With the Big Green Teams

No matter what anyone tells you, years that end in "9" have got to rank as the most productive in the history of mankind (athletically, at any rate).

There are more commemorative celebrations in progress at the moment than one would dare begin to count. Baseball is 100 years old (professionally speaking), college football is celebrating its centennial, and professional football is 50 years old (a mere babe).

Dartmouth hasn't been standing idly by through it all. The bicentennial anniversary of Eleazar's pioneering venture on the Hanover Plain is in progress and the sesquicentennial of Daniel Webster's historic oratory before the U.S. Supreme Court has arrived. Neither of these events in Dartmouth's great history are of an athletic nature, but you can see that the College made an impression on certain souls in the sporting world.

It wasn't too long ago that Bob Blackman, reflecting on all this celebration business, said, "It sure would be a nice year to come up with a good football team."

Well, Dartmouth's football coach isn't ready to accept all he reads beneath the bylines of the assorted sportswriters who have trekked through Hanover this fall and who are penning phrases that picture the Big Green as a solid candidate (along with Princeton, Harvard, and Pennsylvania) to do fierce battle for the 1969 Ivy League football championship. He sees some promising assets amidst the question marks that inevitably confront a college football coach.

As we write, on the eve of the preseason scrimmage game with Boston College, Blackman's squad includes 85 young men of whom 28 are lettermen. Compared with recent years, this is a small team - numerically. It has Blackman concerned because he likes to keep his practice sessions moving with maximum efficiency, having four units each on offense and defense (that requires 88 men, so you can understand the reason for concern).

Rather than work from the bottom up, let's approach this season positively. There is much to be said in this vein.

For the first time since Meryll Frost and Carl McKinnon led the 1945 Indians, Dartmouth has co-captains of football. Ernie Babcock, the outstanding defensive tackle in 1968, has been shifted to defensive end, where he succeeds All-Ivy Pete Lawrence. At 6-5 and 225 pounds, Babcock is not only an imposing leader but also should be one of the most conspicuous defenders in the East this fall. He's from Milton, Mass.

Sharing the captaincy with Babcock is John Ritchie, a 6-3, 210-pound tackle from Long Beach, Calif., who was as consistent on offense last year as Babcock was on defense. In this era of specialty football, they provide outstanding leadership for a team that has a substantial amount of experienced manpower.

Without belaboring the flood of injuries that punctuated the '68 campaign - Dartmouth's first losing record since 1955 and the first time the Indians have missed the Ivy League's first division since the league began formal play in 1956 - the ingredients (if healthy) were there last year and the same holds true this fall.

There are serious questions of depth, particularly in the middle of the offensive line. Barring key injuries, things should be all right. The biggest talking points are the backfields, both on offense and defense. In fact, the entire first team on defense is a pretty fair conversation piece.

Let's look at the offense first. Bill Koenig, the senior from Salem, Ore., and Jim Chasey, the junior from Los Gatos, Calif., both return as experienced quarterbacks. They combined for 1,130 yards gained passing in 1968 as they shared the position.

Both quarterbacks completed 36 passes but Koenig's went for 689 yards and four touchdowns (Chasey had 441 yards and one touchdown). At the moment, however, Chasey seems to have the edge. He completed eight of 12 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns (both to Bob Brown, a junior end from Massapequa, N. Y ., who appears to have won the right end spot vacated by last year's captain, Randy Wallick) in the annual Green and White scrimmage game.

Koenig's progress was slowed by a sprained finger on his passing hand during the final days of double sessions. With both quarterbacks in top shape, Blackman has the most capable passing attack in the league this fall.

At halfback, Clark Beier returns and shows every sign of improving on the fine record that made him Dartmouth's leading rusher last fall. The stubby senior from Brookfield, Wis., was clearly the best offensive back in preseason practice. During the Green and White scrimmage, he carried 19 times for 132 yards, scored twice on runs of six and 27 yards, and contributed a beautiful handoff to John Short on a Blackman favorite, the punt-return reverse.

