Football

One of the surest ways to discover the progress a team is making during preseason workouts is to check with the members of the "sideline coaches club." These are the stalwarts who turn out daily, rain or shine, hot or cold, to watch the practice sessions, study individual players in the scrimmages, and talk over among themselves the way the team is shaping up and the chances for victory in the games ahead. Dartmouth is fortunate in having a loyal, devoted and very astute group of sideline observers such as Larry Bankhart 10, Judge Amos Blandin '18, Ford Whelden '25, Jim Campion '28, Andy Scarlett 10, the Hanover Inn's genial host Jim McFate, John Tanzi, and Dartmouth's sports information director, Ted Emery.

After two weeks of close Scrutiny these gentlemen are still smiling, indeed seem almost impressed. One remarked, "This team looks darn fast to me; there's same good speed in the backfield and even the line is fast." Another was impressed with the'general physical condition of the team, while a third was quite optimistic, a rarity among Dartmouth's sideline observers. "I see they've picked. Dartmouth as the 'dark horse' in the Ivy. League," he said one afternoon. "From the way the team's looking now, that's a good pick. We should do all right this year if everything goes as it has been."

Coach Bob Blackmail ami his staff, meanwhile, work patiently along; startingearly in the morning and continuing through the late-evenirig planning and strategy sessions. Coaches are rarely optimistic and probably the best word to describe the feelings of the Dartmouth staff at this point is "hopeful."

The hope is based on the fact that Dartmouth has fifteen returning lettermen, enough to man a starting team, and that the lettermen are divided among all positions except right halfback. When the showing to date of some of the reserves and a half-dozen or more sophomores is added, the staff can see the makings of what could reasonably be considered a good team by Ivy League standards.

However, at this point one must look to the opposition. Yale, with almost double Dartmouth's lettermen, plus some highly touted sophomores, is picked almost unanimously to win the Ivy League crown, and indeed some experts have placed the Elis among the top twenty teams in the nation. Cornell and Princeton, with all-veteran teams and a good nucleus of newcomers, will both be threats to Yale. Harvard is always dangerous and Penn is rebuilding and eager to win after two dismal seasons. While Brown and Columbia appear weakest, they are always willing to upset any Ivy team. These Ivy teams plus New Hampshire and Holy Cross are the foes Dartmouth faces this fall. Whether the Big Green can better last year's record of three wins and six defeats against this kind of opposition is something which 26,000 Dartmouth alumni, including this one, would like to know.

Now that the first two weeks of relatively light workouts have passed, the Dartmouth squad has buckled down to almost daily scrimmages. The first team as it lined up on opening day has remained intact so far and no major changes are expected before the New Hampshire opener. Dartmouth's first eleven has Mike Brown at quarterback, senior Lou Rovero and junior Don Klages at the halfback posts, and Captain Bob Rex at fullback. The all-letterman line has Monte Pascoe and Ron Fraser at the ends, Wayne Kakela and Al Gazzaniga at tackles, foe Palermo and John Donnelly in the guard berths, and Bob Adelizzi at center.

While this is the team that is expected to take the field for the opening kick-off, there are a few other lettermen, some experienced reserves and a number of promising newcomers who will spell these eleven starters and who, as the season develops, could well win starting assignments.

Behind quarterback Mike Brown are Doug Fusonie, who has been switched from halfback where he saw limited action last fall, and sophomore John Baldwin. Neither has the experience or the "take charge" quality of Brown, but both are looking good in practice and Baldwin has already demonstrated pin-point passing ability plus better-than-average running speed.

Don Klages holds the edge at right halfback, but Jim Burke, last year's freshman captain, is coming fast and will certainly be valuable in any case, as will sophomores Bill Morton, Brian Hepburn and Jim Henander. At left halfback Lou Rovero, leading ground-gainer last fall, has a decided edge over junior Ed Nelson and sophomore Joe Graham, both of whom show promise. Rovero was injured slightly in early September but is back in action again. Jim Mueller, another soph, has made a fine showing to date and is ranked behind Rovero. It looks as though fullback Bob Rex may be called upon for al- most sixty minutes of play in each game this fall, but Dave Pratt, an able letterman, is backing him up, as is Gary Finerty, a junior.

