Slippery Rock, Pa. - The Rock Mystique, a college football phenomenon for more than 50 years, can be traced back to a 1936 controversy over which team, Minnesota or Pitt, deserved the No. 1 ranking.

Both the Associated Press and the Dickinson System ranked Minnesota first. The Football Annual and various coaches polls, including the United Press International ranking, picked Pittsburgh.

Reams of copy that spewed the platitudes of the Panthers and Golden Gophers, compared scores and schedules - and even cheerleaders. One sportswriter thought the argument was foolish. To prove it, he wrote a story supporting Slippery Rock for No. 1.

Backtracking across the scores from the '36 season, the journalist proved his point:

Slippery Rock beat Westminster, which beat West Virginia Wesleyan, which beat Duquesne, which beat Pitt, which beat Notre Dame, which beat Northwestern, which beat Minnesota.

How could anyone argue with that logic?

Readers of the article, which was reprinted by newspapers all over the country, apparently enjoyed a story that poked fun at big football schools and supported a small one. They loved the name "Slippery Rock." As a name for a typical small school, it seemed almost too good to be true.

Some 33 years later, another writer - Bob Payne - made a case for The Rock playing in the 1969 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Payne duly pointed out a "which beat" sequence that included The Rock and, among others, Virginia, UTEP, Kansas, Syracuse, Iowa State, BYU, Arizona, Utah, Arizona State, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan State and Michigan - which had earned a berth in the 1969 Rose Bowl.

Payne further validated his contention by pointing out Michigan had beaten Purdue, which beat Notre Dame, which tied Southern California - which had earned the berth opposite Michigan in that year's Rose Bowl game.

FANS' FAVORITE

Dubbed "the Snoopy of college football," Slippery Rock is the team that everybody in America seems to love. But, unlike the famous Peanuts' character, The Rock really does exist.

The numbers are dwindling, but fans still think the report of a Slippery Rock score is pure fabrication.

Often the climactic college football score, the Slippery Rock grid result invokes a laugh - or at least a smile - from fans in stadiums from Ann Arbor to Austin and from Chapel Hill to Berkeley.

The public address announcer or scoreboard host on radio or television will often hold the Slippery Rock score for last. It is a traditional Saturday afternoon occurrence throughout the nation.

One year after The Rock was declared as the mythical national champion by the aforementioned sportswriter, Boston scribe William Gary Cunningham recognized the potential for an appearance by the legendary Rock and was instrumental in persuading Boston University to schedule Slippery Rock in the 1937 season-opening game.

A crowd of 6,000 fans - considered "large" at the time - gathered at Fenway Park for the game. Many came to prove to themselves and friends that such a place as Slippery Rock actually existed.

To the crowd's astonishment, The Rock took the opening kickoff and marched nearly the length of the field before the drive stopped inside the Boston University 5-yard line. The hosts scored twice early in the game on razzle-dazzle plays, then, in the third quarter, unveiled a hidden-ball trick for their final tally in a 20-0 win. But that did not deter the honorary SRU alumni from the Boston area from frantically waving Green and White pennants.

SOUGHT-AFTER SCORE

Once, during a University of Texas game, the public address announcer gave other scores during the halftime break, but omitted The Rock score. When he was finished, someone in the crowd shouted, "What's the Slippery Rock score?" The cry was taken up at once. A hurried call was placed to Slippery Rock and, soon afterward, came the news that The Rock had won, which caused the crowd to erupt with a mighty cheer.

In 1970, Texas announcer Wally Pryor gave The Rock score and suggested fans might write and congratulate The Rock for its winning season (6-3 final record).

One of the letters read:

We, the students of Texas at Austin, wish to congratulate you and your team on a successful season. We keep in touch with your progress each year and are always pleased with your success. As far as we are concerned, we would rather see Slippery Rock in the Cotton Bowl than Notre Dame!

People cheer for Slippery Rock because they think the name sounds funny. That's why Rock football team has the largest honorary alumni body of any school in the country, with the possible exception of Notre Dame. Sidewalk alumni fan clubs, official and semi-official, have been documented across the nation.

There are fans who will call from all corners of the country to hear a final score, who will pull off the highway and spend $100 or more at the school's bookstore, who will stand and cheer when the public address announcer heralds another Slippery Rock victory.

Why? Because there's a piece of The Rock in all of us.

"Slippery Rock is the USA's college football cult team," USA Today's Erik Brady once wrote.

BOUNTIFUL REWARDS

The Slippery Rock mystique has led to some interesting games. The 1937 game in Boston was but the first known "guest appearance" made by The Rock.

In 1963, SRU played against Northwestern (Oklahoma) State in the All-Sports Bowl at Oklahoma City. The following fall, more than 15,000 fans turned out at Pasadena's famed Rose Bowl to see The Rock tackle California State College (at Los Angeles).

In the fall of 1972, SRU ventured into Louisiana to take on Nicholls State University -- a team that "just had to schedule Slippery Rock for the first game played in our new stadium."

A year later, SRU jetted across the country to face Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and, in 1976, The Rock went to Kingsville, Texas, to take on perennial power Texas A&I University.

In 1979, and again in 1981, The Rock played games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. SRU drew more than 60,000 fans - to this day, the largest crowd to see an NCAA Division II football game - for their 1979 game against PSAC Western Division rival Shippensburg and attracted more than 30,000 fans for its 1981 season-opening game against Wayne State (Mich.)

