Some Yale-Lafayette info

[bulldog10jw]

I never knew Jack Siedlecki was an assistant at Lafayette.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Yale football team, coming off its first win of 2006 last Saturday at Cornell in the Ivy opener, is back to non-league play this weekend with a trip to Lafayette College. The first gridiron meeting of Yale and Lafayette in 15 years kicks off this Saturday at Easton, Pa., in newly renovated Fisher Field at 1 p.m. Ron Vaccaro '04 and legendary Yale football coach Carm Cozza call the action on WELI (AM-960), while it can also be heard on WYBC (AM-1340). This game will be televised by the Lafayette Sports Network and picked up by CSTV, which is available on DirecTV.

The Series

They have only met six times since 1912 and have not played since 1991, but Yale has won each contest with only two close ones. The Bulldogs won the first four with shutouts: 16-0 in 1912; 27-0 in 1913; 55-0 in 1935 and 47-0 in 1952. Those were all played at New Haven as well as the 18-17 Eli win in 1990. The last meeting was a 24-14 decision at Fisher Field in 1991. Yale is 75-20-3 (.780) against Patriot League teams.

The Coaches

Jack Siedlecki (Union '74), in his 10th season as the Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Football at Yale. He is 104-65-2 as a collegiate head coach and 48-43 at Yale facing Lafayette for the first time this week. He served as a Lafayette assistant coach (1981-87) under Bill Russo. Frank Tavani (Lebanon Valley College '75) is 34-38 in his seventh season at Lafayette, his first head coaching job.

The is only the second time, and the first since 1913, that Yale plays both Lafayette and Lehigh in the same fall. The Bulldogs blanked Lafayette (27-0) and Lehigh (37-0) 93 years ago. The Mountain Hawks and Leopards have played each other more times (141) than anyone in college football history.

http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092506aaa.html

[Pards Rule]

Indeed he was. I sat in front of him in the stands when he was in the coaches box hollering at the players. Good guy and a friend of Bill's :)

[Pards Rule]

In fact, Bulldog, the 1981 team will be honored at halftime and Bill Russo will be there too! I suppose Jack will get together with the guys after the game. 1981 was Russo's first year at LC and he took a moribund program that went 3-7 in 1980 (not scoring a TD in six games) to a 9-2 record in 1981 and "missing the playoffs by a whisker" (phrase lifted from many an LC media guide's Russo bio). That year the team set many offensive records with Frank Novak ('84) as QB and Rodger Shepko bulling his way as fullback. The 1981 team and coaching staff were the toast of Easton. Joe Sarra, who was Russo's DC (I believe he was retained from Neil Putnam's staff?) went on to become linebackers coach at Penn State. Bill Russo resigned after the 1999 Lehigh game (making the stunning announcement only two days before) as there was a difference of opinion on the status of the football program between Russo and the administration at that time. In fact, there was a very public playing out of deliberations of a BOT committee whether LC should drop football entirely, move to Div III, or stay at I-AA - this during the height of the recruiting season! Needless to say the program was struggling for a few years after that fiasco. Frank Tavani joined Russo in 1987 and was eventually promoted to associate head coach. He took over the HC duties following the Russo resignation.

[carney2]

Actually, Siedlicki, Russo and a few others that I found surprising when I heard their names - but cannot remember now - will address the '81 team at a dinner on Friday night.

I notice that Bulldog10 did not mention the ace up his sleeve - The Curse. I would "hide" if I were him too. The Pards seem to have some sort of a guarantee of one out of five against the Curse teams. Since we are 1-19 in the last 20 outings against the eight witches, he and the rest of his ilk are afraid of the law of averages.

[bulldog10jw]

Since we are 1-19 in the last 20 outings against the eight witches, he and the rest of his ilk are afraid of the law of averages.


Well, that is true. But I'm also worried because Yale has been pushed all over the field by their first two opponents. They managed a win at Cornell because the Big Red made a ton of mistakes in the red zone.

