Looking to rebound from last season, football faces challanges in new stadium
 Matt Evans '99 |
The star of the 1998 Princeton football
season cannot throw a pass or make
a tackle. In fact, the star attraction won't be on the field at all
this year because it is the field.
Headliner Princeton Stadium should be filled to capacity for its inaugural game
September 19, but not because fans are clamoring to see the Tigers' starting
22.
Princeton's only returning first-team All-Ivy player is punter Matt Evans '99. And if he gets considerable playing time, it will be a long autumn in the Tigers' new home. "We have Matt Evans, which is wonderful," says coach Steve Tosches of his punter, who holds virtually every Princeton punting record. "But I don't really want to see Matt Evans on the field that much." Tosches also has an excellent field goal kicker in second-team All-Ivy Alex Sierk '99, but beyond the kicking game there are plenty of question marks. Heading into training camp, Tosches still needed to pick a starting quarterback and tailback, and perhaps only Kenneth Starr could uncover solid replacements for the six all-league defensive selections lost to graduation. |
Although the starting line-up is unsettled, there are some positive omens for Princeton. There is the new stadium, of course, and Tosches's habit of winning or sharing the Ivy title every three years (1989, 1992, 1995). Furthermore, in contrast with last season's 3,200-mile road odyssey, this year's longest road trip will be to New Haven, Connecticut.
QUESTIONS ABOUND
So who will lead the Tigers in this historic season? At quarterback, senior John Burnham has the edge over sophomore Jon Blevins despite Blevins's break-out performance in spring practice. While Burnham has a stronger arm, Blevins is more patient in the pocket. Both can run the ball. "I really feel that we could be successful with either one," Tosches says.
Finding a target should not be a problem. Despite entering the 1997 season with just one varsity reception between them, the combination of Ray Canole '99 (34 catches for 363 yards), Phil Wendler '00 (20, 276), and Ryan Crowley '99 (19, 307), showed that they could make plays. With the return of Danny Brian '00, who missed last season with a shoulder injury, Tosches believes his receivers may be the best group he has had at Princeton. Senior Jason Glotzbach returns as the starting tight end.
Last season's starting tailback, Gerry Giurato '00, has moved to cornerback to fill the shoes of All-America Damani Leech '98. Giurato was more of finesse back, and Tosches is looking for a power runner in the mold of Keith Elias '94 or Marc Washington '97. The coach will choose between Kyle Brandt '01, Nathan McGlothlin '99, Derek Theisen '99, and Damien Taylor '00. Bruce Erb '00 takes over as fullback.
Although Elias and Washington got all the credit, they had terrific offensive lines, and the combination of a great runner with a punishing front five routinely took over games in the second half. After struggling for two years with a young, inexperienced line, the Tigers return nine of their top 10 linemen from last year. "A lot of it has to do with the amount of time that we have invested in that offensive line," says Tosches. "I want to be very optimistic, [but] they have to go out and show that they can not only be good, but at some point in the game they can become dominant and really wear the opponent down. We're starting to see flashes of that."
On defense, graduation has left Princeton with more cracks than the old Palmer Stadium. Between them, Leech and safety Tom Ludwig '98 started almost 70 games and had nearly 40 interceptions. Also gone are multi-year starters Tim Greene '98 and Jamie Toddings '98 at linebacker and Griff King '98 and Mark Whaling '98 from the defensive line. All six players received All-Ivy honors last year.
On the bright side, Tosches believes defensive tackle David Ferrara '00, who will move to defensive end, can be a dominating player. The other defensive end is captain Dan Swingos '99, whose ankle injury against Columbia last year shortened his season. Tumoana Webster '01, an agile 340-pounder from New Zealand, could fill one slot in the middle.
Linebacker is more of a concern. Seniors Jim Salters and Mike Veronesi, who have split time the last two years, both need to step up and stay healthy. The third linebacker spot is open, although heavily recruited freshman Drew Babinecz may see some time.
The converted tailback Giurato is joined in the defensive backfield by returning starters Ryan Demler '00 at safety and Gerry Wilson '00 at corner, but the fourth spot is open.
THE CRYSTAL BALL
With a lineup devoid of returning stars, Princeton will struggle to stay in the league race. The Tigers should christen their new stadium by beating Cornell, which is uncharacteristically weak this year. But Fordham and Yale shape up as the only other teams against whom Princeton will be the clear favorite. The non-Ivy games won't be much of a break for the Tigers, as both Lafayette and Lehigh are predicted to finish toward the top of the Patriot League.
