GAMETIME CONDITIONS

• Location: Benton Harbor, Michigan
• Date: October 30, 1970
• Game Location: Filstrup Field
• Geographic Coordinate: 42°06′12″N 86°27′26″W
• Game Start: 7:00 pm ET
• Sunset:   5:39 pm ET
• Condition: Mostly Cloudy
• Degrees:  55 Degrees
• Wind Speed: 9 MPH
• Wind Direction:  SSE

Opponent Profile:

 

 

1970 Benton Harbor Football Team

Michigan Sports Classification:  Class A 

Colors:  Orange and Black

Nickname:  Tigers

Year Founded:  1870

League:  Lake Michigan Athletic Conference (LMAC)

Head Coach:  Les Butgereit

   Record Prior to MCC Game:  4 – 2

Record After MCC Game:  4 – 3

1970 Season Final Record:  5 – 4

1970 Scores

GAME STATISTICS

GAME NOTES

• The win against Benton Harbor clinched the 1970 Lake Michigan Athletic Conference (LMAC) Championship for MCC.
• The LMAC Championship was the first Conference Championship in MCC history.
• The 1970 MCC win against Benton Harbor was the 6th against against Class A teams.
• BH had only 54 yards Total Offense.
• BH was held to only 35 yards Rushing making it the 6th straight game holding the opponent to less than 55 yards
• Both BH Running Backs Don Hopkins and Rodney Rhodes, ran a sub 10 second 100 yard dash.
• Don Hopkins signed a baseball contract in 1970 and played for the Oakland Athetics through the 1976 season.
• Rodney Rhodes was a 2 year letterman as a split end for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.
• Comedian “Sinbad” was a Freshman at BH in 1970 and was probably at the BH Homecoming Game against MCC.
• BH Head Coach Les Butgereit only coached Varsity football for 3 years from 1969 through 1971.
• BH Head Coach Butgereit was primarily the Benton Harbor varsity golf coach,  a position he held for 20 years from 1956 through 1976 when the sport was dropped by the high school.
• Less than seven years later, BH Head Coach Butgereit passed away at only 46 years old on October 4, 1977.

Crusaders mentioned in the Herald – Palladium and  Muskegon Chronicle clippings below*:

• Jim Spilka
• Tom Holmes
• Frank Belmonte
• Bruce Bourdon
• Steve Spetoskey
• Jim White
• Mark Carslake
• Dave Komosinski
• Steve Jados
• John Dombrowski
• Neil Sweet
• Dave Beckmann
• Dennis Treptow
• Jim Tejchma
• Steve Lenar

*Let these Crusaders know that they are in the newspaper this week…only 50 years later!

Herald – Palladium

Benton Harbor NEWSPAPER QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Muskegon Catholic Central’s football factory is back in business again.”

Click here for larger Herald Palladium clipping

Muskegon Chronicle

Muskegon Catholic NEWSPAPER QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Picked in pre-season play to be no higher than third or fourth, Catholic thus fashioned it’s first conference football crown in what is considered one of the strongest grid leagues in the state.” 

Click here for larger Muskegon Chronicle clipping

Next Game:

Game 8

Reeths Puffer Rockets (4 – 2 – 1)

at

Muskegon Catholic Central Crusaders (6 -1)

FRIDAY, November 6, 1970 7:00 PM