This Saturday at 12:30 p.m., the football team faces Holy Cross, but the Big Green's weekend responsibilities extend beyond the field. On Dartmouth night, the team will march to the Green wearing their letter sweaters, and senior athletes will be honored at the ceremony preceding the bonfire. Football players and other athletes will toss candy to the crowd during Freshmen Sweep, and captains from several sports teams will make speeches that reflect on their Dartmouth and athletic experiences. This year, Andrew Dete '09, one of three captains of the football team, will give remarks.
"You need to represent the players and the coaches, and you get to meet a lot of alumni," he said. "Speaking at the bonfire will be a great honor because there is always a great crowd, and everyone is excited."
Unlike the coaches of some other athletics teams, head football coach Buddy Teevens '79 will allow his freshmen players to participate in the freshmen sweep and run around the bonfire with their class. Teevens encouraged his players to experience the tradition but still wants them prepared and rested for the game.
"The freshmen sweep was not around years ago, and I encourage [my players] to participate in DOC Freshmen Trips and also Homecoming," Teevens said. "There are classes from the 1940s coming back for Dartmouth Night, and seeing it as an older alum, I try to take it all in with my older buddies. It's great especially seeing the freshmen who are experiencing this for the first time and for the support the students, faculty, staff and alums show on that weekend."
Both Dete and fellow captain Alex Rapp '09 said they felt privileged to be playing in the Homecoming game although the team does not feel any added pressure to be victorious.
"Homecoming is awesome because everyone is excited and talking because of the bonfire the night before," Dete said. "There is always a great crowd; a lot of alumni will be there, and after we got a rough start this year we want to perform well."
"It is an incredible feeling to know that when you step foot on that field, just about the same time 100 years ago Dartmouth football players were in competition against the same opponents," Rapp added. "It is a constant reminder that we are a part of something unique -- a history of football that is unsurpassed and incredibly pure."
Football has a long history at the College. Dartmouth was one of the first colleges to have students playing a variant of modern football beginning in the 1820s. In Leon Richardson's History of Dartmouth College, the sport was first described as a brutal and physical game played originally on the Green.
With the formation of teams at other schools, Dartmouth began competing against Williams College and Amherst College, the other members of the now-defunct "triangular league," according to Richardson's book. Rallies were often held before the most popular home games, and rushing the field was also a popular part of the sport's early years at the College. It is debated when the first Homecoming game was held but it is clear that the tradition developed from these early competitions.
In 1868, the faculty banned football from being played because of the physical stress that the game imposed on players. The team was also struggling financially, competing for athletes and spectators with other sports, especially rugby. The ban was eventually lifted, however, by then-College President Asa Dodge Smith.
As the football team continued to struggle for success and survival, Homecoming became part of Dartmouth's annual celebrations in the 1920s with the dedication of Memorial Field in 1923. In 1925, the football team won the national championship after an undefeated season, demonstrating the team's enormous growth, according to Richardson's History. Prior to the formation of the Ivy league, the most common opponents for Dartmouth were peer schools like Brown University, Harvard University and neighboring institutions such as Norwich University in Vermont.
Homecoming games were interrupted during World War II as many students were called to serve in the military. Homecoming events were scaled back during later wars, although the football game was never canceled. In 1930, the use of the Dartmouth Indian image became popular and was seen on Homecoming football programs for the first time.
The team had a winning record for most of the 20th century. The College's traditional opponents for the Homecoming game were peer schools -- schools that would later become the Ivy League upon its foundation in 1954. From 1958 to 1982, the College captured 12 Ivy League championships in football, and schools like Harvard and Yale University continued to compete against Dartmouth on Homecoming Saturday.
During the 1980s, as the football team's record began to slip, the team slowly shifted to playing weaker Ivy opponents and non-league teams.
The 1990s saw a period of resurgence and a renewed rivalry with teams at the top of the League. Notably in 1996, Dartmouth won an Ivy championship after defeating Yale during the College's Homecoming game. A 0-24 loss to Harvard in the 1997 Homecoming game eventually decided the Ivy champion that year.
The football team has undergone a rebuilding period in recent years, according to Teevens, forcing Dartmouth to face opponents like Holy Cross and Columbia University in the Homecoming game. These games, however, have still provided fans with a fair amount of dramatics. In 2006, the College fell to Holy Cross by a score of 21-24 in overtime. After the game, a brawl broke out because celebrating Holy Cross players began dancing on the Dartmouth "D" on the center of Memorial Field. Big Green players felt the Crusaders' festivities were insulting and a fight ensued. Even injured players joined in the fray with their crutches. Hanover Police and team staff were finally able to separate the combatants after 15 minutes of fighting. The College is has not defeated Holy Cross this decade, although in previous decades the Crusaders struggled to compete with Dartmouth.
Dartmouth has had better success against its other Homecoming rival, Columbia. In 2003, Dartmouth won its first Homecoming game against Columbia since 1999, with a score of 26-21. The College has had similar victories since then, defeating Columbia 37-28 last year.
"The guys, they're working so hard to develop a good program," Teevens said. "Though there may be a little more pressure because there are more people [attending for Homecoming], the guys try hard and work hard, so now is the time to play smart and play with a great deal of pride."
