Sept. 18, 2001
Audio from Lafayette's weekly media luncheon:
- Lafayette Coach Frank Tavani
- Penn Coach Al Bagnoli
- Senior DL Phil Burger
- Senior DB Jeff Werrell
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LAFAYETTE VS. PENN
Saturday, Sept. 22, 2001 - 1:37 p.m. EDT
Fisher Field (13,750 / Natural Grass)
Easton, Pennsylvania
TV: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-4 & WBPH-60)
The Game
- The Lafayette football team looks to rebound from a season and Patriot League opening overtime loss at Towson when it hosts preseason Ivy League favorite Pennsylvania this Saturday at the Leopards' Fisher Field. Kickoff is set for 1:37 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on television (Lafayette Sports Network - RCN-4 and WBPH-60), on radio (WEST-AM 1400, pre-game show starting at noon), and on the internet (www.lafayette.edu).
- The Penn game is unexpectedly the Leopards' second contest of the young season as Lafayette president Arthur J. Rothopf '55 elected to postpone or cancel all athletic competition for Lafayette athletic teams last Tuesday through Sunday because of the tragic events in New York City, Washington D.C. and Somerset County, Pa. last Tuesday.
- Thanks to Circle Systems of Easton, Pa., the Leopards will be wearing an American flag on the back of their helmets to honor those who are dead or missing in the aftermath of last Tuesday's terrorist attacks.
- The Quakers are the second of four teams Lafayette faces in the 2001 season that play their home contests on an AstroTurf surface. The Leopards were 0-3 in 2000 on the turf and opened this season with a 16-13 overtime loss at Towson's Minnegan Stadium, a turf facility.
The Series
(81st Meeting) Lafayette and Pennsylvania have met 80 times on the gridiron, dating back to the first encounter in the 1882 season, the Leopards' first season of intercollegiate football. In fact, Penn was Lafayette's second opponent in its history. The two teams have met in Easton, Pa. 19 times, with the Quakers holding a 11-8 advantage. The largest margin of victory in the series was an 82-0 Penn win in Philadelphia during the 1893 season.
Media Information
"weather.com" forecast: Mostly sunny with a high of 71? and a low of 49?.
Radio: WEST (1400 AM ), 66th Season - Dick Hammer, play-by-play (35th season) - Mike Moore, color analyst (14th season)
Television: Lafayette Sports Network (RCN-TV 4 and WBPH TV-60 - over 5.2 million viewers) - Gary Laubach, play-by-play (5th season) - John Leone, color analyst (4th season) - Dan Mowdy, sidline reporter (1st season)
Internet: Live audio can be accessed by logging on to www.lafayette.edu
"Lafayette Sports Weekly": Half-hour radio show airs every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST from September through March and features head coach Frank Tavani as a regular guest during the season. Tune in to WEST (1400 AM) or listen to the audio webcast at www.lafayette.edu
Weekly Media Luncheons: Head coach Frank Tavani and at least two members of the team will address the media at noon each Tuesday during the season. Members of the media are invited to join Coach Tavani at Larry Holmes' Ringside Restaurant in downtown Easton.
Quotes: Written excerpts and digital audio files from the weekly Lafayette football media luncheon will be available by 5 p.m. each Tuesday. They can be obtained by calling Lafayette's Office of Athletic Communications or by logging on to the Lafayette Athletics Web site at www.lafayette.edu.
Interviews: All interview requests for Head Coach Frank Tavani and members of the team must be submitted to Lafayette's Office of Athletic Communications. No player interviews will be granted on game day until after the game.
The Head Coaches
The latest era in the proud history of Lafayette football began on Dec. 11, 1999, when Frank Tavani was named the 27th head football coach in the history of the program. Now in his second season at the helm of the Leopards, Tavani had been a top member of Lafayette's coaching staff for the previous 13 seasons. Tavani has a career record of 2-10 (.167). This is his first meeting with Penn in Easton as head coach of the Leopards and he is 0-1 vs. the Quakers.
Al Bagnoli (Central Connecticut State '75) is in his 10th season at Pennsylvania and 20th as a collegiate head coach. His overall career record stands at 145-49, including a mark of 59-20 at Penn. Bagnoli is 3-0 vs. Lafayette and 1-0 vs. the Leopards in Easton.