[bulldog10jw]

In fact, Bulldog, the 1981 team will be honored at halftime and Bill Russo will be there too! I suppose Jack will get together with the guys after the game. 1981 was Russo's first year at LC and he took a moribund program that went 3-7 in 1980 (not scoring a TD in six games) to a 9-2 record in 1981 and "missing the playoffs by a whisker" (phrase lifted from many an LC media guide's Russo bio). That year the team set many offensive records with Frank Novak ('84) as QB and Rodger Shepko bulling his way as fullback. The 1981 team and coaching staff were the toast of Easton. Joe Sarra, who was Russo's DC (I believe he was retained from Neil Putnam's staff?) went on to become linebackers coach at Penn State. Bill Russo resigned after the 1999 Lehigh game (making the stunning announcement only two days before) as there was a difference of opinion on the status of the football program between Russo and the administration at that time. In fact, there was a very public playing out of deliberations of a BOT committee whether LC should drop football entirely, move to Div III, or stay at I-AA - this during the height of the recruiting season! Needless to say the program was struggling for a few years after that fiasco. Frank Tavani joined Russo in 1987 and was eventually promoted to associate head coach. He took over the HC duties following the Russo resignation.

Interesting. Thanks for the info. 1981 was a very good year. Yale was 9-1 and won their 3rd straight Ivy title and 5th in 6 years. It's been (mostly) downhill since then.


I think Neil Putnam coached at Yale at one time.

[Pards Rule]

OMG! Neil Putnam was at Yale? Carney, I believe Steve Biele and Joe Skladany will be addressing the team too. They are scheduled to visit practice on Friday. Could this finally be a warming of relations between Russo and LC? I don't believe he has ever returned since the 1999 season. A timely note: Jack Siedlecki was at Univ. of Albany before he signed onto Russo's staff. Russo was the HC at Wagner before LC so he must have had a knowlege of or directly knew Jack. BTW, Fordham's new HC, Tom Massella, PLAYED for Russo at Wagner. He was a senior Russo's last year there and then immediately became a Wagner assistant under Walt Hamline, who was Russo's OC at Wagner.

[Pard4Life]

Well, that is true. But I'm also worried because Yale has been pushed all over the field by their first two opponents. They managed a win at Cornell because the Big Red made a ton of mistakes in the red zone.

Gee.. we haven't had that problem at all.. :rolleyes:

[Pard4Life]

OMG! Neil Putnam was at Yale? Carney, I believe Steve Biele and Joe Skladany will be addressing the team too. They are scheduled to visit practice on Friday. Could this finally be a warming of relations between Russo and LC? I don't believe he has ever returned since the 1999 season. A timely note: Jack Siedlecki was at Univ. of Albany before he signed onto Russo's staff. Russo was the HC at Wagner before LC so he must have had a knowlege of or directly knew Jack. BTW, Fordham's new HC, Tom Massella, PLAYED for Russo at Wagner. He was a senior Russo's last year there and then immediately became a Wagner assistant under Walt Hamline, who was Russo's OC at Wagner.

Not a Yale connection.. well indirectly.. but Harvard's Tim Murphy will be at the same lunch/festivities honoring Russo. Funny how future Eli and Crimson coaches were on the same staff as each other. I said this before on here... but I am surprised we have not gotten more games from Yale due to his connection. We have gotten many games with Harvard though.

And yeah Putnam coached at LC during the 70s... 44-55 with one winning season and a bunch of nearly .500 marks... When did he coach at Yale? Before or after LC?

[bulldog10jw]

And yeah Putnam coached at LC during the 70s... 44-55 with one winning season and a bunch of nearly .500 marks... When did he coach at Yale? Before or after LC?

I'll have to look it up, but I think Putnam was an assistant to Cozza in the early years. Late '60's, maybe. Cozza had so may assistants that I can't be completely sure.

[Pards Rule]

Pard4Life, I do not believe Putnam held another coaching job after Lafayette. In fact, I think I ran across something like he is an insurance salesman somewhere.

[carney2]

I'll have to look it up, but I think Putnam was an assistant to Cozza in the early years. Late '60's, maybe. Cozza had so may assistants that I can't be completely sure.

My memory isn't what it used to be - and it never was - but I believe that Putnam came to Lafayette directly from Yale. This whole "coaches knew each other" thing is beginning to look like an Arkansas family tree.

