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Mike Farley
Mike Farley has played a major role at UW-River Falls as a person, teacher and coach and people associated with him have rich memories of the veteran coach.
Farley coached the Falcon football team for 19 seasons. They were seasons filled with losses, wins and at times disappointment, but also the type of excitement sometimes seldom seen on small college campuses. Farley’s 117-71-3 football coaching record is unparalleled at the University.
His teams brought back to UW-RF, eight Wisconsin State University Conference championships. The first, and perhaps the sweetest, came in 1975. The Falcons proved it was no fluke by winning a second title in 1976. It was the first time since the 1920’s that Falcon football teams had won two straight conference titles.
The 1979 team reached even greater heights by not only winning another conference crown, but also receiving a berth in the NAIA Div. I playoffs. It was the first time a Falcon football team had ever qualified for post-season play. The Falcons’ shot at a national playoff was stopped early when Angelo State, Texas, won the quarterfinal game 31-7. The loss was a setback to the team, but from that point on the Falcon football team was nationally known and would remain at the top of the small college football ranks for the rest of Farley’s career.
The Falcons won another conference title in 1980 and then dominated WSUC play from 1984-87. The Falcons won four straight conference titles from 1984-87 and were ranked in the top 10 of national polls each year. Falcon teams had never before won four straight conference titles.
One game will forever be etched in Falcon football fans’ memories. It came in the middle of the 1986 season when rival UW-La Crosse invaded Ramer Field for the annual Homecoming game.
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La Crosse jumped to a 14-0 lead and it looked for a while that Farley would have to wait another week for his 100th win. The two-touchdown deficit held into the final quarter. But then a Falcon drive cut the La Crosse lead to seven points.
After holding La Crosse twice, the Falcons got their final chance to score with four minutes to play. The Falcon wishbone offense worked to perfection and consumed all but 48 seconds of the game before scoring a touchdown that put the Falcons behind by one point.
Without a moment of hesitation the Falcons went for the two-point conversion and the win. The Falcons converted the two-point conversion and minutes later Farley was on the shoulders of his players and fans alike celebrating the thrilling win.
All of the victories, celebrations and excitement are fond memories for Farley and Falcon fans. But Farley’s influence on his players went beyond football.
His genuine love for his players was obvious from the first time he stepped foot on campus. He challenged them to be the best they could be not only on the gridiron, but also in the classroom. He continually reminded his recruits that what they did in their four or five years at the University would effect how the next 40 years of their lives unfolded. Farley gave his players a chance to succeed and, sometimes even more importantly, the chance to fail.
But his players will be among the first to say that Coach Mike Farley and his philosophies were a key ingredient to their success.
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