On Sept. 30, 1923, Harlem’s sometimes glorious and sometimes not so glorious football history began with a 7-0 win over the lightweight team of Beloit High School of Wisconsin.
Lightweights were what today we know as the junior varsity.
The article in the Rockford Republic noted that the two teams fought hard from the start and the weights were about even, “140 pounds each.” The key play of the day came in the second quarter when “Zula” Anderson intercepted a pass and ran it back 45 yards for the game’s only touchdown.
In the 1920s, teams didn’t keep stats so instead newspapers listed the lineups. Harlem had 16 players that first year and one of the starters stands out. At left end, Burkman. That would be Bill Burkman, who would live to be 107, dedicated to Harlem and its history until the day he died, and his commemorative jersey now hangs in the Harlem athletic hallway.
Art Lundahl coached the team the first two years before leaving to become coach of Rockford High School. Without Lundahl, Harlem would not field a football team in 1925 or 1926. In 1927, the program was reborn under Fred Crawford. Not only would Crawford restart the program, he would lead the Huskies to its first golden era. Crawford would coach the Huskies for 13 season, guiding the team to a 50-28-13 record. Eventually, Crawford’s Huskies would become so dominant in the Little Five and Little Four in both football and basketball that they would have to leave the conference, looking for tougher competition.
One of the star players from his first great team, the 1931 Huskies that went 7-1, was Clyde Peterson, who would set passing touchdown records that would last for more than 50 years. Peterson eventually came back to coach the Huskies as well, leading Harlem to its second golden era. Peterson’s teams would run up a 49-36-9 over 12 seasons. The Huskies would go 174-4 over Peterson’s last three years, winning back-to-back-to-back SHARK Conference titles in 1955, 1956, and 1957.
In 1958, the Huskies would leave the SHARK, again seeking a more challenging schedule, and Peterson would give up coaching, settling in as athletic director ... and success on the field would be hard to come by for a long, long time. Although Harlem individually had a number of standouts, from 1958 to 1996, Harlem would have just four winning seasons - and one conference title in 1977 - under eight coaches.
Fred Crawford Crawford Fred
Clyde Peterson
Fans of the program know that that history began to change in 1993 when the school hired Brian Benning. Benning would lead Harlem to its second NIC-9 title in 1997 and take Harlem to the playoffs three times in 11 seasons.
In 2004, he turned the program over to his top assistant, Jim Morrow, and Morrow turned the Huskies into a year-in, year-out contender. Since 2008, Harlem has made the playoffs every full season under Morrow and five seasons with Bob Moynihan as coach. The only year Harlem didn’t make the playoffs was the abbreviated COVID-19 season in the spring of 2021 when there were no playoffs and that season, under Moynihan, Harlem claimed its third NIC-10 title.
This book is a collection of the records set over 100 seasons in 102 years. There are 251 different coaches and players listed at least once. There’s still more to find. Defensive stats only go back to 2008 and are sketchy in some seasons. Offensive stats started being published in the early 1960s. In future years, we hope to have a complete list of every touchdown of 70 yards or more and a breakdown of Harlem’s all-time records against each school.
For now, this is the best we’ve got. If you notice mistakes or omissions, send your suggestions to alumni@harlem122.org.
HARLEM HUSKIES SEASONS
A to Z Towing Circle of Wellness
Dry Otter Basement / Midwest Floor Shield
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The Porch
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Orthopedic Rehab
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PASSING (250 YARDS OR MORE)
440 - James Cooper Jr., 2021, vs. Belvidere North *
420 - James Cooper Jr., 2021, vs. Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge
381 - James Cooper Jr., 2021, vs. Hononegah
360 - James Cooper Jr., 2019, vs. Hononegah
312 - James Cooper Jr., 2019, vs. Jefferson
311 - James Cooper Jr., 2019, vs. Boylan
285 - James Cooper Jr., 2019, vs. Freeport
275 - James Cooper Jr., 2018, vs. Boylan
263 - James Cooper Jr., 2018, vs. Lincoln-Way West
* Second all-time highest game in NIC-10 history
SINGLE GAME RECORDS
RUSHING (200 YARDS OR MORE)
450 - Brenton Shaw, 2016, vs. Belvidere *
302 - Brenton Shaw, 2015, vs. Rockford Boylan
293 - Jahmani Muhammad, 2024, vs. Rockford East
290 - Jahmani Muhammad, 2023, vs. Rockford East
277 - Brenton Shaw, 2016, vs. Belvidere North
258 - Brenton Shaw, 2015, vs. Belvidere North
255 - John Feehan, 1999, vs. Rockford East
221 - Dusty Mitchell, 1997, vs. Madison Memorial
* NIC-9/NIC-10 record
RECEIVING (150 YARDS OR MORE)
249 Brandt Hixson, 2019, vs. Hononegah *
223 Dezzion Jordan, 2021, vs. Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge
191 James Tiffany, 1982, vs. Freeport
184 DeAndre Young, 2022, vs. Hononegah
178 Dezzion Jordan, 2021, vs. Belvidere North
164 Brandt Hixson, 2019, vs. Wheaton-Warrenville South
162 Dominic McCarren, 2021, vs. Hononegah
157 Curt Brown, 1989, vs. Belvidere
156 Dominic McCarren, 2021, vs. Belvidere North
SINGLE SEASON RECORD HOLDERS
RUSHING TD’s
Wiley Pruner 4 rushing TDs (1923)
Swannie Swanson 5
Roy Carlson and Harold Jensen 6
Howard Russell 8
Ray Lauer
Ray Lauer
(1924)
(1929)
(1930)
(1931)
RECEIVING TD’s
Cantwell
(1928)
(1931)
(2005)
Lightfoot 9 (2014)
(2019)
(2020)
(2001)
(1932) Jerry Goldsmith
(2011) Kevin Witcik 17
RUSHING YARDS
RECEPTIONS
(2012)
(2016)
Mike Dooley 685 (1960)
Jim Murphy 708 (1964)
Nate Irwin 830 (1971) Scott Henderson 1,056 (1995)
* In 1976, Rockford Public Schools eliminated sports and there were only four teams in the conference.
