Harvard is Top 'Dog' at Bowl

"Big Dog" defeated "Mad Dog" last Saturday in a clash between two Harvard College Bowl teams in the finals of a tournament at Boston University.

Harvard's four team members, calling themselves "Big Dog," defeated their "Mad Dog" compatriots 330-240 in the finals of the tourney. Harvard also fielded a "Hot Dog" squad which did not qualify for the semi-finals.

The winning "Big Dog" outfit consisted of Captain John J. Todor '95, Matt L. Bruce '96, Mark C. Staloff '98 and fifth year English graduate student Jeff G. Johnson.

Fifteen teams competed in a round-robin format to determine which four would advance to the semi-finals.

The teams answered questions on subjects ranging from science to economics. "Mad Dog" and "Big Dog" went 14-0 and 11-3 in the round-robin portion, respectively, to qualify for the semis.

While "Mad Dog" crushed Swarthmore in its semi-final bout 305-65, "Big Dog" struggled against Cornell in the other semi-final. Down at the half, the Crimson rallied to advance to the final with a 295-245 victory.

"It was a real close match, but we pulled it out," Todor said. "Fortunately we came out on top."

Todor said the final round was decided by a historical question: "What last name was shared by a noted physicist and Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of State?" The correct answer was "Hull," he added.

To commemorate their triumph, "Big Dog" received styrofoam championship belts inspired by the World Wrestling Federation.

"On the way back on the T, some odd looking characters asked us if we were wrestlers," Tudor said.

The Boston University tournament marked the second time this season that two Harvard teams met in the finals. In October, two Harvard teams also swept the finals of the MIT competition.

Next on the schedule for the Harvard College Bowl team is the regional tournament at the University of Connecticut on February 25th and 26th.