[Pards Rule]

How does Tim Murphy know Bill Russo?

[Pard4Life]

How does Tim Murphy know Bill Russo?

He was Russo's assistant in the 80s along with Sidlecki.

[Pards Rule]

Good God...are they renting the banquet hall at the Best Western (used to be Holiday Inn at Rt. 512 & US 22)???

[carney2]

How does Tim Murphy know Bill Russo?

There ya go. Murphy - that's the "big and surprising name" that I couldn't remember. He will be in town to play Lehigh. I believe that the affair is to be held at Pfenning.

[Pard4Life]

There ya go. Murphy - that's the "big and surprising name" that I couldn't remember. He will be in town to play Lehigh. I believe that the affair is to be held at Pfenning.

Think carney is right.. Pfenning or Marquis...

[Pards Rule]

Wow - 3 Russo assts are now HC - Tavani, Murphy, and Siedlecki...Any more known? Wait, Mike Donnelly at Moravian!

[Pard4Life]

Wow - 3 Russo assts are now HC - Tavani, Murphy, and Siedlecki...Any more known? Wait, Mike Donnelly at Moravian!

I think they are honoring the 1981 team and Russo at halftime... and they are honoring him again 10/21 for Homecoming... I guess this season is RussoFest '06.. :rotateh:

[Pards Rule]

So it looks like a complete mending of the rift now that there is new adminstration in place. Good deal!

[carney2]

I think they are honoring the 1981 team and Russo at halftime... and they are honoring him again 10/21 for Homecoming... I guess this season is RussoFest '06.. :rotateh:

If Bones McCoy (the original Startrek ship's surgeon - remember?) could zing me with some sort of a memory transplant that wipes out the images of three yards and a cloud of dust Bill in the post Marsh era, I could get excited about all of this.

[Pards Rule]

Carney, thats why I choose to focus on the 1981-1994 era, especially that 1981 season when I was a lowly soph (but had lived thru the 3-7 season under Neil Putnam my frosh year). I'm sure he has very fond memories too, but Rothkopf & Atkinson prevented him from enjoying them.

[Pard4Life]

Carney, thats why I choose to focus on the 1981-1994 era, especially that 1981 season when I was a lowly soph (but had lived thru the 3-7 season under Neil Putnam my frosh year). I'm sure he has very fond memories too, but Rothkopf & Atkinson prevented him from enjoying them.

Funny how those two hate each other now... maybe they will destroy each other in their legal battles... ah the world irons itself out.. :rotateh:

[Pards Rule]

P4L, whose suing who?

[Pard4Life]

P4L, whose suing who?

Atkinson is going after LC and Rothkopf... it was profiled first in the Chronicle of Higher Ed. and then in our own paper... Title IX issues and her firing resulting from Atkinson's advocation of improving female facilites.. hence, a discrimination suit as well...

I guess I will take everyone's word she was incompetent (before my time really), Rothie handled the firing very poorly and made it appear it was for discriminatory reasons. Frankly, I think the male facilities were just as bad and Rothie wanted to axe all atheltics. Moron... now our name will be dragged through the mud because of his arrogance..

[YaleFootballFan]

I'm glad we're renewing the rivalry with Lafayette, even if it's for one year. I was at the last meeting in '91 at Fisher Field and the soggy game the year before in New Haven. I noticed there is still an opening in the Yale schedule for next season....maybe we can get Lafayette on there for a game at the Bowl.

[bulldog10jw]

I'm glad we're renewing the rivalry with Lafayette, even if it's for one year. I was at the last meeting in '91 at Fisher Field and the soggy game the year before in New Haven. I noticed there is still an opening in the Yale schedule for next season....maybe we can get Lafayette on there for a game at the Bowl.

No open date. Yale is playing Georgetown. Go here:

http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/yale-m-footbl-body.html

Open the media guide and they have the future schedules through 2012. We are playing LC in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

[Pard4Life]

No open date. Yale is playing Georgetown. Go here:

http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/yale-m-footbl-body.html

Open the media guide and they have the future schedules through 2012. We are playing LC in 2009, 2011, and 2012.

Ours says at Yale in 2009, but that is the last year games are listed. Are the 2011 and 2012 games all at Yale? Hope that is not the case...

