Once the Dodgers hit the postseason in the one class tournament, they knew the odds were stacked against them. But what became a legendary group of players came together to etch their names into the history books.

“I don’t think anyone expected us to win it once we got to the state tournament,” said Steve Arnold, who was a sophomore first baseman in ’69. “We were underdogs in every game that we played.”

Playing under Hall of Fame head coach Ed McNeil, the recipe for success was built on work ethic and togetherness. A unique lineup of three sophomores, three juniors, and three seniors formed a cohesive unit that ultimate willed their way to FDSH’s first and only state baseball title.

A championship wasn’t envisioned from the beginning, but once the Dodgers hit the dirt, the reality of earning the crown was one that became clearer with each round.

“I remember we started out 7-0 and then went to Mason City for a doubleheader. We played terrible and lost both games,” said Tony Salvatore, who was a sophomore second baseman at the time. “On the bus ride home, the seniors said they were proud to play with us and wouldn’t it be something if we won the state tournament.

“We had just gotten our butts handed to us, and then we were talking about winning the state title.”

The Dodgers dropped five of six in a mid-year slump, and finished the regular season with a loss.

“We were not the favorites for any of those games in the state tournament,” Salvatore said. “We were the underdogs. We beat Norway and Indianola before winning the title against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.”

The three Dodger seniors — first team all-stater Vic Gordon (catcher), fourth team all-state selection Bruce Edmundson (third base), and centerfielder Dave Markley — set the tone.

“It was an interesting dynamic. (Tim) Sweeney (sophomore pitcher), (John) Davidson (leftfielder) and Tony (Salvatore) and I were all sophomores,” Arnold said. “Our team was very young, but we had great seniors. Vic basically willed us. He was a senior, a captain and our catcher.

“He was the guy, and everyone knew it.”

Joining Davidson and Markley in the outfield was junior Mike Kuker.

Heading into the finals, Edmundson led the Dodgers at the plate, batting .337. Kuker was second at .311.

“John, Dave and Mike solidified our outfield,” said Salvatore, who was a first-team all-state pick in his senior season of 1971. “They all had cannons for arms.”

With Kuker in the outfield, Dave Vaughn (shortstop) and Tom Walters (pitcher) rounded out the three juniors. Sam Boutchee (senior pitcher), and Ron Lentsch (sophomore pitcher) came out of the bullpen.

With the three seniors setting the table for the underclassmen, the Dodgers came together putting a solid product on the field.

“Our group was determined,” Sweeney said. “We had great senior leadership. I don’t know how to describe it. I don’t know what ‘it’ was, but we had ‘it.'”

It took eight games for Fort Dodge to reach the championship round. The Dodgers were down to their final out in the sectional title game, trailing Fonda 1-0 in the top of the seventh.

“We had some early games against some smaller schools, but they were all good teams back then,” Salvatore said. “Against Fonda, we were on the ropes. We had one hit through six innings. I was up with a runner on first and two outs. I hit a line drive to right field for a triple to tie the game.

“I was hitting out of the eight spot, and I thought Coach McNeil was going to pinch hit for me. He slapped his hands and told me to go hit. I was fired up. I drilled it to the fence.”

With the score tied 4-4 in the top of the 10th, Kuker then hit a three-run blast to put the Dodgers up by three runs. They ultimately prevailed, 9-4. It was Kuker’s second home run out of the long-fenced park in as many tourney games.

Fort Dodge went on to beat Denison, 2-1, and Westwood, 4-0, in the district tournament. In their first game at state, they knocked off Norway, 6-2, before beating Indianola 7-4 to set up the championship game against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

“Everything just really clicked for us,” Davidson said. “We just had a really good team with solid players. We bonded well together and were a close-knit bunch. We beat some teams that we weren’t supposed to beat.”

Walters returned to the Dodger lineup for the state tournament and pitched the championship tilt, striking out 11 in an 8-4 victory over Kennedy. Gordon led the Dodgers at state in Ames, batting .500 with two home runs and four RBI.

“It was just euphoria,” Sweeney remembered. “I had never been exposed to anything like that in baseball. It was really special that we elevated to that level. After winning the title, I remember a headline in the paper saying, “League flops are state champs.”

“We understood how rare of an opportunity we had and we didn’t want to let that pass. It was a magical time.”

As everything came together on the field for the players, the man who orchestrated a group that produced five all-staters through 1971 was instrumental in the progression to the top.

“Ed’s theory was, if you pitch well and play defense, you can scratch across some runs to win games,” said Sweeney, who was eventually a second-team all-state pick in 1971. “That goes back to his pro days where everything had to go a certain way. Everything was Ed’s way, and he was usually successful. I kind of thrived on it and I needed that.

“I figured out it was important to me. Ed was a very nice guy and very conscious of us needing to have summer jobs to earn some money. He would structure practices around that for us.”