Chadron State College Athletics

In 1998, at the suggestion of Dr. Sam Rankin, then president of Chadron State, three football teams that were observing milestone anniversaries, were inducted into the Hall of Fame.    

Chadron State’s 1978 football season was highlighted by winning the Boot Hill Bowl in Dodge City, Kan., allowing the Eagles to forge a 7-2-2 record and finish 16th in the NAIA Division II rankings. The win was CSC’s first in the postseason until the 2006 team defeated West Texas A&M in an NCAA Division II playoff game.
It was anticipated that 1978 would be a good year for the Eagles. The 1977 team had an 8-2 record and much of the cast was returning. An exception was Coach Sparky Adams, who moved to Bemidji State in Minnesota. He was replaced by Jerry Welch, a starter on Arkansas’ national championship team in 1964.
Many of the games were close and the Eagles lost twice late in the season, but the rousing 30-19 triumph over Baker University in the Boot Hill Bowl erased most of the negative memories.
The team was noted for its potent passing led by quarterback Brad Fults, who completed 186 of 350 tosses for 2,109 yards. That season, he became just the second player in Nebraska collegiate history to amass more than 6,000 yards in career total offense.
Fults’ favorite target was Bill Ryan, who caught 65 passes for 868 yards and nine touchdowns. The pair and offensive tackle Terry Mastny, who went on to earn All-American honors, were selected to the Nebraska NAIA all-star team at the end of the season.
The longhorn trophy that CSC earned at the Boot Hill Bowl still hangs in Armstrong Gymnasium.