geaux_sioux Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Who was the best out of these guys? All of them are/were great players. But if you had to pick one. And why. I was a little young to remember Tibesar and wasn't born when LeClair was the man so I hope some older fans can weigh in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND1992 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I never saw LeClair play either, my Sioux football days started about the time Tibesar came in. I don't think Ratelle has done enough yet to be at the top of this list, although he may be the most physically gifted and his legacy could change with more games like last week and some UND victories. Really hard to pick between Tibesar and Digger. I guess I would slightly lean towards Digger as I remember him standing out on special teams the first time I saw him. He was such a good combination of will, athleticism and instincts, but I guess that could be said of all of these guys. But I guess for a full four years I remember Digger making play after play and was a constant his whole career. I'll be interested to hear some of the others who go back even farther debate this. One thing is for sure UND is lucky to have landed all these guys as they most certainly could have all been playing at even higher levels at some point in their careers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxfan512 Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 I have to go Digger Anderson, only because he was playing when I was at UND. Really fun to watch, and seriously, what a name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassB Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Were these guys the phenomenal physical specimen that ratelle is ? I remember digger being the man, but tough to say whether or not between him and ratelle because ratelle didn't get on the field right away (and my love for UND football hadn't matured yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geaux_sioux Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 Ratelle is the heaviest by far. The strongest also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfhockey Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Ratelle playing against better competition bubbs really coached him up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northcountry Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 All of these guys were/are very good and deserve a place in every Sioux football fan's heart, but I don't think your list is complete if Dean Witkowski is not included in the conversation. He played in a 4 - 3 scheme and virtually covered sideline to sideline. It was unfortunate that the teams he played on were not at an elite level (much like what Ratelle is experiencing) and his exposure beyond the faithful was somewhat limited. I do believe he was drafted by Green Bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ndamukong_sioux Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 What about Dan Hendrickson? He was an absolute animal at linebacker and like Ratelle contributed on special teams a lot. I guarantee you guys there is a few former kick returners we played that still have nightmares of being destroyed by him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxVolley Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 (edited) LeClair starred for Bengals teams that went to the Super Bowl. Hard to pick against his accomplishments. Lives in Mayville but his health isn't too good, possibly because of repeated pounding he took, especially with concussions.All these LBS are from the Cities. Edited October 3, 2015 by SiouxVolley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldskool Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 How about that guy from international falls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
North Dakota Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Jim LeClair. He only played 2 years at UND but was one of the best players to ever put on a Sioux jersey. Tough to compare players from different era's but I'd still put LeClair above the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 LeClair had a pro-type game - as shown by his career - strong, agile, smart. But for impact on the college game, I've got to go with Digger. And I did watch LeClair play and thought he was a stud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gundy1124 Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 How about that guy from international falls Did he pay you to say that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Jim LeClair with this wiki page entry, LeClair then played college football for two years at the University of North Dakota, where as a senior, he was named Little All-American in 1971 as he recorded 187 tackles, three interceptions, four fumble recoveries fumbles, and 11 forced fumbles for the Sundogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iramurphy Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Ratelle playing against better competition bubbs really coached him upLeclair played against Montana, Momtana State, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UNI, Arkansas State and UNLV. He was a Linebacker in a 5-2 defense and dominated. He was 6' 3" and 225 lbs and when he hit someone they felt it. NDSU was ranked #1 and had a 30 some game unbeaten streak and the LeClair led defense held them to -18 total yds. AC only touchdown was on an interception pick 6. LeClair hit Steve Nelson so hard that the entire stadium was in awe and Nelson was done. I think he transferred to Concordia to finish his career. Arkansas State was ranked #1 when we played them and Montana was a ranked and had one of the biggest olines in the country at the time. LeClair dominated from sideline to sideline. I've seen all of these guys and there was none better. An All -American, He was drafted by the Bengals and went on to a 10 yr NFL career, Bengals team Captain and pro bowler. The competition was DII but that was today's FCS teams, and teams like Nevada, Boise State, UNLV, San Siego State etc. Certainly better completion than Drake, Wyoming and Cal Davis. Note I said none better. That means each one of these guys dominated in their era. Most dominant in my mind is LeClair. You had to double team him if you wanted to run and he could defend the pass. The other guy at Linebacker was Don McLean who was one of the toughest nastiest LBs in the country. He was an Honorable Mention All- American. Program was in shambles in 1969. Conference runner up in 1970 and conference champs in 1971. One of the reasons I'm not on board with all the excuses about playing young guys and it takes 4-5 yrs to turn a program around. