While we are away soaking up some much-needed sun a two-week BGA "Best Of" series kicks off with a reprise of the 50th anniversary of Ivy League Dartmouth football team chosen in 2006 by a committee headed up by Jack DeGange, the college's former sports information director.
First Team
Pos Name Class Hgt Wgt Hometown
TE Casey Cramer* 2004 6-2 235 Middleton, Wisc.
WR Craig Morton* 1989 6-0 170 Plymouth, Mich
OT Brian Larsen 1997 6-6 275 Spokane, Wash.
OT Hank Paulson 1968 6-1 198 Barrington, Ill.
OG Caleb Moore 2001 6-4 305 Appleton, Wisc.
OG Kevin Noone 2003 6-3 260 Rydal, Pa.
C Chuck Matuszak 1967 6-0 210 Fayetteville, N.Y.
QB Jay Fiedler 1994 6-3 220 Oceanside, N.Y.
RB Al Rosier 1991 5-9 195 Stamford, Conn.
RB Jake Crouthamel 1960 5-11 180 Perkasie, Pa.
RB Tom Spangenberg 1964 6-0 180 Darien, Conn.
KSp Nick Lowery 1978 6-4 185 McLean, Va.
* = Unanimous Selection
Second Team
Pos Name Class Hgt Wgt Hometown
TE Gregg Brown 1973 6-4 230 Claremont, Calif.
WR Dave Shula 1981 5-11 183 Miami Lakes, Fla.
WR Jack Daly 1984 5-10 180 Peru, N.Y.
OT Lance Brackee 1993 6-6 295 Lake City, Minn.
OT Andy McDonald 1994 6-6 275 Reading, Mass.
OG Joe Palermo 1958 5-10 185 Lowell, Mass.
OG Bob Cordy 1971 6-2 203 Ossining, N.Y.
C Bob Funk 1974 6-0 225 Oxford, Kans.
QB Jim Chasey 1971 6-1 185 San Jose, Calif.
RB Rick Klupchak 1974 5-10 175 Oly. Fields, Ill.
RB John Short 1971 5-11 200 Glendale, Ariz.
FB Pete Walton 1967 5-11 225 Johnstown, Pa.
KSp Dennis Durkin 1993 5-9 155 Portland, Ore.
Honorable Mention
Pos Name Class Hgt Wgt Hometown
TE Bill Calhoun 1967 6-2 215 Blmfld Hills, Mich.
TE Adam Young 1999 6-5 250 Concord, N.H.
WR Tyrone Byrd 1973 6-1 175 San Antonio, Tex.
WR Jay Barnard 2004 6-2 210 Dallas, Tex.
OT Wayne Kakela 1957 6-0 205 Toledo, Ohio
OT Bob Peters 1971 6-1 225 Oglesby, Ill.
OT Joe Leslie 1972 6-5 240 Tucson, Ariz.
OT Pat Sullivan 1977 6-2 235 Dubuque, Iowa
OT Slade Schuster 1986 6-4 275 Faribault, Minn.
OG Al Krutsch 1959 5-10 202 Denver, Colo.
OG Bill Curran 1964 6-0 223 South Portland, Me.
OG Bill Sjogren 1967 6-1 193 Swampscott, Mass.
OG Bob Norton 1973 6-2 230 Danbury, Conn.
OG Jud Porter 1976 6-2 215 Wilmette, Ill.
OG Chris Matonis 1987 6-4 245 Bethesda, Md.
OG Chris Adamson 1997 6-4 282 Edmond, Okla.
C Bob Adelizzi 1957 5-11 200 Drexel Hill, Pa.
C Don McKinnon 1963 6-3 215 Arlington, Mass.
C Dominic Lanza 1998 6-4 270 Bellevue, Wash.
QB Bill King 1963 6-0 183 Richmond, Va.
QB Mickey Beard 1967 5-11 185 Newton, Mass.
RB Alan Rozycki 1961 5-10 170 Chicago, Ill.
RB Gene Ryzewicz 1968 5-10 175 Springfield, Mass.
