One Big Family

WORCESTER, Mass.-Watching Coach Tim Murphy after his team's solid 27-17 victory over Holy Cross on Saturday, you couldn't help thinking it.

This is it. This is the way it's supposed to be.

Much has been made of this 37-year-old coach who came down from the Division I-A ranks to resurrect Harvard football. He's smart, they say. He's dynamic. He's a proven winner.

But, as Murphy has been quick to point out since Day One in his coaching tenure here, his approach to the Harvard job isn't only about winning.

It is, in a sense, about building family. We're talking about two families here: Murphy's immediate family, and his extended Harvard one.

On Saturday, even the cold, drizzly weather couldn't blot out the very real signs that things are moving in the right direction.

There were the players and coaches, milling around outside the locker room after the game and accepting the congratulations of friends and family. There was Mike Giardi, the just-graduated quarterback, returning to say hello to his old teammates. Oh, yeah, and there were the kids.

Everywhere one turned after the game, it seemed kids ran under foot. Squealing. Laughing. Playing. This was fun, and everyone-kids, adults, and everyone in between-knew it.

Granted, we aren't talking about big-time football here. We're not even talking about an Ivy League game.

But we are talking about a victory, an important win over a storied (if now sorry) opponent. And in talking about Saturday, we're talking about a chance for everyone connected to the Harvard program to share in the new, exciting feeling of Family.

The story of this game, for example, was the running tandem of Kweli Thompson and Eion Hu. Each ran for over 150 yards against Holy Cross, prompting some observers to wonder if there wasn't soon going to be a fierce competition for chances to carry the ball.

But that seems unlikely under the current atmosphere permeating the squad.

"It's more effective for us as a team [to alternate tailbacks], said Thompson, an Eliot junior. "I enjoy it and take advantage of it-run, rest two series, and then get back in there fresh."

Murphy, when asked about his two backfield stars, talked about the advantages of a "tremendous one-two punch," as he sported one of his own, in the form of two kids, one perched on each of his arms.

And that moment, right there, seemed to capture the spirit of the afternoon. Accentuate the positives. Work around the potential negatives. And always, always remember the kids.

While it won't always be so easy--Harvard can't extract every week to pile up 502 yards of offense while running a staggering 95 plays--one could see on this Saturday the formation of an ideal, of a vision of how things should be.

A win over a New England neighbor. Smiles and handshakes all around after the game. And family, both Murphy's and Harvard's, coming together to celebrate a good day at the office.