Football
After the first intensive inter-squad scrimmage, held in Hanover on Saturday, September 12, Coach Blackman remarked - "At the moment I can't see a single Ivy game we could win this fall, but if you asked me if I'd settle for a record of eight wins and one defeat, I'd say no. We're out to win them all!"
This is the start of the sixth season at Dartmouth for Coach Bob Blackman and his able assistants - line coach Jack Musick, backfield coach Will Volz, end coach Elmer Lampe and assistants Doggie Julian and Bill Craver. Over the past five seasons the Big Green has won 23, lost only nine and tied two. Since 1956 it has lost only three Ivy games and has won the Ivy League crown in 1958 and twice has finished in second place.
However, this record may be slightly tarnished this fall as the Indians are almost unanimously picked to end up in the second division of the Ivy loop. With only thirteen lettermen currently on the squad and some acute replacement problems in key positions, plus a distinct lack of depth, the outlook is not promising.
About 75 candidates showed up for the Big Green training camp which opened September 1, but this number has been reduced to 64 due to withdrawals and injuries. Coach Black-man reports he is pleased with the general condition of the squad and with the manner in which they have developed over the past two and one-half weeks.
One of the major problems faced each fall, Blackmail points out, is to install an entire offense in a period of about three weeks. Once the season gets underway there is little time to work on new plays as classes and studies leave only a few hours during the week for practice. Thus, the coaches concentrate largely on offense during the two-a-day training sessions, set their basic defenses at the same time and then during the week prior to each game concentrate on special defenses and on the type of attack.
The opening line-up for the University of New Hampshire game (September 24) will have ten of the thirteen returning lettermen starting. Ten of them are seniors. At left end will be Connie Persels, a senior; at right end will be John Henry, also a senior who did not win his letter because of injuries; at the tackle posts will be Jim McElhinney, a senior, at right tackle, and Mike Mooney, another senior, at left tackle. Charles Chapman and Hank Gerfen will be the starting guards with Captain Ken DeHaven at center.
In the Big Green starting backfield will be Jack Kinderdine, a senior letterman, at quarterback, Alan Rozycki at right halfback, Tom King, the only junior, at left half, and probably Dick Marrone, a senior, at fullback.
While this is the first team at the moment, Coach Blackman is quick to point out that some starting posts are still in doubt and that the new, more liberal substitution rule will make it possible for some men to be on a first team offensively and others on a first team defensive unit. For example, quarterback Jack Kinderdine will direct the team only during offensive plays and he will be replaced by senior quarterback Dick Beattie when the Big Green is on the defensive.
The battle for positions behind the starting unit is pretty much a wide open affair at most posts. At left end the withdrawal of letterman Bob Marriott and John Mussman, a junior, has brought about a four-way battle between Carl Funke (the son of Carl Funke '35) who has developed rapidly this fall, Vern Simms, another junior, and two sophomore candidates - Mike Nyquist and Frank Finstwait.
At right end, behind John Henry, who is currently bothered with an ankle injury, is Dave Usher, a junior letterman, senior Larry Jakubsen, and sophomores Bill Wellstead and Roger Adelman.
The tackle position is one which worries Blackman the most. Behind McElhinney, who was converted from center to left tackle, is Walt Grudi, a junior with some seasoning, and sophomore George Hellick who has been coming along rapidly this fall. Dick Hofmann, a junior, was being counted on to help but a back injury will keep him out of action for the season.
Ranked behind Mike Mooney at right tackle are Andy Zigelis and Carter Strickland, both juniors. Strickland is another player who made the switch from center. A promising sophomore, Frank Palmer, hurt his leg and will not be able to compete so that depth is a very real problem at the all-important tackle post.
At left guard behind veteran Hank Gerfen is Chuck Hegeman, a junior, who played some last fall, and sophomore Ed Boies, who also shows promise. Don Samuelson, a junior with some reserve experience, gave up football this fall and he will be missed.
Over at right guard it's a three-way battle behind veteran Chuck Chapman with juniors Dick Couturier and Steve Lasch and sophomore Jerry Raczka rated evenly.
Captain Ken DeHaven will anchor the Big Green line at center and is the most experienced and ablest lineman on the squad. He probably will play most of the time. Ranked evenly behind DeHaven are Bill Tragakis, a junior, and sophomores Don McKinnon and Vaughn Skinner.
One of the other problems in the Dartmouth line is lack of weight. There are only twelve men on the current squad who scale over 200 pounds and most of the current candidates weigh in at well under 200.
The Big Green backfield problems are not only weight, but lack of any real, breakaway runners and the absence of a real passing threat. Jack Kinderdine, the starting offensive quarterback, is a fine ball handler, an able signal-caller and leader and an outstanding punter. His passing has improved this fall but is still only mediocre and the Big Green will probably stay on the ground more this fall than in recent years. Dick Beattie, a senior, has come along extremely well and will be the first-team starter on defense. Sophomore Bill King has also come along very well according to Blackman, who rates him as the best sophomore prospect since Bill Gundy's sophomore days. King, however, needs a lot more seasoning. Sophomore Tom Erickson is expected to spell Beattie on defense.
The left halfback post is a real problem with Jake Crouthamel gone. Here again Blackman will probably go with some men on offense, others on defense. Tom King, a junior, gets the nod on offense, while Dick Stillman, a letterman, will probably be the defensive starter. Greg Cooke, a sophomore of promise, has been out with a hip injury, and another sophomore, Ernie Torres, is currently sidelined with an illness.
At right halfback Alan Rozycki must be counted on as Dartmouth's chief ground-gainer, with Tom Boudreau, a junior, ranked second. Gary Spiess, a junior, has looked good in practice as has sophomore John Krumme. Another junior with some experience, Art Hoover, broke a small leg bone in an early practice session and will be sidelined for a month.
The fullback position has brightened during the past weeks with veteran Dick Marrone battling it out with two juniors - Dave Evans and Dick Lemen. All three have put on weight over the summer and this post seems well manned at the moment.
To sum up, the Big Green squad this fall is light, lacks to a large extent both depth and experience and does not have good breakaway speed in the backfield. The squad, however, is in good physical condition and spirit is high. The Blackman staff will introduce some new plays to the V-type offense and the team should get stronger as the season goes along.
In Ivy League play Harvard, Yale and Cornell are all picked in the first division with Harvard favored to capture first place. Penn, of course, is the defending champion, Princeton has good potential and Columbia an allveteran team which could be the league "dark horse." Only Brown and Dartmouth are classed as "have nots" this fall. But this is all on paper and the Indians could well pull some major upsets this fall and are in a good spot to do so.
Three new coaches were appointed over the summer by the DCAC. They are (l to r) Abner Oakes 111 '56, freshman soccer and freshman hockey; Bruce Hescock, assistant track coach; and Alden H. "Whitey" Burnham, varsity, soccer and varsity lacrosse.
