.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
2006 Football Team Gets Ivy Championship Rings
March 09, 2007 | Football, General
The 2006 Ivy League champion Princeton football team gathered together Friday afternoon in the Class of 1956 Lounge for a day it worked years to earn. The Tigers, once picked to finish sixth among its Ivy rivals, carried their fans on one of the most dramatic rides in program history and left with both a 9-1 record and the Ivy League title. That title was presented in the form of magnificent championship rings, which the players were able to receive the same way they earned them - together.
Head coach Roger Hughes began the ceremony with a few remarks; he congratulated the team, especially the senior class, for their success in 2006 and reminded them all about the importance of togetherness. "This ring," he said, "symbolizes the love we have for each other in this room."
From there, position coaches handed out the rings to their respective players, who excitedly opened the boxes and tried on their newest piece of jewelry. Teammates took turns taking pictures of their rings and their teammates' rings, and each position gathered for a group shot around the league championship trophy and the Bushnell Cup, the Ivy League Player of the Year award won by senior quarterback Jeff Terrell.
Princeton won the 2006 Ivy League title by winning six league games, including its first season-ending three-game win streak since 1966. The two most dramatic wins came during that stretch, a 31-30 overtime win against Penn and a 34-31 comeback win at Yale. Princeton clinched the title at home with a 27-17 victory over Dartmouth; it was the same place Princeton rallied to defeat preseason Ivy favorite and formerly unbeaten Harvard 31-28.
Of course, those wins were only part of the dramatic season, which included the program's first bonfire since 1994, an ESPNU-televised 17-3 victory over defending league champion Brown and a last-play 27-26 overtime victory at Colgate. There was also the home-opening 26-14 victory over 2006 Patriot League champion Lafayette, the first played on the new FieldTurf surface.
The nine wins was the most for Princeton since Hall of Famer Cosm Iacavazzi led the Tigers to a 9-0 season in 1964, and it was Princeton's first Ivy League championship season since 1995.
Hughes also had one more message for his returning players, who begin preseason camp at the end of the month; he waved both hands, showing off several naked fingers, and reminded them both of what it took to get one ring, and what he hopes they are ready to do to win several more.