WHITING OILERS FOOTBALLHISTORICAL ARCHIVE · WHITING, INDIANA
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Seasons / 1996
Whiting Oilers players during the 1996 season.

THE SEASON ARCHIVE · Class 1A

1996WHITING OILERS
FOOTBALL

7–5Overall

1–3Conference

248Points for

244Points against

Head Coach · Jeff Cain

SEASON AT A GLANCE

7–5Overall
1–3Conference
248Points for
244Points against

Class 1A · Lake Athletic Conference · Blue Division

The 1996 season.

The 1996 Oilers turned an even regular season into one of the defining postseason runs in Whiting football history. After entering the Class 1A tournament at 4–4, Jeff Cain’s team found its best football when the stakes were highest and carried the program deeper into November with three consecutive victories.

Whiting opened the tournament with a 7–0 shutout of South Newton, then defeated Tri-County 32–21 to capture the sectional championship. A 12–7 victory over South Adams brought home the regional title and sent the Oilers to the semistate. The season ended against Carroll (Flora), leaving the 1996 team with a 7–5 record and a championship run that remains a proud chapter in Oilers history.

THE RECORD

Schedule & results

Regular season

OpponentResult
River ForestW 20–16
South Central (Union Mills)W 34–0
Benton CentralL 9–18
Lake StationW 41–20
CalumetW 40–0
Hammond GavitL 14–35
GriffithL 18–42
Hammond ClarkL 14–37

IHSAA tournament

OpponentResult
Sectional · Semifinal · Oct. 25South NewtonW 7–0
Sectional · Final · Nov. 1Tri-CountyW 32–21
Regional · Nov. 8South AdamsW 12–7
Semistate · Nov. 15Carroll (Flora)L 7–48

The 1996 team

01 / The 1996 Whiting Oilers, Class A semistate runner-up and regional champions.

COACHING STAFF

Jeff Cain

Head coach

Assistant coaches

  • E. Hruskocy
  • B. Jennings
  • R. Shanley
  • W. Greer
  • Greg Zorich

THE TEAM

1996 roster

32 players
No.PlayerPos.ClassHt.Wt.
1Anthony DumezichSo.5′10″165
3Jordan WilsonFr.5′9″130
5Dan DonovanSo.5′10″145
6Jorge Del RealSr.6′0″185
7Dave VertaSo.6′1″185
13Joe BalindJr.6′0″160
21Dave HooverSo.5′8″130
30Carlos MunozFr.5′6″170
31Paul SwiderSr.6′0″180
32Mike FurtoSr.5′9″150
42Mike HooverSo.5′8″130
45Paul StrabavySo.6′1″200
50Maury RaycroftSo.5′11″175
52Brett JenningsJr.5′9″180
53Norm PriceSo.5′11″165
54Anthony WittmanFr.6′0″220
55Joe RiversSr.6′1″201
56Phil HarrisJr.5′9″165
57Joe HoltropSr.5′8″160
58Ryan ZurekJr.5′9″170
61Cesar RodriguezSo.6′1″180
65Jay DeelSo.6′0″210
67Phil WetnightSo.5′10″175
73J.R. FordJr.5′10″240
76Jim WellerSr.6′2″250
78Nick PriceSr.6′0″230
82Tim ZubeckSo.5′7″140
85Mike ToleikisJr.5′10″165
87Paul WetnightJr.5′9″135
89Mike TothJr.6′0″180
91Shawn TurpinSo.6′0″160
99Jim EdgeFr.5′6″163

Source: Original 1996 Oilers roster sheet. Jersey numbers, class, height, and weight are transcribed from the supplied archive scan. Positions were not listed and are left blank.

THE SEASON IN NUMBERS

Season leaders

Rushing & scoring

Paul Strabavy

1,409
rushing yards
12
rushing TD
82
points scored

Passing

Joe Balind

1,290
passing yards
13
passing TD

Receiving

Anthony Dumezich

602
receiving yards
5
receiving TD

Defense

Joe Holtrop

148
total tackles
2
interceptions
3
fumble recoveries

Pass rush

Joe Rivers

10.5
quarterback sacks
83
total tackles

From the supplied season statistics.

Full season statistics

Open a category to explore the original record. Wide tables scroll within their frame. Blank cells are unreported in the source, not zero.

THE SEASON ON FILM

Video Highlights

Whiting Oilers 1996 Highlights

Watch on YouTube ↗

FROM THE PHOTO ARCHIVE

The season in photographs

View 1996 photo gallery →
Sources & archive notes
  • Original 1996 Oilers roster sheet

    Supplied archive scan used for the 32-player roster and coaching staff.

  • 1996 handwritten season statistics

    Pages 21–25 of the supplied “old stat stuff 2 of 2” PDF. All visible tables were transcribed; crossed-out entries were treated as superseded.

  • Almanac Sports · Whiting 1996 results ↗

    Dates, opponents, scores, conference markers, and tournament sequence cross-checked against the handwritten season totals.

  • 1996 archive photograph collection

    Original team photo, celebration image, and roster scan supplied through the project Dropbox collection.

  • Whiting Oilers 1996 Highlights ↗

    Highlight film published by the Whiting Football YouTube channel and supplied by the archive owner.

  • 1996 build brief

    Season record, Regional Champions designation, head coach, and assistant coaches supplied by the archive owner.