Gerald “Skip” Wick took a couple of detours before being finding his way to Stout Institute.
An outstanding athlete at Rice Lake High School, Wick attended Eau Claire Teachers’ College and played football for the Blugolds in 1949 and 1950. Wick enlisted in the US Army during the summer of 1951, served in the Korean War as a platoon sergeant for more than a year and was honorably discharged in the summer of 1953 after a decorated career.
Instead of returning to Eau Claire, Wick enrolled at Stout Institute to prepare for a career teaching industrial arts. Despite his relatively small physical size, Wick immediately found a spot with the football team as an offensive halfback and defensive back.
While the team did not have a great deal of success – Stout went 1-7 in 1953 – Wick, “a blonde, tireless youth”, earned the respect and admiration of his teammates and coaching staff. He was selected as the team’s most valuable player, was named captain for the following year and earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
The Blue Devils were in the thick of the conference race early in 1954, and Wick, along with fellow halfback Steve Hansen, led the team’s offensive charge. The Blue Devils opened the season with a 27-0 thrashing over Superior, where Wick had a 70-yard interception return, then tied conference powerhouse La Crosse, 20-20, at La Crosse on the night the lights to the stadium went out during an all evening downpour. Wick scored two first half touchdowns to give Stout a 13-0 lead before the lights failed seconds before halftime. After an 83 minute delay, the decision was made to play with just two of the light banks and La Crosse rallied to take a 20-13 lead before Hanson ripped off an 88-yard run to tie late in the game. The Blue Devils had one more chance after La Crosse fumbled, but ran out of time. Wick gained 149 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Stout would not win another game and finished the season at 2-5-1, but Wick would pile up the yardage and garner attention. Newspaper records indicate Wick tallied several 100-plus yard rushing games throughout his two-year Stout career. In addition to playing both offensively and defensively, Wick was the team’s punter and kickoff specialist as well as punt and kickoff returner. Wick earned first team all-conference honors and received an offer to try out for the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals, an offer he turned down.
Wick was an assistant coach for the Blue Devils in 1955, and graduated in May, 1956. Wick began his one-stop teaching career with the Hurley school district in September, 1956, the same month he was married to Ginnie. The couple have three children, Zona, Ace, and Richard. Wick was an assistant coach for the Hurley varsity, junior varsity and junior high football programs from 1961-80, and retired from teaching industrial arts in 1988.
Wick passed away Aug. 25, 2022. |
Complete Obituary
