Stull carries on McCook Shrine Bowl streak

Thursday, March 11, 2010
Steve Kodad/McCook Daily Gazette McCook quarterback Chad Stull launches this pass attempt during Class B state playoff action at Ogallala last fall. Stull has been selected to represent McCook in the 2010 Nebraska Shrine Bowl June 19 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

When high school football fanatics in the Cornhusker state talk about gridiron traditions, the McCook teams of the past decade probably pop up somewhere on that list.

Back-to-back undefeated state champion teams, a 71-game home winning streak, many other seasons with a lone loss in the Class B playoffs are just some of the highlights for the Bison under head coach Jeff Gross.

Another McCook tradition is a presence in the Nebraska Shrine Bowl, the annual all-star summer classic matching the top high school senior football players from the past season. According to last year's Shrine Bowl official program, a total of 51 McCook Bison players were selected to participate in the 51 all-star games dating back to the very first one played in the late 1950s.

Steve Kodad/McCook Daily Gazette McCook senior Chad Stull continues a McCook tradition of Bison in the Nebraska Shrine Bowl.

McCook had at least one player on the South Shrine Bowl roster every year since 2001. With last year's 7-4 finish, perhaps Bison faithful who keep track of those local Shrine Bowl stats might have thought that consecutive streak might have been broken. But the familiar red helmet with the famous M and C intertwined letters will make another appearance at Memorial Stadium this year.

McCook senior Chad Stull has been selected as a member of the South squad for the 2010 Shrine Bowl. The 52nd annual summer classic is scheduled for Saturday, June 19, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.

Stull, a 6-0, 180-pound quarterback-linebacker for the Bison, got an official letter informing him of his selection to the Shrine Bowl South squad. Stull said it is a big honor to be chosen to participate in the all-star game.

"It was kind of surprising, so I was happy when I got (the letter) and opened it up," Stull said. "It's a big deal, there's only 70 players in the state (selected)."

Chad is the son of Richard and Jane Stull of McCook. Stull expects to play outside linebacker in the Shrine Bowl.

Kevin Kush of Boys Town is the head coach of the 2010 South Shrine Bowl squad. Arapahoe's Daren Hatch was also named as an assistant coach on the South team.

One last game

Stull's future plans include attending college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study architecture. He considered offers to play football at several smaller schools, but decided to follow his career path as an architect and forego football.

It's probable that the Shrine Bowl will be Stull's final time playing in an organized football game, at least with pads.

"I thought maybe our season-ending game (Aurora in the playoffs) would be the last one, but it's nice to know I have a couple more times to go out there and put the pads on," Chad said.

Coach Gross said he backs Stull's college plans 100 percent.

"He made the decision not to continue his football career, and I'm proud of him for that decision," Gross said. "Just because I'm the football coach don't mean I want (them to continue playing football). I want guys to do what's best for them, and what's best for Chad is to go extend his education and become an architech. Someday I'll let him design a house for me to build.

"He's going to get the opportunity -- to me most importantly -- to don that red helmet one more time with those M-C decals on the side and do that in front of a state-wide audience and go out for himself, for his family, for our football program and community, make us all proud one more time."

Great experience

The Shrine Bowl teams report June 11. The South team will practice and stay at Doane College in Crete, and the North will bunk at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln. The week should give Stull a great experience, according to his coach.

"The camaraderie from this game, right now it's a football game," Coach Gross said. "When it's all over, football will be the farthest thing from it. He's going to make friends that he's going to have for the rest of his life."

The McCook coach knows the Shrine Bowl from personal experience. Gross was the head coach of the South team for last year's game. He also served as a South assistant in 2003.

Gross said Stull will have an experience that will last the rest of his life.

"He is going to witness what all these dollars -- I mean, we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars roll through for this game," Gross said. "First off, to put the thing on is very expensive. The dollars that are raised and what they go for, when he makes that trip and sees those underprivileged kids. We take for granted getting out of bed and walking every day. The money is all for kids that aren't so lucky. You'll really see these big, tough, strong football players get pretty emotional when they're working with these kids and hanging out with them. They couldn't have a better motto."

That motto: "Strong Leg Run So That Weak Legs May Walk," rings so true. Proceeds from the annual Shrine Bowl benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children, a series of facilities across the country that treat children free of charge.

Chicago hospital visit

Part of the Shrine Bowl experience for both teams in the week leading up to the June 19 game is a trip to Chicago to visit young patients there. In addition to the football, Stull is looking forward to making some new friends.

"It will be cool to get to know some different people from the cities, just different people, different views on life and stuff," Stull said.

The Shrine Bowl had been played in July for many years, but organizers moved the event up a month in an attempt to generate more interest and perhaps draw a bigger crowd, according to Gross. He said the games typically draw between 10,000 and 12,000 fans depending on the weather.

