IVY LEAGUE
HERMAN HICKMAN SAYS:
This fall, for the first time, the Ivy League becomes a football reality, not just a way of life. More important, the hard-core Harvard-Yale-Princeton group, possibly at the insistence of Princeton, has restored "full rights and privileges" to Pennsylvania, blackballed in 1946 by fellow conference members for going big league in a definitely non-Ivy way. Since then, Pennsylvania has done penance, conducted a victory-with-honor campaign wherein the Red and Blue stacked a squad of honor students against the nation's best elevens week after week. Needless to say, the campaign was highly unsuccessful through two winless seasons.
So now the round robin begins in full, with each team playing the seven other members of the league every year. The schedule is limited to nine games, with Harvard playing only eight, thus precluding much outside competition.
In this, the inaugural year, Yale seems equipped to sweep through its schedule. With 33 lettermen returning and only two members of the first two teams lost by graduation, the Bulldog could well be one of the top teams of the nation (see The Eleven Best Elevens).
Cornell looks like the best bet to thwart Yale's bid for the first official Ivy League title. The Big Red has the best backfield in the conference. The big weakness during the last two years at Cornell was in the line, but this fall they have good experience and size returning.
Dartmouth showed tremendous improvement last season under the first-year tutelage of Coach Bob Blackburn. Although they won only three games, all the losses, with the exception of the Yale game, were by a touchdown or less. The big line and fast backs of last fall's undefeated freshman team should turn some of those close losses into wins. The first-string line returns intact, headed by End Monte Pascoe who was one of the nation's leading pass receivers a year ago. Biggest problem here is in filling Bill Beagle's quarterback position. Mike Brown, son of Cleveland Coach Paul Brown, has some experience. The Indians must be considered a threat to the title.
Princeton has just three regulars returning from last year's championship team, and of these only John Sapoch remains of the starting backfield. The Tigers must rebuild their backfield and find a capable tailback, key to Charlie Caldwell's brilliantly conceived single wing attack. The frosh record was mediocre, but Fred Tiley was a standout and may grab that tailback spot. On paper, Princeton chances seem slim. The Tigers have no Kazmaier or Flip-pin, but I know from sad personal experience never to count out a Charlie Caldwell team.
Pennsylvania has lost 18 straight games, but this streak should be broken before too many Saturdays in an Ivy schedule.
Harvard has a tremendous potential in the backfield but problems in the line where all but one regular is missing. Junior Tailback Walt Stahura could play on any team, but I doubt if the Cantabs can be considered a serious Ivy contender.
Brown does not have a single returning letterman in the backfield but loses only Jim McGuiness from the line. There should be some excellent material coming up from last year's frosh squad.
It looks like there is little hope for improvement at Columbia, with only token aid coming up from a mediocre frosh squad. The Lions have two capable backfield performers in Quarterback Claude Benham and Halfback Ed Spraker. Benham ranked among the nation's leading passers last year. Despite a poor outlook, Lou Little will probably upset one or more of the stronger Ivy teams.
PRINCETON
PRINCETON, N. J.
COLORS: Orange and black.
BASIC OFFENSE: Single wing.
1955 RECORD: Won 7, lost 2.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 15 of 29.
WATCH FOR: Mike Bowman, G; Earle Harder, T; John Sapoch, B; Fred Tiley, B.
THE DOPE: The Tigers have a serious problem in the backfield where only one 1955 regular, Quarterback John Sapoch, is returning. The Princeton defensive line will be one of the best in the Ivy League, and therein lies the strength of this team. Coach Charlie Caldwell is high on sophomore Tailback Fred Tiley, a 195-pounder from Lansford, Pa., but doesn't expect overnight miracles from his youngsters. Princeton will again move out of Caldwell's streamlined single wing. The Tiger buck-lateral series is considered one of the most spectacular offensive sequences in modern football, so no matter what its fate, the team will always furnish plenty of thrills.
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept. 19—Rutgers (41-7)
Oct. 6—Columbia (20-7)
Oct. 13—at Pennsylvania (7-0)
Oct. 20—Colgate (6-15)
Oct. 27—at Cornell (26-20)
Nov. 3—Brown (14-7)
Nov. 10—Harvard (6-7)
Nov. 17—at Yale (13-0)
Nov. 24—Dartmouth (6-3)
CORNELL
ITHACA, N. Y.
