Jack DeGange, Dartmouth's former sports information director, unofficial historian of Big Green athletics, co-author of the book Green Field of Autumn and friend of Jake Crouthamel '60 has sent along the remembrance he wrote about the former Dartmouth player and coach, who died yesterday at age 84:
By Jack DeGange
HANOVER, N.H. — After establishing himself as one of the finest running backs in the history of Dartmouth College and Ivy League football, Jake Crouthamel went on to a career spanning four decades as a football coach and intercollegiate athletics administrator.
Crouthamel, who had been dealing with memory impairment for several years and was being cared for at Wheelock Terrace in Hanover for the past two years, died peacefully on November 7, 2022. He was 84 years old.
Following service in the U.S. Navy and a year as a prep football coach, Crouthamel spent six years (1965-70) as a member of Coach Bob Blackman’s staff at Dartmouth, a period that included four Ivy League championships, two undefeated seasons (1965, 1970) when Dartmouth also won the Lambert Trophy as the outstanding team in the East.
He left coaching after the 1977 season. From 1978 until he retired in 2005, he was the Director of Athletics at Syracuse University. He was instrumental in the creation of the Big East Conference in 1979, a move that gathered many of the East’s basketball powers into a configuration that became influential in college basketball and network television. He helped to shape the Big East as an all-sports league, especially in football, as that sport moved into the era of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
Crouthamel’s contributions to intercollegiate athletics, particularly college football, are numerous. At Syracuse, he guided an intercollegiate athletic program that is regarded as one of the finest in the nation. He had oversight for significant expansion of an athletic program for men and women supported by improvements in numerous facilities, most notably the Carrier Dome that opened in 1980 and is one of the most recognizable athletic facilities in the nation.
During his tenure, Syracuse athletics enjoyed unprecedented success: a national title in men’s basketball, nine national titles in men’s lacrosse, 14 football bowl appearances, and 22 overall Big East Conference championships.
Over the years, he has served on virtually every significant NCAA committee, including the Men’s Basketball Committee and the Division I Management Council. He also served on the Honors Court of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
In 1999, he won the National Football Foundation’s John L. Toner Award for dedication to college athletics, particularly football. In 2007, he received the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) James Lynah Distinguished Achievement Award and in 2008 he was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) Hall of Fame.
In 2009, Crouthamel was Dartmouth’s honoree at the Ivy League Football Association’s biannual dinner in New York City for his achievements at Dartmouth and in his subsequent career.
A native of Perkasie, Pa., Crouthamel came to Dartmouth from Pennridge High School where he starred on teams that won 26 of 27 games. From 1957-59, he was a three-year starter as a two-way halfback, helping the Big Green to the Ivy League title in 1958, two second-place finishes (in 1957 and 1959), and a three-year team record of 19-6-2.
He was Dartmouth’s leading rusher for three seasons and the Ivy League rushing leader in 1958 when he set a Dartmouth single-season rushing record with 722 yards in 123 carries, a 5.89-yard average. His career rushing total of 1,763 yards (387 carries, 4.56 average, 12 touchdowns) was a Dartmouth record that stood for more than a decade. During his career at Dartmouth, Crouthamel also caught 28 passes for 375 yards (3 touchdowns), had 30 punt returns (299 yards) and 11 kickoff returns (281 yards). On defense, he had five interceptions.
In 1958 and 1959, Crouthamel was an All-Ivy League first team selection (he was an honorable mention choice in 1957). In 1958, he was a second team All-America (NEA) and was named the national back-of-the-week by Sports Illustrated after running 15 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns in a 32-15 win at Cornell.
Crouthamel, a history major, graduated from Dartmouth in 1960 and was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first American Football League draft but signed with the Dallas Cowboys, an NFL expansion team. The last player cut in pre-season by the Cowboys, he then played with the AFL’s Boston Patriots during their inaugural season.