If Princeton Stadium holds any magic for the home team, the fact that the Tigers host five of their seven Ivy contests could be an edge in a league where parity reigns. The prediction here is that Princeton will finish in the middle of the pack with Columbia, Dartmouth, and Brown. The Tigers will outpace Cornell and Yale, but trail Penn and defending champ Harvard. Below is a game-by-game preview:
Cornell (7 offensive starters returning, 7 defensive starters returning): Hopefully the Tigers will spend their first game in Princeton Stadium exploring the new endzones. But this could be a yawner because, like Princeton, the Big Red also has a good punter and a questionable offense. A Tiger loss would doom the team's Ivy title hopes.
at Lehigh (8 offensive, 7 defensive): Lehigh plays St. Mary's in California the week before Princeton travels to Bethlehem. Maybe jet leg will slow one of the better offenses the Tigers will face all year.
at Fordham (5 offensive, 9 defensive): This should be an easy game for Princeton, which has never lost to the Rams, although last year's 9-7 win was a struggle. The Tigers need a win as they head into a tough five-game stretch that will determine the season.
Brown (10 offensive, 5 defensive): The best offense in league history is back intact, led by Ivy Player of the Year wideout Sean Morey. As a point of reference, the Bruins' 4,743 yards of total offense in 1997 is almost more than Princeton generated in the last two years combined. Brown's defense is weak, so this could be a wild affair.
at Lafayette (9 offensive, 6 defensive): Princeton has shut out the Leopards in the teams' last two meetings. That trend won't continue, as most of Lafayette's offensive weapons return in 1998.
Harvard (7 offensive, 7 defensive): The Crimson's biggest scare in their 1997 undefeated Ivy campaign was a muddy 14-12 victory over Princeton that featured safeties by both teams. The Tigers may need another rainy day to keep the preseason favorites in check.
at Columbia (12 offensive, 9 defensive): The Lions return so many starters because they had many injuries last year, which forced many second-stringers into a starting role. But if Columbia stays healthy, they may surprise the rest of the Ivies.
Penn (4 offensive, 5 defensive): Quality starters return at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, along with a solid defense. The key for Penn is a huge but inexperienced offensive line. If Princeton is still in the race, a win here might seal it.
at Yale (9 offensive, 6 defensive): If Princeton upsets Harvard, a Big Three title should be a sure thing. Yale is again the league doormat.
Dartmouth (5 offensive, 4 defensive): Despite a 31-24-1 league record in the 1990's, Princeton has managed just one victory against the Big Green this decade. Maybe it's nothing a new stadium can't fix.
--Phillip Thune '92
1.Harvard 122 (11)
2. Brown 113 (5)
3. Penn 98
4. Princeton 64
5. Dartmouth 57
6. Cornell 43
7. Yale 19
First-place votes in parentheses.
After 61 years, "Tiger" helmet returns to Princeton
On September 19, when Princeton football players take
to the field for the first time in their spanking-new, $45 million stadium,
they'll be wearing a
helmet that is instantly recognizable to football fans.
Except for the orange and black colors, it's identical to
the helmet worn by the University of Michigan for 60 years.
Some alumni will recall the three years
(1935-37) when the Tigers last sported a helmet like that.
Those were the last three Princeton seasons of coach
Fritz Crisler, who in 1938 departed for Michigan and
took the design with him. "Some people think of it as
the 'Michigan helmet,' but it's the 'Tiger helmet,' and
it originated at Princeton," says Stanislaw "Stas"
Maliszewski '66, who's responsible for bringing it
back to Princeton.
Maliszewski, the president of the Princeton
Football Association (PFA), learned about the origins
of Michigan's helmet while doing research on the
history of Tiger football and convinced coach Steve
Tosches to adopt the "new" look for the Tigers as they
begin their first season in the new stadium. "It's one of
the most recognized symbols in football," he says. "I
talked to some players from the Crisler era and put it all
together, then corroborated it with people at
Michigan. They acknowledge that the design came from
Princeton and take great pride in the fact, but at
Princeton its origins had been forgotten."
Although a few old-timers refer to it as the
"winged" helmet, Maliszewski believes Crisler styled the
headgear to represent a tiger with flared-back ears. He
says that Crisler, who compiled a record of 35-9-5 in
six seasons at Princeton, thought the orange-and-black
pattern made an easier target for passers. (Ironically, at
least one player recalls that Crisler's successor changed to
a solid-orange helmet for the same reason -- see
Tom Mountain '39's letter, page 7. For a look at the
1998 and 1937 versions of the Tiger helmet, see the
cover and page 37, respectively.)
GOGOLAKS TO KICK
The new helmet isn't Maliszewski's only
contribution to the events of September 19, when
Princeton will dedicate the new stadium in the Tigers'
home-opener against Cornell. He's been working with Kirk
Unruh '70, the university's director of campaign relations,
and others on planns for the dedication, which will
include a pregame march by former Princeton players
carrying class banners (to be draped around the stadium
perimeter during the game) and a postgame concert by
the Princeton and Cornell bands. The PFA contributed
funds to the Princeton band to spruce up its uniform for
the occasion. "It's the first time in a very long time
that they'll all be wearing pants that match," says Maliszewski.
Also on the bill is a reading of a dedicatory
poem by Paul Muldoon, the director of the creative
writing program. Maliszewski, who's related by marriage
to Muldoon (their wives are cousins), persuaded the
Irish bard to craft some lines for the event after taking
him on a tour of the stadium in June. (The poem, "All
the Way," will be published in the October 7
PAW.)
