Narrative
In 1939, Easton put together one of the most dominant teams in the pre-WWII era, out scoring its opponents 182-19 and posting wins over coal region powers Shamokin and Pottsville, city champion Northeast Philadelphia, and of course, archrival Phillipsburg. That team was led on the field by do-it all single wing halfback Bob Rute, who was named to the inaugural AP All State team after the season. Rute took his talents to Duke, where he played halfback for Wallace Wade’s excellent Blue Devil squads of the early ‘40s, started in the 1942 Rose Bowl, then was an All Southern Conference performer when he returned to Duke after serving in World War II. He returned to Easton to teach social studies, and joined the football staff as the backfield coach. When Fran O'Hora was dismissed after a 5-5 season, Easton originally tried to hire former Ohio State and Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Gust Zarnas, a navy buddy of Rute's who he got a job in Easton when the two finished playing pro football. Zarnas passed on taking a head coaching job (though he did then found the Easton wrestling program), and Rute was elevated to head football coach for the 1948 season with Zarnas running his defense.
The 1950s were a return to glory for Rute and his Red Rovers. They went 28-9-3 from 1949-53, then were one of the best teams in Pennsylvania in 1955, winning their first nine games before losing 7-6 to Phillipsburg on a goal line stand in the final minutes, and finished ranked #4 in the state. The 1955 team set the tone for the rest of the decade as it featured one of the rarest features of a team in that era - a pair of freshmen starters.
Easton’s athletic program was significantly boosted by the immigration of Pete Americus to the United States from Greece in the 7th grade. He became the first Easton freshman to play varsity football when he started at fullback and linebacker for every game in the 1955 season (his 612 rushing yards are still a 9th grade record at Easton). He was joined on the varsity squad by fellow freshman Bill Houston, who started at safety and got carries backing up All State halfback Dick Bentham on offense. The following season, Houston and Americus teamed up in the backfield, while fellow sophomore Terry Bartolet took over at quarterback. And while the team driven by 10th graders had an inconsistent year, it laid the foundation for the following seasons. In 1957, Easton rolled to a 7-2 season and Americus earned Big 33 honors, one of two juniors in the state to make the Big 33 team and he and Houston finished first and second in eastern Pennsylvania in scoring. With ten starters back, Easton was a heavy favorite to be one of the best teams in the state in 1958.
Easton’s biggest challenge of the season came in the summer. Lehigh Valley schools challenged the eligibility of Americus, requiring a birth certificate to prove he was below the PIAA’s age threshold. This became an international incident, as Americus was born in Greece and immigrated to the United States by himself to live with extended family, and Easton needed to contact the Greek embassy for Americus’s proof of age, then utilized professors at Lafayette College to translate the document for the PIAA committee investigating the matter. Americus was declared eligible six days before the Red Rovers’ opener against Reading.
Easton opened the season at Albright College to take on fellow Eastern Big Six member the Reading Red Knights. This had been a consistent season opening non-conference game in the decade. After forcing a three-and-out, junior track star Charley Weaver returned the punt 42 yards to the Reading 38. On the first offensive play of the season, Americus took a fullback counter 38 yards for a touchdown, and Easton was on the board. They nearly added a second touchdown before halftime after a 61 yard drive, but Bill Houston coughed the ball up at the Reading 5. The Knights took that momentum into their opening drive of the second half as they marched 57 yards in six plays down to the Easton 23, before the drive began to stall. On fourth and 10 from just outside the red zone, Reading tried to float a pass to the left side of the field, but Americus stepped in front and raced 84 yards in the opposite direction for a defensive score. Easton added a 67 yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, with Bill Houston ripping off a 26 yard run then scoring one play later to account for the final margin.
The following week, Easton raced out to a 38-0 lead at halftime and scored nine touchdowns in a 59-7 rout of local rival Wilson Boro. Bill Houston returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and after forcing a three-and out, Pete Americus ripped off a 66 yard touchdown on their first offensive play of the game, and his only carry of the night. Terry Bartolet also threw a pair of touchdowns and sophomores Joe Creazzo and Ray Rissmiller both returned interceptions for touchdowns, with the 215 pound Rissmiller showing incredible speed for his size taking a tipped ball 34 yards back to the house.
