Glenwood Chain Gang Member Richard Crouch Has Been A Fixture On Sideline For 60 Years

For the past 60 years, Richard Crouch has had a unique, close-up view of all the action on Glenwood’s gridiron.

Crouch has been a volunteer member of the Glenwood chain gang for varsity football games since 1965, the same year he graduated from Glenwood High School.

“I got a phone call from (athletic director) A.C. Nuckolls just out of high school,” Crouch recalled. “He called me early that fall and said, ‘Hey, what are you doing Friday night? Come on down to the ballgame, I’ve got something for you to do. I need your help’

“I show up and he says, ‘See those two guys over there?’ Charlie Anderson and Sam Lee were standing there with the sticks. He told me to take one of the sticks and that’s how it all got started.”

Sixty years later and Crouch is still spending his fall Friday nights on the sideline playing an important role at Ram football games. His job these days is managing the down marker at the line of scrimmage.

Crouch concedes that back in 1965, the thought never entered his mind that he’d still be on the chain gang 60 years later. He’s seen many changes during that time, including equipment and clothing for the chain gang.

“We started out with Pepsi-Cola sponsoring us,” he said. “We had Pepsi uniforms. We went up to Iowa Clothes and had our names put on them. Charlie (Anderson) might have had a little something to do with that – he worked for Pepsi.

“Then, we went to white – we were dressed in fireman’s uniforms – white coveralls. Then, later we switched to a blaze orange (coveralls). We stuck out like  a sore thumb. We looked like a (prison) road gang.”

Today, the chain gang wears bright orange vests.

When Crouch started on the chain gang, the “sticks” were made of heavy steel with a needle-point end to stick into the ground. The sticks and chains are lighter these days.

“We had rubber tires for yard markers and the field had a cinder track around it,” Crouch noted.

Another change, Crouch pointed out, is that for many years the chain gang spent the first half of the game on the home team sideline and switched to the visitor’s side for the second half. Today, they stand on the visitor’s sideline for the entire game facing the press box.

Crouch has seen fellow chain gang members come and go during his time on the sideline. Along with Anderson and Lee, some of the other long-timers he’s worked with over the years included Neil Goos, Pat Collins and Nick Jameson, who is still a member of the crew.

Some seasons and some nights have been more memorable than others for Crouch. He’s been a witness to around 300 Glenwood home football games over the past six decades.

“One of the memorable teams had Jeff Kates, who was a running back,” said Crouch. “Dave Strand was a lineman and anytime we needed yardage, they gave the ball to Kates and ran behind Strand. Then, came along the teams with guys like Dain Lundvall and Scott Davis.”

Crouch noted that Davis, a 1988 Glenwood graduate, would go on to become the most-decorated football player in school history – earning a starting spot on the Iowa Hawkeyes’ offensive line and playing several seasons professionally in the National Football League.

“Scott Davis, I remember when he was a freshman, (Harlan Coach) Curt Bladt said, ‘ That kid’s going somewhere. That kid’s got talent – he’s going to end up somewhere.’  I’ve never forgotten that,” Crouch said.

Crouch and Bladt, who coached Harlan to over 400 victories and 11 state championships, got to know one another over the years and would even rib each other about getting old from time to time. Crouch noted that Bladt would sometimes get animated on the sideline, but he treated members of the chain gang well.

‘He was a true gentleman. He would always come up to us before the game and visit with us,” Crouch said. “I got to know him quite well over the years.

“He was a very strict coach with his kids, but he respected them. He always had one of the nicest sidelines. The coaches took care of us – always made sure the players were out of the way.”

In 60 years, Crouch has only missed four games (because of family health issues) and he’s only been knocked down by a player once.

“The only kid that ever hit me on the sideline was Lonnie Mayberry’s youngest boy (Tate),” he said. “They were coming around the corner and I told Nick (Jameson), ‘get that #%$@ thing out of there. I’m moving backwards, I drop the stick and they had a kicking net behind me - my foot got stock in it. The next thing I know, there’s a black helmet right here (in the chest). I went down – I lost my glasses and hat.”

Crouch said one aspect of his job he’s enjoyed over the past six decades is watching multiple generations of players from different families in the community come through the ranks.

“An example, I watched Lyle Mayberry his last two years, later his sons and then Lonnie’s three boys,” he said.

One of the most memorable highlights of Crouch’s time on the chain gang came in 2016 when he and the Glenwood crew were invited to work the Rams’ state semifinal game against Webster City in the UNI-Dome.

“Getting to the UNI-Dome was on my bucket list,” he said. “It was quite an experience – you wait for TV. You got a guy standing on the sideline that holds up a red flag and you don’t do anything until that red flag goes down.”

His dedication and rare years of service on the chain gang has earned Crouch appreciation and gratitude from the Glenwood football program and athletic department. Glenwood Community High School Activities Director Jeff Bissen noted that volunteers are essential when it comes to the school district hosting events, and Crouch has been a “mainstay” for the Rams’ football team.

“Volunteers are essential to be able to host the many events we host, the down marker volunteer position on the chain gang crew is one that I have not had to worry about as Richard has been a mainstay for the last 60 years,” Bissen said. “I appreciate Richard’s volunteerism and his service to our football program and Friday Night Lights for the last 60 years.

“Many volunteers will come and go as their kids transition through school, Richard has remained a constant and is a major part of our Friday night chain gang crew.”

Crouch, a lifelong farmer and current member of the Mills County Board Of Supervisors, said he plans to continue running the down marker as long as his body holds up and the school district allows him to be on the sideline.

“I still enjoy it and it’s something my family has really gotten behind,” said Crouch. “My wife said, ‘You won’t quit until you can’t walk.’”