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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Feature Story: Football's Dan Kopolovich Is Back As A Back
September 21, 2009 | Football
(story taken from The Citadel game program)
There are several abstract terms that coaches and players talk about when trying to predict the ultimate success of their season. Words like chemistry, dedication and desire are familiar to football fans, even if it is difficult to assign them to certain plays or players.
Another familiar term is sacrifice. Its physical description wears the number 18 today and will play in the defensive backfield. That followed his entry to Princeton as a quarterback, his move to defense, his possible return to quarterback, his move back to defense, his in-season move to quarterback and, finally, his current position on the defense.
Dan Kopolovich, whose physical gifts could have made him an All-Ivy player had he stayed in one spot for four years, proved to be an
All-America teammate when Princeton needed him most. His sacrifices were not team-first; they were team-only.
“Dan is a natural leader and an all-state quarterback,” head coach Roger Hughes said of Kopolovich, one of his six senior starters on the defense today. “He is a very competitive and very unselfish teammate. He just wants to play and help the team.”
It's not a surprising quality, considering where Kopolovich was raised. In Western Pennsylvania, football is far more than a school social activity on Friday nights; it is far more than three hours of towel-waving on Sundays. Football is a way of life, and when your father is a football coach, it becomes a deep part of who you are.
“It's not just a game to me,” Kopolovich said. “It teaches a lot of life lessons. You have to learn to thrive under pressure.”
As the starting quarterback at McKeesport high school, Kopolovich handled the pressure like a champion. In fact, he handled it as a champion; his play at quarterback led the powerhouse program to a state title during his senior year. His highlight film showed his skills in the option offense, where he rushed for more than 1,500 yards and threw for more than 1,000 as a senior.
“I probably tricked some people with that video,” he said with a small grin. “I might have thrown the ball three times a game, and everybody was caught off guard.”
Still, he was a highly touted quarterback, and after feeling a strong level of comfort with both the players and coaches here, he chose Princeton. A week and a half into camp, he was called into Hughes' office for a private meeting and an important decision.
With Jeff Terrell firmly locked in as the 2006 starting quarterback, Kopolovich's best chance to travel (the most realistic goal for any freshman player) was to move to defensive back. Despite missing days of practices and meetings with his new defensive teammates, Kopolovich impressed quickly enough that he was part of the defensive back rotation immediately.
With J.J. Artis all but locking down one side of the field, Kopolovich and Tom Hurley rotated on the other side. While he may not have been fully comfortable with all of the schemes yet, Kopolovich handled some of the most pressure-packed football games this decade and came away with his second championship in as many years.
He was a full-time starter at defensive back his sophomore season, but there would be no third straight title. And with two seniors handling the quarterback position that season, there was a major question looming for 2008.
“Before that season, Coach Hughes asked me if I would be willing to switch positions,” Kopolovich said. “I told him if the team needed it, I would be more than willing.”
Kopolovich competed with then-senior Brian Anderson in the preseason for the quarterback position, a job ultimately won by Anderson. A player as athletically gifted as Kopolovich can't spend 60 minutes each Saturday holding a clipboard, so he was moved back to the defensive backfield; the caveat was he was only one hit away from moving back to quarterback.
That hit came against Brown, and by the following week, he was helping lead Princeton to a near-upset of Harvard.
“It did remind me a little bit of high school,” Kopolovich said. “I enjoyed it. You have to enjoy it while you're playing.”
Anderson eventually returned, albeit still injured, and Kopolovich tried to split time in practice and film sessions on both sides of the ball. In the end, his defensive productivity suffered. Immediately after the season, Hughes told him he appreciated the sacrifices of the past season; he also told him that he would be a full-time defensive back in 2009.
Of course, Kopolovich will still move around. With experience at both safety and cornerback, as well as younger players who could earn time at both spots, Kopolovich could play any position in the backfield this season.
“He is physical enough to play safety and nimble enough to play corner,” Hughes said. “There is a greater maturity in his game now. He knows the defense, knows where to go and doesn't get down on himself if he misses a play.”
A quiet, humble player, Kopolovich has also worked on becoming a better communicator this season. The coaches need him to be more than just an on-the-field leader right now.
“His work ethic is so well respected in the locker room,” Hughes said. “I told him to utilize his leadership to make his younger teammates better too.”
If they are smart, they'll learn the same lessons from Football 101 that made Kopolovich the player and the teammate he is today. And hopefully the champion he will once again be.