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Indiana State Sycamores football
2024 Indiana State Sycamores football team
First season	1896; 128 years ago
Athletic director	Nathan Christensen[1]
Head coach	Curt Mallory 7th season, 20–47 (.299)
Stadium	Memorial Stadium (capacity: 12,764)
Year built	1924
Field surface	Field Turf
Location	Terre Haute, Indiana
NCAA division	Division I FCS
Conference	Missouri Valley
All-time record	404–561–23 (.421)
Bowl record	0–1 (.000)
Playoff appearances	3 (Div. I FCS) 1983, 1984, 2014
Playoff record	2–3 (Div. I FCS)
Conference titles	1 (1964 Indiana Collegiate)
Rivalries	Ball State (rivalry) Illinois State
Consensus All-Americans	16
Colors	Royal blue and white[2]
Fight song	March On!
Mascot	Sycamore Sam
Marching band	Marching Sycamores
Outfitter	Under Armour
Website	GoSycamores.com

The Indiana State Sycamores football team is the NCAA Division I football program of Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. They compete in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Playoffs in the 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Their first season was 1896.^[3] The Sycamore's greatest season was 1983, when coach Dennis Raetz led them to the 2nd round of the 1983 NCAA Division I Football Championship and ended the season with a record of 9–4. The Sycamores also appeared in the 1984 and 2014 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. The Indiana State Sycamores play their home games at Memorial Stadium, which seats 12,764.^[4]

• 1896–1951: NCAA open classification
• 1952–1964: NCAA / NAIA (dual membership)
• 1965–1972: NCAA College Division
• 1970–1973: NAIA Division I
• 1973–1975: NCAA Division II
• 1976–1977: NCAA Division I
• 1978–1981: NCAA Division I–A
• 1982–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS

^[5]

• 1896–1933: Independent
• 1934–1949: Indiana Intercollegiate Conference
• 1950–1967: Indiana Collegiate Conference
• 1968–1972: Independent
• 1973–1975: Division II Independent
• 1976–1977: Missouri Valley Conference (Division I)
• 1978–1981: Missouri Valley Conference (Division I-A)
• 1982–1985: Missouri Valley Conference (Division I-AA)
• 1986–present: Gateway Football Conference / Missouri Valley Football Conference

^[5]

The 1964 Indiana State Sycamores football team shared the Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) title in 1964 with four other teams (Ball State, Butler, Evansville, Valparaiso, with the Sycamores finishing with a 4–2 conference record and a 6–2 overall mark.^[6]

The Sycamores have participated in one bowl game, garnering a record of 0–1.

Year	Bowl	Opponent	Result
1949	Shrine Bowl	Southern Illinois	L 14–41

The Sycamores have appeared in 3 NCAA Division I Football Championships. Their combined record is 2–3.

Date played	Round	Winner		Runner-Up
1983	NCAA Division I First Round	Indiana State	16	Eastern Illinois	13
1983	Pecan Bowl	Southern Illinois	23	Indiana State	7
1984	Pecan Bowl	Middle Tennessee State	42	Indiana State	41
2014	NCAA Division I First Round	Indiana State	36	Eastern Kentucky	16
2014	NCAA Division I Second Round	Chattanooga	35	Indiana State	14

The Sycamores reached the AP and United Press International Top Ten mid-way through the 1974 season; they would not return to the Top Ten until the 1983 season. The 2018 Sycamores finished #25 in the final FCS coaches poll.^[7]

All Indiana State Coaching Records are available at:^[8]

