"I kind of liked freshman football," offensivetackle Tony DeWitt says. "There's a lot largertime commitment on varsity and if I'd been onvarsity, I would've just been holding blockingdummies in practice anyway. I'm glad I did it."
In part because of the players' enthusiasm forthe program, Harvard has decided to go against thegrain and retain its freshman team next year.
Although its six-game 1993 schedule willconsist largely of games against a bevy of juniorcolleges, the Crimson will have one game againstanother firstyear team. The other hold-out is, youguessed it, Yale.
Citing the benefits of first-year football tothe student-athlete, the Bulldogs have alsodecided to continue fielding a freshman team.
"It might not be quite as fun, at least interms of who the freshman will be playing, but itwill still be better than forcing freshman to siton the sidelines for varsity," Borg says.
Giardi adds, "It might be a little less fun,but at least the incoming freshman will still getto play Yale."
And so, freshman football will end as it began:with two schools, one wearing Crimson and theother Blue, fighting it out on the field withoutfanfare, but for the right reasons.
VOICE OF THE PLAYERS
"The Game is a chance for the players to see alot of alums, it means a lot of excitement aroundthe campus; it's one of the few games were most ofthe students get behind you. My biggest memory ofthe past two years is a terrible one: the Yalefans just came running out one the field with aminute left. That was one of the worst things thathas happened to me at Harvard. It instilled a deephatred of Yale in me. If we won this year,[rushing the field] would be an appropriate actfrom Harvard." --Monte Giese, senior linebacker