Published: October 27, 2009 08:40 am      

In his third year, Giesler guided Kings to 9-0 season

CLINTON — Four days before the opening of football practice in 1983, Clinton High School was without a coach.

Three days before sessions began, Dale Giesler, former head coach at Fulton (Ill.) High School, who directed the Steamers to an Illinois high school football championship, signed a contract to direct River King fortunes. He took over a team that had gone 2-7, 3-6 and 3-6 in the previous three years.

Two years, 81 days later, Clinton had a 9-0 record, was champion of the Mississippi Eight Conference, was rated second in Class 4A by Associated Press, United Press International and the Des Moines Register, and had a berth in the Iowa State post-season playoffs for the first time since 1978

His 1983 team bettered the ’82 club by one game, equaling the 3-6 efforts of the ’81 and ’80 clubs.

“After that first game I coached in 1983 I had nightmares of going 0-9,” Giesler said. “Then we beat Muscatine. That was a very significant win for us in that it gave the kids confidence in what I was trying to do and, just as important, confidence in themselves.”

Giesler went on to coach three more years, 6-4 in 1986, 3-6 in 1987 and 4-5 in 1988 before an untimely death.

Former Clinton High School football coach Max Lynn took over the reins in 1944 and had a perfect 8-0 record his first year. The Kings lost only one game on their way to an 8-1 mark in 1945. The 1946 squad slipped to 5-4, the year before the perfect 9-0 season in 1947.

The 1948 team fell to 1-8 before the 1949 Kings rebounded to 4-5, and the 1950 group ended the season 6-2-1. A 1-7-1 campaign in 1951, 5-4 in 1952 and a 2-7 record in 1953 rounded out Lynn’s tenure as head football coach.

1947 team is perfect/4B