We already have 11 games scheduled up until 2009.. which leaves me somewhat disappointed since it's the same cast of OOC characters.. i.e. Monmouth, Marist, usual Ivies and not Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth.. although Yale is somewhat a new thing..

[bulldog10jw]

Ours says at Yale in 2009, but that is the last year games are listed. Are the 2011 and 2012 games all at Yale? Hope that is not the case...

We already have 11 games scheduled up until 2009.. which leaves me somewhat disappointed since it's the same cast of OOC characters.. i.e. Monmouth, Marist, usual Ivies and not Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth.. although Yale is somewhat a new thing..


At the Bowl in 2009 and 2011. At LC in 2012.

[Pard4Life]

At the Bowl in 2009 and 2011. At LC in 2012.

Makes sense.. two in Easton, two in New Haven.

[carney2]

Atkinson is going after LC and Rothkopf... it was profiled first in the Chronicle of Higher Ed. and then in our own paper... Title IX issues and her firing resulting from Atkinson's advocation of improving female facilites.. hence, a discrimination suit as well...

I guess I will take everyone's word she was incompetent (before my time really), Rothie handled the firing very poorly and made it appear it was for discriminatory reasons. Frankly, I think the male facilities were just as bad and Rothie wanted to axe all atheltics. Moron... now our name will be dragged through the mud because of his arrogance..

Enough blame to go around with these two. Evie thought, I guess, that she was doing what she was hired to do, which was to elevate women's athletics, even at the expense of emasculating the rest of the programs. Rothy really wanted little to do with any of it and, frankly, did not give the athletic department enough oversite. It took a little time, but between the two of them they had the College circling the bowl by the end of the decade.

Unfortunately, the College will eventually write a large check to make all of this go away and our visions of the two of them destroying each other in a steel cage match will never come to pass. (My money would be on Eve in that one.)

[Leopard's Claw]

Wow - 3 Russo assts are now HC - Tavani, Murphy, and Siedlecki...Any more known? Wait, Mike Donnelly at Moravian!
Mike Weylan HC at Williams, Paul Schaffner HC at Buffalo State (or is it the College of Buffalo? he was also HC at a small DII school in West Va...his wife is extremely active in the AFCA football wives association :eyebrow: ), Dave Cohen HC at Hofstra, former player (and then coach) Chris Taylor HC at St Peter's....former player Mark Reardon is DC at Villanova, former player Damien Robluski (sp?) is OL at Stony Brook, former OL coach John Strollo is OL at Duke, former player (&then coach) Pete Ohnegian (yes, I know you read this Petey O) current actor in several football movies, most notably the center in "Any Given Sunday"...on an intersting note, former player (DE) Harrison Bailey holds the world record in several categories of Celtic throwing events (he's currently a Lehigh Valley HS vice principal)....suffice it to say that Russo's tentacles reach far in the athletic world.

[Pards Rule]

WOW! He should be honored then! Hey Petey O - did you do anything in "We Are Marshall"? I did the real estate deal for a new Maaco in Barboursville (in Deer Creek), WV and know the upcoming franchisee (he's here in King of Prussia for a month of training) very well so I got a good schooling on that tragedy.

[carney2]

Getting back to the topic of this thread - the upcoming Yale @ Lafayette football game - today's Allentown newspaper quotes Frank Tavani as being disturbed that the kids "packed it in" toward the end of the Princeton game. That doesn't sound good.

[Pard4Life]

Getting back to the topic of this thread - the upcoming Yale @ Lafayette football game - today's Allentown newspaper quotes Frank Tavani as being disturbed that the kids "packed it in" toward the end of the Princeton game. That doesn't sound good.

Eh, yeah.. kinda sounds like 2003. But I take with a grain of salt anything the Allentown paper says... they put a spin on everything.

[Pards Rule]

Yeah the Morning Call has always been biased against LC. Just as the Easton Express-Times downplays LU. BUT, did anyone see this on Saturday? I wasn't at game but most disheartening. They are in a funk now. They have got to get back to believing in themselves after two disappointing losses. Is that what Frank had them on the field about for a half hour after the game?

