Big Green Teams
THERE is something frighteningly uncharacteristic about the Dartmouth football scene this fall. Occasionally, which defines as "not quite next to never, but almost," an observer spies the trace of an "almost smile" in the normally stern countenance that belongs to Jake Crouthamel.
"Why is this man smiling?" one might inquire. We didn't say it was a smile, rather the absence of the frown which was cemented in place at this time a year ago. Remember the bad dream that prompted the air of abject misery last October - a struggle to develop a team dominated by new faces while combating the hungry hordes bent on destroying the Green dynasty? The pain.that was absorbed during the early weeks of the 1973 season now seems like little more than a fading memory. There was a day during those dark weeks when Crouthame1 said, "We had to expect this sometime. We may pay a price now, but it will make us a good team in 1974."
Well, here it is, a year later, the price has been paid and for all of the glowing words that are being preached elsewhere in this magazine about the strengths of several other members of the Ivy eight, it seems reasonable to assess Dartmouth's 1974 edition as something better than imposing. That's why you catch the trace of "almost smile" when Crouthame1 talks about his fourth Green team.
It's a team that has question marks, but it is also a team that has an impressive assortment of talented players sprinkled through both offensive and defensive units. There are good teams around the Ivy this fall, but it's going to take a good team, playing better than good, to beat Dartmouth.
The first three weeks of the 1973 season were totally frustrating for Tom Snickenberger and Mike Brait, the senior and junior who now rank 1-2 at quarter-back. A year ago both were learning and while they learned, the Green sputtered to three straight losses. Brait was at the brink of becoming a starter when he broke a thumb and missed most of the last six games. He watched as Snickenberger came along to guide the comeback to Dartmouth's fifth straight Ivy title.
Most coaches would be happy to have either one. Crouthamel has both, and therein lies reason number one for the "almost smile." During the opening phases of preseason practice, it didn't take much to see how valuable they are to Dartmouth's plans this fall. "Tom and Mike are both playing with great confidence," said Crouthamel. "What a difference it makes. In our first full-scale scrimmage last year, we couldn't score a touchdown. This time we scored three, and that's no knock at the defense because they were playing it straight with no stunts."
There are a lot of sophomores on the scene this fall, just as there were last year. Again, the difference is that there are folks in the starting lineup who have come this way before. They are the people who were learning the ropes in 1973 and provide a sometimes spectacular nucleus. This Dartmouth team can't afford a run of injuries because, at the moment, it doesn't have the depth to absorb such bad luck. What it has, however, is a significant gang who, according to Crouthame1, "... have come to play football."
But for.the current lack of proven depth, there is raw talent in this team that is reminiscent of the 1970 undefeated team. In the offensive line, juniors Len Nichols at guard and Tom Parnon at tackle are very solid, just as is senior tackle Dan Skorich. The tight end, senior Alex Kandabarow, is a 6-foot 5-inch, 220-pounder who can catch and block with awesome proficiency. "It's a shame, in a way, that Alex is a senior this year because there are a lot of good ends in the league with established credentials," said Crouthame1. "Alex may not get the recognition that he's going to deserve."
Not to be overlooked, either, is Jim Evans, the senior center who has been quietly waiting his turn behind now-quarter-back Bob Funk, a two-time All-Ivy selection. Evans should join Nichols to give the Green interior skill that will help cover the hole created when Jud Porter, the probable starter at right guard, missed most of pre-season with a leg injury.
They give up-front strength to hold things together for a rebuilt backfield developing behind the quarterbacks. John Souba, who was Rick Klupchak's replacement for much of the 1973 season, runs from the left halfback spot with smoothness and capable power. The other halfback will probably be Tom Fleming, who is getting his first taste as a running back. It's a move prompted by the availability of Mark McAleenan at split end. He and Fleming shared the split flank in 1973, but McAleenan has the speed and hands to fill the bill while Fleming has the pure speed to give Dartmouth its first significant breakaway threat in a long time. He showed it with a 55-yard burst during the first intra-squad scrimmage.
The fullback duties are a tossup at this point between two juniors, Frank Wilson and Rob Swenson. Wilson was Ellis Rowe's backup last year while Swenson recovered from preseason knee surgery. The running game may take some time to shape up, and in the meantime the pass game should get more use than has been the case in past seasons.
Then there's the defense. The two guys who, because of their positions, are going to draw attention first are Reggie Williams and Skip Cummins. Williams is the All-Ivy junior who has All-America potential. At 6 feet 1 inch and 215 pounds, he combines sheer strength with mobility and is awesome as the middle linebacker. Cummins, also a junior, is 6-2, 210. He's the Dartmouth javelin standout who has moved from linebacker to rover, and is just about as fast and strong as Williams. He has the size that Murry Bowden, the All-America on the 1970 squad, lacked.
Senior Jim Conterato and junior Kevin Downing are returning starters at the other linebacker spots, and across the front line there is also ample experience in tackles Brian Wroczynski and Mike Cepuran as well as ends Dan Murphy, Jeff Rieker, and Alan Markman. In the secondary, Frank Turner is entrenched at right halfback, while James Cobb, Mike Feasel and John Reidy figure as the keys at the other two slots.
The kicking game lacks the proven ability of record-setting Ted Perry, the Green's leading scorer for the past three years. The placement job is a duel between sophomore Larry Zarker and Chris Bjelland, a junior from Norway who was encouraged by Perry to find out what football was about after a career in soccer and rugby. Dirk Nelson returns as the punter, but will be challenged by sophomore Pete Bernhard.
These are some of the reasons for the "almost smile." It's got to be satisfying for a coach to see the performance that comes from confident, experienced players. It will be several weeks before Jake Crouthame1 and his staff will know just how successful the 1974 season will be. They won't be satisfied unless it's another Ivy championship season; given the necessary elements of luck it might be just that - again. That may sound presumptuous, but after winning five straight you reach a point where you say, "All things being equal, why not?
Last July, Dartmouth's soccer prospects looked the brightest in a long while. Tom Griffith, the new head coach, had a gang of returning lettermen led by All-Ivy forward Frank Gallo, the Ivy League scoring leader in 1973. Then, in mid-July, Gallo suffered a broken leg in a summer-league game. There's still reason for optimism, but it has to be qualified with a lot of "ifs."
The biggest question is whether Gallo will make it back into the lineup. At best it looks like mid-season. If he can't make it, and the odds are that even if he does he won't be at peak efficiency, the burden will fall to folks like Bruce Bokor (All-Ivy second team as a sophomore in 1973), Don Dixon, Steve Alford, and Keith Mierez in the front lines and a defensive corps built around Steve Papai, Mike Caldwell and Jim Tierney. Mark Porto is a two-year veteran in the goal.
Griffith has an experienced nucleus to work with, but the question is how far can the Green go in the Ivy race that is laced with good teams.
Dartmouth's cross country team banked on balanced, tight-packed performances in 1973, and came through with a 4-1 record. "We want to get more of the same this fall," said Coach Ken Weinbel. "We have experienced runners and if we can develop strength through the team that will permit close team running, we should do well again even though all of our opponents expect to have 'best-ever' seasons."
Chris Peisch returns as the captain and leading runner and has a good supporting cast in Ed Spinney, Terry Tyler, Rich Axtell, and Jim Robinson. Missing will be two 1973 standouts, Bruce Carlson and Sandy Fitchet, who are off campus this fall.
GREEN JOTTINGS
Douglas N. Everett '26 has joined former teammate Myles Lane '28 and the late Eddie Jeremiah in the National Hockey Hall of Fame. Everett was captain of Dartmouth's 1924-26 team and, as one reporter recalled recently, "... he had the credentials 50 years ago that would make him fit in with the modern superstars." Everett was a member of the United States team that won the silver medal in hockey at the 1932 Olympic Games.
Dartmouth crew coach Peter Gardner, who has been involved in the national rowing program since it began prior to the 1972 Olympic Games, coached the national lightweight crew to tremendous success in the world championships at Lucerne, Switzerland, in early September. Gardner, in his first experience as head coach of a national crew, saw the lightweight eight as well as the four take gold medals. The only other gold for the United States at Lucerne went to the heavyweight eight.
Dartmouth's football radio network in New England this fall will number some 15 stations, including two in the Boston area, which will provide excellent coverage for the Big Green. Among the stations on the network will be WBOS-FM and WUNRAM in Brookline, Mass., whose signals reach four states.
NEW FACES
All of the coaching staff openings that developed during the spring and early summer have been filled. Now comes the time to match names to sports as we course through the 1974-75 calendar.
In basketball, Marcus Jackson has been named head coach. He joins Dartmouth after three years at Coe College in lowa where his teams compiled an overall record of 56-14, including a 24-1 record in 1972-73. Jackson, 34, is a graduate of Huron (S.D.) College, and has been associated with consistently winning basketball programs during nine years as a coach at the high school, junior college, and college levels.
Jerry HolbroOk, who was Jackson's assistant for two years at Coe, also joins the Dartmouth staff as an assistant coach. Gary Dicovitsky '72 remains as an assistant in basketball, the lone carryover member from last season.
Ed Wisneski '72, has returned as assistant director of sports information, replacing Rusty Martin '68 who is now assistant director of public relations for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.
In hockey, Jeff Kosak, a standout on Dartmouth teams from 1968-71, has returned as freshman coach after three years as head coach at Hanover High where his teams had a 45-22-2 record and won the New Hampshire schoolboy title in 1973.
Jake Crouthamel: traces of an almost-smile.
Three reasons for a smile: returning linebackers Skip Cummins (16), Reggie Williams(63). and Jim Conterato (56) upend a Princeton ballcarrier in last year's 42-24 win.