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Leclair played against Montana, Momtana State, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UNI, Arkansas State and UNLV. He was a Linebacker in a 5-2 defense and dominated. He was 6' 3" and 225 lbs and when he hit someone they felt it. NDSU was ranked #1 and had a 30 some game unbeaten streak and the LeClair led defense held them to -18 total yds. AC only touchdown was on an interception pick 6. LeClair hit Steve Nelson so hard that the entire stadium was in awe and Nelson was done. I think he transferred to Concordia to finish his career. Arkansas State was ranked #1 when we played them and Montana was a ranked and had one of the biggest olines in the country at the time. LeClair dominated from sideline to sideline. I've seen all of these guys and there was none better. An All -American, He was drafted by the Bengals and went on to a 10 yr NFL career, Bengals team Captain and pro bowler. The competition was DII but that was today's FCS teams, and teams like Nevada, Boise State, UNLV, San Siego State etc. Certainly better completion than Drake, Wyoming and Cal Davis. Note I said none better. That means each one of these guys dominated in their era. Most dominant in my mind is LeClair. You had to double team him if you wanted to run and he could defend the pass. The other guy at Linebacker was Don McLean who was one of the toughest nastiest LBs in the country. He was an Honorable Mention All- American. Program was in shambles in 1969. Conference runner up in 1970 and conference champs in 1971. One of the reasons I'm not on board with all the excuses about playing young guys and it takes 4-5 yrs to turn a program around. I was at that NDSU game and you are correct in your assessment of Leclair - Now that you run through his accomplishments I think I will take him over Digger. Plus, he was the only person to ever take down the famous wrestling bear. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19740201&id=ZsdSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AH4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6868,247854&hl=en 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClassB Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Leclair played against Montana, Momtana State, NDSU, USD, SDSU, UNI, Arkansas State and UNLV. He was a Linebacker in a 5-2 defense and dominated. He was 6' 3" and 225 lbs and when he hit someone they felt it. NDSU was ranked #1 and had a 30 some game unbeaten streak and the LeClair led defense held them to -18 total yds. AC only touchdown was on an interception pick 6. LeClair hit Steve Nelson so hard that the entire stadium was in awe and Nelson was done. I think he transferred to Concordia to finish his career. Arkansas State was ranked #1 when we played them and Montana was a ranked and had one of the biggest olines in the country at the time. LeClair dominated from sideline to sideline. I've seen all of these guys and there was none better. An All -American, He was drafted by the Bengals and went on to a 10 yr NFL career, Bengals team Captain and pro bowler. The competition was DII but that was today's FCS teams, and teams like Nevada, Boise State, UNLV, San Siego State etc. Certainly better completion than Drake, Wyoming and Cal Davis. Note I said none better. That means each one of these guys dominated in their era. Most dominant in my mind is LeClair. You had to double team him if you wanted to run and he could defend the pass. The other guy at Linebacker was Don McLean who was one of the toughest nastiest LBs in the country. He was an Honorable Mention All- American. Program was in shambles in 1969. Conference runner up in 1970 and conference champs in 1971. One of the reasons I'm not on board with all the excuses about playing young guys and it takes 4-5 yrs to turn a program around. I was at that NDSU game and you are correct in your assessment of Leclair - Now that you run through his accomplishments I think I will take him over Digger. Plus, he was the only person to ever take down the famous wrestling bear. https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19740201&id=ZsdSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AH4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6868,247854&hl=enI appreciate this. It's good to have these conversations. Not proud of this but had never really heard of leclair until this thread. If we had that game day experience at the alerus, with UND tradition, it might be a different story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geaux_sioux Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Will certainly made a few elite plays yeaterday. When he pile drived their qb on the 3rd and 1 it was a huge play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodacker Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Ratelle is a special talent. He's smart and under control, keeping his body weight over his feet and not over committing and then is still big and strong enough to push the ball handler back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siouxperman8 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Will certainly made a few elite plays yeaterday. When he pile drived their qb on the 3rd and 1 it was a huge play.he hit the QB so hard on that play that I think it played into PSU decision to punt rather than go for it on 4th down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison73 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Who was the best out of these guys? All of them are/were great players. But if you had to pick one. And why. I was a little young to remember Tibesar and wasn't born when LeClair was the man so I hope some older fans can weigh in.Le Clair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison73 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 That was Dave Nelson. Steve Nelson went on to play for the Patriots. And you are correct. After that hit he was never the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iramurphy Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 That was Dave Nelson. Steve Nelson went on to play for the Patriots. And you are correct. After that hit he was never the same. You are correct, thanks. I even knew that and still typed it wrong. Dave was from Detroit Lakes. He was a hell of a high school athlete. I believe that hit changed his career and he transferred to Concordia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison73 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 You are correct, thanks. I even knew that and still typed it wrong. Dave was from Detroit Lakes. He was a hell of a high school athlete. I believe that hit changed his career and he transferred to Concordia. Dave hung around and tried to make it in FB and baseball but just couldnt seem to put it all together. Something always seemed to happen to him.Yes he ended up transferring to concordia for his last year I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGame Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Tibesar, super smart and I think he could tell you what the offense was doing before the ball was snapped.Anderson, Instinct is what comes to mind and was always near the football. Ratelle, I am not certain he is the most physically talented but he is certainly the most physically developed. I love his consistency and that every time he makes a tackle it is a done deal, the ball carrier is stopped or going backward. I can't speak for the players before this but I do think the game has changed and that should be taken into account. LeClair has a son that started at Kansas (Andrew I think) as a true freshman in the mid to late 90's. Decided to transfer to NDSU and couldn't crack the starting lineup his first year. Did become a very good starter eventually but it always amazed me a starter at Kansas wasn't good enough to start right away at NDSU. Sometimes the system the player is in makes a difference as to how good they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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