Coppinger Tapped Grid Captain

The Harvard football team elected junior defensive back Pete Coppinger its 108th captain at its annual selection ceremony yesterday at the Varsity Club.

After coach Joe Restic unfurled Coppinger's jersey before the assembled gridders--the traditional designation of the team's new leader--the Billerica native pledged to revenge Saturday's 14-0 drubbing by Yale and bring the Ivy League championship back to Cambridge for the first time since 1975.

The selection of the two-year starter came as no surprise. The Quincy House resident has developed a reputation for excellence in big games; he made a pair of interceptions in the 22-7 victory over the Elis last year and led Harvard in tackles with ten in the loss to Yale this year, winning ABC's defensive player of the game award for his efforts.

At the team's banquet last night at the Harvard Club, the players named this year's captain, defensive tackle Chuck Durst, the winner of the Crocker award, signifying Harvard's team's most valuable player.

Durst tied Coppinger for fourth in tackles this year with 57 before he was sidelined in the Yale finale with damaged knee ligaments.

Call

Senior linebacker Bob Woolway received the Robert F. Kennedy '48 award from the coaches for his "desire, determination and willingness to work."

The Wolf award, presented annually by the coaches to the outstanding interior lineman, went, as expected, to senior offensive guard Orazio Lattanzi. A second-team All-Ivy selection last year, Lattanzi (pronounced o-RAH-zee-oh La-THAN-zee) provided the only strong performance on the offensive line against Yale's relentless pressure Saturday.

Paperback Writer

The coaches gave the Lamar award for "dedication to the program and concern for his fellow player" to Vic Kazanjian, a senior defensive back--with a vociferous corps of admirers in the Stadium--who saw action mostly on special teams.

The LaCroix trophy, usually given to the team's unsung heros, was split this year. One recipient was kicker Dave Cody, who emerged this year as one of the League's top kickers with 45 points on a ten of 12 field goal performance. The other half went to little-used senior defensive back Dave Bindleglass who earned great respect on the team for his incredible dedication; even though he wasn't always assigned to the travelling squad, Bindleglass attended every Harvard game since he joined the team three years ago.