Pennsylvania Week Game Captain -- Matt Bourdon
The Lafayette coaching staff is naming a game captain each week of the 2001 season. This student-athlete will serve as a team captain the entire week of practice and at the game along with team captains Jim Brown (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg) and Barret Diefenderfer (Great Falls, Va./The Landon School). Senior linebacker Matt Bourdon (Jacksonville, Fla./De Matha) has been named the Pennsylvania week game captain.
The Touchdown May-ker -- The Sequel
Senior receiver Andrew May (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Ketcham), who established a new Lafayette record with his 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Leopards' win over Holy Cross last season, scored a touchdown nearly 20 percent of the time he touched the football during the 2000 season. The art major officially touched the ball 39 times, making 25 pass receptions for 482 yards, one rush for 11 yards, and 13 kickoff returns for 334 yards. Of those 39 "touches," seven resulted in touchdowns.
His touchdown efforts continued in the Leopards' 2001 season opener, as he returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. In addition, May caught six passes for 100 yards, his second career 100-yard receiving effort.
Leopard Injury Update
The current listing of Lafayette football injuries:
- Jeremy Burkes - probable (ankle sprain).
- Collin Crotty - out 1-2 weeks (mononucleosis).
- Michael Lewandos - doubtful (concussion).
- Casey McKeen - out 1-2 weeks (mononucleosis).
- Ryan Moloney - out for the season (cervical injury).
- Jorge Rosa - out indefinitely (dislocated shoulder).
- Paul Stack - out for the season (knee surgery).
Five Academic All-Americans Return to the Fold
Five Leopards, the most ever for a Lafayette football team, earned a spot on the 2000 Verizon District II Academic All-America squad. The quintet of Leopards, which led the Patriot League and consisted exclusively of underclassmen, included first-team honorees Kenya Allen (Imperial, Pa./West Allegheny) and Stewart Kupfer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh). Earning a nod on the second team were Jamie Anzalone (Shavertown, Pa./Wyoming Seminary), Herb Kennedy (Troy, N.Y./Troy), and Chad Ritchie (Winchester, Va./John Handley).
In addition, a record total of 10 Leopards earned a spot on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, which requires a minimum 3.20 grade point average and a varsity letter to qualify.
Local Ties
Lafayette has seven players who are from the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Leopard senior Philadelphians are FL Jim Dietz (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and TE Stewart Kupfer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh). Lafayette football's class of 2005 consisted of TB Joe McCourt (Philadelphia, Pa./Roman Catholic), the 2000 high school football player of the year in the city of Philadelphia and the recipient of the prestigious Jim Henry Maxwell Award.
Lafayette vs. the Ivy League
The Leopards have played 202 games against the eight members of the Ivy League, and are 56-139-7 (.294) in those contests. Lafayette vs. the members of the Ivy League:
Brown 3-8-0 Cornell 8-14-2 Harvard 2-4-0 Princeton 3-32-3Columbia 20-11-2 Dartmouth 2-6-0 Pennsylvania 18-58-0 Yale 0-6-0
2001 Team Captains
The 2001 Lafayette football team captains, as chosen by their teammates and coaching staff, are senior defensive lineman Barret Diefenderfer (Great Falls, Va./The Landon School) and senior offensive lineman Jim Brown (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg).
On This Date
The Leopards have played just seven games in their history on September 22, and are 3-4 in those contests. The ledger:
Year Result Opponent 1951 L, 12-6 Albright 1956 W, 26-0 at Muhlenberg 1962 W, 17-0 Muhlenberg 1973 L, 55-21 Colgate 1979 L, 16-13 at Davidson 1984 W, 16-3 Kutztown 1990 L, 18-17 at Yale
Iron Leopards
As a team, Lafayette had its strongest off-season in recent history, literally. More than 30 Leopards remained around campus throughout the summer to strength train in preparation for the 2001 season.
Crossing The Line
Several Leopards changed sides of the ball during the 2001 preseason, most notably co-captain Jim Brown (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Hollidaysburg). A defensive lineman for his first three seasons, Brown quickly agreed to the move in order to help the team because of the rash of injuries that has affected the Leopards' offensive line. Also changing positions were Stephen Bono (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands Regional), from DL to OL, Brian Carstens (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell), from DL to OL, Josh Keister (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan), from DL to OL, and Matt Kulp (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Central), from FB to LB.