RB Curt Oberg 1978 6-0 205 W. Hartford, Conn.
RB Sam Coffey 1978 5-10 185 San Fran., Calif.
RB Jeff Dufresne 1981 6-0 205 W. Bear Lake, Minn.
FB David Clark 1990 6-1 210 Miami, Fla.
RB Shon Page 1990 5-8 185 Oakland, Calif.
RB Pete Oberle 1996 6-0 210 Englewood, Colo.
KSp Ted Perry 1974 6-0 210 Weston, Mass.
KSp Dave Regula 1998 6-2 190 Akron, Ohio
The Offense
By Jack DeGange
For Big Green Alert
There’s no need to preface this 50-year Dartmouth All-Ivy squad: Let the facts speak for themselves through these thumbnail sketches of the players selected to the first team (with some additional comments relating to the second-team and honorable mention picks).
The Receivers
Casey Cramer ’04 — TE, 6-2, 235 — Cramer became a starter as a freshman and went on to be an All-America and two-time unanimous All-Ivy first team selection. He ranks second all-time among Dartmouth receivers with catches (185) and receiving yards (2,477). His 21 TD catches are the most ever by any Dartmouth receiver. Cramer was every bit as outstanding as a blocker as he was a receiver. Captain of the 2003 team that won five of its last six games, Cramer was selected in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft by Tampa Bay. He is now playing with the Tennessee Titans.
Until Cramer came along, tight ends were blockers first and receivers second in the Dartmouth attack. Gregg Brown ’73, the second-team selection, had 43 catches (494 yards, 3 TDs) as a member of Ivy League championship teams from 1970-72.
Adam Young ’99 and Bill Calhoun ’67 are the honorable mention selections. Until he led the Green with 39 catches (433 yards, 2 TDs) in 1998, Young (he went on earn a Super Bowl ring as a practice squad player with the New York Giants) had caught only six passes. Calhoun, captain of the Big Green in 1966, is best remembered as being on the receiving end of a 79-yard play with QB Mickey Beard that iced a 28-14 victory at Princeton in 1965 that clinched an Ivy title, an undefeated season, and Dartmouth’s first Lambert Trophy. Princeton came into the game with a 17-game win streak.
Craig Morton ’89 — WR, 6-0, 170 — “There’s no way to cover this kid one-on-one,” said UNH coach Bill Bowes. As a sophomore, Morton teamed with QB David Gabianelli on Dartmouth’s longest scoring pass play (98 yards). He was limited by a shoulder injury as a junior but still made 41 catches. He was All-Ivy as a sophomore and senior and All-America second team in 1988. He caught only 138 passes (19 for TDs) during his career but his 2,605 yards and per-catch average (18.9 yards) are Dartmouth records. After college he went on the play in the predecessor of NFL Europe.
Dave Shula ’81 and Jack Daly ’84 share second team honors. Shula, co-captain of the 1980 team, had 133 catches (1,822 yards, 9 TDs) while Daly had 2,208 yards with 135 catches (15 TDs) and a 16.4 yards per catch average that’s second only to Morton.
The honorable mentions: Tyrone Byrd ’73, the Green’s leading receiver in 1971 and 1972 (two championship seasons), and Jay Barnard ’04, Cramer’s teammate from 2000-03. Barnard’s 216 career receptions is the Dartmouth record. His 2,392 career yards trail only Morton and Cramer.
Interior Line
Brian Larsen ’97 — OT, 6-6, 275 — A two-time All-Ivy selection (1995 and 1996) and All-America third teamer as a captain of Dartmouth’s undefeated team in 1996, Larsen had an amazing 87 percent blocking average in 1995. He was integral to Dartmouth’s 17-2-1 record in 1995-96 and was never more impressive than when he dominated Marcellus Wiley, Columbia’s great defensive end, in a 40-0 victory in 1996.
