When senior tailback Nick Palazzo went down with a shoulder injury early in last Saturday’s battle against Columbia, freshman Ryan Tyler was suddenly thrust into Harvard Stadium’s glaring spotlight as the Crimson’s feature back. For many wide-eyed freshmen, the pressure of such a situation can be overwhelming. But as Tyler was about to find out, he was in good hands—the 10 monstrous hands of the Harvard offensive line.

Their names—Fadule, Traverso, Torinus, Bakken, Soriano and others—are much less familiar than those of well-publicized stars Carl Morris, Neil Rose, Dante Balestracci, Palazzo, and now even Tyler. But the offensive linemen are the silent warriors of the Harvard football team, the unspoken heroes of a championship squad that has now won 13 straight league games.

“The line’s success has been crucial to our winning the past few years,” says captain and All-Ivy quarterback Neil Rose. “Without controlling the line of scrimmage, you can’t win football games and you definitely can’t win a championship.”

For the Harvard trenchmen, the Columbia game marked just the latest in a long line of clutch performances. Their run-blocking has been superb throughout this season, catapulting the Crimson backs to nearly 170 rushing yards per game—good for third in the Ivy League—all while holding opponents to a league-low eight sacks. Most impressively, the offense has converted 9 of 11 fourth-down attempts this year, yet another testament to the line’s awesome strength.

But for all their accomplishments, the cohesion on this fall’s line was not entirely expected. A season after losing consensus All-American Mike Clare ’01, the Crimson graduated four starters from last year’s championship line, all of whom had received All-Ivy recognition. Many publications cited the offensive line as a potential problem area for the 2002 squad, and on paper they were right. But those close to the team knew better—they realized that Crimson offensive line coach Jim Turner is one of the nation’s best, and that his no-nonsense approach would not allow for mediocrity.

A Storied Past

When Turner joined the Crimson prior to the 2000 season, his reputation preceded him. A local boy out of Braintree High School, he walked on to the Doug Flutie-led Boston College squad as a freshman. By his senior year, Turner’s hard work and dedication as a fullback had earned him the respect of his teammates, as he was named captain of a 1987 team that included current Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski. To date, he is the only walk-on captain in Eagles’ history.

After serving four years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, Turner spent five years coaching at Northeastern before aiding the nation’s top passing attack as an assisrant at Louisiana Tech. And while he does not immediately remember exactly why he left the Division I-A program for Harvard, citing only a desire for a wide body of experience, the Crimson is glad he did.

“He’s the best coach on the staff,” says 6’3, 270-pound senior center Nate Torinus, who has gained Turner’s admiration since filling in for injured sophomore Andy Smith.

“He gets respect from running backs, receivers and even defensive guys because he’s such a good motivator,” adds senior right tackle Jamil Soriano. “He tells things like they are, and gives confidence to a lot of people.”

A stern leader, Turner calls upon his military background in preaching discipline as the key to good offensive play.

“The only way people will work within roles is if they know discipline, so that’s the biggest thing,” Turner says. “Discipline and overall toughness and just teaching the kids that being tough as hell on every down is really going to be the difference on whether or not you’re a good offensive line.”

Given this approach, Turner can of course be quite intimidating as a coach. But as any veteran lineman will tell you, he is a straight shooter who is fair in his criticism.

“I used to be afraid to go to meetings because he would just rip me—he was on my back more than anyone I’ve seen here,” Soriano says. “But now, in retrospect, he’s on me like that because he knows I can be a good player. It’s not a personal issue, and he makes that clear.”

Not Just a Mad Man