Alumni Game evokes tradition

If nothing else, the fifth annual Penn lightweight football Alumni Game, held Saturday, proves the commitment lightweight players have to the program and the camaraderie of players past and present. The Alumni Game was introduced to provide an event that would annually reunite the alums. It also serves as a "preseason" game for the players before Eastern Lightweight Football League play begins. Penn opened its regular season against Cornell last week and hosts Princeton this Friday, but ELFL play does not begin until October 17, when the Quakers travel to face Army. "The Alumni Game has grown from something that was experimental into a full-day event," said Penn defensive backs coach Nate Schott, who played for the alumni team as a member of the Class of 1989. The events included more than just a football game. After the game, there was a barbeque for the 150-plus people who attended. Many of the game's attendees were families of the alums and current players. There were also pony rides and a face-painting clown for the kids. The day also serves as a major fundraiser for the lightweight football program. The generous gifts of the former players provide the program with almost 50 percent of their funds. The game was also special to the program because the Dan Doheny Lightweight Football Team Room was donated by Doheny's father-in-law in his memory. A major reason the Alumni Game is special is that the alums all played for coach Bill Wagner, who is in the midst of his 28th season at Penn. The returning players love to come back to see Wagner and give him credit for keeping the program alive. "This program had a chance to die two or three times in the last 15 years, but Wagner kept it alive," said John Lopez, captain of the 1985 Quakers team. "You can't underestimate his contribution considering five lightweight football programs have died in recent years." "The day made me realize this game is about more than just a bunch of guys who play football," said Evan Kipperman after participating in his first Alumni Game. "It's about tradition." "The game is all about players who love to play the game," Schott said. Schott remembers playing his last high school game and thinking it was the end of his career. Lightweight football, however, gave him a chance to play at the collegiate level. The introduction of the Alumni Game now gives him a chance to play one more time a year. "I was looking forward to beating up on my old teammate," Penn volunteer coach and 1996 ELFL Player of the Year Clint Schmidt said. He also enjoyed playing against people he coached, as did Schott. They both commented that they even coached their players, who were also their opponents, while play was going on. In addition to the fun that the post-game activities provided, the game also proved to be a close one. The lightweight team came from behind to defeat the alumni team, 12-10. Down 10-6 late in the game, the lightweight team completed a fourth-down pass thanks to a spectacular one-handed grab by freshman tight end Scott Moore on the two-yard line. On third down, they ran the ball in for the winning touchdown. "The whole game is about the atmosphere," Schmidt said. The atmosphere Saturday was great due to a good football game, festivities for the family and the reunion of past lightweight football players, who provide the tradition of this program, which is all about "players who love the game."

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