Bob Blackman: "I Am Not Pessimistic"
In analyzing our prospects before the start of the season I have somehow gained a reputation for using the "crying towel." This year I would like to go on record that our losses are very minimal. We are not losing anything worth mentioning other than an All-American center in Don McKinnon, an All-East quarterback in Bill King, an All-Ivy guard in Ed Boies, an All-Ivy tackle in Bill Blumenschein, the nation's leading place-kicker in Bill Well-stead, our top pass-receiver in Frank Finsthwait, and six or seven other lettermen who were instrumental in helping us to win the championship last year. It is consoling to hear the alumni say that "with practically everyone back we should have another strong team this fall."
In spite of the tongue-in-cheek statement above, I am not pessimistic about the coming season. Actually we have more returning lettermen than we have ever had before, although this is somewhat misleading since many of them gained experience only on offense, or on defense, and have not yet proven themselves as two-way football players.
Perhaps the best way to size up this year's Dartmouth squad would be to give a brief position-by-position analysis. In doing this, space will not permit me to list the names of all the men on the squad. Last year we had players such as McLean and Parkinson come from relative obscurity to make a vital contribution. I hope that a few youngsters who might not be mentioned below will suddenly "find themselves" and prove to be equally valuable this coming season.
ENDS: This is the position at which we have the best depth. Captain Scott Creelman and Chuck Greer could be outstanding. Other ends with promise include Al Pierce, Jaan Lumi, Fred Billmyer, Joel Eiserman, and Ivars Janieks. We rate sophomore Tom Clark as an outstanding prospect and other promising sophomores include Ed Long, Jack McKissock and Steve Bryan.
TACKLES: If Dale Runge can overcome his shoulder injury, he could become an outstanding tackle. Other men from last year's squad who will be battling for a starting position are Jan Dephouse, Dave Stenger, Pete Frederick, and Steve Hudak. Men coming up from the freshmen are Gerry LaMontagne, Wally Buschmann, and Dave Coughlin.
GUARDS: We appear to be solid at right guard with the return of Bill Curran and Pete Sapione. Jon Colby, a tackle on the freshman squad last year, also has the makings of a fine right guard. Dave DeCalesta and Ed Keible should wage a battle for the starting left guard position. Ted Bracken, ineligible last year as a sophomore, is a possible dark horse.
CENTER: Last year we had a great one-two punch at center in McKinnon and Vaughn Skinner. Cantey Davis does not have McKinnon's size or speed but shows the same aggressiveness in backing up the line. Jim Grace has the edge as an offensive blocker. Bob Komives could be a surprise at this position. Two prospects up from the freshmen are Roy McClain and George Trumbull.
QUARTERBACK: Dartmouth is the only team in the Ivy League that does not have its quarterback (or tailback, in the case of the two single-wing teams) returning. At this time it appears that the quarterback spot might be shared by a pair of seniors, Dana Kelly and Bill Madden. The players have confidence in Kelly's signal-calling and passing. If he can improve his running ability he could become a real standout. Madden has a good throwing arm and did an outstanding job last year as a defensive safety man. But junior Dick Horton could edge them both out of the starting berth. He is a big strong boy and saw action last season primarily as a defensive fullback. Tim Taylor is another junior quarterback who might surprise.
HALFBACKS: Tom Spangenberg is the only one of our five All-League players returning. He is a natural athlete who does many things well. If he continues to improve, he could become one of the top halfbacks in the entire nation. He had an amazing day against Princeton as he set a new League record by running for 208 yards. Most of our other left halfbacks are specialists. Chris Vancura has running ability and Dave Perinchief is a fine defensive back. If Gary Wilson's knee holds up, he could be a real help at this position and also prove to be the place-kicker we badly need. The starting right half position might be a three-way battle among Jack McLean, who commanded the respect of his teammates for his fine defensive play last season, Dave Lawson, who is probably our shiftiest runner, and Bob O'Brien, who showed great promise before receiving a knee injury that sidelined him for the season. The starting halfbacks on last year's freshman team, Roger Pezzutti and John Shiver, are both under 5'7" but have demonstrated that they know what to do with a football under their arm. Mike Urbanic is a powerful back who will be of help if he can develop a little more speed.
FULLBACKS: Tom Parkinson was one of the most underrated players on last year's team, and his blocking was instrumental on King's successful roll-out plays around end. Parkinson this season will probably have more of an opportunity to carry the ball. He will again be backed up by Pete Benzian, who more than makes up in aggressiveness what he lacks in size. Halfback Joel Feldman has been moved to fullback. Sophomore Ron Tracey also shows promise.
In summarizing, it appears that we will have more overall team depth than we have had in most years. Our chances of again becoming a contender for the Ivy League title depend primarily on three things: (1) the development of a quarterback who can be a threat both as a passer and as a runner, (2) the development of at least two reliable linebackers - this will be the key to our defense just as the development of a quarterback will be the key to our offense, (3) the development of a place-kicker who can provide a field goal when needed and who will have somewhere near the consistency on extra points that Well-stead had last year.
