Leatherneck Nation

sealhall74 wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:21 am The year 1928 was nothing spectacular for the Leathernecks on the gridiron (2-3-3). Those 3 ties are a little noteworthy as they all ended in 7-7 final scores. What are the odds of that? That year may be far better known as year when sound was introduced to feature Hollywood films. That is a nice segue to this week's Throwback Thursday Trivia question:

Which of the following were NOT movie theaters on or near the town square in Macomb at some time in history?

1) Chandler Theater
2) Illinois Theater
3) Lamoine Theater
4) Lark Theater
5) Regal Show Theater

Regal show theater

Regal Show Theater

Looks like you guys are right. I didn't know the answer myself...I'd been in two of the theaters and had heard of one of the others, but couldn't narrow it down any further without research.

Here's some info I found online:

The Lamoine Theater opened in 1935. It was renamed Lark Theater in 1954 and closed in July 1987.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87104832@ ... 41/detail/

Opened as the Chandler Theatre in 1912, the theatre was renamed the Illinois Theatre on September 15, 1919. Remodeled a number of times since, including a twinning of the theatre in the late-1970’s, the Illinois Theatre was last operated by Kerasotes Theatres. It closed in 2005, and in 2006 reopened as The Forum, a nightclub, concert venue, and banquet hall.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87104832@ ... 516802294/

When I was a kid, we had the Illinois (when it was two screens), the Cinema 1&2 next to Hy-Vee just off campus, and the Lark. I think I only saw maybe two movies at the Lark before it closed though.

Looks like we also had a "Royal Theatre" at one point too: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/53269

ST_Lawson wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:00 pm Looks like you guys are right. I didn't know the answer myself...I'd been in two of the theaters and had heard of one of the others, but couldn't narrow it down any further without research.

Here's some info I found online:

The Lamoine Theater opened in 1935. It was renamed Lark Theater in 1954 and closed in July 1987.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87104832@ ... 41/detail/

Opened as the Chandler Theatre in 1912, the theatre was renamed the Illinois Theatre on September 15, 1919. Remodeled a number of times since, including a twinning of the theatre in the late-1970’s, the Illinois Theatre was last operated by Kerasotes Theatres. It closed in 2005, and in 2006 reopened as The Forum, a nightclub, concert venue, and banquet hall.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/87104832@ ... 516802294/

When I was a kid, we had the Illinois (when it was two screens), the Cinema 1&2 next to Hy-Vee just off campus, and the Lark. I think I only saw maybe two movies at the Lark before it closed though.

Looks like we also had a "Royal Theatre" at one point too: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/53269

yeah i pretty much did the same thing i knew the Illinois theatre manly because the sign still exist and that was about it.

#28 on the current roster is Sophomore Linebacker Lavall McNulty, Jr.


Lavall is a LEJA major from Crete, IL. Last year he was at St. Joseph's College (IN) but was able to transfer without sitting out a year due to the entire university shutting down after this last Spring semester.

Other #28's we've had include:
John Wrenn..............................1970-72
Donnie Snyder............................. 1974
Leo Brown..............................1976-78
Bill Flodin..................................... 1980
John McCue................................ 1983
Brett Grimshaw.......................1984-88
J.R. Allen..................................... 1992
Derrick Williams......................1994-95
Brandon Philpot......................1996-98
Milan Vuckovich........................... 2001
Jarrell Johnson.......................2005-06
Chris Porter................................. 2008
Ryan Davis............................. 2010-11
Devon Moore..........................2014-15

John Wrenn was inducted into the Leatherneck Hall of Fame in 2002. He has the second-most (tied) interceptions in a career with 15 and is tied for 6th most interceptions in a season with 6 in 1971.

Bill Flodin was a First Team All-Conference DB in 1981 and was the team's interceptions leader that season with 5.

John McCue has the team's 5th longest fumble return...a 47 yard return against Central Missouri in 1983.

Brett Grimshaw was a Second Team All-Conference RB in 1987 and 1988. The team's rushing leader in 1987 (530 yards) and 1988 (529 yards), Grimshaw has the 10th longest (tied) rush with a 71-yard TD against UNI in 1986. Grimshaw was also the team's receptions leader in '87 with 48 catches for 440 yards. His 104 career receptions puts him at 10th on the list, which is the most ever for a Leatherneck RB.

