On This Day, 45 Years Ago....

FROM NY TIMES (10/14/1971)

College football upstate has been as crisp and attractive as one of those wonderful autumn days in the Finger Lakes region. There have been many shades of success, from the power of Syracuse and the all‐winning record of Cornell to the surprising achievements of little and unbeaten Alfred and Hobart. Colgate, Rochester, Ithaca, Union and St. Lawrence have sparkling teams and individuals like Cornell's Ed Marinaro and Ithaca's quarterback, Doug Campbell, brighten the scene.

Eastern College Football

The most important major college game of the year in the East could be the Syracuse‐Penn State contest Saturday at Syracuse. But just west of Syracuse, on the northern tip of Seneca Lake, about 7,000 persons will jam Boswell Field in Geneva Saturday to watch what they think is the most important game around: Alfred against Hobart.

Don Aleksiewicz, Hobart's running star, has a following somewhat smaller, but no less enthusiastic, than Marinaro's. Alfred maintains that its quarterback, Jim Moretti, is as good as Campbell or anyone else.

Hobart, which had an 0–8 won‐lost mark last year and had 10 straight losing seasons, has responded to new coaching with a 3‐0 record this season. George Davis, a 1951 Syracuse graduate, became the coach this year after many successful seasons at nearby Seneca Falls High School.

Aleksiewicz, known as “A‐ to‐Z,” ran for 317 yards last Saturday in the victory over Hamilton. A year ago, he went 97 yards for a touchdown scamper when Hobart lost to Alfred, 31‐22.

Davis has Hobart working from the wishbone behind an unbalanced line, the famous line formation at Syracuse.

Alfred has enjoyed plenty of success in the 31 years that Alex Yunevich has coached there. The Saxons won seven of eight games last year and have taken four this fall.

“It's really not all the coach,” Yunevich said. “We get too much credit, though we may also be blamed too much. But without those horses, no one does much. Give me those horses and we'll win.

“You see, Hobart has one of them in Aleksiewicz. He's the best running back around. You have to gang tackle him. He'll give you that old limp leg and you don't know where he went.”

Yunevich calls Moretti, his quarterback, “the best bomb man I've ever seen anywhere —not just coached. I don't think anyone can throw longer than Jimmy.”

“He's got some shortcomings but I'm not about to say what they are,” the coach said. “Let them find out. That's their business, Of course, Jimmy wants to run sometimes and I keep telling him not to. He picks up 5 yards and thinks he's Red Grange. I die watching it.”

 

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The Statesmen would lead 21-7 at the half but the Saxons would comeback and win on a TD with 19 seconds remaining, 28-21. The Saxons would go on to win the Lambert Bowl as the best eastern small college team after finishing that 1971 season 8-0. Hobart would wrap their 1971 campaign with a record of 5-4, the first winning season Hobart had since a 4-4 record in 1960. What's significant about this 1971 season is that it would bring forth one of the best runs in Statesmen Football history as the 72, 73 and 74 teams achieved marks of 7-2, 7-1-1 and 8-1. All three of these teams were recognized by the SAA as "Teams of Distinction" in the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame.