We are ALWAYS looking for history and info about Proctor Football.  If you have something that you think would be a good addition to this page, contact Coach Nathan Johnson at njohnson@proctor.k12.mn.us - there is no guarantee that everything we receive will be put on this page, but we are always interested in Proctor Football history.  Pictures, news paper articles etc are all viable additions to this page.  

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30th Anniversary of 1985 State Team

 By Anthony Bush

    This fall marked the thirtieth anniversary of Proctor’s first football team to win a section championship and play in the state tournament.

    The 1985 edition of Rails football featured quarterback Lee Stephenson, halfback Chris Kindgren, fullback Jeff Dincau, wingback Tom Behm, ends Mark Kieren and Kevin Starren, offensive tackles Todd Fontaine and Brent Kinetz, guards Eric Johnson and Kris Rewald, center Mike Mihalik, and kicker Randy Fietek on offense. Defensively, the Rails typically lined up with Behm and Joe Godfrey at defensive end, Fontaine and Kinetz at tackle, Mihalik at nose guard, Starren and Johnson as linebackers, Rewald at monster back, cornerbacks Craig Peterson and Mark Slattengren, and Kindgren at safety.

    Dave Hylla was in the fifth of his 27 seasons as head coach in 1985. Hylla took over the program in 1981 after Terry Egerdahl died in December 1980 at age 27.

    Egerdahl was 18–9 in his three seasons as head coach, including an 8–1 record in 1979.

    Hylla, who began teaching at Proctor in 1977, was an assistant coach under Egerdahl and was influential in getting Egerdahl posthumously inducted into the Minnesota State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1987.

    With a career record of 196–81 and positive influence on a generation of football players—not to mention ninth-grade girls basketball players, track and field participants, and countless social studies students—Hylla was headed for the same recognition upon his retirement.

    Sadly, Coach Hylla’s 2009 induction was also awarded posthumously after he died of a heart attack at age 58 in August 2008, just as he was preparing for his last season of coaching.

    According to the Rails football website, Hylla’s teams had identical 6–3 records in 1981 and ‘82, and twin 3–6 records in ‘83 and ‘84, meaning his overall coaching record was just 18–18 going into the 1985 season. He was not a legendary coach just yet.

    The Rails opened the 1985 season at Coleraine against Greenway on August 30, and came away with a 28–12 victory in the non-conference game.

    According to the Duluth News Tribune (DNT), “Chris Kindgren rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns,” which  signaled a common theme for the weeks ahead.

    Freshman quarterback Justin Tomberlin was 10-for-15 in pass completions for the Raiders. After playing both baseball and hockey at the University of Maine, Tomberlin played at the minor league level in both sports in the 1990s.

    The home opener was on September 6, “before 1,400 mosquito-slapping fans,” according to the DNT’s Chris Miller.

    Eveleth’s Jared Lewis caught a screen pass from quarterback John Kleven and ran 76 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter as the Golden Bears derailed Proctor, 7–0, in the non-conference game; Kindgren was limited to 94 rushing yards.

    He rebounded for 121 rushing yards and a TD to lead the Rails over International Falls, 20–14, in another non-conference home game on September 13.

    The Seaway Conference, later known as the Sea Range, season-opener was played at Cloquet on September 20. Proctor toppled the Lumberjacks, 14–6.

    Once again, Kindgren got the DNT’s ink: 82 rushing yards and a touchdown.

    Back home on September 27, Kindgren’s best performance to-date—205 rushing yards—gave Proctor a 17–8 win over Two Harbors, and a 4–1 record as the calendar flipped a page.

    The next month started off with more of the same: Proctor shutout Silver Bay, 12–0, on October 4. No game details were reported in the DNT.

    While Proctor was now 5–1 and Hermantown sat at 4–2, both teams were 3–0 in conference play and the game played at Hermantown on October 11 drew a crowd of 1,800 fans to see which team would take the lead in the standings. A victory would clinch the conference title for the Rails; Hermantown still had Cloquet remaining on its schedule.

    What the DNT described as “an always fiery rivalry” didn’t disappoint. Knotted at 21–21 after regulation, Fietek’s field goal in overtime gave the Rails a three-point advantage. It didn’t stick.

    The Hawks’ Pete Berg scored a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from about six inches from the goal line. Final score: Hermantown 27, Proctor 24.

    The Hawks later defeated Cloquet to take the Seaway Conference championship. The Rails, despite Kindgren’s 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Hawks, fell just short in their quest for the conference title. But, ever since the football state tournament was established in 1972, the section championship is the one that counts.

    If anything, the loss gave the Rails a little more motivation and a sense of confidence as the playoffs were just around the corner. Would there be a post-season rematch?

    Proctor finished up an impressive 6–2 regular season by whipping Duluth Cathedral (now the Marshall School), 35–6, at home on October 16 for a 4–1 mark in the Seaway Conference. Kindgren scored four TD’s and rushed for 201 yards.

