Team of the Decade - The 1972 Panthers

Elder Football - The 1970's

1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979

The 1970's were a decade of change for Elder Panther Football. Much of the change, however, came from outside the Panthers' control. The establishment of the state playoff system ultimately spelled the end of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry with Western Hills. The GCL had grown in size during the 1960's; the 1970's saw the league shrink as McNicholas, Newport Catholic, and Purcell withdrew. Elder managed only 1 GCL title during the decade, due to the dominance of the Moeller Crusaders. A new rivalry was born with the Oak Hills Highlanders. And Ken Haupt gave way to Ray Bachus as the head coach of the Panthers. But just because Moeller dominated the city (and the state, for that matter), is not to say that Elder Football was not competitive. As Moeller's program grew, the tougher competition caused Elder to get tougher, and the Panthers dominated most of their other opponents. The Panthers went 8-1-1 against St. Xavier during the '70's, 9-1 against Purcell, 7-3 against Roger Bacon, and 6-3-1 against La Salle. The team's overall record during the decade was an impressive 72-21-3, 31-17-2 in the GCL. Individual performances during the 1970's were equally impressive. Paul Drennan's 33 career touchdowns and 32 points scored against Western Hills in the 1977 Thanksgiving Day game are school records. Rushing yardage totals acquired by Drennan and Ed Gonzalez are second only to Larry Parker in the Elder record book. Kenny Brown and Mike Ramstetter set new school marks in pass receiving. Team marks for total points scored in a season (which would stand until 1998), total rushing yards in a game and total yards gained in a game were set, along with records for the fewest opponent's points scored, net rushing yards, and net total yards in a season. In spite of Moeller's supremacy, Elder Football was alive and well in the 1970's.