[carney2]

Yeah the Morning Call has always been biased against LC.

This was not an opinion. It was a quote from Frank expressing his concern. Sorry, as much as I dislike the Mourning Crawl who always treats Lehigh as the home team and Lafayette as a "distant school of interest," I don't see any bias in this.

Oh yeah, speaking of the Crawl, the Lafayette beat writer, Don Bostrom, has picked up where his predecessor, Ted Meixell, left off. Every week he does a puff piece on a senior player instead of talking about the team, the upcoming game, the league and its current problems, injuries, Frank's quotes (and he is a quote machine), etc. I'll sit here and call the Lehigh beat writer, Keith Groller, a ridiculous homer until the cows come home, but his Thursday pieces on Lehigh and its situation are so far superior to Bostrom's that you want to go down there, rip the keyboard out of Bostrom's hands and beat him over the head with it.

[Pards Rule]

Do it! And relieve some of the frustrations of this season (I got the bail $$)

[cosmo here]

Don Bostrom = :nod: , Keith Groller = :rolleyes:

if you look at this from a newspaper perspective, the Morning Call has far more subscribers interested in the day-to-day operations of Lehigh football. that said, Groller is a complete homer. but I would assume that Bostrom is only following orders and writing feature pieces that their subscribers want to read. I think this goes far up the chain of command . . it's symptomatic of something much more than your Groller/Bostrom/Meixell complex. btw, Stephen Miller was in there for two years also. and I would challenge your assertion that it's a "puff piece" as well - they're player profiles, and always insightful.

[Pards Rule]

The dividing line seems to be - seriously - Route 33!

[carney2]

Don Bostrom = :nod: , Keith Groller = :rolleyes:

I would challenge your assertion that it's a "puff piece" as well - they're player profiles, and always insightful.

Puff piece, player profile, human interest story, whatever. It does very little to generate interest, increase knowledge, and/or unravel the mysteries of Saturday's battle and, more importantly, the struggling course of this once promising season. To me it seems like something that could have been researched at leisure over the past few weeks/months and then spit out to meet a deadline. Is this a lazy man's way to get a byline or is he, like many of us, overworked and not given enough time and resources to adequately tend to this little piece of his empire? I'm sure that you are right and he is only following orders, but...

[cosmo here]

Puff piece, player profile, human interest story, whatever. It does very little to generate interest, increase knowledge, and/or unravel the mysteries of Saturday's battle and, more importantly, the struggling course of this once promising season. To me it seems like something that could have been researched at leisure over the past few weeks/months and then spit out to meet a deadline. Is this a lazy man's way to get a byline or is he, like many of us, overworked and not given enough time and resources to adequately tend to this little piece of his empire? I'm sure that you are right and he is only following orders, but...

carney, you have to realize that you're an atypical observer of the Morning Call's sports page. most just don't care to "increase knowledge and/or unravel the mysteries" of the next week's game, or break down the previous week's game, ad infinitum. I'm putting this all on the backs of the Morning Call management, and as you said, it isn't an issue that will begin or end with Don Bostrom.

[Franks Tanks]

Mike Weylan HC at Williams, Paul Schaffner HC at Buffalo State (or is it the College of Buffalo? he was also HC at a small DII school in West Va...his wife is extremely active in the AFCA football wives association :eyebrow: ), Dave Cohen HC at Hofstra, former player (and then coach) Chris Taylor HC at St Peter's....former player Mark Reardon is DC at Villanova, former player Damien Robluski (sp?) is OL at Stony Brook, former OL coach John Strollo is OL at Duke, former player (&then coach) Pete Ohnegian (yes, I know you read this Petey O) current actor in several football movies, most notably the center in "Any Given Sunday"...on an intersting note, former player (DE) Harrison Bailey holds the world record in several categories of Celtic throwing events (he's currently a Lehigh Valley HS vice principal)....suffice it to say that Russo's tentacles reach far in the athletic world.

Dont Forget about fromer player and assistant coach Johnny Troxell who just took over as head man at Franklin & Marshall

[Pards Rule]

You are right! And F&M's president is none other than former second in command to UPenn's former Pres, Judith Rodin, John Fry (LC Class of 82)