Hank Paulson ’68 — OT, 6-1, 198 — A contrast in size to Brian Larsen, Paulson became a starter as a sophomore on Dartmouth’s undefeated team in 1965 when he led the Green in minutes played. A three-year starter on teams that were 23-4-0 from 1965-67, Paulson played with near-flawless style and was an All-Ivy, All-New England and All-East first team choice in 1967. He also gained All-America mention and was named an NCAA Scholar-Athlete as a senior.
The second team tackles, Lance Brackee ’93 and Andy McDonald ’94, were the guys who protected QB Jay Fiedler. Among the honorable mentions: Wayne Kakela ’57, who joined center Bob Adelizzi ’57 as Dartmouth’s representatives on the first All-Ivy League team in 1956.
Caleb Moore ’01 — OG, 6-4, 305 — A powerful and agile interior lineman, Moore’s size reflects the changing scale of Ivy League players over the years. He was twice an All-Ivy first team choice and third-team All-America in 2000. Moore was a tri-captain in 1999. In 2000, he was the Green’s first single captain since Jay Fiedler in 1993. He was the first player to be a multi-year captain since halfback Jim Robertson in 1920 and 1921 and spent time in NFL camps after graduation.
Kevin Noone ’03 — OG, 6-3, 260 — Captain of the 2002 team, Noone stepped into the starting lineup at right guard as a sophomore (teaming with Caleb Moore in the interior line). His return to play on a bad knee in his final game at Princeton was hailed by Tigers' coach Roger Hughes as one of the most heroic things he'd ever seen on a football field.
Moore and Noone, with Casey Cramer, are the only players from the current decade on this 50-year team. The other guards, ranging from second-teamers Joe Palermo ’58 and Bob Cordy ’71 to Chris Adamson ’97, one of the seven honorable mention guards, give this team representation from every decade.
Charles (Chuck) Matuszak ’67 — C, 6-0, 210 — Matuszak was a two-time All-Ivy first team choice as the center on the undefeated team in 1965 and the 1966 team that shared the Ivy title with Harvard and Princeton and missed another undefeated season by six points (a 7-6 loss to Holy Cross and a 19-14 setback at Harvard). Like Hank Paulson, Matuszak was a master of Coach Bob Blackman’s offensive line play that personified “thinking man’s football.”
The second-team center, Bob Funk ’74, moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and never left, playing on three Ivy title teams.
Among the honorable mentions is Don McKinnon ’63, who was All-America as the center on the undefeated team in 1962, in the era of two-way players. McKinnon is the only offensive player who’s also on the 50-year defensive team — as a first-team linebacker.
With McKinnon and Bob Adelizzi ’57 as honorable mention picks: Dominic Lanza ’97, center on the undefeated team in 1996 and an Academic All-America in 1997.
Quarterback
Jay Fiedler ’94 — QB, 6-3, 220 — Fiedler ranks with the greatest Ivy League quarterbacks of all time. Fiedler led Dartmouth to a 22-7-1 record from 1991-93, Ivy titles in 1991 and 1992 and second place in 1993. He was the Ivy player-of-the-year and third team All-America in 1992. In 1993 he engineered comeback victories in four of the Green’s last five games. During three seasons, Fiedler set Dartmouth records for touchdown passes (58), passing yards (6,684) and total offense (7,249 yards). Fiedler has gone on to a long career in the NFL.
The common denominator among the QBs on this team, including Jim Chasey ’71 on the second team and the honorable mention picks, Bill King ’63 and Mickey Beard ’67: They weren’t just quarterbacks: They were the field generals of undefeated teams.
Running Backs
Al Rosier ’91 — RB, 5-9, 195 — From 1989-91 (he didn’t play in 1988), Al Rosier became Dartmouth’s all-time rushing leader. He was the Ivy player-of-the-year and a first-team All-America in 1991. That season he set a rushing record with 1,432 yards, including a record 229 yards in 25 carries against Brown. Rosier also holds the Dartmouth record for all-purpose yards: 3,350 (2,252 rushing, 169 receiving, 929 on kickoff/punt returns). He was the best of an extraordinary tandem of Dartmouth runners in this period: David Clark ’90 ran for 1,812 yards from 1987-89 (with two 97-yard TD runs in 1998) and Shon Page ’90 had 1,677 yards (1987, 1989-90). Clark and Page are honorable mention selections to this team.
Jake Crouthamel ’60 — RB, 5-11, 180 — Jake Crouthamel was the heart of Dartmouth’s attack from 1957-59 as the Green won the Ivy League title in 1958 and was second (by the margin of a tie in each season) in 1957 and 1959. From 1957-59, Crouthamel set the Dartmouth career rushing record (1,763 yards, a 4.56-yard average, 12 TDs) that stood until broken by Rick Klupchak ’74from 1971-73 (when Crouthamel was Dartmouth’s head coach). Crouthamel also set the single-season rushing record (722 yards in 1958) that was eclipsed by Alan Rozycki ’61 two years later (725 yards). Klupchak is a second-team choice on this “all” team while Rozycki is honorable mention.
Tom Spangenberg ’64 — RB, 6-0, 180 — Tom Spangenberg’s versatility as a member of the undefeated team in 1962 and the Ivy co-champs in 1963 is measured by these all-purpose running statistics that rank second only to Al Rosier. Spangenberg’s 3,010 all-purpose yards includes: 1,535 rushing, 640 receiving, 716 on kickoff/punt returns, 119 on interception returns. He set the Dartmouth record for all-purpose yards during a 38-27 win at Princeton in 1962 that capped a perfect season. Against the Tigers, Spangenberg collected 353 yards including a record 208 by rushing that stood for 27 years (David Clark ’90 gain 219 versus Penn in 1989). Spangenberg also had 19 receiving yards and 125 kickoff/punt return yards against the Tigers.
It’s at running back, because of comparative statistics, that the debate between first and second team is easiest. Rick Klupchak ’74 had a record 1,788 yards as a senior (though he missed several games) and a career best of 6.06 yards per carry on three Ivy title teams from 1971-73. John Short ’71 had a record 787 yards rushing with the undefeated team in 1970 (the record stood until it was broken by David Clark’s 1,063 yards in 1989). And, there’s been no one quite like Pete Walton ’67, the bruising fullback who was the rushing leader (641 yards) for the undefeated team in 1965 and had a career rushing average of 5.37 yards per carry while scoring 17 touchdowns.
Look at it this way: On teams that included these six running backs, Dartmouth won or shared 12 Ivy League titles. They’re all outstanding.
The Kicker
Nick Lowery ’78 — 6-4, 185 — The voting for Dartmouth’s best placekicker over the past 50 years turned into a two-horse race and the edge goes to Nick Lowery, the Green’s outstanding kicker from 1975-77, over Dennis Durkin ’93. Again, you could flip a coin on this one though Lowery’s edge, fair or not, may be due to his long career (1978-96) in the NFL (1,711 points including accuracy marks of 80 percent on field goals and 98.9 percent on conversions (562 of 568).
Over three seasons, Lowery was a perfect 51-for-51 on conversions and 22-for-37 (.595) on field goals, including a couple of game winners against Yale and Holy Cross in 1977 and a 51-yarder against Harvard in 1976. He has 117 career points.
From 1990-92, Dennis Durkin converted a record 94 of 100 extra point attempts. Combined with 36 field goals (46 attempts) that included two 46-yarders, Durkin holds the Dartmouth record for scoring by kicking with 202 points. In 1992, Durkin hit 41 of 43 conversion attempts. In 1990 he made 15 of 18 field goal tries. He also was a perfect 13-13 on field goals in 1992.
Two other kickers received mention: Ted Perry ’74 and Dave Regula ’98. Perry is remembered for his game-deciding field goals on successive weekends in 1971 against Brown, Harvard and Yale. Regula is second to Durkin with 194 points by kicking and has this distinction: Against Penn in 1997, he scored 17 points in a 23-15 win including a touchdown when he recovered a fumble on a kickoff.
Editor's Notes: Jack DeGange is a former sports information director at Dartmouth College, a regular contributor to various Dartmouth athletic publications and a well-regarded historian of the Ivy League.
