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Princeton University Athletics
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100 Fast Facts To Get You Ready For The 2007 Princeton Football Season
August 21, 2007 | Football
As the defending Ivy League champion Princeton Tigers, ranked 25th in the preseason FCS coaches poll, prepare for the 2007 season, here are 100 quick facts about this team - from the players to the coaches and the schedule - to assist you in your own preparation of another season of Tiger football.
100 Fast Facts Before 2007
1. Princeton has won back-to-back Ivy League titles once (1963-1964).
2. The last time Princeton won the Ivy League title (1995), it won three games the next season.
3. In the last century of Tiger football, Princeton has won 18 games over the span of two seasons once (1950-1951). It has won 17 games twice (1951-1952 and 1964-1965).
4. Head coach Roger Hughes is the only coach in Ivy League history to improve three straight teams by at least two wins.
5. Roger Hughes is the only coach in Princeton history to improve the team's winning percentage in five of six seasons.
6. Princeton enters a season on a three-game win streak for the first time since 1967.
7. After losing five straight season openers, Princeton has won each of its last three.
8. Princeton is the only Ivy League team to debut in both the Sports Media Entertainment and College Sports Network national Top 25 poll.
9. Princeton didn't receive a single first-place vote in the preseason Ivy League media poll.
10. Princeton was picked to finish sixth in each of the last two Ivy League media polls; the Tigers went a combined 16-4 in those seasons and finished second and first, respectively.
11. Princeton went undefeated at home last season for the first time since 1993. The Tigers have not lost a game on the new Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.
12. Princeton will play its first-ever game against Hampton this season. The Pirates have reached the NCAA postseason in each of the last three seasons.
13. Senior linebacker Tim Boardman led Princeton with 52 tackles last season.
14. Sophomore placekicker Matt Lichtenstein only had one field goal attempt last season, but it proved to be the winning points in the Ivy League championship-clinching win against Dartmouth.
15. After missing last season with an injury, junior defensive back Barry Newell is healthy entering the 2007 preseason.
16. After moving from tight end last preseason, second-year starter Brendon Swisher is now the senior member of the Princeton offensive line.
17. Sophomore Kenny Gunter, one of Princeton's most explosive athletes, moved from quarterback to running back during the 2007 spring camp.
18. Princeton Stadium will have a brand new video scoreboard for the 2007 season.
19. Princeton will play on ESPNU for the second straight season when it hosts Cornell Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. The Tigers defeated Brown 17-3 on ESPNU last season.
20. Junior lineman Tom Methvin, who has spent vacation time rebuilding houses for, among others, Hurricane Katrina victims, made the game-saving tackle in overtime at Colgate last season.
21. Senior Bill Foran needs one passing score to become the first Princeton player to run for a touchdown, throw for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass during the Roger Hughes era.
22. Bill Foran enters the 2007 preseason as the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart.
23. Junior Adam Berry is 2-0 in the head-to-head series with twin brother and Harvard starting defensive back Andrew.
24. Senior and starting linebacker Jon Stem will serve as a 2007 co-captain. He is the 10th linebacker captain at Princeton in the last 13 years.
25. Offensive coordinator Dave Rackovan has won Ivy League titles at three places ? Princeton (2006), Dartmouth (1992, 1996) and Penn (1986, 1988).
26. Defensive backs coach Eric Jackson has coached three first-team All-Ivy players in the last two seasons ? Jay McCareins (2005), J.J. Artis (2006) and Tim Strickland (2006).
27. Princeton's longest losing streak against a 2007 opponent is one (Cornell). The last time Princeton entered a season without at least a two-game losing streak to any opponent was 1997.
28. Princeton has had six players in NFL camps in the last three seasons, including 2006 Ivy League Player of the Year Jeff Terrell, who is currently with the Kansas City Chiefs.
29. Sophomore Fernando Aran was selected as one of five recipients for the prestigious National Young American Award by the Advisory Council of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America.
30. Senior Kevin Kelleher ended each of Harvard's final two drives with interceptions in a 31-28 Princeton win last season.