"Chad will absolutely love the fact that he's in Crete in June and not July, because it gets to be 110 (degrees) with humidity there, you can't breathe," Gross said. "Last year we had one of the most gorgeous summers, we didn't deal with the heat a lot. But he'll be happy it's in June."

Deserving Bison

Coach Gross said Stull is very deserving of the Shrine Bowl honor.

"McCook has had it's fair share (of representatives), and you like see that streak continue," he said. "I've said this all along, I said it at the end of the football season -- there's not a lot of guys more deserving out there than Chad Stull is. To make the comment that I made, that over the course of the last 11 years we've had a lot of great football players come through here, but Chad was good enough to start on any one of those teams as a senior, speaks volumes of his ability, and what he meant for our team."

Gross said a recent event illustrated the relationships built during the Shrine Bowl. Garrett Schlichtemeier of Ogallala was a member of the South team last year under Gross. Schlichtemeier, a freshman member of the Chadron State College football team, was killed in an automobile accident last Monday, apparently while on a Spring Break trip to Alabama (see story in box below).

"We're dealing with that right now," Gross said. "Monday night my phone was ringing off the wall from kids on the football team. The Schlichtemeier kid got killed in car wreck in Alabama. Matt Berry and Joe Vetrovsky and some of the McCook kids that played against him, and the coaches that coached him in the Shrine Bowl everybody was calling, trying to find out what happened.

"You develop some bonds that will never go away. It's neat because here's one of Ogallala's best football players who was one of our arch-enemies, and a few months later (in the Shrine Bowl) you turn out to be great friends with those people."

Bison Shrine Bowl history

According to the official 2009 Nebraska Shrine Bowl program, former McCook High School football players that have played in the annual high school all-star football classic:

2009 -- Matt Berry, Joe Vetrovsky.

2008 -- Sam Frazier, J.D. Stone.

2007 -- Josh Cherry.

2006 -- Brendan Liess.

2005 -- Jeremy Young.

2004 -- Trent Lyons.

2003 -- Krae Dutoit, Stuart Frazier, Ben Klug.

2002 -- Clayton Gaunt.

2001 -- Ryan O'Dea.

1999 -- Eric Stewart.

1997 -- Craig Neuhaus.

1996 -- Mike Brodersen, Justin Coleman.

1994 -- Joe Buresh.

1993 -- Nathan Eldred.

1990 -- Kent Gerih.

1987 -- Brian Mohnsen.

1985 -- Tab Kalinski.

1983 -- Kevin Kier, Wayne Stewart.

1982 -- John Miller.

1981 -- Ted Britt.

1980 -- Jeff Beideck, Mike Parsons.

1979 -- John Beideck.

1978 -- Steve Lytle.

1975 -- David Hager.

1974 -- Brad Hershberger, Ed Townsley.

1972 -- Gale Loop, Randy Stramel.

1970 -- Scott Rainbolt.

1969 -- Ken Hulstein.

1968 -- Jeff Kinney.

1966 -- Ray Harr.

1965 -- Bob Best, Bob Moore.

1964 -- Ron Baum, Gunnar Blanke.

1963 -- Louis Burgher.

1962 -- Tom Cotton, Bob Stuver.

1961 -- Howard Berg, Larry Thompson, Vince Wasia.

1959 -- Jim Phinney.

NOTE: Tony Pervis was selected to play in 2006, but Pervis declined the invitation.

Coaches

McCook High School football coaches who have been members of the Shrine Bowl staffs:

2009 -- Jeff Gross, head coach, Chad Lyons, assistant.

2003 -- Jeff Gross, assistant.

1993 -- Greg Welch, assistant.

1984 -- Dave Dunham, head coach.

1979 -- Dave Dunham, assistant.

1977 -- Milt Tenopir, head coach.

1972 -- Milt Tenopir, assistant.

1966 -- Harry Meeker, assistant.

1964 -- Andy Loer, assistant.

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  • Congrats Chad your desire and leadership will be missed but it will definitely help you forge your future.

    -- Posted by ddt4mccook on Fri, Mar 12, 2010, at 7:50 PM
  • Hey Chad, I always thought that you would go toKU instead of NU! Rock Chalk Jayhawks instead of Cornhuskers! GO KU!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by ace1965 on Sat, Mar 13, 2010, at 1:37 PM
  • Congrats to Chad and to the rest of the Bison that helped him get this honor as well. Also, congrats to Coach Gross for another rep from McCook at the Shrine Bowl.

    Keep it up.

    -- Posted by mcbisonfan on Sun, Mar 14, 2010, at 12:13 AM
  • Great article.. Enjoyed the history..

    -- Posted by mickhaney on Mon, Mar 15, 2010, at 12:53 PM
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