Joplin, Mo. - The 1975 Parkwood Bears Football State Championship team will be inducted into the Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame on October 9th, 2025.
A 21-21 tie with Parkview in the fifth game of the regular season was the lone blemish during Parkwood High School's 1975 football season.
Perhaps that disappointing deadlock provided an inspiration as the Bears rolled through the second half of the regular season and then defeated three big-name programs to capture the Class 4A state championship.
"We were a team," said quarterback Scott Whipkey, who directed the Bears' wishbone offense. "I kind of fed off our offensive line. I could tell how things were going by the way they played the game."
Looking back at the defense, "They were all hitters," Whipkey said. "They weren't afraid to hit you.
"We had speed on that team. That helped a lot. Our backs had speed, and our defense had speed. We weren't a big team. We were a small team, but we had speed. Although Coach used to tell me he had to drive stakes just to see if I was moving."
Dewey Combs was the head coach, and his assistants were Mickey Heatherly, Warren Turner, Jack Morris and Tony Stark.
"It seems like coaches nowadays have an offense they try to make their team run," Whipkey said. "Coach Combs saw the talent he had, then he made his offense around the talent.
"Coach Combs wasn't a diehard wishbone fan. He knew that was the best offense to run with the personnel he had. He was a players' coach, and that's why I loved Dewey so much."
The Bears rolled past Kansas City Southwest 33-15, Miami 48-14, Bartlesville 33-3 and Hillcrest 41-6 before the tie with Parkview.
The scores became even more lopsided the rest of the season – 62-0 over Lebanon, 52-0 over Kickapoo, 25-0 over Glendale and 61-8 over Springfield Central.
Parkwood's postseason couldn't have gotten off to a worse start at Rockhurst in Kansas City as fumbles helped the Hawklets open a 21-0 first-quarter lead. But from that point, the Bears, despite a size disadvantage, dominated both sides of the ball to earn a 41-28 victory.
"The fans told me later on in life that about the second quarter, Rockhurst fans were coming to our side and saying 'you don't belong here,' '' Whipkey said. "In the second half we started coming back, and they said they quit coming over to our side."
Parkwood traveled to Columbia the next weekend for the semifinal game against defending state champion Hickman. The Bears beat the Kewpies 27-21 at the University of Missouri's Faurot Field.
The Bears didn't have to leave town for the championship game as they faced No. 1-ranked DeSmet on the new artificial surface at Missouri Southern's Fred G. Hughes Stadium. In less-than-ideal weather conditions, Parkwood defeated DeSmet 16-8.
"Cold, cold," Whipkey said. "You can't run the wishbone on the frozen tundra. It was a hard game for us to play.
"I remember one pass I made to Eddie (Sarduk, running back). Coach Combs called it, bootleg to the right. Eddie was wide open, and I threw the ball as much in the air as I could to let him run under it. I remember saying catch it Eddie, catch it Eddie. He ran under it, caught it and scored the touchdown that kind of sealed it for us."
Four Bears were named to the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association all-state team. Center Robert Elbert, guard Tim Smith and defensive tackle Doug Nolan made the first team, and running back Eddie Sarduk received honorable mention.
The Joplin Area Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 honors five championship teams, and two of them are celebrating milestone anniversaries. The induction ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 9 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Roxy. Tickets are $55 apiece or $100 for two; to make reservations, email brittnie@joplinsports.org.
