Princeton squash coach Bob Callahan was there in 1975 when Princeton did the unthinkable.
Breaking a nine-match losing streak against Penn, the Tigers were finally able to defend their home court, handing the Quakers an 8-1 defeat.
Since then, it's been all Princeton.
Literally.
Last night's 8-1 victory marked the 32nd consecutive time that Princeton has won the annual meeting.
And the way the rivalry has swung back and forth is a reflection of just how slowly things change in the world of college squash.
Since 1937-38, there have only been three winning streaks in the rivalry.
Princeton won 33 straight from 1938 until 1965, including some years in which the two teams played twice. This was followed by nine straight Penn victories and then the Tigers' current 32-match streak.
And for Callahan, who has been at the helm of his alma mater for 25 of those 32 years, his success has been all about maintaining a few recruiting advantages, not the least of which is the draw of great academic universities for squash players.
"If you look at the top four teams historically, it's always been Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Penn," Callahan said.
And while Penn and Princeton both fit the bill academically, the coaches gave different reasons for the one-sidedness over the last 32 years.
According to Callahan, who attended Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa., the reason is simply players like himself.
With the Philadelphia suburbs serving as such a hotbed for junior squash, there are so many players who, like him, were recruited by Penn but said to themselves, "I got to get out of town and go somewhere else.
"It's kind of weird how it's worked in reverse against Penn," Callahan said.
Another major factor in the disparity has been Callahan's ability to recruit internationally, which has never been more evident than last night.
Even with Egypt's Yasser El Halaby -- the three-time national champion and one of the best ever to play the collegiate game -- out last night with an injury, the Tigers still had quite a global flavor to their lineup.
No. 1 Mauricio Sanchez hails from Mexico City, while the next three players on the ladder are from Malaysia, Egypt and Hong Kong, respectively.
"You've got to look at the number of international recruits you have at the top of the lineup," Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark said, comparing Princeton's roster to Penn's 100 percent American top nine. "It's that simple."
And for the international players, the Princeton tradition is one of the things that brings them to campus and makes them feel like part of something bigger.
Sanchez, who traveled the United States as a junior player before joining the Tigers, sees history every day at practice.
He sees the banners a few stories below the basketball court at Jadwin Gym in Princeton's squash facility. He sees the names on the wall. And he even has history looking over his shoulder at practice -- in the form of his head coach.
"He has been there for 25 years, so he himself is history in Princeton squash," Sanchez said.
Far be it from me to call someone in the neighborhood of 50 years old "history." But I do feel safe in calling Callahan a historian.
Last night, Callahan recalled with a mixture of fondness and relief an occasion in 1990 -- and yes, he got the year exactly right -- on which his Tigers were one point away from having the streak snapped. And other memories came out -- stories of moments in the last 25 years when his Tigers did just enough to escape.
He even got a chance to reminisce with one of his best players of the last quarter century, current Penn women's coach Jack Wyant, who was an all-Ivy player all four years at Princeton.
Despite last night's result, Callahan the historian knows better than anybody that this flip-flopping rivalry may be nearing its time to flop again.
"Our days are numbered, I'm sure," the coach said. "Penn will be back."
And given the history of the series, once Penn wins one, it may be a long time until the power shifts back to the Tigers' side.
Zachary Levine is a junior mathematics major from Delmar, N.Y., and former sports editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is zlevine@sas.upenn.edu.
