Golden Scots Epilogue: 50 years ago they were perfect. 'When it was game time, we could play.'

In the past 100 years, only one full season of Monmouth College football has ended without a single blemish. The Fighting Scots were a perfect 9-0 in 1972, winning four blowouts before a series of five straight contested victories, capped by a triumph over arch-rival St. Olaf. That victory over the Oles gave Monmouth its first-ever outright Midwest Conference football championship. There would not be another one for 33 years. By then, undefeated regular seasons were rewarded with a trip to the NCAA playoffs, so that 2005 campaign – and three others since – ended with postseason defeats. That makes 1972 the last undefeated season for Fighting Scots football.

Part 1: Oles of St. Olaf cause fits for Monmouth's Fighting Scots

Part 1, sidebar: Golden Scots: Monmouth's Goehl suffers injury during game against St. Olaf in 1971

Part 2: Golden Scots: Reichow brought 'military influence' to Monmouth

Part 3: Golden Scots: Monmouth had lots of new faces onboard heading into '72 season

Part 3, sidebar: Golden Scots: Reichow challenged each and every one of his Monmouth players

Part 4: Golden Scots: Scots sprint out of the gate with three wins in three states

Part 5: Golden Scots: Scots dominate Carls, hang on to edge Kohawks, Siwash

Part 6: Monmouth fights back for win over Cornell

Part 7:Brinker, Plummer's heroics aide Monmouth College

Part 7, sidebar:Golden Scots: 'Plan B' leads to one of the greatest individual performances in Monmouth history

Part 8: Monmouth clashes with St. Olaf in rematch with unbeaten season on line

Part 9:Monmouth College football program denied small-school bowl bid

MONMOUTH — When reflecting on the Stagg Bowl snub and the premature end to Monmouth’s 1972 season, Mike Castillo said, “We don’t know how much Monmouth College wanted us to play that game. They didn’t want it to seem like the school was Jock U. But if you look at the majors of our guys, there were very few P.E. majors at that time.”

The undefeated 1972 Fighting Scots not only share a similarity with that year’s Miami Dolphins, but also with a team known to many – the 1985 Chicago Bears. Just as those Bears had characters with talent, such as Steve “Mongo” McMichael, Dan Hampton and William “Refrigerator” Perry, the Scots did, too, be it Dave Brinker, Bob Trombetta, Bill Honeycutt, or any of a number of others who played hard on and off the field.

Leading those Bears was the rugged Mike Ditka, with another talented coach in Buddy Ryan. The Scots, of course, had Army-tough Bill “Moose” Reichow and, for that one season, future NFL scout Ken Geiger, who would, coincidentally, go on to work with the ’85 Bears.

“I never thought of it that way, but that’s probably a good analogy,” said Honeycutt, who realized a goal, many times over, of serving as an official at the state wrestling meet. “We had some characters on that team. A big percentage of our guys were either in Theta Chi or ATO, and we had a crazy group in the Theta Chi house. But when it was game time, we could play.”

To Castillo’s point, judging the collective team members’ book by its cover in 1972 would’ve meant examining a pretty thin volume – the players were all around 20 years old, give or take, and their life accomplishments were mostly unwritten chapters.

Catching up with them today, after 50 more years to witness the fruits of their labors, tells a more complete story – one of successes in business, in law, in finance, in higher education, in government, in coaching. They were jocks, yes, and some seemed a little bit crazy, but their time as Scots served them well.

“It’s the lessons in life that carry over,” said Castillo, an All-American wrestler who lost only three times in 99 matches under Reichow. “Forget the X’s and O’s he taught us, forget the wrestling moves. It’s what he taught us about life that lasts, and that’s why we owe him.”

Lessons, primarily, on hard work and loyalty.

“If there was one thing to say about this team, it’s that everybody was unselfish,” said Castillo. “Nobody was ever trying to out-do the other guy or be a glory-seeker. Everybody wanted to contribute to make the team what it was. They didn’t want to be the person who failed or let the team down. I was only there for one year, but I saw it from the outside, too, and how it compared to this team.”

“It was a terrific social experience for me, too, going to a school where everybody didn’t come from a place like Huntley,” said Charlie Goehl. “There were so many kids from the East Coast back then – guys from Boston, Providence, Delaware, Maine, New York. And having the chance to be a captain was a special part of it for me.”

“I wouldn’t give it back for anything, despite all the aches and pains,” said Honeycutt. “It really identified a lot of us and put a certain core in us. You had to learn discipline and how to overcome failure.”

“Coach Reichow was all business,” said Tim Burk, who later helped him coach the Scots in 1975. “He was hard-nosed and strict, but he was also, without a doubt, the best coach I ever had. All of us played hard for him. He was always fair, and we respected him.”

“It was an honor,” said Tom Kratochvil. “In sports, you don’t always accomplish all your goals, but that year, we did.”

“It’s definitely a moment of pride and a treasured memory having been a part of that team,” said Burk. “It’s hard to settle on one particular moment as a best memory – there were just so many good ones.”

“All the connections with my teammates – I think about that often,” said Rod Davies, now in his fifth term as Monmouth’s mayor. “You can call any of ’em up, and they’d be at your door.”

“These people are special, special,” said Reichow at the close of a two-hour gathering with four of his former players in early January. “When you’re with this group, you’re doing well.”

The group included, right by his side, his wife, Marcia.

“She won and lost those games with me,” said Reichow. “And she was a mother to those kids.”

“Monmouth College was nowhere near what it is now,” said Paul Waszak at the gathering. “You had that old cinder track below the gym. But the reason why people came to play football at Monmouth was, No. 1, the love of the game. And No. 2 is that man sitting right there. That’s why we played, and that’s why we won. They’ve had a hell of a run in recent years and played top-notch football. But our 9-0 record, that’s in the books. It’s part of Monmouth College history.”

“It brings tears to my eyes, and that doesn’t happen very often,” said Reichow at his well-attended 90th birthday celebration in 2019, when alumni returned from around the country to honor him. “We had some great days together in the past, and this is a great day right now.”

“It was a great chance for the guys to come back and shake his hand and say, ‘Thanks, Coach,’” said Bill Breedlove. “He still had that voice and that presence. He probably still could’ve taken half the guys in the room.”

A ’72 team gathering is planned for Homecoming weekend, Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The team will be honored at the college’s inaugural Fighting Scots Champions Club Ceremony. Among others, Kratochvil will be there.

“I’ve been coming to Homecoming every year since 1988,” said Kratochvil, whose daughter, Marissa, graduated from Monmouth in 2006. “The only one we’ve missed is the one a couple years ago during COVID.”

“I’m really looking forward to Homecoming,” said Dennis Plummer, who is now a member of Monmouth's Board of Trustees. “I definitely feel that the college did a lot for me. The sports I played at Monmouth and the coaches were all part of the experience, and I’d do it all over again. I really value how we’ve stayed in touch through the years. A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to be on a team like we had and to remain close. I just love those guys.”

This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: No 'a glory-seekers' on this team. Scots reflect on golden season