Hall of Fame
A teammate of "Horse" Dabney's on Bulldog football teams, Mel Loncaric, like Dabney, was converted in college to the offensive line from a fullback assignment in high school. Coach Red Wade asked him to move to center for the opener in 1951 against St. Benedicts. Mr. Loncaric survived the experience, and the Bulldogs won the game, 21-12. For four seasons Mel Loncaric was an outstanding two-way lineman, helping the Bulldogs capture four straight conference titles. He was named to the All-MIAA first team in 1953 and 1954 and was named to the NAIA All-American first team, the only Bulldog player ever picked by the NAIA for first-team laurels. After graduation in 1955, he served in the Marine Corps with several teammates and returned to the campus in 1957 to work toward a master's degree. During that time he helped the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. After receiving the master's degree in 1958 he worked as an assistant coach under Red Wade's brother, Clell, for two years in Quincy, Ill. Since that time he has resided in St. Louis, first coaching twelve years at McKinley High School as head basketball coach and assistant football coach. One of his former basketball players at McKinley was Jo Jo White, who played for the Boston Celtics. He left McKinley to become assistant football coach at his old high school, Roosevelt, for six years. For the next two years he taught at Central High School and then served as a security guard at General Motors in St. Louis.
