The starting quarterback for the 1977 Jayhawk Conference champion football team, Rod Froebe was the leader in the Pirates’ first-ever trip to a bowl game.

     Froebe played football at ICC during the 1976 and 1977 seasons. A team captain in 1977, he helped direct the Pirates to an 8-3 record, which included a share of the KJCCC title. It was the Pirates’ first conference championship in football since 1937.

     That 1977 season was a memorable one for Froebe, who was the sixth-leading passer in the NJCAA. He was third in the Jayhawk Conference in total offense with 1,274 yards, and during his two-year career, he passed for a total of 2,527 yards and 24 touchdowns. ICC captured an impressive 21-14 victory over Montgomery County rival Coffeyville that season in which Froebe tossed three second-half touchdowns to rally the Pirates to the win. For that effort, he was named the Kansas College Player of the Week.

     ICC was ranked as high as No. 9 nationally in 1977 and was invited to the Wool Bowl in Roswell, N.M.—the first of only four bowls the Pirates have ever participated in during their football history.

     After spending time at ICC, Froebe went on to play football at Baker University, where he led the Wildcats to the Heart of America championship and was an HOA All-Conference selection.