Video presentation
The Trenton State College 1963 football team had one of the greatest seasons in program history. Led by head coach Robert Salois, the Lions won the final seven games of the season to finish with a record of 7-1. Five members of that squad have been inducted into TCNJ’s Athletic Alumni Hall of Fame.
The Lions were coming off back-to-back seasons in which they struggled to 1-6 and 2-5-1 records. The fall of 1963 brought a fresh sense of promise, but TSC dropped its opener 7-0 to Wagner College. From that game, tri-captains Bob Ritter, Rich Wojciechowicz, and Ron Chiste led the Lions to seven straight victories to finish the season.
The defense, which was ranked as high as second in the nation, shut out the next two opponents as Trenton State defeated Geneva 12-0 and Nichols College 20-0 to bump its season mark over .500. The offensive unit then paced the charge in a 26-6 win over Brockport as Bobby Jones tossed a pair of touchdown passes. The first was a 10-yard strike to Billy MacEvoy before connecting with Steve Libro on a 67-yard touchdown pass.
Wojciehowicz then ran for three touchdowns in a 28-6 blowout over Central Connecticut College. Following two more tight contests over Kings College (14-6) and Juniata College (7-6), the Lions were set up for an electrifying showdown with arch-rival Montclair State College.
With the stage set at Earl Dean Field, Trenton State came out sluggish and did not score a point in the opening three quarters of play. The Lions, however, rallied in dramatic fashion. George Strattman took a handoff and raced 80 yards to put the TSC on the board. The Lions then took a 14-13 lead when Libro ran in on a sweep from six yards out. But that lead was short-lived as the Redskins responded with a quick touchdown to recapture their advantage later in the final quarter.
Trailing 20-14 with three minutes to play, the Lions’ offense took the field and executed one of the most memorable plays in program history. Known to many as “The Pass”, Jones dropped back on fourth down from his own 29-yard line and hit freshman Strattman for a 71-yard touchdown pass. Jim Lewis booted the extra point through the uprights to give Trenton State a 21-20 triumph, a victory that ranks among the best ever at the College.
As captured by Lions’ football student-correspondent Dave Bachman in the Signal
, “Words cannot adequately describe the action at last Saturday’s football classic; to quote a hackneyed expression, ‘You had to see it to believe it.’ … The heroes were numerous and the spirit was strong – a perfect combination for good football. … The fans saw some excellent quarterbacking from Bob Jones. It will be a while before the spectators forget his fourth-down pass to freshman George Strattman for the final TD in the closing minutes of the ballgame. The pass itself covered over sixty yards in the air. … Good clutch play is the mark of a fine athlete, and George Strattman and many other Lions showed this quality at its peak against Montclair.”
