(Peru, Neb.) – The 1991 Football Team is the 57th of 84 individuals and/or teams being recognized as part of the lead up to the 31^st Peru State Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
 
As Nebraska and Peru State are both celebrating their 150^th birthdays, the College is also hosting special events throughout the year. The next big event on campus will be the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame banquet which will take place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23.
 
As a lead up to the upcoming Hall of Fame event, the 84 individuals and/or teams will be recognized on a daily basis with one noted on each of the 84 days prior to the event.
 
The inscription on 1991 Football Team plaque which is exhibited in the upper lobby of the Al Wheeler Activity Center reads as follows: "Following national championship year is no easy task for any team. Having to do this and become adjusted to an almost entirely new coaching staff, the challenge became even greater.

Not only did the 1991 Bobcat Football Team meet those challenges, their schedule included four NCAA Division II opponents because few NAIA teams wanted to take the field against Peru State.

Bolstered by several returning key offensive and defensive players, the Bobcats persevered through their tough regular season schedule with a 5-3 record. After the NAIA decreed that Mother Nature should not keep the 'Cats from the playoffs, the team hit the road for three consecutive play-off games.

The Bobcats' season ended with a loss in the national championship semifinals to the eventual champion Georgetown College of Kentucky. This remarkable season is still remembered as one of the finest in the history of Peru State college football."
 
The Mother Nature game that was eluded to on the plaque was the "Ice Bowl" which never was played against Wayne State which put the 'Cats in jeopardy of not making the playoffs as they had not played enough regular-season games.
 
The three playoff games went this way for the Bobcats. They traveled to Lincoln to take on Nebraska Wesleyan in the first round of the playoffs, handing the Plainsmen a 41-20 resounding defeat. Two weeks later the 'Cats headed south to Texas and came with an exciting 28-24 win over Midwestern State College. The 1991 Bobcats' season ended, however, with a 42-28 loss in the national championship semifinals to the eventual champion Georgetown (Ky.) College. The semifinal was played on a very muddy and soggy field which made the conditions almost unplayable and not safe.
 
The results of the 1991 season were as follows:
Peru State 20 – Missouri Western 35
Peru State 57 – Dana 20
Peru State 10 – Southwest (Minn.) St 46
Peru State 33 – Missouri Valley 6
Peru State 20 – Westmar (Iowa) 0
Peru State 14 – Northwestern (Iowa) 7
Peru State 45 – Midland 0
Peru State 32 – Moorhead (Minn.) St. 43
Peru State 41 – Nebraska Wesleyan 20 (playoff)
Peru State 28 – Midwestern (Texas) St. 24 (playoff)
Peru State 28 – Georgetown (Ky.) College 42 (playoff semifinals)
 
The late Tim Herman was a Kodak College Division First Team member while Nate Bradley, Cory Catterson, Kurt Hasley, and Ron Shaneyfelt each were named to the NAIA's Honorable Mention list.
 
A couple of records from 1991 are still in the record books and include: Mark Whitaker – tenth in single season rushing yards with 904 and tenth in rushing attempts with 198; Nate Bradley – second in single season passing yards with 2,699, second in passing attempts with 390, and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns with 20; Cory Catterson – second in receiving yards with 1,217, tied for second in receptions with 68, and sixth in receiving touchdowns with six; and Bobby Stephens – second in interceptions with eight.
 
Stephens also has a single game record with an 88-yard interception returned for a touchdown – the third longest.
 
Others playing key roles for the Bobcats that season included Bob Hansen, Dave Hoatson, Steve Gaines, Mark Fritch, Juan Steele, Chuck Humphrey, Craig Moraski, Chuck Trom, and Jason Seymour.
 
The 1991 Football Team was inducted on September 24, 2004, as part of the 19th induction class into the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame.
 
The public is invited to attend the Hall of Fame event. For more information and details, contact Deborah Solie at the College's Foundation at 402-872-2395 or dsolie@peru.edu.