin. Possibly Burden as well.

THe guys who won state in wrestling and diving as well as track are fun to discuss....... but NONE has gone on to do anything. And when you start paring the list down they drop off. Burden and Posey are the exception because of success in other sports. When one competes in the olympics or on the pro circuit then that guy is worthy to be discussed further.

I think those 9 above plus Doug Shields are all worthy to be discussed. But keep it going. We need some younger guys opinions on the 90's and 00's guys.

I agree with coments with the exception of Shields. Seriously, Shields was not a very good qb. He was an average qb at best. I really think you mean A.J Nieman who won the player of the year in 84'.
 
AJ didn't have the speed that Shields had. Shields could roll out and if the receivers were covered he cold run for 20 yards. AJ couldn't do that.

I believe Shields was 16-5 as the LS QB where Niemann was 13-7. Shields took us to a 4th spot in the Harbin's and our first playoff game. In fairness to AJ, as a Jr he led the team to an 8-2 and 3d in the Harbin's..... but only 2 teams made it then.

As for AJ being the best FB player in LS history....... he's really not even in the top 10

Hasselbeck, Luken, LaFary, Jerry Doerger, Meadows, Celek, C Smith, Douthard, Posey, Ben Martin..... there's a few others before you get to Niemann.


Alright- How many player of the year awards to Shields win? How many yards passing did Shields have as a Lancer? What records does Shields have as a Lancer? A.J was head and shoulders above Shields. Just because Assumption is now St Ann doesn't make him a Charger.
 
A person who has won an indiviudal state title has to be considered. Any football player who didn't make first team all state has to fall off because they weren't the best in their event like the state champs were.
 
A person who has won an indiviudal state title has to be considered. Any football player who didn't make first team all state has to fall off because they weren't the best in their event like the state champs were.
Sure you can consider them if they won a state title..... but when they got to college you really see how good they are/were.

Making (or not making) all state is meaningless. It's a bunch of idiots like D. Orlando Ledbetter choosing how good you are. SHow me one of those state champions in track and field or swimming/diving that competed on a high NCAA level. I confess ignorance to whether Dean FUlmer did anything in college....... But I sense that if he had..... LM would have told us.

And Killa...... Just because Niemann threw it 40 times a game doesn't make him the best QB, any more than it maked Keith Regenhard better then Posey.
Shields, Jack Hess, SHeehan....... Heck Mike McGeorge was a better QB than Niemann..... When Niemann had help he went 8-2...... when he didn't all he could do was squeak out a 5-5.
 
One player we can all agree on is Dick Haucke. He made every all state and all American team both his junior and senior years. He led the city in scoring for three straight years. No one can match what he did at La Salle and that is what this thread is about. The ten greatest athletes at La Salle. Btw, Dean Fulmer competed two years at the NCAA finals in cross country. His Alabama team made it out of an NCAA regional qualifier to the NCAA finals for two years that Fulmer was at Alabama. Fulmer was on that team running on the top seven both years.

To answer your question about the HOF online. It doesn't exist but it should. That is an oversight. We should correct that on the school web site.
 
Another individual State Champion was Evan Kling in bowling in 2007. That was the first year bowling was a sanctioned sport by the OHSAA.
 
Another individual State Champion was Evan Kling in bowling in 2007. That was the first year bowling was a sanctioned sport by the OHSAA.

You realize what this does to your credibility on this board right?

Do we have any chess, darts, or poker state champions we can add????


Agree on Haucke

I think we can all agree on Hasselbeck as well. If we can't, let's go ahead and stop.

SO ...... we have 8 more.

I would say running at Alabama adds consideration...... but then we should add Darryl Eddings-- started at WR for an Indiana team that won a Peach Bowl. And add Mike Jester-- Started at Tennessee on the OL. What about Bob Burger..... Didn't he start on the OL with Montana as his QB at ND?

How did Fulmer finish in the SEC or NCAA's? Give me a top 5 there and we can talk further.



But you do make a good point for consideration...... does what you do/did AFTER LS count? I think it should because how well you do in college, etc. shows how good you really were.
 
