Waterloo East High School Football Ring Of Honor Getting New Members

Nine new members are being added to Waterloo East High School's football Ring of Honor. The new inductees will be honored at a ceremony on Thursday, October 2, 2014.

A social is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the East High Commons, with the 10-year anniversary induction ceremony planned to begin at 6:30 p.m. All nine 2014 inductees will be honored at the ceremony, putting 70 members in the school's Football Hall of Fame.

East established the Ring of Honor in 2004 to recognize the school's outstanding football players and coaches. Inductees are selected by a panel of past and present players, coaches and community supporters.

The 2014 honorees:

COACH:

Bruce Wiegmann was hired in 1963 at East to be a varsity assistant coach and work with quarterbacks, offensive and defensive backs. After the Trojans went undefeated and were ranked the number one team in the state in 1966, Wiegmann started his six-year head coaching career at Cherokee High School in 1967 and Fort Dodge High School in 1968. He returned to East and coached two undefeated state championship teams in 1969-70. Wiegmann's head coaching record is 39-13-1.

PLAYERS:

Greg Ferguson was involved in basketball, football and track. Ferguson’s 1971 state championship team went undefeated for a sixth-straight year. Other honors include All-Big Four selection, wide receiver 1971 and All-Conference selection.

Adonus Smith was a football captain and a two-year letter winner in football. Smith was 1st team All Big 8, 1st team All-Metro defense and 2nd team All-Conference. Smith coached youth sports football for two years.

Larry Thompson was Big Six All-Conference football team (1st), 2nd team All-State football team (AP), Big Six All-Conference basketball team (1st), 4th team All-State basketball team (AP), state basketball runner-up, Clyde Artus Award “Most Valuable Athlete” and East High Hall of Fame. Thompson participated in football, wrestling and baseball, lettering three times in football and once in wrestling. In college, Thompson received the North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCIAC) All-league football team (2nd/1962), NCIAC All-Conference football team (1st/1963), Little All-American Honorable Mention in 1963 and UNI sportsmanship scholarship award in 1963. Thompson was the head football coach at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls and established a 32-5-1 record and two bowl victories in the Sterling Silver Bowls in 1967-68. Thompson was the assistant football coach at Duke University 1971-72 and 1977-80.

Scott Wroe made 2nd team All-Conference linebacker his junior year and 1st team All-Metro his senior year, 1st team All-Conference linebacker and honorable mention All-State. Wroe was also defensive captain and voted most valuable athlete by his peers in 1987.

Jeff Zaputil was a two-year starter on two teams in the late 1970’s. During his football career at East, the Trojans were near the top of the Big Eight Conference, which was one of the best 4A league's in the state. Zaputil was captain and 1st Team Big Five in football and baseball during his senior year. He was a member of the football and baseball teams at Wartburg College, earning a letter each year while playing football four seasons for the Knights. Zaputil was team captain in his senior year at Wartburg. Today, he is an active East High alum who supports the Waterloo Schools and the community by giving of his time and money.

MEMORIALS:

Frank Bloomquist - (Bud Eggleston accepting):
In 1953, Frank Bloomquist helped lead the East football team to the city and Big Six championship. He was named to 1st team all-state. After leaving East, he was awarded the Nile Kinnick Scholarship at UNI. Bloomquist played in the 1957 Rose Bowl and was named to the Associated Press All American Team. He continued his football career in the Canadian Football League, earned a Masters Degree from Drake and Harvard School of Business Administration.

Mannie Holmes - (Delores Holmes accepting):
Mannie Holmes played defensive end on the 1966 East football team that was ranked number one in the state of Iowa. In 1966, he placed second at 154 pounds at the state wrestling tournament. Holmes earned a wrestling scholarship at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City. In 1970, he placed first at 167 pounds for Wartburg College at the Iowa Conference Wrestling Tournament. The Mannie Holmes Cultural Diversity Center in Waterloo is named in his honor.

Roger Stephens - (Gary Stephens accepting):
Roger Stephens graduated in 1942 and was a multi-sport athlete and student leader at East High School. Stephens was a standout football player as a sophomore and junior, and led a powerful East team to its first undefeated season in school history. He went on to continue his star qualities at the University of Cincinnati where he gained national attention and was named All-American. Stephens was a member of the National Football League and played on a U.S. Army Team. He played one year with the Waterloo Wildcats and then taught and coached at East.