Zimmerman Moves Harvard Attack Like A -!-!- Quarterback Should

Harvard has been near the top in offensive statistics for so long now that it is easy to forget that only last year the Crimson offense packed about as much wallop as orange pop. The transformation has been so stunning that the undergraduates who last fall were spinning "Yo-Yo must go" yo-yos are now speaking possessively of the Lambert Trophy.

What's the difference? Obviously, there are many; but among the host of new faces, the one that stands out is that of quarterback Ric Zimmerman.

Quarterback is traditionally the glamor position, but the glamor has yet to descend on Zimmerman--largely because Harvard has two sensational halfbacks from the Boston area who fill the sports columns more readily than an inexperienced foreigner from Columbus, Ohio.

Zimmerman's move east from Woody Hayes country was no mere chance, of course. Pete Hart, captain of Harvard's 1961 Ivy champions, finessed Zimmerman away from high-pressuring Cornell and Dartmouth scouts, once his father (a former Duke and Ohio State tackle) had suggested that Zimmerman look toward the Ivy League.

Freshman Success

Zimmerman threw six touchdown passes for a successful '64 freshman team and impressed Coach Henry Lamar. From Lamar, the varsity coaching staff inherited confidence that Zimmerman would eventually make the jump to varsity quarterback, but the jump took a little time.

Zimmerman missed the first four days of practice sophomore year, and then was tried at cornerback for two weeks. "Defense is more fun in practice, but I wouldn't want to play anything but offense in a game," says Zimmerman.

Cornerback proved to be no more than an experiment, and Zimmerman returned to full-time quarterbacking in time for his disastrous Dartmouth debut.

As he describes it, "Our offense wasn't doing anything, so the coaches decided to try something new. I was that something."

He didn't have a chance. Harvard's first shot at offense came at its own 6. The Indian line crashed through, hit the nervous sophomore en masse, and caused a fumble which led to Dartmouth's first touchdown.

A debut like this could have destroyed a man with less confidence, but Zimmer (man was unshaken. The rest of '65 was spent marking time, but it took only the first scrimmage against Massachusetts for Zimmerman to win the job for good in '66.

Instils Confidence

The coaches knew their early confidence was justified, but it took more than that for an inexperienced junior to take effective command of such established veterans as Bobby Leo, Tom Choquette, and Steve Diamond.

But as one offensive starter said, "He steadily gained the confidence of his teammates through the results he achieved."

From play to play, game to game, Zimmerman's successes increased. The improvement in his play is typified by his passing.

"It takes me a long time to get in good passing shape. It wasn't until just before the Dartmouth game that I reached top form," says Zimmerman, and anyone who has watched all the games will agree.

"Passing is so mental--you have to believe that you will complete every pass you throw," according to the lefty chucker.

If this is true, it's no wonder Zimmerman is successful, for he abounds in confidence.

Zimmerman also has "a lot of courage, and accepts challenges," says offensive backfield coach Pat Stark.

Star Is Born

This came out in the comeback against Dartmouth, in a second half that probably marked Zimmerman's emergence as a top flight quarterback. He was nervous and made some mistakes in the first two quarters; but in the third he settled down and led his team to the victory that has made the Crimson famous.

Passing is just a small part of Zimmerman's contribution. His blocks have sprung Bobby Leo and Vic Gatto for long yardage. He is, in Stark's words, "a smart runner, and handles the option well."

Maybe more importantly, he has good size and power and has been invariably successful picking up key yardage on sneaks up the middle.

If any aspect of his game is weak, it is his faking. Harvard's attack doesn't rely on deception, but Zimmerman is very much aware of this minor failing.

"It is often overlooked that he's a hard worker," says Stark "and he accepts coaching very willingly."

Steers Offense

But far above everything is the way Zimmerman has pulled Harvard's offense together. He knows he is working with a "dream backfield," and his primary job is to use his plays and players to fullest advantage.

Stark points to Zimmerman's first-down bootlegs and his quickness to run counter-plays off the series he sets up as examples of skillful playcalling.

No one maintains that Zimmerman approaches a one-man team. Harvard's first six wins have truly been team efforts, and an analyst could point equally accurately to the unexepected emergence of junior linemen Al Bersin and Stan Greenidge as stars as to Zimmerman.

But when a team ranks third in the nation with 399 yards gained per game, the director of the offense must be called out for an extra bow.