Paul Del Rossi was not an over-powering pitcher. He had a good, tailing fastball, but he was not Koufax-fast. He said his curveball was only fair. It did not bend around trees or drop off tables.

All Del Rossi did was throw strikes. Against Richmond during his senior year in 1964, Del Rossi threw 102 pitches: 82 were strikes. This uncanny control was the primary reason he compiled a phenomenal 30-3 record as a Crimson hurler and earned a place as the foremost pitcher in Harvard history.

Unknown Southpaw

When the relatively unknown southpaw took the mound against powerful Navy in April 1962, Coach Norm Shepherd was not overly-optimistic about Del Rossi's ability to master the defending Eastern Intercollegiate champions.

The rookie Del Rossi was shaky at the game's outset and Navy jumped to a 3-0 lead Harvard's hitters then erupted for seven runs in one inning. Del Rossi steadied and blanked the Middies the rest of the way for his first varsity triumph.

It was hardly his last. After his win against Navy, Del Rossi breezed to a two-hit, 2-1 win over Columbia. Army was his next victim as he spun a five-hitter and blew down 11 batters on strikeouts. In the space of two weeks, Del Rossi had limited the three best teams in the East to two earned runs in 26 innings.

The beat rolled on. By the end of his sophomore year, Del Rossi had established himself as the dominant pitcher in the East with a 10-1 record and a 1.40 Earned Run Average. He helped turn what Shepherd had termed another "break-even season" into an outstanding 19-4 mark. The team won 12 straight along the way and Shepherd received Coach of The Year honors.

Del Rossi's performance in 1963 perhaps surpassed his sophomore year. After again shipwrecking Navy, Del Rossi mowed down 13 Eli's as the Crimson battered Yale 14-1. His strikeouts reportedly came on a "tantalizing smorgasbord of curves, change-ups, and good old fastballs."

This type of display prompted Shepherd to say, "Del Rossi was a brilliant sort of pitcher. You won't find any college pitcher who knew how to put into application the tools of pitching better than Del Rossi. He was not just a thrower out on the mound. He was an artist."

Del Rossi's artistry reached near-perfection against Boston College in a pressure game for the Greater Boston League crown. He rose to the occasion and hurled a masterful one-hitter against the highly-touted BC sluggers. Only a soft single in the fourth inning prevented Del Rossi from pitching Harvard's first no-hitter since 1921.

Gem

He duplicated his one-hit gem early in his senior year against Richmond, the game Del Rossi considered his best. Richmond batters agreed after 15 of them went down swinging.

Harvard's 1964 baseball squad was nearly invincible. The team notched 21 wins against only two losses and one tie, to retain the GBL crown and sweep to its first Eastern Inter-collegiate League title since 1957.

Every other game seemed to be a "must" for the team, and Del Rossi invariably responded in the clutch. In a game against Dartmouth which Harvard needed to clinch the championship, Del Rossi handcuffed the Indians on a six-hitter, captain Tom Stephenson blasted five hits, and the Crimson rolled to a 15-0 win and the Eastern title.

To Pro Or Not

After graduation Del Rossi signed with the New York Yankees for a substantial bonus, becoming the first Harvard ball player in 32 years to sign a pro contract. However, he was not satisfied with his progress after two years playing in the Class AA Southern League. He returned to the Harvard Business School and graduated last year.

Del Rossi's inability to achieve instant success in the majors cannot tarnish his record at Harvard. In his varsity career he accounted for 30 of his team's 57 victories--an unsurpassed achievement, specially for a pitcher with only a "fair curveball."