The players below were selected solely by Hall of Fame sports journalist Billy Reed. The opinions and commentary does not necessarily reflect that of LouisvilleCatholicSports.com and should be treated as editorial commentary by columnist Reed.
I have a homework assignment for all you dear readers. Let's see if we can get a consensus on an all-time Louisville Catholic high school football team.
To get us started, I've picked my team. From now until Jan. 1, it will be up to you readers to tell me whom I've overlooked. If you can persuade me that your guy is more deserving than mine, I'll gladly make the substitution.
I took some liberties with players who went both ways. For example, our Louisville Catholic high schools have produced a surfeit of big-time offensive tackles. So when I found evidence that Trinity's Mike Pffeifer played both ways, I used him on defense even though he may have been better on offense.
What got me thinking about this was the current Trinity High team. It's obvious that these are Rocks for the ages, one of the state's all-time best teams. Heck, if they get the expected victory in the 6-A title game to close out a spectacular 14-0 season, they may well lay claim to be THE best.
So how would the individual stars of this Trinity team stack up against the best of the past? Very well, I think. That's why I picked two on my all-time team.
Let's go with the offense first.
Wide receiver
James Quick (Trinity '13) and Nathan Dutton (Trinity '07). As good as Dutton was, Quick is better. Year after next, he's going to make some college head coach very, very happy.
Tight end
Howard Schnellenberger (Flaget '51). Long before he smoked his first pipe, Howard was an All-State receiver and an All-American at the University of Kentucky. His Wildcat teams were 3-0 against Tennessee.
Tackle
Maurice "Mo" Moorman (St. Xavier '62) and Will Wolford (St. X '84). Both went on to become all-pro players, Moorman with the Kansas City Chiefs and Wolford with the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts.
Guards
Joe Koch (St. Xavier 1950) and Bob Talamini (St. X 1958). Koch's coach at UK said he was one of the best players he ever coached. The coach's name was Paul "Bear" Bryant. Talamini also went to UK and had an outstanding NFL career with the Houston Oilers.
Center
Otto Knop Sr. (St. Xavier 1948). He went to the University of Louisville and was center for a QB named Johnny Unitas. Nobody loved to hit and be hit more than Knop.
Quarterback
Brian Brohm (Trinity 2004). Why he didn't make it in the NFL remains a mystery to me, considering how good he was in high school and U of L.
Running back
Dalyn Dawkins (Trinity '13). This kid knows how to hit the hole and he just explodes through it.
Athlete
Paul Hornung (Flaget '52). In high school, he showed the versatility that served him so well at Notre Dame (1956 Heisman Trophy) and with the Green Bay Packers. Equally adept at quarterback or halfback, he also could catch the ball and kick it as a punter or place-kicker.
Now, the defense.
Down linemen
Pfeiffer (Trinity '84), Dickie Mueller (St. X '56), John Bohn (Flaget '57), and Bobby Lehmann (Flaget '58). A couple of national magazines named Bonn and Lehmann to their All-American teams.
Linebackers
Joe Federspiel (DeSales '67), Carwell Gardner (Trinity 1992), and Bernard Jackson (St. X '97). One of the hardest hitters ever produced in Kentucky or anywhere else, Federspiel was often the lone bright spot on some bad teams at UK and the New Orleans Saints.
Defensive backs
Dicky Lyons Sr. (St. X 1964), Bobby Reeves (St. X 1959), and Paul Calhoun (Bishop David '80). Lyons was as versatile as Hornung, doing everything for some bad UK teams in the 1960s. Calhoun was just as good a punter as he was a defender.
Punter
Ryan Tydlacka (Trinity '07). He might well have been the MVP for this season's 5-7 UK team. The NFL might be in his future.
Place kicker
Karl-Heinz Williams (Trinity '02). He had 23 career field goals and still holds school and state records for distance and accuracy.
Kick returner
Sherrill Sipes (Flaget '52). He was the state track champion in the dashes and was as highly coveted by college recruiters as Hornung. However, his career at Notre Dame was cut short by knee injuries.
Co-coaches
Paulie Miller of Flaget and Trinity; Johnny Meihaus of St. Xavier.
I feel badly about leaving off players such as Rick Norton of Flaget, Jeff Brohm of Trinity, Bob Kupper of Bishop David, Bubba Paris of DeSales, Mark Askin of St. X and Sam Robey of Trinity. Maybe you can convince me to substitute them.
Who makes your All-Time Catholic football team?
Let the arguments begin.
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