Steve Ehlert and his buddies attended Cedar Rapids Jefferson when J-Hawk football flourished. Back in the 1970s, Jefferson was in the midst of posting 21 straight winning seasons, eight conference championships and a state playoff title.

For a variety of reasons, Jefferson football has fallen on hard times. It has lost 22 straight games and has recorded winning records only twice since 1991. The 2012 season will represent a changing of the guard, with Brian Webb taking over for Jim Womochil as head coach.

Ehlert and his classmates wanted to find a way to support the program. They have organized the Jefferson Alumni Golf (JAG) outing, which will be played August 11. Proceeds will go entirely to the J-Hawk football program.

“Several of the guys from my class were playing in a golf outing and we had a lot of fun,’’ Ehlert said. “We got to talking and thought, 'Why can’t we do something like this for the football team?’

“We just want to try to do something to change the culture up there and do something to get them on a competitive platform. When we were in school, everyone wanted to play Muscatine for homecoming. That’s kind of where it’s at now when people look at Jefferson.’’

Ehlert also got involved with the Fitzgerald family, which had wanted to donate money to the school but earmark it for football. Dennis Fitzgerald, a former J-Hawk star fullback, died in 2009 and the family sought a way to give back to the program.

Dennis Fitzgerald was a standout in 1963. The J-Hawks lost their first two games that year, but then reeled off seven straight wins and claimed the school’s first Mississippi Valley Conference football championship. Fitzgerald scored both touchdowns in the season finale, a 13-0 victory over then No. 2 Davenport Central.

Fitzgerald and his son, John, were the first father-son combination to be inducted into the Jefferson Football Hall of Fame.

“The Fitzgeralds approached me and they’d been trying to do something specific for football,’’ Ehlert said. “They said if I could assure them money would go to football, they would make a donation in honor of Dennis passing away.’’

The Fitzgerald donation got the golf outing idea moving. Now Ehlert and his committee members are assembling four-person groups to play at either Ellis or Jones Park Golf Course Aug. 11, and soliciting businesses and individuals for hole sponsorships and prizes.

In addition to proceeds from the tournament, football will benefit from money raised through silent auction items. Signed jerseys from professional baseball players and former J-Hawks Ryan Sweeney and Kellen Sweeney will be offered. The group also is collecting other autographed items, and likely will have some signed by Zach Johnson, Dan Gable and others.

“There’s a lot of Jefferson people in and around Cedar Rapids who I think want to do something to help change the way football is going,’’ Ehlert said. “The tradition used to be a winning one. We’re hopefully going to do something to motivate the ones who want to be successful.’’

The money won’t buy victories for Jefferson football. Ehlert and others just hope it’s a little something that will help put the J-Hawks back on the road to success.

NOTE: Information on the golf outing can be found on Facebook under Groups – Jefferson Alumni Golf. Ehlert may be contacted at 721-9222 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

(Mark Dukes is former sports editor of the Cedar Rapid Gazette. He is co-host of The Gym Class radio show weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600 and FM-106.3.)