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Princeton University Athletics
Sweet Home Alabama
October 20, 2000 | Football
Most college football players have stories of their early days playing in local midget leagues. Princeton linebacker Steven Koopman, however, was a late bloomer. It wasn't until the Indian Springs, Ala., native reached the eighth grade that he decided to give football a try.
It turned out to be a great decision for both Koopman and the Tigers.
"People always wanted me to go out," says Koopman. "When I played in eighth grade, my coaches would always joke around with me. They'd say they want me to go to Notre Dame or one of their other favorite schools. I guess they thought I had the potential."
Eight years later, Koopman is one of the top defensive players in the Ivy League. He has 28 tackles for the Tigers through four games. In Princeton's 27-24 overtime win at Columbia, Koopman racked up nine tackles as he helped the Tigers pick up their first league victory of the season. Koopman had eight more tackles in the team's loss to Colgate a week later. He is one of the anchors on a group of linebackers that continue to put up impressive numbers each week. Koopman decided to continue playing football once he reached John Carroll High School, where he became an all-state performer and was named the Birmingham metro area player of the year as a senior.
"I worked out with one of my coaches over the summer," Koopman says. "He taught me what it was all about. He was one of my main inspirations for getting me ready for the next level."
Football wasn't the only sport that Koopman dominated. He was also successful in track and wrestling and was a state runner-up at 171 pounds.
"Wrestling had a very big impact on me," says Koopman. "I definitely think it helped with balance, but it was more because of philosophy then technique. It's all about work ethic. I got all of my work ethic and all of my determination from wrestling. It's what made me a better player today. I wrestled for four years and had some really great coaches. They taught me a lot about heart and never giving up."
As Koopman's days at John Carroll began to wind down, he began looking into playing on the college level. Koopman received a letter from Princeton as well as several other Ivy League schools, and the Tigers began to show the most interest. It took one visit to the campus for Koopman to make his choice.
"I pretty much knew Princeton was the place for me," Koopman says. "It was just because of the total package it offered. They had the great football tradition, especially on defense. From an education aspect, it just seemed like a perfect situation since I wanted to be a premed major."
Koopman broke into the starting lineup last fall and was the third-leading tackler on the team with 62. But while Koopman enjoyed a season filled with impressive individual numbers, the Tigers finished at 3-7. Roger Hughes took over as Princeton's head coach and made several changes to the coaching staff. Two of the defensive coaches remained, however, and Koopman is happy that little has changed on his side of the field.
"I think Coach Hughes had a lot of respect for our defensive coaches," says Koopman. "There really hasn't been that many changes on the defense. Everything has basically stayed the same as far as our schemes."
The Tigers lost three of their first five games, but all three defeats came at the hands of teams from the Patriot League. Last fall Princeton suffered its first league loss on opening day. This year the Tigers enter late October with a chance to win the Ivy League.
Koopman is planning on going to medical school after graduation. He is hoping his final year will be a memorable one, but he and the rest of his senior teammates also want to make sure the foundation is set for future Princeton teams.
"That's the way it's always been here," Koopman says. "That's the way it was for the players before me. You learn the way the Princeton defense is supposed to be run. It's part of my responsibility to make sure the tradition gets carried on."
by Ed Benkin