Princeton University Athletics
PRIDE BOWL '99
June 16, 2000 | General
This article originally appeared in the Newark Star-Ledger, Oct. 17, 1999.
After a 10-year exile, the Pride Bowl returned to its Newark home yesterday to a sold-out Riverfront Stadium and a variety of bragging rights up for grabs.
For sports fans, Army's 31-0 win over Princeton was a showdown between [sprint] football teams from two illustrious schools.
For hundreds of high school students, the Pride Bowl was a test of skill, talent and showmanship as Weequahic High School marching band battled its South Ward rival, the Malcolm X Shabazz High School.
And for the city of Newark, it was a day that raised $150,000 for scholarships, tutoring and after-school programs aimed at getting kids to college.
"This is more than sports," said Essex County Freeholder President Joseph DiVincenzo, the longtime Project Pride game director. "This is about the whole rebirth of the city of Newark."
Princeton head coach Bob Dipipi, who collapsed into unconsciousness after practice Saturday, remained at The Medical Center at Princeton yesterday. Susan DiMartino, the hospital's administrative coordinator, said Dipipi was resting comfortably and awaiting more tests.
Since its founding 21 years ago by Star-Ledger sportswriter Jerry Izenberg, Project Pride has raised $2.5 million for inner-city youth, said DiVincenzo. The nonprofit group funds the state's largest recreation program and offers after-school and college-preparatory programs, as well as college scholarships.
The festivities began before the game yesterday when students from 21 Newark schools paraded around the field, christened this summer for the Newark Bears baseball team. The Pride Bowl, which pitted Princeton University against Army, was the first football game played at Riverfront Stadium.
The Pride Bowl was forced to leave Newark 10 years ago when the grandstand at an aging College Stadium was condemned. Since then, it has become a road show, traveling from town to town.
During yesterday's parade, grammar schools competed for the prizes of best school banner and best marching contingent. Students from one school wore colorful smocks made by the school art teacher, while others pranced in T-shirts printed with their school logos.
"I grew up in Newark and I can't remember coming to anything like this," said grand marshal Camelia Valdez, a 1989 Project Pride scholarship recipient who is now a deputy attorney general. "This shows a generation of people that there are positive things happening in Newark and positive things happening with Newark school children," said Valdez.
For the 40 students from the Oliver Street School band, the parade was a welcome chance to play a rousing version of "We Will Rock You."
Jose Mpinho, a 13-year-old bass drum player from the Ironbound section, let the band to a trophy for best overall presentation. "We got to win something for our school," he said. "It gives us pride because we know we can do something."
by Kimberly Brown
reprinted with permission from the Newark Star-Ledger
PROJECT PRIDE
October 26, 1999
Mr. Gary Walters
Director of Athletics
Princeton University
PO Box 71
Jadwin Gymnasium
Princeton, New Jersey 08544-0071
Dear Gary:
I cannot begin to express my gratitude not only for the Princeton sprint football team's participation in Pride Bowl XXI, but also for the way your players and your administration embraced our kids on every level preceding and after the game.
I think it's important to make you aware of what I consider to be the strong emotional parallels between the young men who play on the sprint football team and the children of Project Pride. In the former case, these are athletes who have been told they are too small, too skinny, too short to play football on an advanced level. In the case of our kids they are often told they are too black, too Latino, too unsupervised at home and just too "inner city" to succeed in life. All both of these groups are doing is to over-achieve when they were told they could not achieve at all.
Both you and Army have already agreed to play in Pride Bowl XXII. We look forward to that. I must also add my deepest appreciation for the job Kevin Donovan did. In every respect he helped make this game the success it was.
I want to personally thank you on behalf of the 5000 Newark youngsters in our varied activities and to make you aware that in addition to the largest after-school recreational program in the state, and academic activities that run the gamut from elementary school reading and science on up to SAT prep courses, this year Project Pride should pass the 700 mark of youngsters earning college scholarships.
Since we do not take federal or state funds and rely heavily on this game to keep our program alive, I personally would like you to know how much your continued participation means.
With deepest gratitude,
Jerry Izenberg, President