The foundation for the trips to Ann Arbor were laid many years prior when Steve Filipiak, public address announcer at Michigan Stadium from 1959-71, was one of the first people to report scores to big-time college football crowds.

From those roots grew a trend.

The Rock made its first trip to Florida in 1990 when it met Central Florida in the season finale at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. In 1998, The Rock opened its season against South Florida in the final game played in Tampa Stadium.

The Slippery Rock name shows no signs of losing its magnetism.

The Rock opened its 2001 season at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, where it was the first-ever opponent for Florida Atlantic.

The game with FAU and the 2002 season-opening date with Eastern Kentucky extended to nine the string of seasons in which The Rock has played an NCAA Division I-AA foe.

Closer to home, The Rock has been the recipient of recognition from Pittsburgh Penguins' radio broadcaster Mike Lange, who regularly referred to fellow NHL Hall of Famer Joe Mullen as "Slippery Rock Joe" for his snake-like movements on the ice.

WHAT IS WECHACHOCHAPOHKA?

Stories of how Slippery Rock received its name are nearly as colorful as the name itself. The favorite tale goes like this:

In 1779, a certain Colonel Daniel Brodhead was in command of Fort Pitt at the present site of the City of Pittsburgh. Col. Brodhead begged General George Washington to allow him to lead an expedition against the Seneca Indians, who were raiding settlements in the area.

The troops encountered the Indians and were forced to feel for their lives. In the pursuit, the soldiers crossed a creek at a place where the stream bed was composed of large, smooth rocks.

Wearing boots, the soldiers were able to cross the creek safely, but the Senecas - wearing smooth moccasins - slipped and fell, which enabled the cavalry to make its escape.

Historically, the Indians called the stream "Wechachochapohka," which means "a slippery rock."

Since the location of the stream is in the heart of land once occupied by Delawares, many believe the authenticity of this legend. Shortly after the Slippery Rock Creek was christened, the adjoining town also became known by the catchy name.

The mystique that Slippery Rock football enjoys to this day is rooted in a solid tradition of success. SRU has had undefeated teams, nationally ranked teams and postseason playoff teams and been competitive, year in and year out, against all comers.

Never was that more true than from 1997-2000, during which time The Rock reigned as the No. 1 team in the PSAC's Western Division and earned three NCAA playoff berths.

Football made its first appearance on the Slippery Rock campus in 1898, one decade after the formal opening of Slippery Rock State Normal School. The Rock has competed on an intercollegiate basis since 1900 with the notable exceptions of 1943 and 1944. There were no teams fielded during those two seasons because of America's involvement in World War II.

Since 1900, The Rock has posted a winning mark of 59 percent with a record of 487 wins, 324 losses and 42 ties. Since becoming a State Teachers College in 1926, The Rock has compiled a 392-265-28 record that is recognized by the NCAA as the school's official record. SRU boasts a winning record against 41 of 63 teams against which it has competed since 1900, including five of six PSAC West rivals and 11 of 13 PSAC brethren.

HIGH STANDARDS

Rock football teams have been led into battle by 15 different head coaches and have recorded five undefeated seasons -- including a trio of squads that were unbeaten and untied. Fourteen SRU teams, the last being the 1974 unit, lost just one game in a season. Twenty other Rock teams - most notably the 1971-73 and 1997-99 teams - lost just twice. A common bond between those latter six teams is Dr. George Mihalik, The Rock's 16th-year head coach and the quarterback for Bob DiSpirito's 1971-73 squads.

Four of SRU's undefeated teams (1924, 1933, 1939, 1945) were coached by N. Kerr Thompson. During his 24-year coaching tenure at The Rock. his squads had a winning ratio of better than two wins per three contests, captured 12 divisional and eight state crowns. He had only four losing seasons.

Rock football returned to national prominence in the early 1960s under Chuck Godlasky, who guided Slippery Rock to three straight Western Division titles and the school's ninth state title in 1962. His 1962 and 1963 teams both advanced to postseason bowl games.

DiSpirito, who compiled a 79-60-3 record in 15 seasons as The Rock's head coach, led the program to new heights. He led SRU to an unprecedented three straight conference titles (1972-74), as well as a share of the 1976 title. Two of his teams competed in NCAA-sanctioned bowl games and his squads won 20 straight home games from 1971-74.

Mihalik has returned The Rock to the pinnacle of success and, as a result, is on pace to supplant Thompson as the school's all-time winningest football coach. He led SRU to a fourth straight PSAC West title in 2000.

His teams secured three straight NCAA berths from 1997-99. The 1999 team finished the regular season ranked No. 2 nationally, the highest ranking in school history, which came on the heels of a No. 5 ranking in 1998 and a No. 7 finish in 1997.

The Class of 2001 earned the distinction of being the most successful group in Rock football history. The 24-player group won 41 of 50 games, including a 23-1 PSAC-West mark, from 1997-2000.

That group won 19 consecutive home victories before losing in the 1999 season finale and played an integral role in The Rock winning 36 straight regular-season games against NCAA Division II opponents from 1996-2000.

In true Snoopy-like fashion, throughout the years, Rock football has proven that you don't have to be big to be famous.