That Clasby Clan

ITHACA, N.Y.--There was something incongruous about seeing the president of the Friends of Harvard Football sitting contentedly here in Schoellkopf Field and cheering heartily for Cornell.

While this man's alma mater was taking a 41-14 thrashing, he was smiling--most of the time--and paying especially close attention to Cornell's No. 32, the fullback. But for Dick Clasby, Sr., the nine-letter Harvard Hall of Famer and varsity legend, watching his second oldest son, Dick Jr., and the rest of the Big Red machine demolish Harvard was not all joy.

"I have mixed emotions about a game like this," Dick Sr. said after the game. "You have to root for your son, but I still get a funny feeling. I would listen to the Harvard band play and get goose pimples all over."

However, there's no resentment between father and son about Dick Jr.'s choice of Cornell.

"The decision took a long time to make," says the 6-ft. 1-in., 220-lb. Cornell sophomore. "I'm very interested in hotel-restaurant administration, and the business courses offered at Cornell are the best in the nation. Plus, I felt it wold be good experience playing under coach (Bob) Blackman.

"Dad was behind me 100 per cent. He didn't pressure me at all."

And Dad agrees: "It was completely his decision. He wanted to go into the hotel-restaurant program....He didn't apply to any other place. His feeling was that if he didn't get into Cornell, he'd take a year off and apply again."

As a senior at Milton Academy, Dick Jr. was a multiple-letter winner, varsity football captain, and strong college prospect. He considered Harvard, Boston University, Holy Cross and Cornell. But he says, "I pretty much made the decision right after I visited Cornell."

The oldest of seven Clasby children, Mike, graduated Harvard last year after a fine career with the varsity hockey team. Bobby, the third son and an All-American tackle in high school, gave up an early acceptance to Harvard for an admission to Notre Dame. Dick Sr. says his 6-ft. 5-in., 250-lb. son "always wanted to go to Notre Dame. Now he's there playing very well. He's made the traveling squad as a freshman."

With a father whose hockey, football and baseball history is a legend in the annals of Harvard sports, you'd think the sons might shy away from having to live up to such a reputation. But, the 1953 graduate says, "I never felt that, but I'm not sure they didn't."

Dick Jr. downplays the idea, saying, "That never really put pressure on me at all."

So Harvard lost out on two talented football players--two you'd think would be naturals for the University. But Dick Clasby Sr. says the loss is part of what's nice about the Ivy League.

"If you were at Alabama and this happened, they'd run you right out of the state," he says. "They never put pressure on us. It's just another dimension to Harvard and Ivy football."

It wasn't easy, though, for Dick Sr. to resist the temptation to persuade his sons in favor of Harvard. "Harvard was super to me, and I would love to see my children go to Harvard," he says, philosophically adding, "As a parent you have to put this in perspective: let them look at the schools and decide."

Though he chose Cornell, Dick Jr. still has a high regard for Harvard.

After Saturday's game, he said, "The game had a little extra for me, for the whole school. Harvard's the best school in the world, and it was fun to beat the best."