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Saturday, November 19, 1960. In the closing game of the banner ‘60 season, the unbeaten ‘Skins host the once-beaten Owls of Bensalem. Featuring the backfield exploits of three-year starters Harry Schuh and Jack Stricker, who helped Neshaminy score 436 points that season, along with a defense that allowed just 51 points over the same schedule, the Tribe also enjoyed its first year under the sole direction of legendary coach John Petercuskie during that campaign. Legendary for a reason too, for during his six years at the helm the Redskins set the standard for schoolboy football in the state with a 59-1-5 overall record. Meanwhile, though, the Bensalem Owls of 1960 were no slouch either having been touched just once all season long. And making it their business to let the screaming crowd know they were for real, at the half it was all knotted up, 13-13.

But still, and despite the efforts of the Cornwell Heights club, the second half was all Neshaminy as the Blue and Red ran away with the game and closed out one of the greatest years in Redskin history.

Neshaminy wins, 32-13, for
9th straight Title

By DICK NOCOLAI
The Philadelphia Inquirer

LANGHORNE- With Harry Schuh and Jack Stricker, Neshaminy’s great one-two running attack, finishing their high school careers by scoring a pair of touchdowns each, the Redskins won a hard fought 32-13 victory over Bensalem High and captured their ninth consecutive Lower Bucks League championship Saturday at Neshaminy.

Before a standup crowd of 7,000 Neshaminy battled back from a 13-13 halftime tie, after they had held a 13-0 edge by virtue of Schuh’s two first half scores, to win its 16th straight game.

SCHUH SCORES TWICE

Schuh dove over the Bensalem line twice in the first two periods to score two TDs and give the winners their early edge. But with time running out in the second period, Bensalem hit pay dirt twice, the last coming as the half ended, to deadlock the score.

Quarterback Bob Mudie went over from the one, after a 45-yard pass play to Bill Schreiber had set up the score, then Mudie passed to Bob Glose good for 34 yards and the tying touchdown. Glose took the pass on the 10 and went over unmolested.

TAKES LEAD FOR KEEPS

Neshaminy came right back in the third period to take the lead for keeps. Stricker went off tackle for a yard and a TD. Six plays earlier Neshaminy’s Rich Lauther recovered a Bensalem on the losers’ 26.

The score remained 20-13 until midway in the final stanza when Fran McCollum fell on teammate Schuh’s fumble in the Bensalem end zone for a Neshaminy TD. Then with the clock running out Stricker hit off tackle for two yards and the final score.

Neshaminy finished its season with an 8-0 league log, 10-0-1 overall, and Bensalem wound up with a 7-1 league record, 8-2 overall.

(Editor’s Note: When you think of the 1960 team all the superlatives that can be called upon seem to fall short. Blessed with talent on the field and on the sidelines too - players and coaches - this was a group that had everything. From the fact that it was the initial graduating class of players that had gone all the way through the school’s new physical plant on Old Lincoln Highway - both Neshaminy Junior High and Neshaminy Senior High - to the team’s “location” almost in the exact middle of the great period from 1952 through 1965 when the ‘Skins seemed virtually invincible, it’s hard to say enough about the ’60 squad. For instance, the 436 total points they scored wasn’t eclipsed by another Tribe team until the 2004 club put up 466 while their “per game” scoring average of 39.6 has never been topped, still standing as the gold standard to this day. As to LBC league play, the average score of 43-3 became the conference benchmark that was also never bested. Additionally, the overall margin of victory throughout the season of 35 points a game - based on the full season average game score of 39.6 to 4.6 - is another “best ever” for an Indian Nation club. Stocked with players like Harry Schuh and Jack Stricker, who collectively scored 99 touchdowns during their 3 year careers, along with Jack Currie, John Carber, Rich Bonsall, Rich Held, Ed Kaminski, Fran McCollum, Allan Rell, Jerry Hertz, Brian Baker, Rich Boerckel, Stan Cantor, Dick Blodgett, Bruce Evans, Bobby Barr, Rich Lauther, Robert Cummings, Tommy Preno, Milt Rassier, John Rothrock, John Vosburgh and others, it’s hardly an overstatement to say that the 1960 Redskins rank right at the top of any “best ever” Neshaminy and southeastern or statewide Pennsylvania list of schoolboy grid squads.)