It was Maliszewski, too, who came up with the
idea of a halftime charity place-kicking exhibition by
Charlie Gogolak '66 and his brother, Pete, a 1964 Cornell
graduate. The Gogolaks, Hungarian refugees who were the
first soccer-style kickers in football, went on to pro
careers (Charlie with the Redskins and Patriots, Pete with
the Giants); they last kicked against each other as
collegiate athletes in Palmer Stadium, at the 1963
Princeton-Cornell game. The exhibition will raise money
for the pediatric wing of the Princeton Medical
Center. Holding the ball for Charlie and Pete, respectively,
will be presidents Harold Shapiro *64 of Princeton and
Hunter Rawlings of Cornell.
Maliszewski's connections with Tiger football go
back to his playing days, when he starred on both
offense and defense and in his senior year, as a guard, was
voted a consensus all-America (an honor he shares with
just two other living Princeton players, Dick Kazmaier
'52 and Frank McPhee '53). A member of the alumni
committee that advised the university on the new
stadium, Maliszewski played a key role in raising $750,000
from the PFA's 1,500 members for the stadium's locker
rooms, which for budgetary reasons weren't part of the
original design. (More about the PFA and its activities
can be found on the organization's new Website,
created by Mike DeMilio '88, at www.princeton.edu/Football.)
FROM POLAND TO PRINCETON
How Maliszewski got to Princeton is a story in
itself. Born in August 1944 in German-occupied
Poland, he and his family (his parents, grandparents, and
two brothers) soon became refugees, fleeing ahead of
the advancing Soviet army. They wound up in a
displaced persons camp in West Germany and in 1951 came
to the United States. Their port of entry was New
York, but the wide-eyed seven-year-old missed seeing the
Statue of Liberty: "I was on the starboard side of the
boat, looking at the Manhattan skyline."
After processing through the immigration center
on Ellis Island, they entrained for Davenport, Iowa,
whose First Presbyterian Church had agreed to sponsor
them. Maliszewski's father found work repairing electrical
machinery, and the family settled into their new life
in the Corn Belt. "We learned English right away --
I don't remember it being a problem," says
Maliszewski, who still speaks Polish when talking with his
mother (his father died in 1988).
As a high school football player Maliszewski
was heavily recruited by Notre Dame. It was the only
university he considered until his senior year, when
Jim Leach '64, a Davenport resident and Princeton
sophomore home on Christmas break, called him to talk
about Princeton. Maliszewski knew Leach (who is now
Iowa's senior Republican congressman) because "his
family belonged to the church that had sponsored us, and
my mother worked at the Leaches'. He came over to
our house with Jack Searles '39, Pete Priester '42, and
Dudley Priester '45, who seemed very special people, and
they convinced me to apply."
At times during his freshman year Maliszewski
wondered if he'd made the right decision. But he
eventually adjusted to his new environment, and has
never looked back. A philosophy major, he wrote a
senior thesis entitled "The Existence of God in Hume
and Kant." He played professional football for the
Baltimore Colts for two years, then used his earnings
to attend Harvard Business School. He's the founder
and president of Gateway Asset Management, a
pension marketing firm based in Chicago. He and his wife,
Stacy, have four children, including Roman Maliszewski '00.
"What I enjoyed most about playing for
Princeton was the opportunity it gave me to represent the
school," he says. "It was so different from the pros, where
for most guys it's just a job -- the spirit isn't there."
-- J.I. Merritt '66
FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
September 19 vs. Cornell
Games will air on WHWH (AM 1350) and WPRB (FM 103.3)
in Princeton and on WHTG (AM 1410) in Eatontown. Selected games
will be televised on Comcast and RCN -- check local listings. Fans can
also pay to hear the game over the phone on TeamLine (800-846-4700,
extension 5761) or can listen over the Internet
(www.princeton.edu/RealMedia).
SOUND MIND, SOUND BODY
Princeton's wrestlers may not have swept the mats this past season,
but the grapplers dominated the other programs in the classroom. The
team had the highest cumulative GPA in the nation (3.423) for the
second straight year, this time beating its nearest competitor by a full
third of a grade. Coach Michael New said, "This is what college athletics
is supposed to be all about -- students succeeding in both the athletic
and academic arenas."
JOCK SCHOOL?
Princeton finished the 1997-98 season tied with Auburn and Clemson
for 25th in the Sears Cup, a competition that ranks 202 Division I
schools based on participation in NCAA championship events. Not only
did Princeton finish ahead of perennial powers such as Duke and
Kentucky, the university also was the top-ranked school in the Northeast.
Furthermore, had the competition included Princeton's national
championships in non-NCAA sanctioned events (women's squash, men's
heavyweight and lightweight crew), the university would have leapt to sixth.
September 26 at Lehigh
October 3 at Fordham
October 10 vs. Brown
October 17 at Lafayette
October 24 vs. Harvard
October 31 at Columbia
November 7 vs. Penn
November 14 at Yale
November 21 vs. Dartmouth