Coach (Alma Mater)	Seasons	Tenure	Games	Record	Pct.
Dennis Raetz (Nebraska, 1968)	18	1980–1997	200	94–105–1	.473
Wally Marks (Chicago, 1927)	16	1927–1930, 1933–1941, 1946–1948	125	62–56–7	.524
Jerry Huntsman (Wabash, 1952)	7	1966–1972	68	43–24–1	.640
Bill Jones (Ohio Wesleyan, 1939)	9	1957–1965	70	32–37–1	.464
Tim McGuire (Nebraska, 1975)	7	1998–2004	79	24–55	.304
Art Strum (Wisconsin-LaCrosse, 1916)	6	1923–1926, 1932, 1942	43	21–20–2	.512
Tom Harp (Muskingum, 1951)	5	1973–1977	51	20–31	.392
Trent Miles (Indiana State, 1987)	5	2008–2012	56	20–36	.357
Curt Mallory (Michigan, 1990)	7	2017–present	67	20–47	.299
Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1976)	4	2013–2016	48	18–30	.375
Mark Dean (Northern Illinois, 1938)	5	1951–1954, 1956	39	15–20–4	.436
Dick Jamieson (Bradley, 1961)	2	1978–1979	22	11–11	.500
Phil Brown (Butler, 1923)	1	1944	8	5–2–1	.688
J. Roy Goodlad (Wisconsin, 1929)	1	1931	7	4–3	.571
CPO Bob LeCray[a] (SE Okla St, 19--)	1	1945	6	2–4	.333
Paul Selge (Indiana State, 1943)	1	1955	9	2–7	.222
George Ashworth (Indiana State, 1935)	2	1949–1950	19	2–16–1	.132
Lou West (Cincinnati, 1976)	3	2005–2007	33	1–32	.030
various (7 others)	13	1896–1909, 1920-1922, 1943	42	9–28–5	.274
PROGRAM TOTALS	114-yrs	1896-Pres.	985	405–557–23	.423

From 1924 to 2023, the Sycamores played Ball State (Ind.) University 66 times; the series stands at 39–24–1 in favor of Ball State.

In 1940, the respective Blue Key chapters sponsored a trophy presentation, the 'Victory Bell' to reward the winner of the annual game between Indiana State and Ball State. The Sycamores lost the last game in Muncie. The game finished with a 45–7 loss for the Sycamores

The term Homecoming was first used in print announcements for the Alumni-Varsity Basketball Game on December 9, 1916. By the year 1919, this event became known as Blue and White Day and featured dances and entertainment for alumni of the Normal School. In 1921 the events were organized around a football game scheduled earlier in the autumn. A bonfire and pep rally were added to the festivities in 1922; the Blue-and-White Parade in 1923; and in 1937, Bette Whitmore (Kappa Kappa) was elected ISUs first Homecoming Queen.^[9] The 2010 season will mark the 106th season of Sycamore football and the 91st Homecoming; the Sycamores will face conference foe, Illinois State, on October 9. This will mark the 7th time that Illinois State has been the Homecoming opponent; following a tremendous victory (59–24) the Sycamores now own a 5–2 mark vs. Illinois State in Homecoming games.

As of 2012; Indiana State owns a 50–36–2 (.580) record in Homecoming games; the outcomes of the remaining 5 games are unknown.

A symbol of the traditional rivalry in football between Indiana State and Ball State, the Victory Bell tradition was inaugurated in 1940 when the Blue Key chapters at both schools arranged to donate a bell to be presented to the victor of the football game. The idea was to start a traditional exchange of the bell as a means of improving relationships between the two student bodies.^[10] The Victory Bell series is 34–19–1 in favor of Ball State, though the Sycamores won their last meeting in 2014.

Year	Home
1896–1948	Multiple Venues; including Thompson Park, aka, Parsons Field.
1949–present	Memorial Stadium, constructed in 1924.

The Sycamores have played football at venerable Memorial Stadium since the 1949 campaign. Originally constructed in 1922–24, at a cost of $450,000; the 12,764-seat stadium remains a fixture at the intersection of Wabash and Brown Avenues in Terre Haute, IN.

Memorial Stadium's inauguration was on May 5, 1925, as the local minor league baseball team, the Terre Haute Tots, hosted their Three-I League rivals, the Peoria Tractors, before an estimated crowd of 9,000. Among the esteemed visitors were Major League Baseball Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Charles Barnard of the Cleveland Indians.

The facility was acquired (via a 99-year lease) by Indiana State University in 1967. The installation of Astroturf made Indiana State the first university to own a football stadium with artificial turf.