Short took the ball and sailed 85 yards for a touchdown. At the moment, the junior from Glendale, Ariz., is playing right behind Bob Mlakar, one of the keys to Blackman's offensive plans this fall.

You'll recall Mlakar as a sophomore when he was shifted to halfback after being a fifth-line freshman quarterback. He went on to contribute significantly to Dartmouth's 7-2 record with 25 pass receptions and a rash of beautiful punt and kickoff returns.

Then, last fall, he caught 11 passes before breaking his leg on the final play of the Holy Cross game. He missed the entire Ivy League season but recovered well enough to be selected the Eastern Intercollegiate League's all-star second baseman last spring.

The senior from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, has regained most of his old speed but the leg still stiffens under excessive strain. He carried the ball twice in the Green and White fray and scored both times on runs of three and four yards.

There are two sophomores who will probably see a lot of action this fall. One is Wayne Young, last year's freshman captain, who is giving signs of becoming a very capable linebacker. The other is Stuart Simms, a 200-pounder from Baltimore, who appears to have nailed down the fullback position left open by the graduation of Dave Boyle, a two-year starter.

"Dave was one of the finest blocking fullbacks the Ivy League has seen," said Blackman. "Simms has the size to become a better runner, possibly as good as Pete Walton was in 1965-66, and he should turn into a good blocker as well. He's making fine progress but has a long way to go in overcoming the mistakes that are inevitable when a sophomore breaks into our offensive system."

There is also some promising talent behind Simms in juniors Mike Roberts and Jim Rager, but Dartmouth's depth at fullback was struck a tough blow when Bill Johnson, the senior from Skaneateles, N. Y., who was the frontrunner for Boyle's job, gave up football during pre-season drills after suffering a recurrence of a head injury.

The picture at offensive end was questionable when practice began but Brown and Darrel Gavle, another junior from Albert Lea, Minn., have locked in a pitched battle for the right flank and give Blackman some breathing room after the loss of Wallick. On the left end, Jack Wimsatt, who caught 15 passes as a sophomore but was a disappointment last year as he was hampered by leg injuries, appears to be ready for his best season. Behind Wimsatt is Bob Calhoun, who wears the same number 81 as his brother Bill, captain of Dartmouth's 1966 team.

Ritchie and junior Bob Peters give Dartmouth a pair of good tackles but depth at this position is' Blackman's biggest concern. Senior Dave Mills from Muskegon, Mich., and junior Bob Cordy from Ossining, N. Y., head a quartet of lettermen at guard; and Mark Stevenson, another junior who took over the starting job in mid-season last fall, has nailed down the center chores.

Defensively, most eyes will be on Babcock, the rangy performer whose reaction to the pass or run - either at him or in the opposite direction — is equally adept. Lou Maranzana, another senior who was a periodic starter last year, is the right end on defense and his 6-3, 215-pound stature is only a bit shy of Babcock's.

Barry Brink, a 6-3, 230-pound junior from Mill Valley, Calif., whose father played pro football with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams, is one of the "pleasant surprises" for Blackman this fall. If you can picture Brink as a talented doubles performer in tennis, you can visualize his agility - despite his size. It makes him one of the best newcomers to the defensive tackle corps.

The defense, although experienced and perhaps the trump card in Blackman's hand, is still relatively young. The seniors, along with Babcock and Maranzana, are tackle Larry Killgallon (twice named to the ECAC weekly allstar team last fall for his play against Harvard and Brown); linebacker Rick Lease (a two-year starter and the defensive signal caller who is being pressed by the sophomore, Wayne Young); halfback Joe Adams, the aggressive Texan (from Muleshoe) who ranks with Babcock as a bona fide All-Ivy candidate, and Jack Roberts, the diminutive (5-9, 175) safety from Wis- consin who makes up for his comparative lack of stature with an ability to play errorless football.

Last year the defensive unit was on the field for 118 more plays than the offense. "The first unit appears to be pretty solid," said Blackman, "but we have some questions in terms of depth."