   The eight-team Section 7A (Section alignment and how the Sections are determined have changed numerous times since 1985) playoffs began on October 22.

    Proctor hosted International Falls in the quarterfinals, but Hylla had to keep his players in check as their thoughts drifted off to a potential sequel against Hermantown in the semifinals.

    Slattengren returned an interception 64 yards for the first touchdown, and Kindgren also scored a TD as a reportedly distracted Rails team shutout the Broncos, 14–0.

    Kindgren was held to 92 rushing yards. In fact, the Broncos had more total yards than the Rails, 196–193. Nevertheless, the grudge match was on as Hermantown beat Cloquet in other quarterfinals action.

    Returning to the Hawks’ field on Ugstad Road on October 26, the Rails jumped to a 14–0 lead after the first quarter as Kindgren scored two touchdowns—one on a 58-yard run—as the crowd of 1,500 fans looked on.

    Hermantown cut the lead to 14–7 at halftime.

    Dincau scored two touchdowns in the third quarter and the Hawks were unable to score in the second half for a lop-sided 28–7 final score. Dincau led all rushers with 107 yards, but Kindgren was right behind him at 103.

    Meanwhile, Aitkin also advanced to the section final with a 15–14 win over Virginia.

    In the Section final, the Gobblers, with a 6–4 record and more points allowed than scored on the season, had no answer for Kindgren. He scampered all over the gridiron at Aitkin on November 1 for a season-best 212 rushing yards and scored all four of the team’s touchdowns, including one on their first play from scrimmage.

    Proctor won, 28–8, without ever attempting a passing play. Aitkin didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Even if the victory against the over-matched Gobblers was somewhat anti-climactic after the emotional win over Hermantown, it was still cause for celebration as it catapulted the Rails into the state tournament for the first time in school history.

    Unfortunately, it was the Rails who were over-matched when they traveled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, to face the East Grand Forks Green Wave on November 8.

    Trailing 28–0 at the half, the only score the Rails could muster was a Dincau TD in the fourth. The final score was 35–6.

    The Green Wave’s quarterback Rick Hartje had 133 yards in total offense (63 rushing and 70 passing) with two TD’s, and Troy Ausmus led all rushers with 146 yards. Kindgren and Dincau stalled out at 43 rushing yards apiece. Proctor ended the season with a 9–3 record.

   Mora topped East Grand Forks, 22–16 in the state semifinals, and New Prague won the Class A Prep Bowl over Mora, 16–12.

    A glance through the Rails records pages on the team’s website paints a vivid picture of the impact of the 1985 team, and of Kindgren’s abilities. The team rushed for a then-school record of 2,609 yards, which now ranks seventh.

    Tom Behm set a school record with seven sacks, which lasted until 1990 and is now tied for fifth.   

    Eric Johnson set a school record for tackle assists with 85; he’s still in second place.

    The only player to top him was current head coach Derek Parendo, who had 97 assists in 1991, another state tournament year.

    Kindgren’s 16 receptions in 1985 is tied for tenth. His school record for longest kick return—95 yards—lasted until Jimmy Merling went 99 yards in 2012.

    Kindgren still holds season records for rushing yards (1,645), touchdowns (22), and points (132), all from 1985.

    In 1986, he set the school standard for total yards in a season (1,952), which also still stands.

    It took until the fourteenth annual state football tournament for Proctor’s first appearance, but the Rails have more than made up for that drought with subsequent appearances in 1991, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2015. The Rails finally broke through for their first win in a state tournament game on November 8, 2013, when they defeated Pierz, 19–6, fittingly on Egerdahl’s old stomping grounds when he played for the Bulldogs, Griggs Field at Malosky Stadium on the UMD campus.

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This was posted by the booster club on facebook.  THANKS for doing that!!  Very cool old footage of the Rails from the 1950's.  Not 100% sure where this game was played, but according to some people who have viewed the footage it is believed that this is at the old Proctor field.  LOVE the Rail uniforms!  Look very close to what we wear now!  No yellow!!

Anybody have more info?  If you do, send a message to njohnson@proctor.k12.mn.us 

Here is the footage!

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Some more history:

Coach Johnson has been working on collecting Proctor Football history.  In that effort he e mailed the Ind. Colts to get information about Tom MacLeod.  MacLeod was a Proctor grad in 1968, played for four years with the Gophers and ended up playing for the Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers from 1973-1978.  His career stats with the Colts were:

Tom MacLeod Career Stats

64 games played (47 starts)

5 interceptions for 95 return yards and a long interception return of 50 yards

6 fumble recoveries for five fumble return yards

All Pro in 1974

As more history is collected it will be posted on this site.  If you know of someone who should be added to the alumi list, let Coach Johnson know at njohnson@proctor.k12.mn.us