• Shakir Bell – 2011 Walter Payton Award Finalist (Top 2 vote receiver)
• Johnny Towalid – 2012 Co-National FCS Defensive Back of the Year (by College Football Performance)^[11]

• Edgar Freese – 1965 Indiana Collegiate Conference DT (Lineman)^[12]
• Reggie Allen – 1979 Missouri Valley Conference QB (offense)
• Gerry Gluscic – 1979 Missouri Valley Conference DE (defense)
• Craig Shaffer – 1981 Missouri Valley Conference LB (defense)
• Jeff Miller – 1984 Missouri Valley Conference QB (offense)
• Wayne Davis – 1984 Missouri Valley Conference DB (defense)
• Jeff Miller – 1985 Missouri Valley Conference QB (offense)
• Vencie Glenn – 1985 Missouri Valley Conference DB (defense)
• Derrick Franklin – 1991 Missouri Valley Football Conference RB (offense)
• Julian Reese - 2001 Missouri Valley Football Conference QB (Newcomer of the Year)
• Shakir Bell – 2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference RB (offense)
• Ryan Boyle - 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference QB (Newcomer of the Year)
• Cade Chambers - 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference QB (Freshman of the Year)

• Jeff Keller, DE – 1967 American Football Coaches Association
• Chris Hicks, OT – 1975 American Football Coaches Association
• Vincent Allen, RB – 1976 American Football Coaches Association
• Ed Martin, DE – 1983 American Football Coaches Association
• Wayne Davis, DB – 1984 American Football Coaches Association
• Vencie Glenn, DB – 1985 American Football Coaches Association
• Steve Mckeel DB – 1986 Associated Press
• Mike Simmonds, OT – 1986 American Football Coaches Association
• Steve McKeel DB – 1987 Associated Press
• Derrick Franklin, RB – 1991 Walter Camp, The Sports Network
• Shawn Moore, OG – 1993 American Football Coaches Association
• Dan Brandenburg, DT – 1994 American Football Coaches Association
• Dan Brandenburg, DT – 1995 The Sports Network, American Football Quarterly
• Tom Allison, PK – 1995 Don Hansen's Football Gazette
• Troy Lefevra, DE – 1998 Don Hansen's Football Gazette
• DeJuan Alfonzo, DB/RS – 1999 American Football Coaches Association
• Shakir Bell, RB – 2011 Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association,^[13] The Sports Network
• Ben Obaseki, DL – 2011 Associated Press^[14]
• Joshua Appel, LS – 2015 STATS All-American^[15]

• Gary Brown, E – 1971
• Michael Eads, E – 1972
• Mark Maley E −1973
• Daniel Millington, DE – 2009
• Alex Sewall, DB – 2011^[16]

• Jeffrey Miller, QB – 1986

^[17][18][19]

Bob Masulovich, OL, 1952 Jack Griffith, OL, 1953 Bob Masulovich, OL, 1953 Jack Griffith, End, 1954 Bob Masulovich, OL, 1954 Bill Griffith, End, 1955 Wally Geib, OL, 1962 Joe Beach, DL, 1962 Wally Geib, OL, 1963 John Allen, OL, 1964

Rolland Beckham, OL, 1964 Arthur Fallon, OT, 1964 Willie Smith, End, 1964 Emmitt "Tank" Tyler, FB, 1964 Edgar Freese, OL, 1965 Bernard Heins, OL, 1965 John Newbitt, HB, 1965 Bob Pychinka, LB, 1965 John Truitt, End, 1965 John Truitt, End, 1966

Joe Fiedler, C, 1966 Randy Payne, HB, 1966 Bob Pychinka, LB, 1966 Timon Kendall, OL, 1967 Rich Attonito, DB, 1967 Stan Worrall, DL, 1967

Vincent Allen, RB, 1977 Don Jackson, DB, 1977 Gary Gamen, DT, 1978 John Allman, DB, 1978 Kirk Wilson, WR, 1979 Eddie Ruffin, WR, 1979 George DeTella, OT, 1979 Reggie Allen, QB, 1979 Gerry Gluscic, DE, 1979 John Allman, DB, 1979 Hubert Moore, TE, 1980

