Welcome back to the Colgate sports fan site for another exciting year of Maroons football. The Kerrmen are rebuilding this year, but should still be a force on the east coast, and despite 5 key starters graduating, including the irreplaceable Johnny Orsi, coach Andy Kerr is hoping the team can still take command of a game the way last year's 8-1 team did. Fall practice started September 6th, and after a week of practice, and last years spring practices, the early starting lineup should be:
Ends: Winnie Anderson and either Vern Lee or Ken Nield
Tackles: Bart Ellis and Ed Prondecki
Guards: The team captain, Bob Smith, with Joe Hill at the other spot
Center: Glen Peters
Quarterback: Bobby Samuel
Halfback: Charlie Solueau and either Jack Fritts, Howie Conroy, Rene Antolini, Shirley Ellis and Jim Evans
Fullback: Bob Rowe
"We expect a good team. How good will depend upon how well certain men develop." Was coach Kerr's initial thought's on the roster. Of the 62 men currently practicing on Whitnall field, 11 will make the first team, and while 6 of those positions should go to the same men who held them last year, 5 are very much up in the air. Of all of the probable replacements, only Bob Rowe lacks varsity experience. Everyone else was either a starter, or saw a significant backup role. All of the backup players are well schooled in the Warner system, which is taught to players on the freshman team under the direction of coach Razor Watkins. This year's sophomores and juniors had a memorable freshman experience, for the past two seasons, Watkins troops have been undefeated, and those victories have been unblemished by an opponents score. Now at the Varsity level, these men will be given a whole new set of challenges and opponents.
This year's assistant coaching staff at the varsity level is perhaps the youngest in the entire nation! Tommy Doyle will once again be coaching the linemen, this is his second year as a coach after graduating from Colgate. Les Hart, the captain of the 1930 Colgate squad, will be this seasons backfield coach. And the all American, John Orsi will return to Colgate as the end coach. John has barely had time to hang up his diploma before returning to his alma mater.
The team is once again expected to be strong in it's 4th season under Andy Kerr's direction. But the end result is still uncertain. Many of our opponents have improved, while we need to fill some positions before we can move foward. Just from the looks of things on the practice field, it is evident that this years line is lighter than last year, but our backfield is a little heavier. Winnie Anderson has put on a dozen or so pounds over the summer, he hopes to lose them before the season opener and get back to 165 pounds. The season will begin September 24 when the St. Lawrence Larries come to Hamilton, but the first big home game of the season will be October 29th, when the Nittany Lions arrive at Colgate. It is the first time that Penn State will be playing on Whitnall field, Colgate has won it's last two games on the road against the lions, by a combined margin of 72-7.
CHANGES COMING FOR COLGATE AND FOOTBALL
Economic conditions have forced many changes all across our country, and Colgate is no different. A new athletic economic policy has been announced, and the team will be forced to continue to tighten their belt. Next season, Colgate will only play 8 football games, instead of the 9 we have grown accustom to. By dropping this game, and pushing back the start of the season, $5,000 will be saved. That is in addition to the $8,000 that has been cut out of the budget by cutting back freshman lacrosse, tennis, golf, swimming and hockey. The basketball and baseball seasons have also been shortened from 20 to 15 games, and the cross country team will only be allowed to meet 1 opponent. To make up for the loss of intercollegiate competition, intramural sports will be stressed even more. 94% of the student body participates in athletics as either part of a team, or in the intramural program. Despite these hard economic times, the football team did get new uniforms this year. They consist of bright maroon pants, white jerseys with the same maroon trimming, and the traditional white helmet. The team seemed excited by the new styled uniforms during their preseason camp.
The game of football has also seen several changes. Last season 34 football players died as the result of injuries sustained playing football. 4 new rules have been enacted with the purpose of reducing these fatalities, and countless other injuries that everyone who has played the game has experienced.
1) The ball is now dead when any part of the ball carrier other than his hands or feet, touch the ground. The purpose of this is to prevent "piling on" and while this will result in fewer long runs, coach Kerr admits there will be fewer injuries.
2) The rules regulating kickoffs have been changed to eliminate the flying wedge. While the wedge is a good and exciting play, many injuries have resulted from this move. Coach Kerr points out that many injuries have been falsley attributed to the wedge.
3) No flying tackles or blocks. A player may not leave his feet until he is within arms length of the ball carrier.
4) The use of hands against an opponent are prohibited when you are on defense. A rule like this has existed before, but it's interpretation has been changed. It is now meant to discourage the striking and shoving of an opponent, especially to the head or face. Kerr feels that this rule change should not hurt the effectiveness of the defense, as pushing and strong play is still allowed.
Other rule changes govern the use of substitutions. A player may only be substituded at a time out, but they can be returned to the game within the same half. This will speed up the game, by not having as many substitutions, and by being able to return a player more easily, coaches will not be tempted to keep injured or exhausted players in the game. Andy Kerr feels that as a whole, these rule changes will reduce the number of injuries on the team, but it should not effect Colgate's game plan very much as the Warner system was designed to operate well within the rules of the game anyway.
In other news, the freshman have returned from their late summer camp, and are now ready to join the Colgate community as classes begin. Dexter Teed, a Colgate graduate in 1924, has returned to campus as the director of journalistic activities. Teed was a former sports editior and editor for the Colgate Maroon, he was a member of the Pi Delta Epsilon honorary journalist fraternity, and at Colgate he was a Phi Gamma Delta. Since graduating Colgate, he has had a variety of jobs, including 5 years as a columnist and writter for the Post Standard. At Colgate, he will work closely with the Colgate Maroon, and other journalistic activities.
Be sure to stop by the new Colgate Co- Operative, opening this week in the basement of Stillman Hall. This new Co- Op will be open from 9 am to 11 pm during the week, with limited Saturday hours, and will sell student supplies ranging from paper and pencils, to notebooks and texts. They will also be selling basic medicines and drugs. A soda fountain is hoped to be added as well.