1952 Lorain High Football Team – (1990)

FROM LEFT — FIRST ROW: Gary Krause, Dan Jones, Earl Price, Capt. John Karason, Jesse Garcia, Rich Orseno, Karl Sarzen and Jerry Telatnik. SECOND ROW: Bob Vigg, Don DelPrincipe, Jack Harrell, Jerry Novack, Ron Nehls, Arnie Garcia, Don Kutza, Henry Edwards and Gordie Kachur. THIRD ROW: Walter Atwood, Emery Fekete, Frank Azok, Dale Stevenson, Pete Zoundas, Jim Mikula, George Pressick and Russ Provenza. Absent from picture: Players Rich Colella, Jim Dick, Bill VanBuren and Bob VanBuren; Coaches Art Lave (head), Tony Misko, Kale Canfield and Don White.

Many veteran sports historians consider the 1952 Lorain High School football juggernaut among the top four in Lorain High School's history.

Coach Art Lave's eleven went 8-1-0 and captured the last official grid crown in the original Lake Erie League with a perfect 6-0-0 record. The lone loss came outside the league at Sandusky when fullback Jesse Garcia and end Jim Dick saw limited action. In addition to handling state-ranked Fremont Ross 21-13, Lorain crushed league foes Shaker Heights 49-14, Lakewood 19-0, Cleveland Heights 33-7, Shaw 26-12, Euclid 52-0 and Elyria 53-6.

In an era of conservative passing offenses, Lorain Sports Hall of Famer quarterback Dan Jones fired aerials for more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. His favorite receiver Jim Dick, also a Hall of Famer, accounted for 1,027 yards and 14 touchdowns during their tenure. Their finest hour came in the Shaker game when they hooked up for 170 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Jones, Dick, tackle Bob VanBuren and halfback-captain John Karason, who scored 5 touchdowns against Elyria, were accorded All-Ohio honors. Karason established a school record with a 95 yard kickoff return.

A large contingent of the 1952 team was welcomed to play at major colleges. Sixty-minutemen Karason and Bob VanBuren played at Purdue and Georgia, respectively. Frank Azok and Russ Provenza suited up for Ohio State, Hank Edwards for Oberlin and Gary Krause gained Most Valuable Lineman for Dayton. The Iowa Hawkeyes enrolled and played Jones and Dick immediately after their graduation and guard Jerry Novack and center Bill VanBuren played after military service. Novack playing in two Rose Bowls with the Hawkeyes and VanBuren garnering All-American honors at center and later playing with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.

Former Lave assistant and Admiral King coach Tony Misko labels the 1952 club as "overall our best" and confidently states, "It is highly unlikely that any one high school in the United States ever sent as many players from the same team to major colleges where they performed as regulars within the space of a few years."