COLLEGE/PRO STARS
Hundreds of Harlem players have gone on to play college football at all levels. Here are the players that played in Division I or Division II NCAA football or NAIA Division 1 and the handful that earned a shot at professional football. This is an evolving list. If we missed someone, send the name to alumni@harlem122.org.
2006-2010 - 43 games played, 42 starts, 87.5 tackles, 11 sacks (missing sack stats for one season).
Mark Austin
Illinois State, NCAA Division 1, TE-WR
1973-1976 - Four-year contributor, including leading team in receptions (18) and yardage (339) in 1975.
Casey Beck
Illinois State (D1) and Upper Iowa (D2), offensive line
2011-2014 - Played in six games at ISU in 2011. Transferred to Upper Iowa University, an NCAA Division II school where he played in 29 games in 2012, 2013, 2014.
Almarion Bell
Western Illinois, Western Illinois (D1) and Roosevelt (D2), defensive line
2023-2025 - Played in seven games for Western Illinois in 2023, recording nine tackles, including 3 1/2 for loss. This season, he’s on the roster for Roosevelt University, an NCAA Division II school in Chicago.
Jalon Benson
SE Missouri State, NCAA Division 1, defensive back
2020-2021 - Played in 10 games over two seasons, recording seven tackles and breaking up one pass.
Josh Black
Syracuse, NCAA Division I, defensive line.
2016-2021, played in 60 games, starting 48, over six seasons. Recorded 155 tackles, including 24 for loss, eight sacks and one interception. Black earned two NFL opportunities, with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, but did not make a regular season roster. He pivoted to professional wrestling and now wrestles in WWE under the name Osiris Griffin.
Jared Carlton Quincy, NCAA Division II, offensive line. 2014-2017, played in 37 games.
James Cooper Jr.
Midwestern State, NCAA Division II, QB-WR
2023-2025 - Played quarterback in nine games, completing 65 of 127 passes for 648 yards and five touchdowns in 2023. Moved to wide receiver in 2024, playing in 11 games and catching two passes for 13 yards.
Mike Everett Illinois (D1) and Augustana College (S.D.) (D2), offensive line
1960-1963 - Everett was a backup at Illinois who transferred to Augustana where he was team captain as a senior.
Rocco Fiordelisi
Northern Illinois, NCAA Division II, offensive/defensive line
1951-1954 - Was a four-year letter winner for the Huskies at tackle.
Greg Gilbaugh
Iowa, NCAA Division I, offensive line
1977-1980 - Was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter in the Big 10.
Keyshawn Harrington-McKinney
Western Illinois, NCAA Division I, defensive line
2024-2025 - Played in 12 games in 2024, starting two, and recording 14 tackles.
Keenan Kellett
Harding University, NCAA Division II, quarterback
2011-2014 - Played in 35 games, including starting 11 games as a senior. Completed 98 of 191 passes for 2,185 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Joe Kieley
Northern Illinois, NCAA Division II, quarterback
1939-1940 - Kieley lettered in 1939 and 1940 and was a starting back at least in the 1940 season.
Roger Kinson
Missouri, NCAA Division I, offensive line.
1948-1951 - Starting center for Missouri in 1950 and 1951. Drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 1952 NFL draft. Did not sign because of injuries and went to work for Oscar Mayer Inc.
Anthony McKinney
Texas Christian, NCAA Division I, offensive line
2018-2019 - Played at junior college power Iowa Western before transferring to TCU, where he started 20 games over two seasons. Signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans in 2020 but opted out of the contract during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dwayne Milton
Northern Illinois (D1) and St. Francis (NAIA D1), running back
2016-2019 - Played in 19 games in 2016 and 2017 for NIU, mostly on special teams, but he did get 12 carries for 76 yards in 2017. In 2018 and 2019, he gained 2,531 yards rushing and 164 yards receiving for St. Francis. In 2023, he began playing professional football in Germany.