The road warrior schedule continued with Easton traveling to Pottsville the following week and posting a 63-0 shutout win to hand the storied coal region school its worst loss in program history. Easton only punted once, forced five turnovers, and gained 323 yards of total offense. Terry Bartolet threw for two touchdowns and scrambled for a third, while Americus returned a punt for a 70 yard touchdown and took a pitch 42 yards to the house. Bill Houston added defensive points with a safety. Charley Weaver had the highlight of the day when he took a shovel pass from Bartolet at the Pottsville 10, scrambled backwards twenty yards, then found daylight and scored, running an estimated 60 yards for a ten yard touchdown. The UPI story the following week noted Easton amongst the top teams in Pennsylvania and Americus as the best player in the state.
Easton’s home opener came on October 12th, when Bok Vo-Tech came up from Philadelphia to take on what was being dubbed the “point a minute” Red Rover offense. Easton did not disappoint the home crowd, pounding out 382 rushing yards and cracking the 50 point barrier again in a 55-14 win. Americus and Houston both contributed special teams touchdowns, with an 85 yard kick return and 95 yard punt return for touchdowns (Houston’s punt return is still the longest in school history). The pair combined for five touchdowns on the night, with Americus adding an 85 yard touchdown run to his return TD and a 1 yard score, while Houston caught a 13 yard touchdown. Charley Weaver and David Cooper added 49 and 73 yard touchdown runs to Easton’s home run totals. Through four games, the Red Rovers scored 196 points in 192 minutes of game action.
Originally, Easton had scheduled a bye in week five, but Bob Rute had been trying to schedule northeastern PA power Old Forge for years. After spending much of the summer trying to make arrangements, the two schools agreed the day after the Pottsville win to play the following Saturday at Cottingham Stadium. Old Forge was one of the best programs of the 1950s, having posted 10+ win seasons in six of the last seven years and an undefeated season in 1952 with a claim to a mythical state title. The Blue Devils featured halfback Bob Rinaldi (who earned Sporting News All American honors after the season and set the Old Forge touchdowns record which lasted 52 seasons) running behind all state tackle Len Kresefski, who went on to play tackle at West Point. Outside of the Easton game, Old Forge gave up 2.3 points per game, won the Eastern Conference championship (comprising all of modern day Districts 2 and 4, plus the coal region of D11) and finished ranked #6 in the state. On paper, this was Easton’s biggest test of the season.
The test lasted approximately six minutes of game time. Old Forge was forced to punt after their opening drive...which Charley Weaver returned 68 yards for a touchdown. On the following drive, Waltar Bright forced a fumble to give Easton the ball back almost immediately at the Old Forge 40. Terry Bartolet ripped off a 29 yard run on an option keeper, then two plays later Americus scored for a 13-0 lead.
However, the touchdown run was the worst case scenario for the Rovers. Americus stayed down after his plunge into the end zone, and had to be carried off of the field. He did not return, and Easton was suddenly without one of the best offensive and defensive players in the state. The Easton defense was lost without their star linebacker on the next drive, and Old Forge marched 60 yards in five plays and cut the lead to 13-7. But even without Americus, the Easton offense was lethal, and they regained control with a 52 yard Bill Houston TD before the half.
After halftime, Easton held down the Old Forge offense, and got another home run when Charley Weaver took a wingback reverse 49 yards for a TD at the end of the third quarter after a Blue Devil fumble. Old Forge put together a drive deep into Easton territory, but sophomore Ray Rissmiller stuffed a run at the 4 yard line on fourth down. After two runs netted six yards, Houston took a sweep and turned on the jets, splitting the secondary and racing for a 90 yard touchdown. On the day. Easton ran for 339 yards and the defense held Old Forge under 150 yards of offense and forced four turnovers.
The following week, Easton traveled to Bethlehem to take on Bethlehem Liberty, who had stunned the Rovers, 8-0, the season before in Cottingham. Bethlehem had been a thorn in Easton’s side for most of the 1940s and ‘50s, and had the keen ability to play Easton tough as a big underdog. Easton would be without Americus, who was on crutches during the week and sidelines for at least this game. The contest set an attendance record at Liberty Stadium (now BASD Stadium) with over 16,000 in attendance to watch one of the state’s best rivalries.