Ryan Davis was a DB that was named to the 2010 conference All-Newcomer Team

#27 on the Leatherneck roster is Redshirt Freshman Linebacker Tre Hendon

Tre is a Finance major from Richwoods HS in Peoria, IL and was redshirted last year.
In HS, Tre scored a TD from passing, receiving, rushing, kickoff return, and defensive score and played very well on both sides of the ball at RB and Safety.

Other Leathernecks who have worn #27 include:
Gary Woolford........................1972-73
Lonnie Love................................. 1974
Larry Connell..........................1976-78
Tim Townsend........................1981-82
Randy Clary............................1983-86
Sherwood Anthony.................1993-94
Damon Tauer............................... 1996
Aaron Stecker.........................1997-98
David Conway........................1999-01
Quinshun Riley.......................2005-07
Tyler West...............................2009-12
Brad Blumenshine..................2014-15

Tim Townsend was the team's punt returns leader in 1981 (26 returns for 169 yards) and 1982 (19 returns for 80 yards).

Randy Clary is tied for 6th longest reception with an 89-yard catch (not a TD, actually) against UNI in 1983.

Aaron Stecker shows up all over the records book (seriously, 107 instances of his name in the pdf, which I think is the most I've seen of any player). Regarded by many to be the best RB in Leatherneck history, Stecker racked up 3,799 rushing yards in only two years at Western (25 games). Stecker received the conference "Newcomer of the Year" and Offensive Player of the Year awards in 1997 along with being First Team All-Conference in both '97 and '98. In 1997, he also All-American honors from: AFCA First Team, AP First Team, FB Gazette Offensive Player of the Year, FB Gazette First Team, ESPN/SportsTicker First Team, Sports Network First Team, and Walter Camp First Team in a year where he set the school record for rushing attempts in a season (366), yards (2,293...the only time a Leatherneck RB has gone over 2k yards in a season), yards per carry (6.265), yards per game (176.39), TDs (27), and 200+ yard games (6)....among other records. His Senior year was a "down year" (for him), coming in second to his Junior year for attempts, yards (has now moved down to #4), and TDs (is now tied for 6th), and earning FB Gazette Honorable Mention honors. His final career records include: #3 for attempts (692), #3 for yards (3,799), #3 in yards per carry (5.490), #1 in yards per game (151.96), #3 in TDs (41), #2 (tied) for 100+ yard games (19), and #2 for 200+ yard games (6). In most instances where he's listed at 2nd or 3rd, he is eclipsed only by Travis Glasford and/or Herb Donaldson, both of whom played a full 4 years here.
Following his Leatherneck career, he played for a season with the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe, earning the Offensive MVP award that season. He then transitioned to the "regular" NFL, playing 5 years for the Buccaneers, 5 years with the Saints, and 1 year with the Falcons. He won a Super Bowl ring in 2003 (for the 2002 season) with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII. Stecker was inducted into the Leatherneck Hall of Fame in 2010.


Tyler West led the team in interceptions in 2010 (3 INTs) including one for 60 yards against Appalachian State in the 2010 playoffs.

Yesterday was 26 days left.

#26 is Redshirt Freshman Defensive Back Darius Patterson


Darius is from Chicago, IL and was named to the conference academic honor roll this last school year.

Other #26's in Leatherneck history include:
James Angsten............................ 1969
Sherwin Hunt..........................1974-76
Herb Simpson.............................. 1977
Bryan Klis.................................... 1987
Ulysses Bentley......................1988-89
Tim Ardis...................................... 1990
Kendall McDonald..................1992-94
Jamel King................................... 1995
Derrick Spicer.............................. 1996
Shannon Fitzhugh..................2000-03
Robert Hodges............................ 2004
Alex Douglas..........................2004-07
Stephen Moore.......................2008-09
Kevin Kintzel................................ 2011
Charlie Whitaker.....................2012-14
Charles Westbrook...................... 2015

Tim Ardis shows up at #9 for TDs in a career with 20. He was a FB who was the team's leading scorer in 1993 with 9 TDs that season. He was First Team Academic All-Conference and received the President's Academic Excellence Award in 1994. He also was a Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American that same year.