Roland “Swede” Pearson
Illinois, NCAA Division I, offensive line
1959-1961 - Pearson was a backup offensive lineman for three years, never lettering in football. He did letter as a heavyweight in wrestling.
Ken Roskie
South Carolina, NCAA Division I, back
1939-1942 - Roskie started at fullback his final two seasons for South Carolina, running for three touchcowns, catching two and throwing one TD pass. Drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 32nd round of the 1943 draft, Roskie would enter WWII first. In 1946, he was on the first-ever San Francisco 49ers team in the All-American Football Conference. In 1948, he made the Packers, who traded him to Detroit in mid-season. Roskie ended up with 45 yards rushing on 15 carries in a 21-game AAFC/NFL career. He remains the only Huskie to appear in an NFL regular season game.
Rob Russell
Northern Illinois, NCAA Division I, offensive line
1986-1989 - Russell earned a varsity letter his senior year (1989).
Scott Sholl
Eastern Illinois, NCAA Division 1, offensive/defensive line
1999-2002 - Started out as a defensive lineman. Switched to center on the offensive line in 2000 and was a two-year starter.
Mike Thompson
Harding, NCAA Division II, offensive lineman
2010-2014 - Played in 42 games for Harding, starting the final 33.
Shawn Wax
Illinois, NCAA Division I, wide receiver
1987-1990 - Developed into one of the best receivers in the Big 10 as a senior. In his career, he caught 101 passes for 1,588 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added one TD pass. Signed by the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent but didn’t make the final roster.
A.J. Wentland
McKendree University, NCAA Division II, linebacker
2013-2016 - Wentland set tackling records in a stellar four-year career at McKendree. He holds both the single-season record (164) and career record (421). He’s been in Europe ever since, playing pro football for eight seasons in Germany, Finland, Austria and Poland.
Kevin Witcik
McKendree University, NCAA Division II, running back
2013-2015 - Played in 17 games over three seasons, gaining 498 yards rushing and 111 yards receiving with eight touchdowns.
Josh Black aka Osiris Griffin
Anthony McKinney
Shawn Wax
Roger Kinson
PRINCE HEARNS - LOCAL FOOTBALL’S METHUSELAH
Harlem High School’s Prince Hearns may have had the most unique local football career ever - he certainly had the longest.
Hearns, a 1960 graduate, was an All-City pick by the Rockford Morning Star at tackle in 1959 for a Harlem team that went 2-6 under coach Dick Dresser. There would be no college career for Prince. Instead, he joined the Marines where he would play for a couple of seasons on various base teams.
The 6-3, 235-pound Hearns still had professional football dreams, though, when he left the service. When the Madison Mustangs were formed in 1964 to compete in the Central States Football League, Hearns was back on the field.
Hearns excelled, being named first team All-CSFL in 1965 and 1966 and playing well enough to earn an unsuccessful tryout with the Atlanta Falcons in 1967.
In 1968, Hearns got a chance to cut down on his gas bills when local investors launched the Rockford Rams to join the CSFL. Hearns joined Rockford at a time when minor league football drew serious talent. Among his Rams teammates were former New York Jets player and Rockford West graduate Marshall Starks and future World Football League player and Auburn grad Seth Miller. Otis Sistrunk, who would later play for the Oakland Raiders for seven seasons, got his pro career going in the CSFL playing for the West Allis (Wis.) Spartans.
Hearns would anchor the Rams defensive line for five years, making three more all-CSFL teams and helping the Rams win the league title in 1971 and 1972.
In 1973, Hearns, who had joined the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department in 1972, retired - for the first time.
The CSFL folded after the 1975 season, but in 1981 the Rockford Rams were reborn as a member of the Northern States Football League. The 39-year-old Hearns decided he wanted more. His teammates now included former NFL running back Jerry Latin and former Purdue star Russell Pope of Rockford East.
In 1982, Hearns played well enough to be second team all-NSFL at the age of 40. Even better, Hearns got his 15 minutes of national fame. That season, CBS newscaster Dan Rather did a story on Hearns’ career in minor league football. In the piece, Hearns said he was playing his last season.
That wasn’t true. He played for the Rams again in 1983. He didn’t retire until 1984.
In 1986, the American Football Association put a nice bow on his career by inducting him into the Minor League/ Semi-Pro Hall of Fame, which was created in 1981 and was still adding players as of 2024. What’s ironic about the honor is that Hearns has never been added to Harlem’s Wall of Fame, which was created in 1983.
Hearns, who by this point had become the first Black patrol sergeant in Winnebago County history, still wasn’t done, though. In 1987, the Rockford Panthers were launched to play in the National Triple A Pro Football League. Harlem teachear Richard “Lucky” Mitchell was the general manager and coach. One of the first players he signed was the now 45-year-old Prince Hearns.
The Panthers would go 13-2 and win the league championship and Hearns retired - this time for good.
Hearns would work another 10 years, retiring from the county in 1997. Prince died in 2015 at the age of 73.