Bethlehem’s promising opening drive ended with a fumble, recovered by sophomore Joe Creazzo, who was quickly developing a nose for the football. Bill Houston set the tone for Easton’s offense with a 45 yard run on their second play from scrimmage, then scored three plays later from ten yards out. Houston then saved a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, catching Dominic Valani from behind at the 39. Easton’s defense held Bethlehem without a point on the drive. In the second quarter, Easton took to the air, with Terry Bartolet hitting Houston for a 75 yard touchdown pass and a 23 yard touchdown pass to Charley Weaver to take a 20-0 lead into halftime. Bartolet would stay on fire into the third quarter when his 36 yard strike to split end Kirby Kiick extended the lead to 26-0. Bethlehem answered with a touchdown drive, then recovered the onside kick, but a Houston interception stole back momentum for the visitors. Near the end of the fourth quarter, Houston finished his stellar game with a 39 yard touchdown run. During the point after attempt, a fight broke out between the two teams and the officials called the game at a 33-7 final score. Easton held Bethlehem to just 50 yards rushing and 171 for the game, while pounding out 212 yards on the ground, plus 150 from Bartloet through the air. The teams also combined for 200 yards in penalties.
Easton started November on frigid Saturday evening by taking on longtime rival Allentown, who were the defending Big 6 champs after an undefeated 1957 campaign and a 63-15-4 record in the 1950s under former Detriot Lions fullback Perry Scott, including seven of the last eight conference championships. It was the final year that the Canaries would be just one school, with Dieruff High set to open the following fall (and Allentown’s impending name change to William Allen High School). Easton had not beaten the Canaries in Cottingham since 1928, and was looking to avenge a 20-0 loss in 1957. Allentown had battled injuries all season, but welcomed back halfback Joe Donmoyer for the game and featured All State split end Mike Wing. Easton welcomed back Americus, but he was limited to just playing offense.
The Cottingham crowd was stunned early on, when Allentown drove 65 yards on its second possession, including a 31 yard pass from Jay Miller to Mike Greenawalt that set up a 1 yard Miller touchdown run. It was the first time Easton trailed all season. Most of the second quarter was occupied by Bartolet engineering a 13 play, 75 yard touchdown drive of mostly option football, ended by the heady quarterback scoring on a keeper at the goal line. The Red Rovers seemed to take control in the third quarter, with Charley Weaver popping off a 56 yard run and Bartolet flipped a touchdown pass to Weaver from two yards out, but Greenawalt blocked the extra point to keep Allentown in position for the upset. Allentown couldn’t get things going on the ensuing drive, but a Miller punt was downed at the 2, and set them up for great field position.
After holding the Rover offense without a first down, Bartolet managed to get a punt out near midfield, but the Allentown passing game erased the field position advantage. Miller threw the ball up to Mike Wing, who used every bit of his 6’3 frame to go up over Houston and bring the ball down at the 12 yard line. After a short run and an Easton offside penalty, Joe Donmoyer ran in from the three to potentially give Allentown the lead. But the extra point was pushed wide right and the score was deadlocked at 13 with six minutes left to play. Easton went nowhere with the ball and was forced to punt, but Allentown surprisingly abandoned their passing game, and was stuffed on three straight runs and punted the back back to Easton with a minute left in the game.
On the first play of the drive, Bartolet faked a handoff to Americus and rolled left to evade the rush. Meanwhile, Charley Weaver leaked out of the backfield on a wheel route, and Bartolet dropped the ball over the speedster’s shoulder, in stride, and Weaver was gone for a 49 yard touchdown with 51 seconds remaining. On Allentown’s final drive, Weaver intercepted a pass to end the game and extend Easton’s perfect season.
Easton traveled to Lebanon for their final tune-up before Thanksgiving to take on the Cedars and All State end Pete Smith. Easton kicked things into gear in the second quarter, when Houston broke a 33 yard run, then a 14 yard carry from Americus, a 15 yard run by Bartolet, and an eight yard Bartolet to Houston touchdown got them on the board. On the ensuing Lebanon drive, Americus forced a fumble with a truck stick hit over the middle, then two plays later took a shovel pass from Bartolet 36 yards for a touchdown, sprung by a huge downfield block by tight end John Aviantos. Easton fumbled right after halftime, and Lebanon took advantage of the short field with a touchdown, but after the kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, Houston took the first play 80 yards for a touchdown. After an exchange of punts, Americus ripped off an 80 yard touchdown run of his own to put the game out of reach. Easton pounded out 354 yards on the ground and got another 90 through the air for their largest total yardage output of the season. In the words of longtime trainer Gouge Andrews, there was only one thing left to do: beat P’Burg.
