About a year ago readers of a national weekly were surprised to find that Harvard played Yale not once but eleven times in tackle football. Considerably less amazed however were some 200 backs and lineman whose duty it was to meet their New Haven counterparts in the concluding games of their schedules.

The eight contests with Yale Colleges climax a fall intramural program which includes round-robin league competition in football, touch football, and soccer and a cross-country meet. Over four hundred students are expected to begin play next week in what will be the twenty-fifth season of intramural competition.

It all started in 1930 when Dunster and Lowell, the only houses in use at the time, met in tackle football. The Dunces eked out a 7-to-6 win to become the first, though hardly most winning, champions of the intramural league.

Next Monday the Houses will be at it again and while it is hard to make early predictions, prospects for the eight units run as follows:

ADAMS: The Goldcoasters, usually deep in the second division in Straus Trophy standings, can look forward to better days this fall. The tackle football team rates an excellent chance to finish first and the other three squads all have hopes of improving over last year's mediocre records.

Football coaches Hank Dunker and Ralph Jones have eleven members returning from last year's varsity, which tied Dunster for the league championship. Leading the Gold Coast offense will be veterans Bill Radomsky at quarterback Frank Weller at fullback, and Charley Bauer at halfback. Sophomore Charles Currier will find the other halfback slot. The starting line is undecided with several veterans fighting it out for the seven posts.

Several promising sophomores and three former stars are expected to improve on last year's 0-7 soccer record, while Bob Gilmor, who finished fifth in last year's cross-country meet should help the harriers again.

DUDLEY: Large turnouts for both football and soccer make the athletic picture at Dudley more encouraging than in past years. The football squad which finished dead last in '54 does not figure to be a world-beater this year, but the appearance of all-star center John Coyne and veteran halfback Gus Harrington on the squad plus the addition of several outstanding freshmen and sophomores to the squad give the Dragons hope of moving up in the standings.

The most promising of the newcomers to the squad are freshman Don Tank, a guard who played for Cambridge Latin School and Warren Cooper, who played on class of '56 freshman squad.

Paul O'Leary a three year veteran will lead an improved Dudley soccer team, while Ken D'Arcy is expected to star for the cross-country squad.

DUNSTER: The Funsters finished in a tie for first place in the football league last year and with six quarters returning, will be hard to beat. Among the veterans are fullback Art Martin, halfback Steve West, guard Bob Wheeler, end Tom Howes, center Fritz Kussin, and tackle Scotty Monroe.

Five seniors, all members of last year's third place team, are expected to serve as the nucleus of this fall's soccer squad. Included in this group are Thor Thor, Will Lorry, Pete McKinney, Bob Fish and Bob Macy. The touch football six is expected to improve on its 1954 2-5 record, while the cross country team is led by Norm Hartness, who finished sixth in last year's race.

ELIOT: The Elephants slumped badly in football last year after several strong seasons, but the outlook this fall is brighter. Senior Phil Price and juniors Stan Freedman and Mac Hyde bolster a strong backfield while Dave Sirota, Pete Beak, and Don Breed are also among the returning players from last year's seventh place eleven.

Veterans Barry Damson, Bob Sussman, Bob Leet, and Jack Linehan, should help Eliot improve on its 2-6 soccer record of last season, and the prospects for the touch football and cross country teams are equally good. The latter is the defending league champion and will be bolstered by Alexander Martin, who finished first in the '54 meet.

KIRKLAND: The Deacons, who were first in the Straus trophy standing at the end of last fall, are once again strong in all four sports. In football Coach Eli Manus is building his split-T offense around quarterback and captain Bill Gerety, who will be protected by a line averaging over 180 pounds. Particularly impressive for Kirkland during the early season practice were fullbacks Glenn Sisler and Charlie Nichols.