The backfield, at first blush, seems adequately manned, but a second look reveals that the absence of a few key men would be ruinous unless the sophomores can be developed. Depth is a real problem for Bob Blackman.

The same problem exists in the line. Behind Pascoe and Fraser at the ends is one letterman — Dave Moss, juniors Pete Pullen and Steve Toth, and sophomore Scott Palmer. Although the top two lettermen, Kakela and Gazzaniga, return at tackle, four lettermen graduated. Tom Booth and Walt Busker are the leading reserves, with sophomores Steve Margolis and Art Duggan pressing hard.

At both guard posts sophomores are pushing the veterans for starting berths. At right guard newcomers Dieter Eck and Ted Izzard are behind letterman John Donnelly, while at left guard veteran Joe Palermo is backed up by Jim Riffle, who saw some action last year, and sophomore Paul Wysard. Palermo and Riffle have both been injured slightly in pre-season drills, but are expected to be fit by opening day.

The all-important center post fortu- nately is manned by Bob Adelizzi, with Bernie McAdams, a reserve, and Walt Fogarty, who also saw some action last fall, ready to spell him.

The graduation of backfield men like Bill Beagle, Leo McKenna, Jack Nicolette, Bob Charman and Tommy Trainor, coupled with the absence of Bud Roth and Don Gray at ends, Bixby, Krosnowski and Bechler at tackle, the Klapper twins and Larry Karacki at the guard posts, adds to the depth problem of Coach Blackman despite an all-veteran starting team.

Beagle and McKenna will be particularly missed at quarterback, not only for their passing skill but because they have been Dartmouth's top punters and pointafter-touchdown specialists. Quarterback Mike Brown has not measured up, in passing or kicking ability, to either Beagle or McKenna, and as a result it is expected that the Big Green will rely less on passing this fall than it has for the past six years. Improved performances by Rovero and Klages plus the galloping ability of sophomore halfbacks Burke, Graham, Mueller, Hepburn, Henander and Morton may well bolster Dartmouth's ground attack, and this together with more running by the quarterback on the option play should provide a potent running offense. Dartmouth's passing attack will probably be concentrated on short, pin-point passes for first-down and variation purposes rather than the long, downfield aerials which alumni have become accustomed to in recent years.

Coach Blackmail will again utilize his "patented" V-system on offense, and with a year's experience under their belts the players should run the plays even better than last year.

With no injuries of a serious nature to key players as yet, with the squad making excellent progress and looking impressive in early scrimmages, and with an adequate nucleus of veterans and reserves, Dartmouth looks forward to the 1956 season with a reasonable hope of finishing well up in the Ivy League and with a determination to battle all the way in every game. We could ask no more.

Fifteen lettermen are back for the Big green even this fall. Linemen (front, l to r) are Dave Moss and Ron Fraser, ends; Wayne Kakela, tackle; John Donnelly, guard; Bob Adelizzi and Bernie McAdams, centers; Joe Palermo and Jim Riffle, guards; Al Gazzaniga, tackle; and Monte Pascoe, end. Backs are Captain Bob Rex and Dave Pratt, fullbacks;Mike Brown, quarterback; Ed Nelson and Lou Rovero, halfbacks.

Coach Bob Blackman looks at a line-up of some of the promising sophomores expected to aid Dartmouth's football fortunes this fall. They are (l to r) Mike Cronin, fullback; John Baldwin, quarterback; Al Krutsch and Ted Izzard, guards; Joe Graham, Dave Bell, and Jim Burke, halfbacks; Ted Eck, guard; Ed Labenski and Steve Margolis, tackles; and Scott Palmer, end.