Eddie Ruffin, WR, 1980 Mark Gradkowski, OG, 1980 John Gaunt, DT, 1980 Craig Shaffer, LB, 1980 John Allman, DB, 1980 Hubert Moore, TE 1981 Kirk Wilson, WR, 1981 Craig Shaffer, LB, 1981 Walter Seaphus, NG, 1982 Ed Martin, DE, 1982

Dan Maher, LB, 1982 Bob Koehne, OT, 1983 Rich Dawson, C, 1983 Jeff Miller, QB, 1983 Ed Martin, DE, 1983 Quintin Mikell, LB, 1983 Kevin Ramsey, DB, 1983 Wayne Davis, DB, 1984 Steve Buxton, OG, 1984 Rich Dawson, C, 1984

Jeff Miller, QB, 1984 Darrold Clardy, RB, 1984 Scott Bridges, PK, 1984 Doug Arnold, NG, 1984 Brad Verdun, DT, 1984 Jeff Miller, QB, 1985 Doug Arnold, NG, 1985 Terry Bell, WR, 1985 Vencie Glenn, DB, 1985 Mike Simmonds, OG, 1985 Kurt Bell, DE, 1985

Mike Simmonds, OT, 1986 Steve McKeel, DB, 1986 Troy Johnson, LB, 1986 Tim Cunningham, LB, 1986 Chuck Standiford, P, 1986 Pete Endre, OT, 1987 Steve McKeel, DB, 1987 Gary Cannon, WR, 1987 Steve Elmlinger, WR, 1988 Tori Vactor, RB, 1988 Ken Hopp, LB, 1988 Troy Mickens, DB, 1988 Rodney Porter, TE, 1989 Mark Bertram, DT, 1989 Derrick Franklin, RB, 1990 Charles Swann, WR, 1990 Eric Christensen, LB, 1991 Derrick Franklin, RB, 1991 Charles Swann, WR, 1991 Dyrrah Christon, NG, 1992

David Wright, RB, 1992 Dan Brandenburg, DT, 1993 Von Ganaway, FS, 1993 Tim Giebels, OT, 1993 Shawn Moore, OG, 1993 David Wright, RB, 1993 Dan Brandenburg, DT, 1994 Dustin Rusch, DT, 1994 Dan Brandenburg, DT, 1995 Dre Knox, DB, 1996 Richard Moss, LB, 1996 Robert High, FS, 1997 Shannon Jackson, DT, 1997 DeJuan Alfonzo, DB, 1998 Troy Lefevra, DE, 1998 DeJuan Alfonzo, DB, 1999 Nathan Al-Ghetta, FB, 1999 Shannon Jackson, DE, 1999 Troy Lefevra, DE, 1999 Richard Harris, DE, 2001

Richard Harris, DE, 2002 Dietrich Lapsley, LB, 2002 Soso Dede, KR, 2002 Ryan King, TE, 2003 Kyle Mitchell, DE, 2003 Kyle Mitchell, DE, 2004 Sam Logan, WR, 2005 Kyle Mitchell, DE, 2005 Jamie Petrowski, TE, 2005 Shonda Faulkner, LB, 2007 Darrius Gates, RB, 2010 Brock Lough, FB, 2010 Ben Obaseki, DE, 2010 Alex Sewall, DB, 2010 Aaron Archie, LB, 2011 Shakir Bell, RB, 2011 Alex Jones, TE, 2011 Brock Lough, FB, 2011 FN Lutz, OL, 2011 Ben Obaseki, DE, 2011

Alex Sewall, DB, 2011 Shakir Bell, RB, 2012 Aaron Archie, LB, 2012 Ben Obaseski, DE, 2012 Johnny Towalid, DB, 2012 Lucas Hileman, P, 2012 Connor Underwood, DL, 2013 Connor Underwood, DL, 2014 Josh Appel, LS, 2015 Josh Appel, LS, 2016 Ja'Quan Keys, RB, 2018 Jonas Griffith, LB, 2018

