Kroks and Whiffs To Take Rivalry On 'Today' Show

The 100th Harvard-Yale Game won't be the only rivalry between the two schools receiving national attention this week.

The Harvard Krokodiloes and the Yale Whiffenpoofs will appear on NBC-TV's "Today" show on November 18 as part of a segment on Harvard and Yale.

The Krokodiloes will be filmed on the Harvard campus today and tomorrow. The Yale segment, which was filmed in New Haven, Conn. last week, included the Whiffenpoofs singing in the Yale Bowl.

The brief show will be a "tongue in cheek" comparison between Harvard and Yale. Kroks Manager John T. Redd '84 said yesterday. "Everything from singing groups to the Physics department" will be compared, he added.

The appearance was confirmed "three or four days ago," Redd said.

Paul I. Sagawa '85, the Kroks' European tour manager, said yesterday the news that they would sing on national television "sort of dropped from the sky, like Christmas."

The Krokodiloes, an all-male a cappella group, was founded 38 years ago and has 12 members, all of whom are upperclassmen. The Whiffenpoofs are one of five all-male a cappella singing groups at Yale. The 14 members are all seniors.

Performing in front of large audiences is not unfamiliar to the Krokodiloes. In the past two summers they have toured Europe, performing on German television and Dutch national radio. They also performed for Princess Grace in Monaco and for Princess Margaret.

Robert L. Parlin '85, a first-year member of the Krokodiloes, acknowledged an "innate competition" between the Kroks and the Whiffenpoofs.

"I'm psyched," said Steven P. Distart '86 "My family is all over the country and this will be only chance for some of them to hear me sing," he added.