By Frank Rajkowski, SJU Writer/Video Producer
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Rick Bell '83 couldn't have gotten his senior season off to a better start if the former Saint John's University standout running back had written the script himself.
The Rocori High School graduate – who later went on to play with NFL's Minnesota Vikings – accounted for 375 yards of total offense when the Johnnies opened the 1982 season with a 45-35 victory over St. Cloud State University 40 years ago this week (Sept. 11) in Collegeville.
Bell caught 14 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown while carrying the ball 25 times for 149 yards and two more scores – earning NAIA national player of the week honors.
It marked the second-to-last meeting between the Johnnies and Huskies in football. The crosstown rivals played one more time the following year. But with St. Cloud State moving into the North Central Conference – at the time, the premiere league in NCAA Division II – the series then fell by the wayside.
But over the years, the Johnnies held a 37-17-1 edge in the series with SCSU, which discontinued its program following the 2019 season.
"John just seemed to have an edge on St. Cloud State, at least when I was there," said Bell, who was 3-0 against the Huskies during his career. "The games were always really competitive. But we'd end up coming out on top."
Including in that penultimate matchup 40 years ago, thanks in large part to Bell – a returning All-MIAC pick who rushed for 14 touchdowns and earned All-America honors in 1982.
In all, the Johnnies piled up 579 yards of total offense that day. Quarterback Dennis Schleper '83 threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns.
"I remember it was a beautiful day," recalls Bell, now a longtime insurance agent in Chatfield, Minn. "But very hot. Everything just clicked really well. We started to find the right groove."
It was a groove that lasted all fall as SJU finished the regular season 9-0 and won its first MIAC championship since 1979. Things did not go as well in the playoffs, however. There, Bell and company fell 33-28 on the road at Northwestern (Iowa) in the first round.
It marked the final NAIA appearance for the Johnnies, who had switched back and forth between NAIA and NCAA Division III in the years prior to 1982, but would soon join the Division III level permanently.
"We had a really talented team that year," said Bell, who made the Vikings' roster in 1983, then was among the team's final cuts prior to the start of the 1984 season. "And a great, great offense especially. It's a shame we didn't play as well as we were capable of in that first playoff game.
"Because we had the potential to go a long way."
8 years ago (2014)
Junior running back Sam Sura '16 ran for a school-record 281 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries (8.8 avg.) in the Johnnies' 31-7 win at Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Sept. 13. Sura surpassed the old record of 278 yards, set by Chris Moore '01 against Macalester on Sept. 18, 1999, with a 10-yard run in the third quarter.
20 years ago (2002)
Mike Rutter '03, Andy Witchger '05 and Tyler Bosch '05 each had goals as the Johnnie soccer team blanked Hamline 3-0 to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1988. SJU then won 1-0 at St. Olaf on Sept. 22 to reach 7-0 before falling on the road at Gustavus Adolphus on Sept. 27. The team finished 12-4-2 that season.
70 years ago (1952)
Jimmy Haas '54, Casey Vilandre '54 and Tommy White '57 each scored touchdowns as SJU head coach John 'Blood' McNally opened his final season at the helm with a 19-7 road win at St. Cloud Teachers College (now St. Cloud State) on Sept. 13.