This thread is about what people did while at La Salle. It's the best athletes at La Salle. It not a list of who went on to make the pros. Your analagy of comparing the NFL to the Olympic team is a poor one at best. There are 30 NFL teams, aren't there, yet there is only one national team for the Worlds each year or the Olympics every four years. There are over 200 guys drafted by the NFL each year. If you don't make it one year, you can play NFL Europe, CFL, AFL, etc. and try again the following year to get drafted by one of 30 teams. Also many NFL teams hold tryouts or talk to non-drafted players each year.

By your own post graduate theory, Haucke would never make the list.

1. In his last three years at UC, the team did not get either an NCAA nor an NIT bit following UC's glory early of the late 50s and early 60s. He was an average player at best at UC.

2. He never played at the highest level in his sport--the NBA.
 
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Don Hasselbeck

I agree that Hasselbeck is a lock. His junior team went 8-2 and his senior team went 7-3. In 1972 they were the pre-season pick to win the GCL but lost to both Moeller and Elder while beating St. Xavier. In 1971 they lost to Moeller and St. Xavier but beat Elder in the GCL.

He was selected on both the Scholastic and Parade magazine All-American teams in 1972. Hasselbeck was thus recognized as one of the best football players in the whole country by two different sources.
 
This thread is about what people did while at La Salle. It's the best athletes at La Salle. It not a list of who went on to make the pros. Your analagy of comparing the NFL to the Olympic team is a poor one at best. There are 30 NFL teams, aren't there, yet there is only one national team for the Worlds each year or the Olympics every four years. There are over 200 guys drafted by the NFL each year. If you don't make it one year, you can play NFL Europe, CFL, AFL, etc. and try again the following year to get drafted by one of 30 teams. Also many NFL teams hold tryouts or talk to non-drafted players each year.

By your own post graduate theory, Haucke would never make the list.

1. In his last three years at UC, the team did not get either an NCAA nor an NIT bit following UC's glory early of the late 50s and early 60s. He was an average player at best at UC.

2. He never played at the highest level in his sport--the NBA.


OK fair enough. But one thing I would say is that it may be OK that you didn't do well in college..... BUT it does matter if a college coach felt you were good enough to give you a scholarship. It says alot about your HS career. I think we should use that especially in the cases of Neal Neyer and Scott Trefzger, who both were state champs. I don't believe they were thought that highly of by college recruiters on the D1 level. But some may know better.

Anyway, since we agree on Haucke and Hasselbeck, then we need 8 more before we then are able to rank 1-10 (if that's our plan). As I said earlier, I have a problem with just listing a bunch of State Champs or All Staters and then choosing our favorites. Especially since the All State teams are usually writers and it's subjective. If Bill Koch wants to pick here he can though....... cause Bill is a Lancer. And actually I think Bill probably has seen more than all of us have..... And I don't trust "record holders" per se either. The Example of Keith Regenhard has been discussed...... he wasn't better than Posey because he caught more passes. Depends on the record I guess...... Fastest in GCL history is pretty impressive, for example.

But a state champ in one sport who is also so good that he gets a d1 schollie in ANOTHER sport.....( and thus, by definition, a VERY GOOD 2 sport athlete...... ) deserves consideration. I would be comfortable, based on that criteria, putting BOTH Posey and Burden in. So now we need 6.
 
I never knew that Neyer and Trefzger never got D1 offers. If you think we should leave them off, I'm not that far from agreeing with you. I just like what Neyer did for the wrestling program by winning state and by his team coming in 4th at state. If you've been following wrestling, it has been one of our worst sports. Some years we were like almost 100 point behind the 3rd place team in the GCLS.
 
Cross Country

Cross Country has been our best sport. We have three individual state champions in this sport. We have to pick one of these guys because of what the team has accomplished. They've put La Salle on the state map.

1. They have won seven GCL and city poll championships.
2. They have won eight district championships.
3. They have won six regional champioships.
4. They have been on the state podium an astonishing seven times with five state runnerups and two state titles.

I am hereby submitting Allen Bader for our top ten list. He is the only one of the three to win back to back state individual titles in 2000 and 2001. He is also the only Lancer to repeat as state champion. Both years he led our Lancers to the state runnerup trophy with the one point he earned by winning. In cross country the low score wins, thus the team with the most runners closest to first wins. Five runners must score for the team out of the seven entered in the race.

Allen Bader did accept a D1 scholarship offer to NC State in the ACC. He was all ACC while running for the Wolfpack. He was on the 2003 team that won the ACC and also ran on the team that finished 10th at the NCAA National Championships in 2003.

He also won an individual state title in the 1600 in track, so he was a two sport star.
 
LS1944 - Yes Nieman did throw it 40 times a game but he does still hold all the records in school history and was in the 1st Hall of Fame class. this about best athletes in school hstory! He also was a pretty good pitcher. i dont believe Doug Shields was Enquirer player of the year in football, i believe the only LaSalle player to have ever one that was Nieman. If you need some more info i can bring it.
 
LS1944 - Yes Nieman did throw it 40 times a game but he does still hold all the records in school history and was in the 1st Hall of Fame class. this about best athletes in school hstory! He also was a pretty good pitcher. i dont believe Doug Shields was Enquirer player of the year in football, i believe the only LaSalle player to have ever one that was Nieman. If you need some more info i can bring it.

I believe he was a Very Good pitcher. Wasn't he a Holy Cross pitcher? Or did he go to HC for both? Anyone know this?

As for Shields.... seems to me he was possibly LS best CF ever as well. I still disagree with people who say AJ was a better QB. And, like I said..... Enquirer POY means nothing when D Orlando Ledbetter and Groeschen are involved. And Shields is in the Hall as well. Not sure if he was in the first class. But that does carry weight for AJ......... unless Dan Flynn and Mr Krueger were involved in picking the HOF........... then it's another subjective thing. Also........ possibly they BOTH are top ten????

LM...... I agree on Bader. HOw bout Posey and Burden? Do we have "5 down, 5 to go"?????? Also..... I'm not certain that Scott and Neal got schoarships..... or they didn't. I was at LS then, but don't remember anyone talking about it......... So either they didn't, or they didn't make a big deal about it.


How bout we discuss Chris SMith?????? I nominate him. LS 2nd Parade All American in FB.

I would say my heart is set on Hasselbeck, Haucke, Burden and Posey, Shields, Smith. I agree on Bader as well. I think you guys are making a good case for AJ....... How bout the Watson kid?
 
AJ played football and baseball at Holy Cross, was drafted a few times for baseball but loved football to much to give it up and wasn't to interested in going Bedford, Oregon to play rookie ball for the A's. He was inducted into the first Hall of Fame class at LaSalle with the following people

Don Hasselbeck
Neil Neyer
Scott Trefxger
Mike Schneider
Dick Haucke
Bill Cady
 
One other thing I dont believe that Ledbetter and Groeschen were invovled in the Player of the Year in 1983

But you have to get the point........ 3 guys on the Enquirer staff deciding it is ......... well....... not enough.



Mike Schneider...... Original HOF Class. He and Darryl Meadows are the others on my original '70's list worth discussing. Went to OSU on scholarship, and I think was 2nd team Al State as RB.

LM do you have any info on Meadows in Track...... Schneider as well?????




This isn't as easy as we thought is it? A lot of good ones to choose from.
 
Doug Bockenstette - no brainer . State XC Champ. First in the City of Cincinnati in D1...Finished 7th @ Footlocker XC Nationals. Captured 2 State Titles in Track 1600m run and 3200m run. Set a state record in the process. Only athlete in his generation to pull that double off in the state meet. Went on to finish 3rd in the Jr. Nationals, running the fastest time in the US for the 5,000m run in 94 in his first 5k on the track. Ran for Univ. of Tennessee. Was named ALL-SEC his soph. year. Transferred after his sophomore year and ran at Miami U where he finished 3rd in the MAC Championships 2 straight years in XC. Led Miami to NCAA's champ. appearance. He will eventually go into Ohio High School Track and XC Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Steve Padgett again a no brainer...broke Bockenstette's 3200m run state record which still stands today. State Champ in both XC and Track. Finished 9th at Footlocker Nationals one place behind Alan Webb an Olympian. Was an All-American in 2 sports. Finished 4th at Golden West in California with the 5th fastest time in the US that year in the 3200m run. Went on to be named Freshman Athlete of the Year in the Big Ten...Named 1st Team ALL BIG TEN as a Frosh. Will also end up in the State Coaches Hall of Fame.
 
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