COLORS: Carnelian and white.
BASIC OFFENSE: T.
1955 RECORD: Won 5, lost 4.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 13 of 25.
WATCH FOR: Art Boland, B; Irv Roberson, B; Bob McNiff, B; Gerry Knapp, E.
THE DOPE: The Big Red has the line to open the holes and the backs to step through and go for distance—enough to rate it second to Yale in the Ivy League. Despite key losses such as Quarterback Billy DeGraaf and Halfbacks Dick Jackson and Dick Meade in the backfield, Cornell's running and passing will suffer little or no relapse from last year. Art Boland will fill in for DeGraaf, and his two-year record of completing 60% of his passes speaks for itself. Boland and Halfbacks Irv Roberson and Bob McNiff give Coach George (Lefty) James one of the speediest, most maneuver-able backfields in the East. "Cornell," says James, "will again be a November team."
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept. 29—at Colgate (6-21)
Oct. 6—Navy (no game)
Oct. 13—Harvard (20-7)
Oct. 20—at Yale (6-34)
Oct. 27—Princeton (20-26)
Nov. 3—at Columbia (34-19)
Nov. 10—at Brown (20-7)
Nov. 17—Dartmouth (0-7)
Nov. 22—-at Pennsylvania (39-7)
DARTMOUTH
HANOVER, N. H.
COLOR: Oak green.
BASIC OFFENSE: V-system—basically the T with fullback used as blocker between guard and tackle.
1955 RECORD: Won 3, lost 6.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 15 of 31.
WATCH FOR: Monte Pascoe, E; Bob Adelizzi, C; Bob Rex, B; Lou Rovero, B.
THE DOPE: The Indians will field a fairly strong first team and thus can be rated a conference dark horse. Yet the absence of a proved passer and adequate subs may keep Dartmouth at the bottom of the Ivy first division. Coach Bob Blackman will center his attack on a running game built around Halfback Lou Rovero, the leading Indian ground-gainer last year, and Jim Burke, a sophomore breakaway runner. Blackman intends to use Captain Bob Rex primarily as the blocking fullback, but he will handle the ball just often enough to diversify the attack.
1956 : SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept. 29—-New Hampshire (no game)
Oct. 6—at Pennsylvania (no game)
Oct. 13—at Brown (0-7)
Oct. 20—Holy Cross (21-29)
Oct. 27—at Harvard (14-9)
Nov. 3—at Yale (0-20)
Nov. 10—Columbia (14-7)
Nov. 17—at Cornell (7-0)
Nov. 24—at Princeton (3-6)
HARVARD
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
COLOR: Crimson.
BASIC OFFENSE: Single wing.
1955 RECORD: Won 3, lost 4, tied 1.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 10 of 24.
WATCH FOR: Ted Metropoulos, G; Jim Joslin, B; Walt Stahura, B.
THE DOPE: The Crimson, with not enough lettermen returning to fill out the first team, will be desperately lacking in experience, especially in the line which will be composed almost entirely of sophomores. Coach Lloyd P. Jordan is worried most about his defense and has been concentrating on this throughout much of the preseason practice. The Harvard running, spearheaded by junior Tailback Walt Stahura and 210-pound Fullback Tony Gianelly, is the major strength of the Cantabs. But the line will have to do a lot of maturing before the team can be taken seriously. Putting up the bold front, Jordan says: "If depth can be developed with experience as the season progresses, we should be better than ever."
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Oct. 6—Tufts (no game)
Oct. 13—at Cornell (7-20)
Oct. 20—at Columbia (21-7)
Oct. 27—Dartmouth (9-14)
Nov. 3—Pennsylvania (no game)
Nov. 10—at Princeton (7-6)
Nov. 17—Brown (6-14)
Nov. 24—Yale (7-21)
BROWN
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
COLORS: Brown and white.
BASIC OFFENSE: T with flankers.
1955 RECORD: Won 2, lost 7.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 10 of 24.
WATCH FOR: Gil Robertshaw, T; Richard Crews, G; Lawrence Kalesnik, G; Richard Bence, E.
