Administrators Debate Goalpost Policy

A year after a freshman was struck by falling goalposts at the Harvard-Yale game and critically injured. Athletic Department officials are considering several ways to prevent another similar tragedy.

"We thought we would take on a two-pronged approach," said McKay Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics Myron Fiering, an Athletics Committee member. The committee has talked about both keeping students off the goalposts--by warning announcements and greasing the posts--and making the goalposts "impregnable," but has made no final decision.

Acting on one idea discussed, Fiering last month designed and presented to Athletic Director John P. Reardon '60 a 1:12 scale model of goalposts which would easily collapse when people begin on them.

But Reardon said it will be "another year before Harvard can make judgement on whether [Fiering's] practical or not. We want to make sure we don't commit ourselves to something that poses even greater problems."

In the meantime, Reardon said, other preventive measures have been taken and have proven successful. An announcement is made over the public address system at all home games, warning people not to go on the field or goalposts.

The "strong physical presence of police" as well as the use of grease on goalposts has also prevented people from climbing on the posts, Reardon said. "People who challenge out tough approach will be arrested."

Wariness

Both Reardon and Fiering also cited the importance of remembering last year's incident, where Margaret M. Cimino suffered a fractured skull and severe neurological damage when the goalposts fell on her during the post-game celebration at the Yale Bowl.

"I hope this is a year when very few people don't remember what happened last year and that storming the field won't happen," Reardon said. "Chances of that happening this year are less than it will be in the future, but as years go by and people graduate and forget what happened, you can't tell what will happen."

Fort Knox

Among other ideas discussed but rejected were:

*Building goalposts "like Fort Knox," with materials strong enough to support as many people as could climb on them, Fiering said. However, using goalposts that strong "would mean bringing in a crane every time a goalpost was to be moved or altered," Fiering added.

*Installing wooden goalposts for games where field-storming is expected. But when wood is torn down, it breaks into flying, jagged pieces, causing eye injuries to bystanders, Reardon said. Being struck by a wooden goalpost, Reardon said, would also probably cause as much damage as the aluminum post which left Cimino partially paralyzed on her right side.