This is the second in a two-part installment on the 1970-72 Sisler Spartans, who were inducted into the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Click here to read part one. Both articles are by Mike Still (@mikestill94).

In 1970, the Sisler Spartans ended a dominant three-year run by the Churchill Bulldogs atop the then-ten team Winnipeg High School Football League. It was the third of five league titles for legendary head coach Frank Bryan, and was followed by two more years of dominance. The Spartans lost just once in regular season play between the ’71 and ’72 seasons, reaching the finals in both. 

In 1971, Sisler went 6-0-1 with a hard-nosed, regimented practice schedule meant to separate the men from the boys. For team members like Craig Waskin – a member of both the 71 and ’72 rosters who played slotback, safety and was a punt and pick returner – the daily grind was embraced. He, and others like 1972 team member Rick Henkewich, were used to playing tackle football in the North End streets with no equipment against those much older than they were. It created a toughness that mimicked the identity Bryan wanted on the field. 

“The hitting, it was like joining the army for sure. They throw you in full equipment, and wow, some of the drills, it was meant to separate who could hit and who could take a hit, from the guys who didn’t have the stomach to do that,” Waskin says. 

“It was heavy, heavy physical play and you won your place on the team by attrition. The other stuff came secondary, because we were going to steamroll anybody that we played.”

To say that the Spartans steamrolled their opposition would be an immense understatement. They finished the season with a 243-47 point differential, with their toughest test coming against arch-rival Churchill, which resulted in the team’s lone draw. 

By nature, Sisler was an intimidating team. Filled with hard-nosed, enormous football players, they rocked all black jerseys and embraced their identity in all aspects. This included pre-game warm ups, where Bryan instructed his squad to wait until the opposition had begun calisthenics, and then told them to “run heavy.” 

Then, the group formed a circle, known as the “circle of terror” and took turns running at each other. The hits could be heard from all over the field. 

“It instilled fear,” says Waskin, who, like his physical counterparts in the secondary wasn’t afraid to join the fray in the run game. “But the things done during the game were nowhere near what happened at practice.”

Fellow standouts such as gunslinger Rick Koswin, a multiple-year starter for the program who played receiver and some quarterback for the Manitoba Bisons, as well as 1971 Harry Hood winner Barry Melnyk and slotback Garry Rosolovich – a Boise State and Winnipeg Blue Bombers alum – were critical to the team’s success. 

Melnyk was part of a terrifying power run game that featured a two-back set, while Koswin’s size and skill-set made him a problem to stop. 

“He was about 6’3” or 6’4” and a heavier-set guy. He was really smart. He could roll out, and he would bait everybody,” says Waskin of the pivot. “He’d be holding the ball as if he was going to hit somebody, and then he’d either throw it or take off for 45 yards. He had to be 210 pounds in high school.” 

“He had offers in the states after grade 12, but he chose to go to the U of M. He had a cannon. The worst thing Frank could ever do to you was tell you to go warm up Koswin,” added Henkewich, a two-way player in 1972 who was also one heck of a punter. 

“That was the worst punishment he could give you. Rick was an amazing quarterback. As good as the quarterbacks I’ve seen come out of this league, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Rick Koswin.”

In the finals, the Spartans faced off against Gordon Bell. The Panthers were simply overmatched, as Sisler made it two in a row with a 26-8 victory. Despite all of their success throughout the season, leaders such as Melnyk ensured the team remained focused on the task at hand. 

“We got through the season and were winning game after game after game. We knew that we were right there. I don’t think there was ever a question that we weren’t going to win it. It might sound a little arrogant, but it’s true. We had that mindset, but guys still took it serious,” mentioned Waskin. 

“I remember before that game, Barry Melnyk just sitting in his locker all quiet. You could hear a pin drop in that dressing room. We went out and did our jobs and won the game.”

Spartans make another run in 1972 

With the addition of Henkewich, a former Tec Voc athlete who’d missed the 1971 season due to personal reasons, Sisler’s menacing squad was boosted further. He was one of eight two-way players, and his rapport with Waskin made for a long day at the office for opponents. 

“The depth at our skill positions was actually unbelievable. Guys were just plugged in and I don’t think we missed a beat. I’ve been around the league for 50 years. Quite honestly, I’ve seen great teams, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team in its skill positions with the depth that we had,” he says. 

“Craig and I played beside each other, and we instinctively knew what was going on. For a guy that played half and a guy who played on the corner, we liked to hit. Craig was such a sure-handed tackler. He would be able to read the angles, cut you off and make that tackle. It was so great. He played safety for that reason. I don’t think we had a better tackler on the team. We had speed guys playing the gunner position, just because Frank wanted us down there, and we got down there. We were there for one reason, to fly down field and to go for the ball.”

Sisler made the finals again in ’72, but hit a speed bump along the way in a 33-21 loss to Gordon Bell in regular season play. They avenged the blemish in the semi-finals though with a 27-14 win. 

The hunt for a three-peat was unfortunately dashed by St. John’s, a fellow North End team with immense size. The Spartans came into the game with some lingering injuries to two-way starters and fell to the Tigers in a contest that saw temperatures drop to -15.

“That’s ultimately what hurt us in the finals. We were just so beat up,” says Henkewich. There weren’t enough big guys on the line in ’72. We averaged 5’10”, 210 pounds playing on the line. Ted Million, Chris Walby were just a few guys for St. John’s.”

Despite the loss, Sisler’s legacy from 1970-72 lives on. The Football Manitoba Hall of Fame members continue to embrace a brotherhood that made them near unstoppable.

“The legacy that we wanted to leave was that there was a lot of pride in playing for Sisler. We left it all on the field and we wanted future teams to live up to that. We wanted to let people know what it was like to be that north end team that did it – that three years of everything and to set the standard,” noted Henkewich. 

“The legacy of that team, I don’t think you can replicate that. This team is still close. Prior to COVID, we got together a couple of times just to talk as friends that are in different worlds now and different lives. We still have that brotherhood.”