Player	Years	Comp	Att	TD	Yds	Pct.	Int
Mike Perish	2012–2014	618	1,050	45	6,696	.590	28
Jeff Miller	1982–1985	555	1,016	40	6,448	.552	33
John Sahm	1986–1989	341	668	30	5,139	.496	38
Reggie Allen	1978–1981	367	782	29	5,094	.469	46
Ronnie Fouch	2010–2011	322	544	38	4,316	.592	15
Kip Hennelly	1991–1993	249	490	19	3,158	.508	27
Julian Reese	2001–2002	267	499	20	2,961	.535	21
Kevin Cox	1993–1996	238	528	20	2,885	.45	22
Kyle Frondorf	1986–1988	208	391	8	2,778	.532	24
Blayne Baggett	2005	284	473	15	2,741	.600	13

Player	Years	Att	Yds	Avg.	TD
Vincent Allen	1973–1977	832	4,335	5.21	31
Shakir Bell	2010–2013	672	4,214	6.3	28
David Wright	1992–1995	784	4,181	5.33	22
Derrick Franklin	1989–1991	710	3,231	4.55	23
Eric Robinson	1979–1982	443	2,169	4.90	22
Jake Shields	2001–2004	521	2,119	4.07	19
Darrius Gates	2006–2010	396	2,010	5.08	20
Jim Brumfield	1967–1969	448	1,998	4.46	23
Darrold Clardy	1981–1984	355	1,594	4.49	19
Tori Vactor	1987–1988	312	1,545	4.95	12

Player	Years	Rcpt	Yds	Avg.	TD
Dante Hendrix	2018-2022	190	2,500	13.2	13
Sam Logan	2003–2006	196	2,385	12.2	9
Robert Tonyan	2013–2016	147	2,029	13.8	20
Carl Berman	2003–2006	136	1,666	12.1	11
Rodney Porter	1986–1989	135	1,906	14.1	9
Terry Bell	1982–1985	132	2,048	15.5	13
Joe Downing	1982–1985	115	1,608	14.0	15
Eddie Ruffin	1978–1981	110	1,831	16.6	11
Gary Owens	2013–2015	105	1,373	13.1	13
Larry Brown	1993–1996	105	1,197	11.4	6
Steve Elminger	1987–1989	102	1,823	17.9	10
Steve Schmid	1967–1969	100	1,394	13.9	11

Player	Years	TD	FG	PAT1	PAT2	PTS
Kyle Hooper	2003–2007	0	42	85	0	221
Vincent Allen	1973–1977	33	0	0	1	200
Tom Allison	1992–1995	0	38	82	0	196
Scott Bridges	1983–1985	0	31	87	0	180
Shakir Bell	2010–2013	30	0	0	0	180
Eric Heidorn	2013-2015	0	29	81	0	168
Mike Megyesi	1999–2002	0	27	83	0	164
Jim Brumfield	1967–1969	26	0	0	0	156
Robert Tonyan	2013–2016	22	0	0	4	140
David Wright	1992–1995	23	0	0	1	140

Career leaders in bold

• Curt Mallory – 2019 Phil Steele FCS Coach of the Year^[20]

• Jerry Huntsman – 1966 NCAA District #1
• Jerry Huntsman – 1968 NCAA District #2^[21]
• Trent Miles – 2010 AFCA Region #4^[22]
• Trent Miles – 2012 AFCA Region #4^[23]
• Mike Sanford – 2014 AFCA Region #4^[24]

• Mark Dean – 1952 Indiana Collegiate Conference
• Bill Jones – 1959 Indiana Collegiate Conference^[25]
• Bill Jones – 1960 Indiana Collegiate Conference^[25]
• Bill Jones – 1963 Indiana Collegiate Conference^[25]
• Jerry Huntsman – 1966 Indiana Collegiate Conference^[26]
• Dennis Raetz – 1984 Missouri Valley Conference^[27]
• Trent Miles – 2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference^[27]
• Curt Mallory – 2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference^[27]

Fifty former Sycamores have played in professional football leagues. The leagues include the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), Arena Football League (AFL), the United Football League (UFL), and United States Football League (USFL). The most notable players are:

Player	Class Year	Position	Primary Team(s)	Career	Highlight(s)
Jalen Booth	2022	Tackle	Tampa Bay Bandits	2022–present
Jonas Griffith	2021	OLB	Denver Broncos	2021–present
Dominique Dafney	2020	TE	Green Bay Packers	2020–present
Robert Tonyan	2017	TE	Green Bay Green Bay Packers	2017–present	Led NFL in 2020 with 'Touchdowns by TE'; tied franchise record (11 TDs)
Jameer Thurman	2016	LB	Calgary Stampeders	2017–present	2018 Grey Cup Champion
Shakir Bell	2012	RB	Ottawa Redblacks	2014–2017	2015 Grey Cup Champion, All-American
Jamie Petrowski	2006	TE	Tennessee Titans	2006–2012	3rd Team All-American
Dan Brandenburg	1996	DT	Buffalo Bills	1996–1999	42 Career Games
John Bock	1993	OL	Miami Dolphins	1995–2000	17 Career Starts; Head Coach, Brooklyn Bolts
Vencie Glenn	1986	DB	San Diego Chargers	1986–1995	35 Career INTs
Wayne Davis	1985	DB	San Diego Chargers	1985–1990	5 Career INTs
Craig Shaffer	1982	LB	St. Louis Cardinals	1982–1984	18 Career Games
Tunch Ilkin	1980	OL	Pittsburgh Steelers	1980–1993	Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team, 2x Pro Bowl Lineman

• 2013 – FN Lutz, OG (FCS Senior Scout Bowl)
• 2010 – Pat Burke, OG (FCS Senior Scout Bowl)
• 2010 – Darrius Gates, RB (FCS Senior Scout Bowl)
• 2006 – Carl Berman, (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
• 2006 – Kyle Hooper, PK (East Coast Bowl)
• 2006 – Madison Miller, DE (East Coast Bowl)
• 2005 – Blayne Baggett, QB (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
• 2005 – LaDrelle Bryant, LB (Magnolia Gridiron Classic)
• 1999 – DeJuan Alfonzo, DB (All-Star Gridiron Classic)
• 1995 – Dan Brandenburg, DT (Blue-Gray)
• 1992 – Charles Swann, WR (Senior Bowl)
• 1992 – Charles Swann, WR (Japan Bowl)
• 1990 – Steve Elmlinger, WR (Senior Bowl)
• 1985 – Vencie Glenn, DB (Blue-Gray)
• 1986 – Vencie Glenn, DB (Senior Bowl)
• 1982 – Kirk Wilson, WR (Senior Bowl)
• 1981 – Craig Shaffer, LB (Blue-Gray)

Vincent Allen – 2000[28] Max Andress – 1976[29] George Ashworth (ISU Head Coach) – 1979[30] Steve Balash – 2009[31] Paul Beck – 1979[32] Dan Brandenburg - 1995[33] Phil Brown (ISU Head Coach) – 1985[34] Charles "Cocky" Bush – 1976[35] Bob Clayton – 2012[36] Robert Clements – 1988 Jim Conover – 1976[37] Rich Dodson – 2003

Stewart "Red" Faught – 1981[38] Wayne Fuson – 1974 Joe Goodman – 1998 Delby Humphrey – 1974 Jerry Huntsman (ISU Head Coach) – 1985[21] Bill Jones (ISU Head Coach) – 1981[39] Charlie Karazsia – 2006[40] Wally Marks (ISU Head Coach) – 1974 Dick Martin – 1976 Bob Nesbit – 1976 Steve Purichia – 2014[41] R. Douglas Reeser – 2006

Ed Robertson – 1996 Tim Roth – 2014[42] Van "Rusty" Rutherford – 1976 Thomas Stirling – 1988 Kenneth "Zip" Sypult – 1987 Phil Teegarden – 2001 N.E. "Gene" Wernz – 1977 Mark Wildman – 2007 Roy Lee Williams – 1976 Ernie Zeller – 1979 Maurey Zlotnik – 2003

Announced schedules as of June 6, 2024.^[43]

2024	2025	2026	2027
at Purdue	Eastern Illinois	UT Martin	at UT Martin
at Eastern Illinois	at Indiana	at Eastern Illinois	at Indiana
Dayton	at Montana	at Purdue
Houston Christian

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