31. Junior Billy Mitchell caught a fourth-down touchdown pass in the 19-6 win at Columbia in 2006.
32. Senior Brendan Circle is Princeton's lone returning first-team All-Ivy selection from last season.
33. Brendan Circle needs 11 touchdown catches this season to tie Derek Graham for the Princeton career record (19). He needs eight to tie Kevin Guthrie for second and five to tie Kevin Duffy for third.
34. Former Bushnell Cup winner and Ivy League champion quarterback Jason Garrett '89 is now the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
35. Powers Field, named in honor of alumnus William C. Powers '79, who made a $10 million gift to Princeton football, will be officially dedicated Nov. 10 when Princeton takes on Yale.
36. Defensive coordinator Steve Verbit, who returns three starters from his impressive 2006 defensive line, is the longest-tenured coach on the Princeton staff. This will be his 23rd season with the Orange and Black.
37. Jordan Munde caught his first career pass for a touchdown in the Ivy championship-clinching 27-17 win over Dartmouth last season.
38. Princeton will play a pair of games on CN8, The Comcast Network, Oct. 6 against Hampton and Nov. 3 at Penn.
39. Princeton has players from 27 states, including 14 from Pennsylvania, 12 from New Jersey and 11 from California. Alaska and Hawaii are both represented as well.
40. Incoming freshman Harry Flaherty is the nephew of Princeton legends John, Jason and Judd Garrett.
41. This year will mark the 100th meeting between Princeton and Harvard. Princeton leads the all-time series 52-40-7.
42. Junior Matt Koch, a returning starter on the defensive line, was a state champion weightlifter at Nease High in Florida.
43. New tight end coach Adam Hollis worked with head coach Roger Hughes on the 1999 Dartmouth football staff.
44. In 2006, Mark Paski became the first Princeton player to start every game of his freshman season on the offensive line. He was coached by Gregg Perry, who had three freshmen playing varsity late in the season.
45. Senior Evan O'Reilly competed for the U.S. team in the 2005 International Softball Federation Junior Men's World Championship in Canada.
46. Junior Ryan Pritchard has served as long snapper for every punt and field goal attempt during his career.
47. Princeton has won four straight overtime contests, including two last season (Colgate and Penn).
48. Princeton has played 600 consecutive minutes with neither a lead nor a deficit greater than 14 points.
49. Roger Hughes needs one win to stand alone in fifth place on the all-time Princeton coaching win list. Bill Roper leads with 89.
50. Princeton has won seven of its last eight road games.
51. Blake Williams, a potential starter at safety this season, is the son of Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
52. Pat McGrath made a game-saving tackle in the second overtime to give Princeton its memorable 31-30 victory over Penn.
53. Junior Ryan Coyle, the likely replacement for Colin McDonough, was an all-state punter at the nearby Lawrenceville School.
54. Incoming freshman defensive lineman Matt Boyer turned down 14 full scholarship offers, including ones from the Big Ten, ACC and Big East.
55. Veteran linebackers coach Don Dobes will be seeing a familiar face in the locker room the next four seasons. His son, Kevin, is an incoming defensive back.
56. Sophomores J.P. Makrai and Mark Paski shared the Donold B. Lourie Award as the top offensive freshmen in 2006.
57. Junior Connor Louden was a perfect 25-for-25 on extra point attempts last season.
58. Junior R.C. Lagomarsino was Princeton's leading rusher last season with 451 yards, including a season-best 98 at Columbia.
59. Junior Pete Buchignani is Princeton's only returning defensive player to earn All-Ivy honors in 2006.
60. Freshmen John Callahan and Dan Kopolovich shared the 2006 Harland “Pink” Baker '22 Award as the team's top defensive freshmen last season.
61. The Oct. 13 showdown between Princeton and Brown will pit the Ivy League's last two champions as well as its two most recent 9-1 teams.
62. In the last two historic Princeton-Yale games, the team that won has led for a combined 8:23, been tied for 29:05 and trailed for 82:32.
63. In its last trip to Dartmouth, Princeton recorded its first shutout, 30-0, since the 1999 season (Fordham).
64. Senior Adam Flynn, a potential starter on the offensive line last season before injuries kept him out for the year, is healthy for the start of the 2007 preseason.
65. Wide receivers coach Scott Sallach, who helped Brendan Circle to one of the best seasons in Princeton history in 2006, was the best man at tight ends coach Adam Hollis' wedding.
