1977-1978 Yearbook

The loss of 19 sen iors from last year's AIC co-champi onship football team left a hole that needed filling. But the Bisons just could not seem to fill that hole and suffered t hrough a disappointing 4-7 season. Good spring drills and a profitable recruiting season had left head coach John Prock with an opt imistic preseason attitude. "We' ll need ti me to put the puzzle back together again," the dean of AIC grid mentors said . " Replacing that many people and that much leadership is more than an overnight task. But we have some people who can tackle the job . We just need a litt le time for some of the boys to get some game experience." But it seemed the more experience the Bisons got, the more they fell. A little over midway through the season they were 4-2 but victory eluded them the rest of the way. The season started off well enough with a 26-10 v ictory at Jackson, Tennessee, over the Lane College Dragons. In the season opener, fullback Allen Grieb scored two touchdowns and quarterback Cam Prock completed seven of 12 passes for 108 194 • Football yards. Game number two brought revenge as the Bisons defeated the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers 107 in the home opener. The three-point victory avenged last year's three poi nt loss. David Duke's 25 yard field goal provided the winn ing margin as the Bisons won their eighth-straight v ictory in the 13-year history of the annual Dad's Night game. Journeying to Springfield, Missouri , for game number three, the Bi sons suffered a 41-14 thrashing at the hands of the Southwest Missouri State University Bears. The only bright spot in the game was wide receiver Max Ellzey, who caught nine passes for 121 yards, including one touchdown . Fullback co-captain Allen Grieb was lost for the season during the game with a knee injury which required surgery . Grieb thus ended his career with 1,730 yards to rank fifth on the all-time school record list. Conference action began in game number four as the Bisons fell at Arkadelphia to nationa lly ranked Henderson State University by a 9-0 verdi ct. In a game which emphasized defense, Henderson's defense proved , . SENIOR QUARTERBACK Steve Peeples intently watches the Bison conquest of OBU. . 2. PSYCHED UP for the ball game, the Bisons rip through a "Tear Up the Tigers" banner. 3. TAK ING A HANDOFF from quarterback Cam Prock, fullback Curtis Dupriest attacks a tough Southern Arkansas front wall. 4. A IUBLILANT KERRY FORTNER lifts a clenched hand for victory following Curtis Dupriest's one-yard touchdown plunge against Ouachita. 5. FOLLOWING a pass reception, Bison receiver David Bangs picks up nine yards against the UAM 8011 Weevils. 6. f(X)TBALL TEAM. Front Row: K. Jonestrainer, Huckeba-grad. asst ., R. Miller, Harris, Jones, Collier, Johnson, Orr, Linz, Bartee, Ragsdale, Ellzey, Anderson, Banks, Key, Tribble, Rick Jones-grad. asst., Akins-grad. asst. Second Row: Hickmon-grad. asst ., Randy Jones, Graul , Steward, McCallister, Yeldell, Rivas, Mahanay, Perry, Dickey, Bangs, Pettit , Dauksch, Cooks, Webb, Hawkins, M. Miller, Shock, Smith, Joslingrad. asst. Third Row: Coach Johnson, Coach Sharp, Nickerson, Stamp, Brown, Dukes, White, Beck, Shackelford, Stevens, Vanlandingham, Grieb, lawson, Gentry, Earnhart, French, Hines, Fortner, Towns, Rogers , Dupriest, Coach Mote, Head Coach Prock . Back Row: Peeples, Thompson, Dickson , Powers, langsdo n, Goldstein, Dodds, Kirkland, Reves, Kuwitzky, James, Prock, Gregg, Connell , Cothren, Berry, Massey, Hurst , Witt.

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