Brink and Killgallon are bidding for the left tackle slot while two juniors, 240-pound Bill Skibitsky, and Bill Brooks, converted from the offensive squad this fall, are the top talent at right tackle. Another junior, Bob Kelcourse, has moved to tackle from the middle guard spot where he was an early-season starter last year, and he could move into the starting lineup if a questionable knee, injured at Holy Cross in 1968 rounds into shape.

Young and Lease have created a battle in the "Mike" position on defense and another sophomore, Jim Macko, has shown signs of football maturity at the same position.

Football is a game of constant change. Normally one thinks of new looks on the offensive side. This is true this year for Dartmouth, but at the same time there's much that's completely new on defense, too. One of the key positions in Blackman's defensive realignment that will find the Indians shifting into variations of half-dozen formations is the "Rover" back.

The Rover is the cog in the Dartmouth defense because it utilizes a player with the strength of a linebacker and the speed and agility of a defensive back. Blackman felt he had just the man for the job in Murry Bowden, a starter as a sophomore at both Rover and safety. But Bowden's role this fall was put in serious doubt during the summer when the junior from Snyder, Texas, dislocated his shoulder. The injury probably will require surgery but Bowden has spent many hours with Dartmouth's medical and training staff this fall in an attempt to devise a harness that will provide sufficient protection during the season.

If, and that's a big IF, Bowden can't play, the probable man for the job is Joe Jarrett, a junior from West Virginia who has been groomed as a linebacker and is the player Blackman looks upon as the "sleeper" on this year's squad.

"Joe has the size (6-0, 201) and the mobility to be outstanding," said Blackman. "He broke into the lineup briefly last year (missed the last half of the season with a leg injury) and could be a fine football player before he's through."

If Jarrett swings into the Rover slot, Jon Nistad is the frontrunner to join junior Bill Munich at linebacker. Nistad is a senior from Bethpage, N. Y ., who lettered as a sophomore, then was lost for the 1968 season after breaking his leg in a summer baseball game.

Munich, at 6-1, 205, was a periodic starter as a sophomore and has the makings of an outstanding linebacker. He and Lease were high school teammates in Chesterland, Ohio, before coming to Dartmouth.

Joining Roberts and Joe Adams in the defensive secondary is junior Russ Adams, no relation to Joe, and the young man who hustled into the starting lineup from the outset of the 1968 season and led the team in interceptions (three, including one for a touchdown against Columbia).

Despite his experience and reliability, Roberts may lose his job to Willie Bogan, a junior from Albion, Mich. Began is a 6-4, 205-pounder who has capitalized on a year's experience. Blackman feels that his size and speed make him a professional defensive prospect.

Dartmouth's kicking game also looks more reliable than in the past few years. Pete Donovan, the defensive halfback who has been the placement specialist for two years and is well within range of the kicking marks held by Bill Wellstead (1961-62) and Bill Hay (1964-66), has improved his range, both on kickoffs and field goals.

The punting game has been one of the biggest reasons why Blackman's hair is thinning, but Paul LeMarbre, a specialist who gave up plans for becoming an outstanding miler in track to kick a football, has shown signs of offering consistency that has been woefully lacking for the past two years.

Over all, Blackman is quick to point out, there is no established star on this team (a healthy Mlakar might be). And there are some serious questions of depth, especially at offensive tackle.

"Realistically, we should be better than last year, assuming we can avoid the injuries," he said. "You have to be realistic, too, in figuring that the entire league will be stronger than ever before."

All things considered, however, it will be interesting. It always is when Bob Blackman puts a team on the field, and 1969 - centennials and all - could be a very good year.

Football co-captains, the first since 1945, are Ernie Babcock (left), of Milton,Mass., who has been shifted from defensive tackle to end, and John Ritchie ofLong Beach, Calif., who is a Big Green standout at offensive tackle.

Two seasoned quarterbacks are a boonthis season: junior Jim Chasey (left) asstarter and senior Bill Koenig.

Bob Mlakar, who was a brilliant sophomore back and then broke his leg earlyin the '68 season, is back for action.

Halfback Clark Beier '71, Dartmouth'sleading rusher last year, should be aman to watch on offense this season.