The Thanksgiving Day game with Phillipsburg was set to be one of the best in rivalry history. For the first time (and just one of two times to date), both the Red Rovers and Stateliners came into the game unbeaten and untied. The game set a record with 23,000 in attendance, almost 8,000 more than the listed capacity at Lafayette’s Fisher Field. The game was a contrast in styles, with Phillipsburg featuring a big offensive line and grind-it-out rushing attack with a trio of all state selections in tackles Bart Cathcart (a first teamer), Frank Gildner, and fullback Marv Lippincott. The Stateliners were ranked #3 in New Jersey and had a shot at supplanting top ranked East Orange with a statement win over the Red Rovers.
The game became significantly harder for Easton at practice during the week. Pete Americus re-injured his knee, what doctors were calling a pinched nerve, and he would be on crutches for the game.
Easton looked strong early, driving 63 yards on their opening possession to inside the Phillipsburg 10. But a Charley Weaver fumble ended the drive without points. The Phillipsburg offense was able to move the ball, but didn’t get a scoring chance through the rest of the first quarter. In the second, Houston put the ball on the ground, and Phillipsburg recovered at the 23. Marv Lippincott scored four plays later on a 16 yard fullback trap to give the Stateliners a 6-0 lead. Weaver fumbled again on the ensuing drive, but Phillipsburg could not convert the short field into points. At halftime, Phillipsburg was outgaining Easton 132-21 and the Red Rovers had mustered only two first downs.
In the second half, Phillipsburg opened with a punt and Easton took over at midfield and immediately went to work. Bartolet and Houston carried down to the 20 over four plays, then Bartolet pulled the ball on an option and hit tight end John Aviantos streaking across the field for a 20 yard touchdown. Phillipsburg picked up their only first downs of the second half on the next drive, but stalled out near midfield. A 56 yard punt by Russ Storm pinned Easton inside the ten, but that led to a methodical, 91 yard touchdown drive engineered by Bartolet, capped by a nine yard pass from Bartolet to back-up fullback Pat Torquati. After another Phillipsburg punt, Weaver atoned for his two first half fumbles by taking a handoff, breaking two tackles, reversing field, and going 56 yards for a touchdown to give Easton breathing room. After a Felton Gilbert interception on Phillipsburg’s next drive, Weaver popped off a 28 yard touchdown to give the Rovers a final cushion of 26-6. Easton gained 256 yards of offense in the second half, and Weaver finished with 175 yards rushing on the day, which set an Easton-P’burg record.
The win capped Easton’s first undefeated season since Rute’s senior year in 1939. Easton finished ahead of central PA upstart Central Dauphin (who the Rovers would defeat the following season) and WPIAL champ Johnstown for the mythical state title. Regular season opponent Old Forge finished at #6 while Phillipsburg finished #8 in New Jersey. Despite playing in just six full games, Americus was named first team all state by both the AP and UPI and was selected to the Big 33 team. Houston was named second team all state by the UPI and honorable mention by the AP, while Bartolet was an honorable mention pick of both. Houston joined Americus on the Big 33 team, while Bartolet and two-way tackle Bob Renner earned honorable mention nods from the committee.
Houston set an Easton record that spring with 13 varsity letters - he also was a three year starter in basketball and as a center fielder on the baseball diamond, plus spent four years on varsity track, finishing 3rd in the state in the long jump in 1959. He captained the D11 champs in baseball and track that spring. He passed up a scholarship from Penn State to head south to historically black South Carolina State, where he was college teammates with future NFL Hall of Famer Jackie Slater. Houston was the team offensive MVP as a sophomore and was garnering professional attention, but a badly broken leg in his junior season ended his football career. Houston came back to Easton where he was a teacher, then principal of Shull Middle School before becoming a long time district administrator and was the first black member of Easton’s city council. Houston’s son Bill Jr. was the star running back on the undefeated 1978 Easton team, and his grandson Trey Durrah quarterbacked the 2014 LVC champs that went unbeaten through the regular season.
