Tradition-laden Ivies begin spring football

The last time Yale's Carm Cozza coached spring football, John F. Kennedy lived in the White House. Cozza left his assistant coaching job with Miami, Ohio, in 1963 to become the Elis backfield coach. In 1965, he was promoted to head coach. And while the Redskins practiced in the spring, the Ivy League did not. Until this year. While some students drowse away the afternoon on College Green, the Ivy's football players are rumbling on the gridiron. "It is something I think has been really needed in our league," Cozza said. "Most of us play outside the league early in the year, and those teams have been playing a lot longer than us." Penn's Al Bagnoli had never coached spring practice. The massive Ivy League championship trophy rests in his office, a tribute to the Quakers' 10-0 campaign in 1993. Since November, his days have been consumed with recruiting and spring practice, which Penn concluded last night. "This is the time of year coaches can enjoy what has happened," Bagnoli said. "For us, this is the time of year when things slow down and we can savor what we had. I am not especially anxious for a new season to come around right now." The Ivy League decided to start spring practice before Bagnoli arrived at Penn, but he likes the idea. "I see it as an opportunity for kids to get 36 practice opportunities over three years," Bagnoli said. "The league should support it." The practices are designed partly to give the coaches time to work with younger players. Due to the abolition of freshman football, many younger players did not get game experience during this past season. Three players who saw little game experience last year will be battling for the quarterback spot in the fall. During the spring, however, only sophomore Jack Friend has seen extensive time behind center. Mark DeRosa missed spring practice, but his arm is getting plenty of work at third base in a more traditional spring sport, baseball. Steve Teodecki strained a back muscle in one of the first few practices, an injury which should heal shortly. Bagnoli plans to keep versatile Nick Morris at strong safety, despite the strong running ability he displayed from the quarterback position. So, for now, the quarterback situation is as murky as the Schuylkill. The biggest concerns about spring practice are academics and injuries. So far, the Quakers have not suffered any major injuries. Bagnoli and his staff tried to keep the established starters such as Terrance Stokes away from heavy-duty contact. Bagnoli says that so far the players are, if anything, doing better academically. "The statistics tell us that kids do better [academically] in season than out of season," he said. "You will need a four-year cycle. I don't think you can answer it without a hard evaluation in four years." Whether Bagnoli will still be around in four years is also a question mark. More success could make him as hot as a McDonald's apple pie, but he did stay at Union for over a decade. "I am not really transient," Bagnoli said. "I am happy here as long as I continue to be treated well. I like the Penn community, and I like this level, and I like what the Ivy League stands for." And now the Ivy League stands for spring practice.