It’s fair to say Randy Pospishil reached a crossroads in his life. Three semesters and two football seasons into his college career, Pospishil made a pivot that would alter the course of his adult life. Not committed to any particular career path at that point, the Norfolk High School graduate transferred to Concordia, a place where he would find gridiron glory and lay the groundwork for his career in education.
At that point in time, the spring semester of 1971, Pospishil wasn’t sure whether he would play offense or defense for then Head Coach John “Sid” Seevers’ Bulldogs. He was also undecided on a major, but being that it was Concordia Teachers College, he had an idea.
“Concordia was a much different place then,” Pospishil explained. “We’re talking about a much different era. It was Concordia Teachers College. I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a teacher at that point. When I went to Wayne State, I was a business major, for no special reason. At Concordia, there were no such programs so I had to decide what my new major would be. They were very good to me about transferring and I was able to graduate in four years.
“I reached out to Concordia and Coach Seevers told me they’d be happy to have me.”
Seevers and his staff likely had only a slight idea of what they were getting in Pospishil, who grew up in Madison, Neb., where he played quarterback at the local high school for three years before attending Norfolk High School for one year. Three years later, in the fall of 1972, Pospishil made a name for himself by becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher in the history of Concordia Football. He racked up 1,085 yards in just nine games while leading the conference and district in rushing as the most prolific running back in the state. As a team, the Bulldogs opened at 7-1 before finishing 7-2.
The terrific season of ’72 vaulted Pospishil into the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame, as officially announced on July 22. Fifty-three years after his graduation from Concordia, Pospishil feels honored to be recognized for what he achieved in an admittedly starkly contrasting era of college football. Forget about modern day pass-happy spread offenses. With Pospishil toting the ball, the Bulldogs went to a ground-and-pound attack. It didn’t take long for Pospishil to thrive. As he recalls, the second carry of his Concordia career went 45 yards for a touchdown.
“I adapted quickly,” Pospishil said. “That’s one thing about my life. I attended two grade schools, two high schools and two colleges, and I taught at five different places. So change was never a big issue for me. My senior year, we had an excellent group of 16 seniors. As an inductee, I’m really proud to represent that ’72 team and those teammates … We had a good team. I was blessed. It was an all-everything in terms of awards.”
As Pospishil recalls those memories, he says he can still picture the faces of his senior classmates. At the same time as he takes a trip back to yesteryear, Pospishil thumbs through an old program while running down the weights of Concordia’s offensive linemen. There were no 300-pound hog mollies back then. To be truthful, the linemen didn’t look all that much different in stature than the 6-foot, 175-pound Pospishil.
Says Pospishil, “On my line, our center weighed 210. Our left guard weighed 198. Our right guard weighed 163. Our left tackle was 200. Our right tackle weighed 233 and our tight end weighed 207. Those guys really did an amazing job. I was quick enough and was able to find seams and take advantage of that. They didn’t have to move people, just make contact. On the perimeter we had really good blocking from Rod Frieling and Gary Weber. We were able to run inside and outside.”
In October of 1972, the Omaha World-Herald featured the exploits of Pospishil after he ran for 180 yards on 26 carries in a 35-28 win over Nebraska Wesleyan. The Bulldogs had just won their fifth-straight game.
Seevers was quoted in the World-Herald as saying, “He’s a real top-notch kid all the way around. He contributes much to our team morale with his leadership. He gets himself in real good running position so that he can go forward, right or left. He really has a knack for working downfield. He works hard for every yard he gets.”
In the seventh and final win of that 1972 season, Pospishil enjoyed his most productive day yet. He steamrolled his way to 266 yards (a school record that he shares to this day) in a 50-0 stomping of Dana College. Ninety-five yards came on a single play when Pospishil raced to the end zone for the longest rushing touchdown in school history. That effort helped push Pospishil to the top of the state’s rushing leaderboard, above even those who played at schools such as Kearney State, Wayne State, Chadron and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Recalls Pospishil of the 95-yard run, “That was really just an off-tackle play. We had a really nice block from the fullback – Carl Abele kicked out their defensive end – and there was nobody there. That was a fun experience to go that far for a touchdown.”
Pospishil reached his fullest potential in ’72 after first having to win the No. 1 spot at I-back the previous year. In his first season as a Bulldog, Pospishil rushed for 421 yards while battling through a dislocated shoulder. The hard-nosed Nebraskan put off surgery until after the season was complete. Heading into the fall of 1972, the running back position was earmarked for Pospishil. Donning the No. 44 and a helmet featuring only a single vertical bar and a single horizontal bar, Pospishil earned all-conference, all-district and Nebraska College All-Star status.
It was a dream season for Pospishil, who stated, “I would have been an athlete that would have been under the radar because I changed schools.”
The Concordia Experience led into a career of teaching and coaching. Following life as a Bulldog, Pospishil spent the next 47 years in education. He first ventured to Canada, taking a call to Concordia College in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spent two years. The journey then made a stop in Palmer, Neb., for two years before 31 years at his alma mater, Norfolk High, prior to a couple of year-long stints teaching Spanish and then 10 years as an English teacher at Norfolk Catholic High School.
After 47 years of teaching (in addition to a coaching career that included state championships in basketball and football), Pospishil has stayed connected to the athletic world as a sports correspondent for the Norfolk Daily News (a duty he’s performed since 1998). After discussing his college days from more than five decades earlier, Pospishil will shift his focus later that evening to writing about local dirt track racing. He wasn’t lying about being adaptable. He finds the craft of writing an article to be “somewhat magical and creative.”
As it turned out, the father of two (daughter Stevie and son Colton) discovered his calling as a teacher, a profession he wasn’t so sure about going back to his early days of college when he played running back (freshman year) and defensive back (sophomore year) at Wayne State. Pospishil found his career in teaching to be enriching and rewarding.
“It’s the interaction with the kids and seeing them improve,” Pospishil said. “To me, teaching and coaching were the same thing. Both are about helping somebody understand something. I was demanding enough to be successful, but the kids responded well. We had a good time. The success part of it came in different ways. It wasn’t always about winning.”
Pospishil never has been able to give up the thrill of the sporting environment. After college, he toyed with the idea of playing for semi-pro football teams in Wisconsin and reached out to a team in the Canadian Football League. However, those potential opportunities didn’t quite work alongside his teaching career.
The playing career ended when Pospishil put on Bulldog Blue for the final time. He’ll always have that magical 1972 year to look back upon. He’s glad it hasn’t been forgotten.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” said Pospishil of when he learned of his Hall of Fame selection. “When you’re talking about an era that was so long ago, I guess I had started to assume that over the years that maybe statistics from that long ago would be overlooked. There were a lot of good athletes from Concordia in those days. We had great cross country runners, we had swimmers, we had basketball teams – there was a lot of success there. I’m glad that has continued. I’m pleasantly surprised. I feel honored to represent that team and those teammates, especially the 16 seniors (from the class of 1973). I can still see their faces. I remember them well. I appreciate it very much.”