The year was 1966.
 
Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States.
 
The Boston Celtics were continuing their dynasty by beating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
 
And while Notre Dame and Michigan State were at the top of their corner of the college football world, it was the Clarion Golden Eagles that ruled the roost in the Keystone State.  Clarion went undefeated for the second time in program history, winning the 1966 PSCAC championship.
 
Tackle Jim Jones said, "The excitement generated on campus was great for the entire community. The friendships created that year have lasted 50 years."
 
Many Golden Eagle football fans will recognize two names on the coaching staff that year: head coach Al Jacks and assistant coach Charles Ruslavage.
 
Jacks coached the Golden Eagles from 1963-1981, holding a winning record of 128-46-5 and a winning percentage of .729.
 
Ruslavage was the longtime defensive coordinator under Jacks, and took over as head coach in the 1982 season. In 1982, his only season as head coach, Ruslavage coached the Golden Eagles to a 7-3 record.
 
The Golden Eagles were led that season by star quarterback Jim Alcorn, a junior from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.
 
Alcorn threw for 1,925 yards while adding 26 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Alcorn had a great trio of players to throw to that year: halfback John DeRiggi, tight end Jim Miller, and halfback Jim Becker.
 
DeRiggi was the favorite target out of the backfield for Alcorn, he caught 28 passes for 690 yards and 12 touchdowns. Right behind him was Becker, who caught 28 passes for 411 yards and nine touchdowns. Tight end Miller led the team in receptions with 36 for 455 yards and a touchdown.
 
The offense was balanced through the air and on the ground, too. Fellow Penn Hills alumni Michael Catello was the driving force in the backfield. He ran for 925 yards and an astounding 16 touchdowns in only eight games.
 
Fred Wickstrom was the compliment to Catello in the backfield. He ran for 553 yards on 125 carries.
 
The difference between the 1965 and 1966 season was simple according Jones. He said, "We were just better. We jelled, just one of those things in sports. If we could identify it and control it all teams would be undefeated."
 
Jones also remembers that, "We were a loose bunch overall. The lineman and non skilled players organized a Friday night touch football league. We would play touch football every Friday after practice until we were kicked off the field. Practices were very competitive, mainly because we didn't want to let our teammates down."
 
Like many winning teams, certain factors can be identified that each team has in common. The closeness and not wanting to let each other down seems to propel teams to take the next step.
 
Clarion took that next step in 1966 when they started off the season by beating Brockport State 38-0, then coming away with a huge victory against Millersville 34-7.
 
The Golden Eagles faced their toughest tests in the last few games of the season. The Golden Eagles took on the Vulcans of California (Pa.) in what was the showdown of the year for the West division. Clarion grinded out a 39-26 victory, but it came with a price. Star Running back Catello left the game with a knee injury.
 
The next game was another memorable victory against Shippensburg late in the season. Jones vividly remembered that game, saying "Shippensburg was played in a snow storm. We scored 54 points with 6 inches of snow on the field." The Golden Eagles still prevailed without the services of Catello. John DeRiggi picked up the offense, scoring four touchdowns in Catello's absence.
 
Clarion kept rolling in week nine with a beating of Slippery Rock, demolishing them 40-0 at Slippery Rock.
 
The final game of the season was against East division champion West Chester for the 1966 State Championship. This game proved to be the Golden Eagle's biggest challenge of the year. The Golden Eagles trailed for most of the game, but quarterback Alcorn wasn't going to let the Golden Eagles lose its undefeated season. Alcorn led the game winning drive with just over a minute to play, finding Becker for the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the drive.
 
West Chester had one more attempt to take the lead, but sophomore defensive back Fran Sirianni came away with a timely interception to seal the undefeated season for the state champions.
 
The Golden Eagles were offered a bid to play in the NAIA playoffs shortly after, but declined to accept it. They would have had to travel to Albuquerque to play New Mexico Highlands, and they cited travel distance and only having five days of rest as the reason to decline the bid.
 
The 1966 team will have its reunion during the Clarion – Cal U game on October 15th.
 
Jones says, "I plan on attending the reunion to relive some good times with great teammates and friends."