Montclair State University Athletics

From the final year of the 1960s into the early 1970s, the Montclair State football team was one of the best in the East Region. The Indians under head coach Clary Anderson boasted one of the to defenses in the nation, ranked in the Top 5 in rushing defense and 10th in total defense each season. Amont the many starts on the unit was a 5-9 safety out of Clifton, NJ named Alex Kaplanovich. A smart and experienced player, Kaplanovich appeared in 29 games for Montclair State over three seasons intercepting 14 passes which as the team set the career record. Kaplanovich’s outstanding play helped him earn First-Team NJSCAC All-Star selection in 1970 and 1971 and he made perhaps the biggest play in the history of Montclair State football. In 1970, Montclair State enjoyed its finest season since its undefeated years in the 1960s. With a staunch defense, the Indians went 8-1 during the regular season and captured the NJSCAC for the second straight year while also taking top honors in the Eastern Football Conference for the first time. Winners of five straight, MSC would be invited to play in the Knute Rockne Bowl, better known as the NCAA East Regon Championship in Atlantic City’s Convention Hall. The opponent that day was Hampden-Sydney, a team that had won nine straight. A game highlighted by two rugged defense, neither team was able to score until the final quarter when MSC took a 7-0 lead. Hampden-Sydney pulled within 7-6 with eight minutes left, however Kaplanovich intercepted a two-point conversion pass – his second of the game – as Montclair completed its greatest season with the Rockne Bowl title.