Air Canada
Lafayette quarterback Marko Glavic (Pickering, Ontario/St. Mary Catholic) returns following a freshman campaign that saw him earn Patriot League, ECAC, and USATODAY.com Rookie of the Year honors. The seventh Lafayette player to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors, Glavic completed 159-of-297 passes for 1,964 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2000.
With another 200-yard passing performance in the Leopards' 2001 opener (18-of-35 for 244 yards), Glavic now has seven career 200-yard games in just nine starts.
Leopards Dominate the TV Airwaves ... Again!
The 2001 Lafayette College football season will see a Patriot League-best nine contests hit the television air waves via the Lafayette Sports Network. The Lafayette Sports Network, the most expansive television package in the Patriot League three years running, can be seen by more than 5.2 million viewers in the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, central New Jersey, New York City, and Boston. Locally, the telecasts are aired on RCN TV-4 and WBPH-TV 60, and can be seen on RCN Cable channels 4 and 60, Service Electric Cable channel 51, Suburban Cable channel 17, Blue Ridge Cable channel 5, and broadcast channel 60. Renowned local sports broadcaster Gary Laubach handles all of the Leopards' play-by-play duties for the fifth season. In his fourth full season of football broadcasts is John Leone, Lafayette's Director of Alumni Affairs, who provides color analysis. In his first season of handling sideline reports on the Leopards is Dan Mowdy.
National Recruiting Effort
Lafayette's first full year-round national recruiting effort yielded a strong Class of 2005 that featured 24 quality student-athletes from 10 different states. Six of those Leopards in this season's recruiting class are from the state of Florida.
Home Sweet Home
Erected in 1926, Lafayette College's Fisher Field is in its 76th season as the home of the Leopards, having played host to 358 Lafayette football games. Lafayette has recorded 12 undefeated home seasons at Fisher Field. The Leopards are 215-131-13 (.619) overall at Fisher Field.
All-Time Record
The Leopards are in their 120th football season, having played 1,129 games. Lafayette boasts an impressive all-time record of 590-500-39 (.540) and ranks 32nd on the nation's all-time victories list. Lafayette leads the Patriot League in all-time wins, with Lehigh the closest at 566.
In Overtime Games ...
Lafayette has now played five overtime games and are 1-4 in those contests. After winning the first overtime affair in 1995 over Fordham (24-21 on 11/11/95), the Leopards have lost their last four OT games.
Local Flavor - Nine Lehigh Valley Leopards
The 2000 Lafayette College football team boasts nine members from the Lehigh Valley. Consistently a prominent recruiter of top talent in the Lehigh Valley, Lafayette brought in three local freshmen this past recruiting year. The Lehigh Valley Leopards:
5 Vince Boyer (Jr./SE/Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua Area)
98 Pat Brown (So./DL/Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic)
7 Joel Cesare (So./WR/Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall)
46 Greg Gibbs (Fr./LB/Allentown, Pa./Salisbury)
18 John-Frank Stubits (Fr./DB/Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth)
29 Dave Walters (Fr./TB/Easton, Pa./Freedom/Wyoming Seminary)
4 Scott Warden (Sr./FB/Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks West)
9 Jeff Werrell (Sr./SE/Allentown, Pa./Salisbury)
62 Curt Wilson (So./OL/Northampton, Pa./Northampton)
A History of Championships
The Lafayette football program has claimed three national championships -- 1896, 1921 and 1926 -- and recorded five undefeated seasons -- 1896 (11-0-1), 1921 (9-0-0), 1926 (9-0-0), 1937(8-0-0) and 1940 (9-0-0). Of recent note, the Leopards have won Patriot League championships in 1988, 1992 and 1994.
Weekly Radio Show
Lafayette Sports Weekly, a comprehensive half-hour radio show will air live each Thursday at 7 p.m. from September through March on the Lafayette Sports Network's flagship radio station, WEST AM Stereo 1400, and online at www.lafayette.edu. WEST-AM sports director Dick Hammer will be joined each week by either Gary Laubach or John Leone, Lafayette Sports Network's television commentators, for an exciting half-hour exclusively devoted to Lafayette sports. Head football coach Frank Tavani will be a featured guest during the football season, while head men's basketball coach Fran O'Hanlon and head women's basketball coach Tammy Smith will be regulars during their teams' winter campaigns.
