BLOOMINGTON — The news item told the story concisely: John Isenbarger died Wednesday, March 6 at 76.
Of course for all to whom the name clicked, there was grief, sadness. But it also triggered so many memories, of times that then and now seem joyfully unreal — unimaginably so, John Isenbarger a rich contributor to most of them.
Find a 1966 pre-season IU football press guide, one with drab numbers and words reporting statistics and such from new coach John Pont’s first season (2-8) after coming from Yale and previews of the 1-8-1 season that was to follow.
One page deep in that guide listed the freshman recruits coming in that fall, among them:
■ Jade Butcher, defensive back, Bloomington
■ Harry Gonso, running back, Findlay, Ohio
■ John Isenbarger. quarterback, Muncie Central
Historically, freshmen had been ineligible to play on Big Ten or NCAA varsity teams. For the first time, in 1966 Big Ten schools were permitted to have freshman football and basketball teams and play brief schedules: two games in football. The first for Indiana was at Ohio State. And — shock of shocks, first of the wave that was to come — IU won!
More: Bob Hammel: The Bob Knight you probably didn’t know. ‘Like no one I ever observed’
By then, Pont had assigned quarterback coach Bob Baker to install with the freshmen a speed-option offense that required a fast and athletic quarterback who could keep the snap and, accompanied by a tailback, sprint toward a containing end and force him to make a choice: stop the quarterback or contain the tailback and take away the quarterback’s option to pitch.
Both Gonso and Isenbarger were exceptionally good at making the quarterback’s instant read of the end’s choice and making it wrong by either keeping the ball and cutting upfield or pitching to the now-open in full flight tailback. And they were…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bob-hammel-john-isenbarger-gave-120127462.html
Author : The Herald-Times
Publish date : 2024-03-15 12:01:27
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