It's All-Ivy Time

The only thing more disappointing than the recent Crimson football season is the fact that I don't get a vote in the balloting for the All-Ivy team. This may be related to the fact that I am not an Ivy League coach, and that coaches alone have votes.

In any event, I have taken it upon myself to offer my own All-Ivy team, based primarily on Harvard game performances. If this slate looks nothing like the coaches' team which will come out later this week, blame the coaches, not me.

QUARTERBACK--Larry Brown told me he deserved it last night and I told him I agreed. Playing his first varsity minute partway into his junior year, Brownie set game, single-season and career passing records, and he missed the career total offense mark by 20 yards. Sorry Mrs. Teevens (mother of Dartmouth's Buddy, who will probably win in the coaches' voting), Larry gets my vote.

RUNNING BACK--A bumper crop, led by Cornell tailback Joe Holland, who will undoubtedly win the Asa Bushnell cup for the Ivy player of the year. Harvard's first-rate scooter, Ralph Polillio, joins Holland on the first team at the halfback spot. Brown's Marty Moran weighs in as the first-team fullback, leaving Dartmouth's Jeff Dufresne, Penn's Denis Grosvenor, Yale's Ken Hill and Princeton's Cris Crissy on the second team. (Harvard's P. Wayne Moore makes the all one-game team for his brilliant performance against Columbia for breaking his ankle).

END--Even if you were sloshed out of your skull at the Dartmouth and Yale games, you know that the unanimous choices here are Dave Shula and John Spagnola.

OFFENSIVE LINE--Harvard, Brown and Cornell had great right sides this year, and Yale and Penn weren't too shabby straight across the front. I flipped coins to decide a couple of these, so blame my change if the picks are off the mark: Harvard's Mike Clark and Cornell's Mike Donahue at guard, Brown's John Sinnott and Harvard's Joe Kross at tackle, and Princeton's Andy Stephens at center. Second team for Harvard--Mike Durgin.

KICKING--Cornell placekicker Keith Manz and Princeton punter Chris Powers slip in there.

DEFENSIVE LINE--Yale had the toughest defense in the league this year, so it's appropriate that three of the five linemen are Elis: end Clint Streit, tackle Bob Skoronski and sophomore middle guard Kevin Czinger (Princeton's Pete Funke will have to wallow on the second team). Brown's Mike Lancaster without a doubt gets the other tackle berth, while the remaining end spot goes to Quaker Gary Winemaster on the basis of his five-sack day against Yale.

LINEBACKER--Eli captain Bill Crowley gets defensive player of the year honors, and Columbia gets its only first-teamer in there with Mike McGraw. Jim Molnar had over 100 tackles for Penn, but Penn keeps bogus tackling stats--Molnar will have to join Brown's John Woodring, Dartmouth's Joe Nastri, Princeton's Andy Hvidston and Cornell's Jim DeStefano on the second squad.

DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD--Three cheers for the Crimson's Bat Masterson as the league's top monster/rover back/adjuster. Arnie Pinkston (Yale), Virgil Cotton (Cornell) and Luke Gaffney (Brown) round out a less-than-stellar first-team group. Second team: Harvard captain Steve Potysman.

Let's see, that's six Yales, five Harvards (so I'm a homer), four Browns (ugh), four Cornells, two Princetons, and one each for Penn and Columbia. So much for guessing.