1962 Parsons Wildcats football team

1962 Parsons Wildcats football
Iowa Conference champion
Conference	Iowa Conference
Record	9–0 (9–0 Iowa)
Head coach	Frosty Westering (1st season)

1962 Iowa Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Parsons $	9	–	0	–	0			9	–	0	–	0
Central (IA)	7	–	2	–	0			7	–	2	–	0
Luther	6	–	2	–	1			6	–	2	–	1
Upper Iowa	6	–	3	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
William Penn	5	–	3	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
Wartburg	5	–	4	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
Buena Vista	3	–	6	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Dubuque	2	–	7	–	0			2	–	7	–	0
Iowa Wesleyan	1	–	8	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
Simpson (IA)	0	–	9	–	0			0	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll

The 1962 Parsons Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented Parsons College of Fairfield, Iowa, as a member of the Iowa Conference during the 1962 NAIA football season. In their first year under head coach Frosty Westering, the Wildcats compiled a perfect 9–0 record, won the Iowa Conference championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 267 to 63.[1] Parsons was ranked tenth in the final National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll.[2]

The team won 17 consecutive Iowa conference wins, dating back to the 1961 season, tying a record set by Wartburg from 1958 to 1960. The team's total of 267 also set a new conference scoring record, passing the previous record of 259 points set by Loras in 1950.[3]

Parsons was led on offense by fullback Nat Craddock and halfback Dick Johnson with 897 and 873 rushing yards, respectively. Craddock led the NAIA in scoring with 19 touchdowns for a total of 114 points[4] -- the most points scored by an Iowa college player since 1905.[5] Craddock was selected as a second-team player on the 1962 Little All-America college football team[6] and later played in both the National Football League and Canadian Football League.[7]

Five Parsons players were included on the first team of the 1962 All-Iowa Conference football team: Craddock; Johnson; defensive guard Jerry Kamp; defensive tackle Lou Wilson; and defensive end Jerry Holloway.[8]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 15	Wartburg	Fairfield, IA	W 26–7	1,500	[9]
September 22	at Upper Iowa	Fayette, IA	W 34–6		[10]
September 29	William Penn	Fairfield, IA	W 19–12	1,800	[11]
October 6	at Central (IA)	Pella, IA	W 6–0		[12]
October 13	Buena Vista	Fairfield, IA	W 44–7		[13]
October 20	at Iowa Wesleyan	Mount Pleasant, IA	W 20–0	2,300	[14]
October 27	at Luther	Decorah, IA	W 25–12		[15]
November 3	Simpson	Fairfield, IA	W 53–13		[16]
November 10	at Dubuque	Dubuque, IA	W 40–6		[5]

References

1. "Grid Records; Iowa Colleges". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. November 12, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved January 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
2. "Bronchs Top Final NAIA Poll". The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Associated Press. November 23, 1962. p. 26. Retrieved June 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
3. Buck Turnbull (November 16, 1962). "Parsons Sets 4 Records, Ties Mark of 17 in Row". The Des Moines Register. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Parsons' Craddock Top Scorer In NAIA". Saturday Times-Democrat. November 17, 1962. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Parsons Rolls, 40-6: Craddock Scores 2 for 114-Point Mark as Wildcats Win No. 9". The Des Moines Register. November 11, 1962. p. 5L – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Craddock, Boals Make All-America". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. December 5, 1962. p. 2D – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Nate Craddock Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
8. "Parsons Places Five Players on All-Star Team". Iowa City Press-Citizen. November 20, 1962. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "It's Parsons As Craddock Scores Four". The Des Moines Register. September 16, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Johnson Paces Parsons Paces Parsons". Waterloo Sunday Courier. September 23, 1962. p. 42 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Parsons Nips Penn, 19-12; Third in Row". The Des Moines Register. September 30, 1962. p. 5S – via Newspapers.com.
12. "6-0 Victory 4th Straight For Parsons". The Des Moines Register. October 7, 1962. p. 8L – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Parsons' 5th Straight onn 44-7 Romp". The Des Moines Register. October 14, 1962. p. 4S – via Newspapers.com.
14. "It's Parsons, 20-0: 6th in Row as Wesleyan Fails 4 Times Inside the 20". The Des Moines Register. October 21, 1962. p. 7S – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Parsons Sure of Share of Crown; Luther Victim". Waterloo Sunday Courier. October 28, 1962. p. 40 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Titles for Parsons, Grinnell: Point Mark By Craddock In 53-13 Tilt". The Des Moines Register. November 4, 1962. p. 8S – via Newspapers.com.