Kendall McDonald led the team in rushing in 1992 (688 yards), 1993 (660 yards) and 1994 (1015 yards). He's #18 on the list of rushing yards in a season with his 1994 performance (through only 9 games, fewest of anyone on the list). That same year, he had 5.370 yards per carry (6th for a season) and 112.78 yards per game (#9 on that list). For career numbers, he's #7 on attempts (490), #8 on yards (2,363), #7 (tied) on TDs (21), #8 (tied) for 100+ yard games (8). He was named First Team All-Conference in 1994 and received a FB Gazette Honorable Mention.

Robert Hodges was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 2007.

Alex Douglas shows up at #8 for receiving yards by a RB with 239 yards in 2006.

Kevin Kintzel is #2 for returns (of any type) for TDs in a season with 3 in 2013. Two of those were interceptions returned for TDs (tied for 1st on that record). He, along with Devon Butler, were the tackle leaders in 2013 (74 total) and he was also the leader in 2014 (92 tackles). He's tied for #6 in blocked kicks in a season (2 in 2014). He's also tied for #7 for fumble recoveries in a season with 3, and is #1 in defensive scoring with 18 points...both in 2013. For career numbers, he's #8 for fumble recoveries (4) and #2 for defensive scoring (18 points). He was named All-Conference Honorable mention in 2013 and Second Team in 2014.

And today, we're down to 25...

#25 is Redshirt Freshman Running Back Clint Ratkovich

Clint is a Computer Science major from Crete, IL.

Other #25's we've had include:
Bill Sibert................................1976-78
Dino Ivory...............................1981-83
Craig Taylor............................1984-85
Jim O’Brien.............................1988-89
Elzie Barnett...........................1990-91
Dave King...............................1993-95
Darrell Mitchell............................. 1995
Kevin Robinson........................... 1997
Karim Ross.................................. 1999
Sadrac Sainvilus.......................... 2001
Brandon Watts............................. 2001
Chris McNutt...........................2002-03
Kevin Almlie............................2006-07
Chris Boone................................. 2008
Caulton Ray............................2010-12
Dallas Nichols.........................2013-15

Bill Sibert is #6 (tied) for interceptions in a season with 6 in 1978, when he was named All-Conference and AP Honorable Mention.

Craig Taylor is tied with two others with the most kick returns in a game with 8 against UNI in 1985.

Elzie Barnett was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 1991.

Kevin Almlie was the team's interceptions leader in 2006 with 2.

Caulton Ray led the team in rushing yardage in 2010 (1075) and 2011 (620). His 2010 performance puts him at #16 on the rushing in a season list, and for career numbers, he's #5 in attempts (558), #9 in yards (2,250), #10 (tied) in TDs (16), and #9 (tied) in 100+ yard games (7). He was named to the conference All-Newcomer team in 2010.

Dallas Nichols has the longest interception return in Leatherneck history with a 97 yard "Pick-6" against Hampton in 2013.

#24 for the Leathernecks is Sophomore Defensive Back Mike Viti

Mike is from Camp Hill, PA and played last year as a true freshman in all 11 games (starting the final 2). He had 32 tackles, 10 passes defended, and 1 interception.

Other #24's in Leatherneck History include:
Gary Litchfield........................1961-62
Mike Wilson................................. 1966
Ric Schimanski............................ 1969
Tom Kevin...............................1971-73
Jerry Bey................................1976-79
Mike Pomazak........................1982-83
Don Ferguson.........................1984-85
Claude Milsap.........................1986-87
Chad Steinbaugh....................1991-92
Kevin Robinson........................... 1996
Reggie Thomas........................... 2000
Wyatt Green...........................2001-05
Tim Walker..............................2005-08
Dan Dispensa.............................. 2009
Raynard Pamilton................... 2010-11
Dave Nicholson......................2012-13

Mike Wilson was a NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Safety in 1968. He holds the record (tied) for longest kick return in Leatherneck history with a 100-yard TD return against Indiana State in 1968. He is also 10th (tied) for career interceptions with 9. In 1969 he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and played DB in the CFL for 5 years. Wilson was inducted into the Leatherneck Hall of Fame in 1995.

Tom Kevin is 12th on the least of most receiving yards in a career with 1,429. He is also 7th for yards per catch with a 16.4 average over 87 catches.

Jerry Bey was a All-Conference RB in 1978 and is currently a football coach at Waukegan HS.

Don Ferguson was a Second Team All-Conference DB in 1984.

