The football history of proud Princeton goes back 80-odd years through fat and lean, through bright weather and storm—but whether or not the men of Old Nassau produce a national championship contender (as they sometimes have) or just an Ivy League champion (their unvarying purpose nowadays), Princeton enjoys the game and its traditions with a savor all its own. A game at Palmer Stadium is more than just a game and a score: it is a pilgrimage and a picnic, too, filled with the color of autumn and the noise of Princeton's highly polished brass band. A reminiscing crowd gathers, lunches along the shores of Lake Carnegie, on the terraces of the clubs or from station-wagon tailgates beneath the towering elms. Then they follow the band to cheer the team. For one thoughtful Ivy League man's reflections on football's place in the world of college, see the article by Whitney Griswold, President of Yale, on page 19.
Trim caps forward, tweed collars turned up against the chill that comes with half-time shadows, two Princetonians share a uniform look and an appetite for hot dogs.
Orange-and-black stripes on traditional boater and a six-foot scarf add to the blaze of a golden afternoon. Mouton-collared coats and polos are raccoon coats of the '50s.
"Going back, going back, going back to Nassau Hall," rings across Palmer Stadium as rooting students and their "drags" sing to the tireless encouragement of their cheer-leading "tiger."
Beanie-Hawking student, unsold samples on his head, proclaims his loyalty with his tie, his tiger badge. Neat suntans, a tweed jacket are Ivy League trademarks.
Old Grad Clement Hoopes, class of '29, and his wife Marcia came for game from their Bucks County, Pa. home. Hoopes's double-breasted tweed coat boasts matching hat.
Eating club, once F. Scott Fitzgerald's, accommodates guest in tweeds which are as classic as a Princeton-Harvard game. She eats a box-lunch sandwich before the kickoff.
Pregame cocktails are poured from an elegant leather portable bar by a tweed-jacketed son of Nassau. Convivial reunion air reigns over all Big Three games.
EIGHT PHOTOS
LISA LARSEN
