THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR INDIANHILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The 1971 Indian Hills Football team will forever lay claim as the first team in program history to win a conference championship. Now, the '71 Falcons can add another prestigious honor. The 1971 squad will officially be inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame Saturday night.

Under the tutelage of head coach Al Daniels, the Falcons made a remarkable run to capture the Iowa Junior College Conference championship, knocking off nationally ranked foes in unheralded fashion along the way. From grueling road victories to statement wins, the 1971 squad left its mark on the history of not only Indian Hills, but junior college football.

The Falcons claimed six victories in the historic 1971 season after a remarkable run down the stretch that saw Indian Hills capture five consecutive wins to close out the year, outscoring their opponents 135-51 along the way. For their efforts, Indian Hills garnered numerous accolades as Daniels was tapped as the conference's coach of the year while five players – Larry McClatchey, Bruce Oxenford, Rick Upchurch, Odell Watson, and Terry Andringa were honored on the All-Conference team. Upchurch's breakout freshman campaign landed the future NFL All-Pro a spot on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American Second-Team. Andringa and Watson, veteran sophomore leaders of that year's squad, earned NJCAA All-American honors.

In a year that opened with an underwhelming 1-2-1 record, the Falcons showed glimpses of a championship-caliber team on both sides of the ball in the early stages of the season. From a three touchdown performance from Upchurch in the season opener to a pair of shutouts from its stout defense, Indian Hills turned the corner on October 9 with a 13-6 win over conference foe and No. 14 ranked Iowa Central Community College.

The Falcons emerged as a force to be reckon with on October 16 as the Falcons edged No. 3 ranked Grand Rapids Community College 22-21 on a last second touchdown pass from Jef White to Ray Sheppard. Indian Hills continued its run towards a conference title with a narrow 14-6 win over Marshalltown on October 23 thanks to a pair of touchdowns from Upchurch, including one in the final minute of play.

The Falcons separated itself from the rest of the pack in the state of Iowa with two dominant victories to close out the 1971 season. In a 51-18 victory over North Iowa Area Community College, five different players hit paydirt to set the stage for the coveted conference title against Ellsworth Community College.

In the season finale against the Panthers, the Falcons set the tone from the opening kick-off by recovering their own onsides kick. Indian Hills never looked back as the Falcons cruised to a 35-0 victory, handing the No. 4 ranked Panthers their only loss of the season as Indian Hills took home the conference trophy for the first time in program history.

In the 12 years in which Indian Hills Community College and Centerville Community College fielded a football team, there were teams that won more games than the 1971 squad, but members of that '71 team can always boast that they were the first to win a conference championship.

Hear from members of the 1971 team and their stories of a memorable season that will now be forever enshrined in the Indian Hills Athletics Hall of Fame.

David Moore, member of the 1971 squad, on his time at Indian Hills

"We were young men from various different parts of the country. Right out of high school and away from home for the first time. We never encountered jealousy, envy, or struggles for leadership positions amongst us. We molded together genuinely because something inside of us told us we needed each other and that was the fact of the matter. I can only speak for myself when I say that if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. This experience helped us on the journey to becoming men. We were a team and we accomplished great things. Our accumulative accomplishment is that we created together a team culture and character that helped us overcome other teams with far more notoriety than Centerville Junior College. We left our mark on every team we played and until this day, we know we were champions. Champions and no one can take that away from us. That's why this honor means so much to us all."

Rickey 'Odell' Watson, captain of the 1971 squad, on his time at Indian Hills 

"During summer practice we all watched this freshman Upchurch run the forty yard dash. He was the fastest runner we had ever seen. Leroy Moss was our offensive star the previous season, but had graduated. Coach Daniels approached me one day and said 'that guy Upchurch wants to leave and go back to Toledo, he's a good one'. I went to his room wondering how can I convince him to stay. The first connection was, at home I'm Rickey and you're Ricky. The second connection was a bottle of the same brand of cologne. I explained to him that our defense was intact however without an offensive star, I will play as an option quarterback and break up our defense. I said we want to win the conference championship and we need you to stay. The nineteen year old kid thought about all that was said and his reply was 'I'll stay'.  The rest is history."

Bob Doonan, member of the 1971 squad, on the team's upset over Ellsworth to win the conference championship

"The last game of the season against Ellsworth, it was super cold and windy that night. We were in the locker room before the game ready to play. Coach (Al Daniels) just kept us there. The refs came in and told him it was time to play. We still just sat there. They came again and said we needed to take the field. The 3rd time they gave us 15 yards for delaying the game. So we ran out on the field. Coach called for an onside kick they were frozen from standing there waiting for us. We got the onside kick from them and our first play from scrimmage Rick (Upchurch) ran it in for a touchdown.  They never got back in the game and we took it to them."

Stan Mason, member of the 1971 squad, on his time at Indian Hills

"When I came to Centerville JC, it was like any kid going to college out of high school. I remember voting on the name of the college. Indian Hills won the vote. The campus consisted of small trailers and mud. Practice field was like a pasture, but we didn't think a thing about it. It was all new to us and we were going places. Players from all over the country were there. I met some great people and it did not take long for us to become friends. We practiced hard and worked hard as a team.

I was rewarded with the Outstanding Defensive Scout Team Award. It wasn't All-American or All-Conference, but it meant a lot to me. Don't recall who we were playing, but Coach called my name and put me in as fullback. I fumbled the ball and that ended my career at fullback.

Some of the greatest years and memories of my life were at Indian Hills.  It was a great place then and still is today. I appreciate Indian Hills for this recognition tonight."

Anthony Daniels, member of the 1971 squad, on his time at Indian Hills

"As a freshman, my most dominant memory of that team was the depth of talent from Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois high schools. IHCC football tested everything I had learned about competition on the field. But the most outstanding memory was the Ellsworth pregame speech delivered by Odell Watson.  It was epic! It delivered a win against our most challenging rival."