Crouthamel was an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1961-64. He was a player-coach for the Navy’s eight-man football team at Pearl Harbor that won one title in the Armed Forces League. He also organized an Armed Forces League all-star team that defeated the University of Hawaii. After military service and a year as football coach at Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy where his team had a 3-3-1 record, he returned to Dartmouth as a member of Blackman’s coaching staff in 1965.
Born June 27, 1938, Crouthamel was the son of Russell and Kathryn Crouthamel.
He is survived by Carol, his wife of 61 years; two daughters, Lisa (Jim) Evans of Waterville, Me., and Christie Falkenburg of Winchester, Mass., and four grandsons, John and Owen Evans and Ted and Jake Falkenburg.
In retirement since 2005, Jake and Carol lived in Centerville, Mass., until moving to Hanover in 2013.
Burial will be private. A memorial gathering and donations will be announced. The Rand-Wilson Funeral Home in Hanover is assisting the family.
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During his Monday Zoom call Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, who only minutes before had learned of Crouthamel's passing, shared some off-the-cuff thoughts. Some of what he said:
He was kind of like an idol. He was one of the most meticulous and organized guys. I would sit in quarterback meetings forever with him. He was just stoic. He wouldn’t smile much. (But he had) a sense of humor.
I tell the story, some of you may have heard it. We are playing down in the sunken fields way back in the day. The sun would set later in the fall and it’s right in my eyes. I said coach, "Is there any chance we can move the pass skeleton deal, the team deal? I can’t see the receivers?" He just kind of folded his arms and just kind of looked at me. Didn’t say anything. We didn’t change.
So the next day I brought a set of Ray Ban sunglasses. Popped them on and wore them underneath my helmet. Jake just looked at me, didn’t say a word. We continued through practice and after, walking off, I thought he was going to be pissed. He says, "That was pretty good." Just very understated.
He meant more to me than maybe I related to him. He was almost scary. I literally every day was with him. But he instilled a work ethic and an attitude and a progression of evaluating opponents and assessing and scouting and so forth that I use to this day. Just tremendous. A lot of us that played for him I think took away things that, when you think about it, that was Jake.
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Syracuse.com had a story HERE.
A Daily Orange story is HERE.
The Juice has a tribute HERE.
David Shribman has an appreciation in the Boston Globe HERE.
Green Alert Take: As far as I can tell, there isn't a word in the online edition of The Valley News. If nothing went into the paper today, that's incredibly disappointing. If it did and I missed it, my apologies. Even the online Manchester Union Leader picked up the Dartmouth release.
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Named to the Ivy League honor roll for their play in Saturday's 17-14 loss to Princeton were junior tight end Jace Henry, who caught two passes for 51 yards and ran six yards for a touchdown, and fifth-year linebacker Joe Heffernan, who made 15 tackles.
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This is fun. Here's a shot sent along by a loyal reader of former Dartmouth teammates Jalen Mackie '22 and Jake Guidone '21 greeting each other after UConn defeated UMass, 27-10, on Saturday.