66. Junior defensive back Tom Hurley recorded his first career interception in the 31-28 win over Harvard last season.
67. Princeton peaked at No. 15 in the national polls last season. It was the Tigers' first time in the national Top 25 since 1993.
68. Princeton will be appearing on the YES Network for the sixth straight year this season when it takes on Yale Nov. 10. Princeton is 4-3 on YES, including three-point wins in each of the last two years.
69. Junior Pete Ploszek led Princeton in kickoff returns last season with 13 for an average of 18.8 yards; he also made the key block on Jay McCareins' 93-yard kick return in 2005 at Harvard.
70. Junior Doori Song was second among all returning players with 44 tackles and six tackles for loss last season.
71. Co-captain Brendan Circle led the Ivy League last season with 83.5 receiving yards per game.
72. Senior running back Rob Toresco has recorded at least 70 all-purpose yards in 13 of his last 20 games and scored a touchdown in nine of them.
73. Rob Toresco scored the final touchdown of last season, a three-yard run that iced the Ivy League championship in a 27-17 win over Dartmouth.
74. Senior Greg Mroz, who will compete for the quarterback job, is the youngest of three brothers. His oldest brother David played quarterback at Princeton, and his middle brother Jeff played quarterback at Yale.
75. Sophomore defensive back Cart Kelly starred in the 2006 show “Summer House” on ESPNU, where he joined five other Division I recruits in a house run by former NFL Pro Bowler Chris Spielman.
76. Junior Will Thanheiser made his only catch count last season; he caught a 14-yard scoring pass against Lafayette in the season-opening win.
77. Princeton has won 17 of its last 21 games.
78. Princeton has not been shut out in a span of 77 games, which includes the entire 69-game tenure of Roger Hughes.
79. Princeton has won five of its last six home openers.
80. Princeton has won seven of its last nine nonleague games.
81. Freshman Brett Kan, an incoming quarterback, is the son of former Dartmouth and NFL quarterback Darryl Kan.
82. Roger Hughes has coached 24 first-team All-Ivy selections, including five last season.
83. Roger Hughes was a 2006 finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award in Division I-AA, now called the Football Championship Subdivision.
84. Princeton games will be broadcast on 103.3 WPRB FM this season and audio streamed for free on GoPrincetonTigers.com. Ed Benkin returns for his seventh year as Princeton's play-by-play man.
85. Princeton didn't allow a fourth-quarter point in seven games last season and allowed only a field goal in an eighth game.
86. Princeton's sweep of Harvard and Yale was its first since 1994; it earned the first bonfire on Cannon Green in 13 years.
87. Senior Jake Staser caught touchdown passes against both Penn and Harvard last season; the Tigers won those two games by a combined four points.
88. Head coach Roger Hughes and coordinators Dave Rackovan and Steve Verbit, along with Eric Jackson and Don Dobes, are working on their eighth year together.
89. Sophomore offensive lineman Marc Daou is the younger brother of former offensive lineman Paul Daou.
90. Defensive line coach Matt Borich coached two All-Ivy linemen last season (Jake Marshall and Pete Buchignani).
91. First-year defensive assistant E.J. Henderson was part of the national championship staff at Mt. Union in 2002.
92. Princeton, which has won six of seven Ivy openers under Roger Hughes, will open the league schedule Sept. 29 against Columbia.
93. Princeton will be looking to sweep the Lehigh-Lafayette series for the second straight season; the last time Princeton went 4-0 against the two teams in a two-year span was 1992-93.
94. The longest-running series in Ivy League football is between Princeton and Yale. They will meet for the 130th time this season; the only collegiate rivalry that has lasted longer is Lehigh-Lafayette (143rd meeting this season).
95. Senior co-captain Brendan Circle was a 2006 Academic All-Ivy selection.
96. Princeton has averaged exactly six wins per season in the year following an Ivy League championship.
97. The Princeton Class of 2008 has a career record of 21-9.
98. The Princeton Class of 2009 has a career record of 16-4.
99. The Princeton Class of 2010 has a career record of 9-1.
100. The 2007 Princeton football team began camp Aug. 22.