Pete Americus played running back at Maryland for one season, then transferred to Colorado State where he finished his career as a linebacker for the Rams. He returned to Easton to run a linen supply business until his death in 2010.
Terry Bartolet was a stellar baseball player in addition to his exploits on the football field, where he led Easton to a pair of D11 titles. But he passed up a contract from the New York Yankees out of high school to attend Harvard, where he captained both the Crimson football and baseball teams, and was a two year starter at quarterback and three year starter and two year All Ivy League pick at second base. Bartolet became an orthopedic surgeon and was the head orthopedic at Lehigh Valley Hospital for decades. He was #50 on the Express-Times top athletic figures in the Lehigh Valley in the 20th century, and Easton baseball’s MVP award is named for Dr. Bartolet.
But the biggest football success of the group was 10th grader Ray Rissmiller. After being an integral part of the Easton defense in 1958, Rissmiller became a two-way tackle the following season. He was a first team All State pick in 1959 and in 1960 and was one of the most sought after offensive linemen in the country. The 6’4 260 pounder went to play at Georgia, where he was a two-time All SEC offensive tackle. He was taken in the first round of the AFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. He bounced between the AFL and NFL in his professional career, playing for the Saints, Eagles, and Buffalo Bills before an injury forced him into retirement. After pro football, he stayed in the south, working for Coca-Cola.
Bob Renner also traveled south, playing defensive end at NC State. Renner started a pipeline to Raleigh from Easton, as he was followed to NC State by fellow lineman Rosie Amato, who coaxed his younger brother Chuck, who eventually was the Wolfpack coach, who recruited Rich Lehr and Bob Pilz. The elder Amato ended up the head of football officials in the ACC. George Hellick was an offensive tackle and two-year starter at Dartmouth, then was a long time business executive in the Lehigh Valley. Waltar Bright served in the military after high school, then went to historically black Allen University in South Carolina, where he was an HBCU All American defensive back. He later coached high school football in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida before coming back to Easton where he was the head of the NAACP.
Charley Weaver came back the next season and posted the first 1,000 yard season in Easton history. Running behind Rissmiller, he rushed for 1,044 yards and 22 touchdowns and led Easton to a 9-1 record, with their lone loss coming to Baltimore Tech, a trade school with no age restrictions in Maryland. Weaver started at halfback for three years at William & Mary and was All Southern Conference in 1963. He later coached football at Hunterdon Central in New Jersey, where he won the 1979 Group IV state championship. The following season, Joe Creazzo took the reins at running back, after starting for two yeas on defense, and posted an All State year. Creazzo went on to serve in the US Army, then ran a plumbing and heating business for decades in Easton.
Bob Rute coached another nine seasons for the Red Rovers. He followed the perfect 1958 campaign up with a 9-1 record in 1959, with wins wins over Central Dauphin (unbeaten in 1958), Neshaminy, and Phillipsburg. The 1960 group finished 7-1-1 to complete a 47-8-1 run from 1955-1960, and Rute teams finished 30-2-1 against teams from Pennsylvania from 1958-1962. Rute would have another run of glory posting back-to-back 9 win seasons (9-1 and 9-0-1) in 1966 and 1967 before retiring at the end of the ‘67 season after a bitter 0-0 tie with Phillipsburg to end his career. He left his team to offensive assistant Wayne Grube, who coached the Red Rovers to an undefeated season in 1968. Following his high school career, Rute coached freshman football at Lafayette, and was the recreation department director for the city of Easton. He passed away in 1981.
Rute finished his career with a record of 131-56-9, a wins record that lasted until Steve Shiffert broke it in 2009. He won eight conference championships in twenty seasons, and finished ranked in the top ten in the state in 1955 (5th), 1958 (1st), 1959 (3rd), 1960 (4th), 1966 (8th) and 1967 (4th). He went 10-9-1 in a legendary run of games against his close friend and Phillipsburg legend Harold Bellis (who coached with Rute at Lafayette when they both retired). He was inducted into the PSFCA Hall of Fame in 1996. His 1958 team was inducted into the Easton Area High School Hall of Fame in 2014, the first full team inducted.