|
|
Stats Perform |
2022 |
Pts |
Previous |
|
1 |
South Dakota State (48) |
9-1 |
1,344 |
1 |
|
2 |
Sacramento State (6) |
9-0 |
1,295 |
2 |
|
3 |
Montana State |
8-1 |
1,232 |
3 |
|
4 |
North Dakota State |
7-2 |
1,200 |
4 |
|
5 |
Holy Cross |
9-0 |
1,065 |
6 |
|
6 |
UIW |
9-1 |
1,061 |
7 |
|
7 |
Weber State |
7-2 |
985 |
5 |
|
8 |
William & Mary |
8-1 |
974 |
8 |
|
9 |
Jackson State |
9-0 |
905 |
9 |
|
10 |
Samford |
8-1 |
880 |
10 |
|
11 |
Chattanooga |
7-2 |
724 |
11 |
|
12 |
Richmond |
7-2 |
677 |
14 |
|
13 |
Furman |
7-2 |
667 |
13 |
|
14 |
Mercer |
7-2 |
647 |
12 |
|
15 |
Idaho |
6-3 |
618 |
15 |
|
16 |
Montana |
6-3 |
550 |
16 |
|
17 |
Delaware |
7-2 |
501 |
18 |
|
18 |
Elon |
7-3 |
425 |
19 |
|
19 |
North Dakota |
6-3 |
336 |
21 |
|
20 |
Southeast Missouri State |
7-2 |
303 |
22 |
|
21 |
New Hampshire |
6-3 |
260 |
17 |
|
22 |
Rhode Island |
6-3 |
228 |
23 |
|
23 |
Fordham |
7-2 |
207 |
24 |
|
24 |
Princeton |
8-0 |
153 |
25 |
|
25 |
Souheastern Louisiana |
6-3 |
112 |
NR |
|
|
Dropped Out: UT Martin (20) |
|
|
|
|
|
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Eastern Kentucky 97, UT Martin 40, UC Davis 22, Saint Francis (Pa.) 12, Southern Illinois 9, Austin Peay 7, Youngstown State 5 |
|
|
|
|
|
FCS Coaches Poll |
2022 |
Pts |
Prev |
|
1 |
South Dakota State (21) |
9-1 |
669 |
1 |
|
2 |
Sacramento State (6) |
9-0 |
639 |
3 |
|
3 |
Montana State |
8-1 |
630 |
2 |
|
4 |
North Dakota State |
7-2 |
589 |
4 |
|
5 |
Jackson State |
9-0 |
541 |
5 |
|
6 |
Holy Cross |
9-0 |
520 |
7 |
|
7 |
UIW |
9-1 |
511 |
8 |
|
8 |
William & Mary |
8-1 |
481 |
9 |
|
9 |
Samford |
8-1 |
449 |
10 |
|
10 |
Weber State |
7-2 |
438 |
6 |
|
11 |
Mercer |
7-2 |
390 |
11 |
|
12 |
Chattanooga |
7-2 |
370 |
12 |
|
13 |
Richmond |
7-2 |
335 |
14 |
|
14 |
Montana |
6-3 |
320 |
13 |
|
15 |
Delaware |
7-2 |
277 |
16 |
|
T-16 |
Furman |
7-2 |
234 |
19 |
|
T-16 |
Princeton |
8-0 |
234 |
17 |
|
18 |
Fordham |
7-2 |
221 |
18 |
|
19 |
Southeast Missouri State |
7-2 |
197 |
20 |
|
20 |
Idaho |
6-3 |
153 |
24 |
|
21 |
Elon |
7-3 |
145 |
23 |
|
22 |
Rhode Island |
6-3 |
140 |
22 |
|
23 |
St. Thomas (Minn.) |
8-1 |
51 |
25 |
|
24 |
Eastern Kentucky |
6-3 |
40 |
NR |
|
25 |
New Hampshire |
6-3 |
36 |
21 |
|
|
Dropped Out: UT Martin (15) |
|
|
|
|
|
Others Receiving Votes: UT Martin, 35; Florida A&M, 34; North Dakota, 28; North Carolina Central, 14; Stephen F. Austin, 12; Southern Illinois, 10; Austin Peay, 9; Penn, 9; Davidson, 4; UC Davis, 3; North Carolina A&T, 2; Southeastern Louisiana, 2; Saint Francis (Pa.), 2; Youngstown State, 1. |
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Each morning I get an email from Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac and today's entry included this:
In 1895 on this day, X-rays were discovered by physicist Wilhelm Röntgen. He conducted many more experiments in secret, and didn’t release his findings until January of 1896. Within three weeks, X-rays were used to set the broken arm of a young boy in Dartmouth, New Hampshire. Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901.
The Dartmouth, New Hampshire mention threw me a little, but a quick Google search brought up this from the Feb. 10, 1896 New York Times:
