Linebacker Jeff Gergel was the last Penguin football player to be named a Division II All-American.
As a junior in 1980, Gergel was named to both the Kodak and the America Football Coaches Association All-America teams. He was the only junior on the 24-member Kodak squad that year. In 1981, the Guins moved up to the Division I-AA level and a shoulder injury hampered his production during his senior campaign.
Gergel, at 6-feet-2, 210 pounds, played in 47 games in his career recording 272 total tackles. He currently ranks 14th in school history, just four behind fellow Hall-of-Fame Inductee Terry Dittmer. Gergel also had seven fumble recoveries.
He was a member of two playoff teams, the final Division II squad in school history and the first I-AA team at YSU.
In 1981, he was a co-captain and finished with 33 tackles, including 18 solos despite being plagued by a shoulder injury. In their first season of I-AA competition, the Guins finished 7-4 overall and 5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.
As a junior, he had an outstanding individual campaign recording 119 total tackles, including 75 solo stops. He had five fumble recoveries and an interception. Despite being named an All-American, he was only a second-team Mid-Continent Conference selection. For his All-America efforts, the Ohio Senate passed Resolution No. 1158 on Dec. 19, 1980 in his honor.
During his sophomore campaign in 1979, the Penguins had their best finish during their Division II tenure. YSU reached the National Championship Game before losing to Delaware 38-21. In the title game, Gergel had six tackles, including five solos, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
He finished with 102 tackles ranking second on the squad. He had 49 solo stops, six tackles for losses, an interception and a fumble recovery while being named Academic All-Mid-Con.
He excelled in the postseason with 26 total tackles in the three games. During the first two games of the playoffs, the defense manhandled South Dakota State and Alabama A&M.
Against SDSU, the Penguins won 50-7 as the defense allowed 223 total offensive yards, including zero rushing.
Against Alabama A&M in the semifinals, YSU rolled to a 52-0 victory allowing just seven first downs and 68 total offensive yards, including seven rushing.
Gergel became a starter midway through his freshman year in 1978. He had 18 total tackles, including one for a loss and a fumble recovery. YSU finished the year by reaching the NCAA Division II semifinals and posted a 10-2 record.
Gergel, who graduated from Warren JFK, came to YSU in 1977 and redshirted as a walk-on. He came full circle earning a scholarship and being named an All-American.
A football season-ticket holder since 1982 and a Penguin Club Member, he graduated from YSU with a degree in Business Administration. He has spent the last 24 years as an operations specialist for the Yellow Roadway Corporation Worldwide
Jeff and his wife Kimberly live in Cuyahoga Falls. They have a daughter, Michaela, and a son Clayton.
