This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
Oil Can photos
1975: Pat Patterson's signature season
It just hit me: 1975 was 50 years ago!
And 50 years ago, Oil City surprised everyone around here by claiming its first Section 2 championship since 1964 and a 7-3 record -- a rare mid-century winning season.
It certainly was Pat Patterson’s signature season as coach.
Coming off a 1-8 campaign, the Oilers weren’t supposed to do anything again in 1975. After all, they returned only five starters and had zero 200-pounders.
But the off-season was different:
-
They had more players who weren't winter sports participants turn out for off-season weight training.
-
And the enthusiasm for summer conditioning was "the greatest since I've been at Oil City," Patterson said.
-
And when they weren't getting in shape, they were painting the locker room blue. They hung up a sign that read "Set the Pace."
-
"This was our war cry during pre-season," Patterson said. The team voted to have no captains, just the 19 seniors on the squad, and no outstanding player awards.
Oil City’s lone victory in 1974 was 20-12 over Hickory. It came on the heels of a 62-6 knockout punch against Franklin in which the Knights – perennial contenders at the time – rolled up 407 yards total offense and intercepted Mike Enos five times, including three Pick 6s.
Ugh.
Other than Hickory, there was not much else to write home about, although the Oilers almost upset Section 2 champion Warren, losing to the Dragons by only 16-12.
But 1975 would be different, although it didn’t start out that way – a 16-13 loss to Grove City. Ho-hum, so what else is new?
But they beat Corry the next time out, and the week after that, they got two victories: one by forfeit over Reynolds because of a teacher’s strike and the other, 29-12, over Elk County Christian in a fill-in game.
Still, nobody was sitting up taking notice – especially after a 7-0 loss to Hickory.
That’s when October rolled around and the Oilers set the town on its ear:
Magical October
-
They beat Warren, 15-14, in which Enos threw a 30-yard TD to Scott Dawson on third-and-17 with less than a minute left and another pass to Tim Higbee for the PAT before Chris Hale sealed the deal with an interception on the last play of the game.
-
They beat Meadville, 27-14, rallying from a 14-0 deficit in the fog behind Frantz’s career-high 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
-
And they blanked Titusville, 20-0, in a continuous downpour to clinch no worse than a tie for the Section 2 title. Frantz ran for 165 yards and three more TDs in that one.
Now only dreaded Franklin stood in the way of the outright title. Franklin was an uncharacteristic 3-4, but was still Franklin, a team the Oilers had beaten only once since 1958 (although the two teams tied in 1970). That lone win came in 1964 when the Oilers were led by all-stater Jim Shaughnessy.
​
Before a packed house at Franklin’s Miller-Sibley Field, Enos made up for the 1974 game by throwing for 205 yards and two TDs. Frantz added 101 yards and two more touchdowns in the 30-7 victory.
Oil City spotted the Knights a 7-0 lead on Jim Basham's 20-yard TD after Steve Riddle recovered a fumble on the Oilers' third play of the game. But it was 14-7 before the first quarter was over on two Enos passes to Higbee covering 29 nd 26 yards.
The Oilers got a 10th game against Curwensville out of District 9, and lost, 30-8, to end the season, but that didn’t matter. They got what they wanted – a memorable season that included the Section 2 title -- and a rare victory over Franklin.
There were some near misses, including a 0-0 tie in 1970, a 15-6 defeat to the first of Franklin's two straight unbeaten juggernauts in 1971 and even a 28-6 loss to the Knights in 1973 in which the Oilers held speedster Buzzy Scott to 13 yards. Patterson's flare for the dramatic came through afterward, "...we stopped Buzzy, we stopped the triple option, but we didn't stop them," he said.
For the record, the Oilers were no match for Franklin's second straight unbeaten team in 1972. Coach Joe Stewart's Knights ruled, 53-0.
But back to 1975 when the Oilers finished third behind Greenville and Grove City in the Northwest Athletic Conference.
Coach of the Year
Patterson was named NWAC “Coach of the Year.” His staff included defensive coordinator Bob Taylor along with Cas Karnish and Crunk Porter.
But many believe the Oilers were snubbed on the all-conference team. Frantz (RB/LB) and center Ken James were the only first team picks. Enos and Higbee, the tight end, were second team. Dawson, the split end, and defensive lineman Joe Tommasi received honorable mentions.
Those six also were named to the Section 2 all-stars along with offensive linemen Tom Mock and Tim McFadden, defensive lineman John Brown and Randy Lamb and Hale in the secondary.
Frantz finished his three-year career with 1,936 yards rushing and 16 TDs. He had 97 tackles as a senior and tied Brown with 445 defensive points. Enos threw for 979 yards and Higbee caught 24 passes for 324.
The 'Unmean' Machine
Not only were the Oilers devoid of 200-pound players -- Frantz and lineman Joe Frawley were the heaviest Oilers at 195 -- but, Patterson said, they didn't look "mean." At the postseason banquet at the Vo-Tech, he had each of the different units -- offense, defense, special teams -- stand up so everyone could see how "unmean" they looked.
Frantz was a terrific athlete -- one of the best in Oil City history. In addition to football, Frantz was a regional champion in wrestling who competed in the 100 (10.2 for 100 yards), long jump (21-plus), discus (150ish) and half-mile relay in track.
He would later star at Clarion, a four-year regular at fullback (and he wasn't red-shirted) and once helped the Golden Eagles to a PSAC title in wrestling, filling in for injured All-American heavyweight Chuck Coryea.
Patterson once said that had the 5-10 Frantz been 6-2 with the same physique, he could've played linebacker at Pitt.
​What comes around...
A footnote to this story: Current Oiler coach Dan York was a starting lineman for Oil City in that 62-6 loss to Franklin in 1974. He was at the helm of the Oilers' 2018 team that posted an even more lopsided triumph -- 73-7 over Franklin -- as Patterson looked on from the press box.