Wyatt Green was a Second Team All-Conference LB in 2004 and 2005. He was also Second Team Academic All-Conference in 2005. He is 10th on the list of longest fumble returns with a 22-yard recovery returned for a TD against Indiana State in 2003. He was the team's tackle leader in 2004 with 107 tackles.

I've got quite a bit going on this week, so I hope you all don't mind if I go ahead and post tomorrow's a little early.

Tuesday means 23 days left until kickoff.

#23 is Senior Defensive Back Josh Smith

Josh is a Architecture major from Chicago, IL. He's played in 33 games over his 3-year Leatherneck career, recording 35 tackles, 1 for loss, and 1 forced fumble. That 1 forced fumble was critical in the South Dakota game last season, coming very close to the USD goal line and setting up the game-winning drive.

Other #23's in Leatherneck history include:
Jerry Albright............................... 1966
Peter Bussone........................1971-73
Jeff Sellers..............................1975-78
Don Beebe.................................. 1983
Mike Himley............................1984-87
Tom Thatcher..........................1988-90
Kelly Johnson.........................1991-92
Frank Spraggins.......................... 1993
Buck Phillips...........................1994-95
Erik Rogers.............................1998-99
Reggie Waddell........................... 2000
James Wright............................... 2002
Will Bailey...............................2004-05
Kertus Clement.......................2005-06
Eric Tapley................................... 2007
Bryce Flowers......................... 2010-11

Don Beebe led the team in receiving yards in 1987 with 455 yards. He was a first team All-Conference WR in 1987 as well as an AP Honorable Mention recipient. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He would go on to play 6 seasons for the Bills, 1 for Carolina, and 2 for Green Bay, playing in a total of 116 games and racking up 3,416 total yards (career high of 699 in 1996 w/ GB). He appeared in six Super Bowls as a player, four times with the Bills before finally winning a ring with Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI (1996 NFL season).

Frank Spraggins was a second team All-Conference DB in 1994 (also all-newcomer team) and 1995, then first team in 1996 and 1997. In '94, he received Honorable Mentions from FB Gazette and the Sports Network; '96 a FB Gazette Second Team award; and in '97, Walter Camp First Team, Sports Network Second Team, FB Gazette Second Team, and AP Third Team. One of the best DBs to ever play for the Leathernecks, Spraggins holds a game record for interceptions (tied, 3 INTs), has the 3rd best (tied) and 6th best (tied) seasons for interceptions (7 and 6 respectively), is at #10 (twice, and tied with two other players) for passes broken up in a season with 11 in both '96 and '97. His career standings include: #5 for solo tackles (215), #6 for total tackles (367), #1 for interceptions (17), and #1 (tied) for passes broken up (36).

Buck Phillips was a First Team All-Conference player in 1994 and 1995. In '94 he was the conference Newcomer of the Year at DB, and received AP Second Team, Sports Network Second Team, FB Gazette Honorable Mention, and Sports Network Honorable Mention awards, and in '95 was Sports Network Second Team and FB Gazette Second Team. Phillips has the school, conference, and FCS/I-AA record for Punt Returns for TDs in a game with 2 against Murray State in 1994 (in that same game, he also had an interception return for TD). He's got the 9th longest (tied) punt return in Leatherneck history with a 70-yard TD against Iowa Wesleyan in 1994. Phillips is #2 in punt return yards in a season with 464 in 1994 and #1 for average punt return (19.3 yards per return). He's also #1 for returns of any type for a TD in a season (4, 3 punts and 1 interception) which is also a Conference record. His career numbers put him at #1 for punt return yards (718), #1 for average punt return (16.3), #1 for returns of any type for a TD (4 punts, 2 INTs). Phillips wasn't just a return man, however, ranking 6th (tied) for interceptions in a season (6 in 1995), #4 for passes broken up (14 in 1995), and #5 for passes broken up in a career (24).

Reggie Waddell was another phenomenal DB for the Leathernecks, being named to the Second Team All-Conference and conference All-Newcomer team in 2000. Waddell is ranked at #3 for passes broken up in a season with 15. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens in 2001, although only ended up playing in one game.

Bryce Flowers was a RB on the conference All-Newcomer team in 2010. His 5.360 yards per carry as a freshman in 2010 is good enough for #7 on that record list. He has the 8th longest reception with an 87-yard TD catch against UNI in 2010 and is 4th on the list for receiving yards by a RB with 332.