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Princeton University Athletics
SIMPLY RAVECHE
October 18, 2000 | Football
John Raveche likes to push people around. Standing 6' 5" and weighing 300 pounds, the senior offensive lineman should be pretty good at it--at least Princeton football fans hope he is.
After starting all 10 games for the Tigers in 1999, Raveche returns to his familiar right tackle position this year. He brings valuable experience and a strong physical presence to a Princeton offense that features several young players at the skill positions. Raveche relishes his role and loves the physical nature of the tackle position.
"There is no position in football that I would rather play than offensive line," he says. "I get to hit someone on every single play--to me, that is what football is all about."
Though Raveche is a solid all-around lineman, he prides himself on opening holes for Tiger ballcarriers.
"I feel that one of my strengths is my aggressiveness," he says. "I like pass blocking, [but] I love run blocking. It gives you the chance to really maul defenders." With Raveche and senior linemates Dennis Norman, Ross Tucker, and Brian Wilson all returning to the Tiger front, Princeton's ground game should be productive in 2000. Raveche points to the group's experience as reason for optimism.
"We are a tight-knit group of players," he says, "and that allows us to know exactly what each other is doing."
Raveche is excited about the prospects for his senior year and believes first-year head coach Roger Hughes has brought a new level of intensity to the football program.
"He is an extraordinary individual," Raveche says of Hughes. "The team has a visible recommitment to football and winning."
So much so that Raveche and 30 teammates spent the summer on campus preparing for the upcoming season.
As a senior starter, Raveche will be looked to for solid play and leadership. However, he can remember a time when he wasn't so comfortable in his role. A USA Today third-team All-America selection from Delbarton School, Raveche was a heralded recruit when he arrived at Old Nassau. Despite his past success, Raveche struggled in making the adjustment to college football.
"The overall speed of the game was one of the biggest challenges," he says. "When I first got here, it seemed like everything was going 100 miles per hour."
Having always relied on his strength and size, Raveche struggled to grasp the Princeton offense.
"I did not understand the way things should flow and how to adjust to changes on the run," he says.
But after three years, Raveche is primed for a big finish.
"Now I feel like I have a firm grasp on our new offense," he says. "I understand exactly what we, as an offensive unit, are trying to do."
Raveche realizes that his efforts will not win him much recognition from the fans, saying, "Although most people don't appreciate what the offensive line does, our teammates do, and that is what is most important for me."
For Raveche that is the nature of being an offensive lineman. Play after play he battles defenders in anonymity. Bruised and aching, his satisfaction comes from Tiger touchdowns--not applause.
"I take pride in what we do as an offensive unit--how many yards we rush for, our time of possession, how many yards we pass for and the final score of the game," he says. "These are the things I take personally as an offensive lineman."
Raveche will define his senior year not in terms of wins and losses but by the effort and commitment that the team exhibits.
"As a team we want to play with toughness and leave everything we have on the field so that, at the end of every game, we will have no regrets."
by Matt Golden '94