1959

This is football season so lets talk with members of the 1959 team. What was Coach Bob Blackman like, for instance? Team manager Ray Becker tells us, "Blackman was a demanding boss, and his attention to detailand I mean every detail—was important to his success. I watched and learned from him to keep my own eye on the ball, in detail, and that attention was very instrumental in my success in business. I also learned that hard work pays off, a lesson reinforced by Blackman and his staff as well as by the players. They complained bitterly of the work, but did it anyway and came away with a championship."

In addition to the championship, halfback Jim Burke and end Scott Palmer came away with Honorable Mention Ail-American; fullbacks Brian Hepburn and Bill Colehower were Honorable Mention All-Ivy.

Tackle Kent Skibbie, living in Oregon City, Oregon, recalls, "Bob Blackman, a psychology major in college, was totally dedicated and engrossed in the game. Also, he believed that there were a lot of special psychological ways to stimulate players and, believe me, he used all of them on us."

Jim Burke echoes that Blackman was totally dedicated. "I remember a player walking up to him one Saturday and saying, 'But, Coach, it's only a game.' I thought Blackman was going to die of a convulsion right there!"

Fullback Brian Hepburn, retired from C.R. Bard and living in Palm City, Florida, puts it this way, "Bob Blackman was more influential on me and the others than any professor we had. He was a dynamic, charismatic leader who taught us that effort, concentration and commitment pay off and that carried over to my career."

According to halfback Dave Bell, "You learned self discipline and how to organize your time when you played for Bob Blackman. He was tough! Blackman and sports taught me how to react to adversity, that you have ups and downs in life and have to keep fighting. How has the game changed? The players are physically stronger and tougher, for one thing, but not any smarter. I'm glad Buddy is back at Dartmouth. I worked for his father at Proctor & Gamble early in my career and remember Buddy as a kid."

Burke underscores Bell's thought about Teevens. "I have the utmost faith in Buddy and think he will be fielding some real good teams. Give him a little time!" Halfback Bill Morton adds, "I happen to have seen Jim Wright be very supportive of football and the players and that will help, too."

Are our football heroes still athletic? You bet. Hepburn is a golfer. Burke is a skier and golfer, Skibbie plays tennis, golf and constantly works out. Bell plays tennis and interestingly raised a son who played professional football. Becker really goes at it: "I average more that 50 ski days a season, all of them above 10,000 feet and most of them not on groomers. Since skiing as I do takes stamina and strength, I work out during the offseason to keep up and am an avid duck, pheasant and grouse hunter."

To be continued in the next issue.

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