Jerome Layton and Ken O'Keefe were just two of the many outstanding players that made up the 1973 PAC champion John Carroll football team
The October 13, 1973, football game played between visiting John Carroll and host Grove City is a treasure trove of historical nuggets that the true Blue Streak fan can appreciate.
- It was a breakout game for wide receiver Ken O'Keefe.the JCU grad would later gain fame as a college and professional football coach. Currently, O'Keefe is quarterbacks coach at the University of Iowa. He was the Hawkeyes' offensive coordinator for 13 seasons (1999-2011) before leaving to join the staff of the Miami Dolphins. O'Keefe also won a Division III national title as head coach of Allegheny College in 1990;
- It was the game that people began to take notice of a junior running back named Tim Barrett. Against the Wolverines that day, Barrett -- whose jersey #41 is one of five that has been retired by the JCU football program -- had his best day of the season to date, rumbling for 158 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. Running behind an offensive line that featured a future Hall of Famer in Jerome Layton, the Blue Streaks amassed 301 rushing yards that day, with the help of Mike Soeder (another future Hall of Famer who gad a rushing touchdown in the game);
- It was a game that head coach Jerry Schweickert was not on the sidelines. Assistant coach Tony DeCarlo assumed the duties in Grove City as Schweickert was in Chicago tending to funeral services for his father;
- It was a game that freshman quarterback Jim Gorski made his first collegiate start. He completed his first three passes on the opening drive, and found O'Keefe for touchdowns of 24 and 28 yards;
- It was a game in which the defense played some of its best ball to date. They limited Grove City to 260 yards and intercepted four passes.
John Carroll won the contest by a final score of 41-6. The Blue Streaks had built a halftime lead of 35-0.
The victory proved to be a spark for what grew into a banner year. JCU would finish 7-1-2 overall (the only blemish a 14-7 to Wooster) and 5-0-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. That was good enough to win the seventh PAC title in program history.
After a slow start (ties against Allegheny and Thiel and the Wooster loss), John Carroll rolled to six consecutive victories to close out the season. The final triumph, a 30-7 win over Case Western Reserve, was icing on a very delicious cake.
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