Football

When Coach Bob Blackman opened pre-season practice he greeted fourteen returning lettermen and the nucleus of last year's undefeated freshman team. This was the foundation on which he would build the 1961 varsity.

Gone from the Hanover Plain were Ken DeHaven, Al Rozycki, and Jack Kinderdine, together with seven other men who were starters in 1960. Ready to take their places, however, are a group of men who are determined to put Dartmouth back on top of the Ivy League.

The competition for several positions has been keen and in the few days that remain before the opening kick-oif, one or two changes could still take place, but at the moment, this is the Green eleven that is rated best: In the backfield, Bill King is calling the signals at quarterback, Captain Jim Lemen is at fullback, and Greg Cooke and John Krumme are the halfbacks.

On the line, Don McKinnon is the number one choice at center, the guards are Steve Lasch and Bill Tragakis, the tackles Bill Blumenschein and Carter Strickland, and the ends Carl Funke and Dave Usher.

But eleven men alone do not make a football team and behind these starters are many men who by November will no doubt earn their spurs as varsity football players. Let's analyze this year's team position by position.

The end squad under the tutelage of new end coach Joe Yukica appeared to have good depth when practice started. Behind Funke and Usher were a pair of juniors, Carl Nyquist and Bill Wellstead. In quick succession, however, both went to the sidelines with leg injuries and will be out for an undetermined length of time. This put the reserve problem squarely on the shoulders of Frank Finsthwait, a junior with little experience, and Charlie Greer, a sophomore, at left end, and Scott Greelman and Jan Dephouse, two sophomores, at the other end. In a scrimmage in mid-September Greelman suffered a broken ankle and will miss at least the first three games.

At this point the end situation is a problem, but it will improve if Nyquist and Wellstead are able to return.

There has been a wide-open fight for the two tackle positions. At this writing Bill Blumenschein, a 195-pound junior from New Hyde Park, N. Y., seems to have the edge at left tackle. A jayvee ballplayer a year ago, he has been one of the surprises of the pre-season training camp. At the other tackle spot, senior Carter Strickland appears to have things pretty well nailed down. As for replacements at tackle, the top contenders are Andy Zigelis at left tackle and Walt Grudi at right. Ranked third at the present time are two sophomores, Dale Runge and Dave Stenger. Coach Blackman feels that both men will be fine tackles before their college football days are over.

In recent years the left guard position has provided a candidate for the All-Ivy football team. Henry Gerfen, who held the assignment last year, was only 5-8 and about 180 pounds, but true to form he was an All-Ivy League football player. Stepping into Gerfen's shoes is Bill Tragakis, who matches his predecessor almost inch for inch and pound for pound. He is rated by the coaching staff as a fine line-backer and a hard worker on both offense and defense. Behind Tragakis is another hard-hitting Chuck Hageman.

The right guard spot suffered a preseason blow when Dick Courturier announced his retirement from the game. Steve Lasch, though, has stepped in and taken charge and appears to have the situation under control. George Hellick, a fine middle guard on defense, who was expected to add reserve strength, has been sidelined with a back injury. This puts extra pressure on two sophomore guards, Bill Curran and Dave DeCalestra, who are expected to come forward on their own within the year or two.

Don McKinnon, who was moved to tackle last year, is back at center. Two reserve centers are Ed Boies, a junior who formerly was a left guard, and Vaughn Skinner, another junior, from Oneida, N. Y.

Behind Krumme and Cooke at halfback are a host of potentially fine backs. One of the smallest of these halfback prospects, but one of the fastest, is a 155-pound sophomore from Lockport, Ill., named Chris Vancura. Last year as a freshman he showed his ability as a breakaway runner when he shook loose for runs of 50 yards or more.

Another man to watch is Cary Spiess, whose return should bolster the defense and add some spark to the offense. He was injured last year. Other men to watch are Tom Spangenberg, a fine sophomore prospect, Art Hoover, Mel Meyers, Dan Connelly, Ray Peters, and Dave Lawson.

Captain Jim Lemen is another in a long line of fine fullbacks. He is a capable blocking back in the Blackman V-formation offense and above all he is a respected team leader. Two other fullback candidates are Dave Evans, who also may see service at left halfback, and Tom Parkinson, who was the starting fullback on last year's freshman team.

The quarterback position may be the key to this year's team. At the present time Bill King, a junior, is the man to watch. Coach Blackman feels that he has the makings of good team director and that he is already a capable runner. Pushing King hard are three sophomores, all about evenly rated. They are Dana Kelly from Winchester, Mass., Bill Madden from Elyria, Ohio, and Ron Schram, from Grosse Pointe, Mich.

In looking over this year's crop of sophomores, Coach Blackman points out that although there isn't a sophomore ready for a starting assignment, Dartmouth has more sophomores with potential than it has had in recent years.

It appears that the first team will be fairly experienced but that the key to success depends on how well the Shoes of men like Rozycki, Kinderdine and DeHaven can be filled. Depth may also be a problem, and the pressure will be on the sophomores, as yet untried, to live up to their potential.

A look at the schedule will show that this year's team will have to be up for every game if it expects to hold its first division rating. Since Ivy League roundrobin play started in 1956, the Big Green has never finished in the second division. The current standings in fact show the Indians tied with Princeton with the best over-all record, 24 wins, nine losses, and two ties.

The pre-season forecasters are picking Yale and Cornell as the teams to beat in the race for the title. Coach Blackman would add Columbia to this list for he believes that where there is no spring practice, experience is the key asset. The Lions lead all other Ivy teams with eighteen returning lettermen.

Beside Ivy League opponents, the Indians will meet New Hampshire, a highly rated Yankee Conference team this year, and Holy Cross, which lost only two regulars from last year's team.

The outlook therefore is for an average season.