Year: | 1962 |
Team: | Parsons Wildcats |
Sport: | football |
Conference: | Iowa Conference |
Short Conf: | Iowa |
Record: | 9–0 |
Conf Record: | 9–0 |
Head Coach: | Frosty Westering |
Hc Year: | 1st |
Champion: | Iowa Conference champion |
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. Craddock was selected as a second-team player on the 1962 Little All-America college football team[5] and later played in both the National Football League and Canadian Football League.[6]
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.[7]