THE DOPE: The Bruins have good team speed and an experienced line with six starters returning, but a complete lack of experience in the backfield, complicated by a major problem at quarterback where none of six candidates has shown outstanding ability, rules them out as a threat. Individually, the lineman to watch is Tackle Gil Robertshaw, who is rated by opposing coaches as one of the best in the Ivy League. Coach Al Kelley, who expects to gain enough experience by midseason to be "trouble" for the other Ivies, says that "While we can't be classified as a contender, we definitely hope to leave our mark on the first formal Ivy League race. We have a solid first line.... Lack of experience in the backfield will hamper us for a while, but we have enough speed to be dangerous." There will not be too much of an improvement over last year's 2-7 record, though.
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept, 29—at Columbia (12-14)
Oct. 6—at Yale (20-27)
Oct. 13—Dartmouth (7-0)
Oct. 20—at Pennsylvania (no game)
Oct. 27—Rhode Island (7-19)
Nov. 3—at Princeton (7-14)
Nov. 10—Cornell (7-20)
Nov. 17—at Harvard (14-6)
Nov. 22—Colgate (0-25)
COLUMBIA
NEW YORK, N.Y.
COLORS: Light blue and white.
BASIC OFFENSE: Wing T with variations.
1955 RECORD: Won 1, lost 8.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 14 of 21.
WATCH FOR: Claude Benham, B; Joe Hervatic, E; Art Wilson, B.
THE DOPE: The Lions' passing will be their bread and butter. Quarterback Claude Benham was the second best passer in the nation in 1955, and he has fine receivers in Halfbacks Ed Spraker and Art Wilson and End Joe Hervatic. Not only that, but canny old Coach Lou Little has devised an aerial offense as effective as any anywhere. Spraker, who is a fine breakaway runner, can be expected to combine with Benham on some long and exciting pitch-and-run plays that will bring cheer to Lion hearts in an otherwise gloomy season. The line is small and lacks experience everywhere but at guard. Little says the team will be "slightly improved" over last year's 1-8 eleven, but adds: "We are very thin, and all our hopes and plans depend on staying free of crippling injuries. We won't have the depth of most of our opponents."
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept. 29—Brown (14-12)
Oct. 6—at Princeton (7-20)
Oct. 13—Yale (14-46)
Oct. 20—Harvard (7-21)
Oct. 27—Army (0-45)
Nov. 3—Cornell (19-34)
Nov. 10—at Dartmouth (7-14)
Nov. 17—at Pennsylvania (no game)
Nov. 24—at Rutgers (6-12)
PENNSYLVANIA
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
COLORS: Red and blue.
BASIC OFFENSE: Bobtailed combination offense (watered-down version of Michigan State multiple offense).
1955 RECORD: Won 0, lost 9.
LETTERMEN RETURNING: 16 of 25.
WATCH FOR: Frank Riepl, B; Bill Young, B; Charles Gill, E; Peter Keblish, G.
THE DOPE: The Quakers' two-year victory famine is finally at an end. The Red and Blue is chockablock with talented sophomores, 38 of them, and should finish somewhere in the middle of the Ivy standings. Though Coach Steve Sebo has 16 letter-men returning from last year's lackluster squad, he is looking to the sophomore contingent to improve Penn's football fortunes. Sebo hopes to be starting most of his sophomores by midseason—or as soon as they can pick up the intricacies of varsity football. Sebo also has made two big changes in his coaching staff: Bernie Lemonick, Penn's All-America guard in 1950, has taken over the line, and Dewey King has moved up from the freshman squad to handle the backs. Looks as though good college football has at long last returned to Philadelphia.
1956 SCHEDULE (1955 score):
Sept. 29—Penn State (0-20)
Oct. 6—Dartmouth (no game)
Oct. 13—Princeton (0-7)
Oct. 20—Brown (no game)
Oct. 27—Navy (0-33)
Nov. 3—at Harvard (no game)
Nov. 10—at Yale (no game)
Nov. 17—Columbia (no game)
Nov. 22—Cornell (7-39)
ILLUSTRATION
PHOTO
BROWN UNIVERSITY CAPTAIN RICHARD BENCE
PHOTO
YOUNG LION: SHIFTY HALFBACK ART WILSON
PHOTO
PENN CO-CAPTAIN CHARLES G. GILL, END