Beyond the bowl: past Yalies make the bigtime

By Peter Smith

What do William Taft's, class of 1900, great-great-grandfather; Vanessa Kerry's, PC '98, father; and baseball great Ty Cobb's son all have in common? Not only did they graduate from the hallowed halls of Yale University, but they all made their mark in the world of Yale sports and went on to become famous in one way or another.

Many great people have passed through the walls of this incredible institution throughout the centuries since Yale's founding. People often think of President Bill Clinton, LAW '73, or actress Jodie Foster, CC '85, as the "famous" alumni of Yale, but the achievements of other alumni who have distinguished themselves are numerous.

In particular, hundreds of people played sports at Yale and then proceeded to the pros, or gave up their sport to become famous in another area, making use of the skills they had honed on Eli playing fields.

Anyone who knows anything about the history of football would certainly recognize the name of Yale alum Walter Camp. A graduate of the Class of 1890, Camp is known to many as "The Father of American Football." He combined rugby and soccer into a new game, creating many of the rules, such as the 10-yard and four-down systems, that are still in place. If not for him, football might not exist at all.

His contributions to the game paved the way for other alums, such as John Fencik, SM '76, and Mike McCaskey, MC '65, both of whom played football at Yale. Fencik moved on to play for the Chicago Bears, while McCaskey became President of the Chicago organization. Before them, however, there was William "Pudge" Heffelfinger of the class of 1891, who was the first football player ever to earn money for his contributions on the field. In the early to mid-1890s, he was paid $500 to play for an athletic club in Pennsylvania.

Two of the first players to win the Heisman Trophy in football also graduated from Yale. Larry Kelley, TC '37, won the second Heisman ever, and teammate Clint Frank, '38, won the third. A few years before them, however, there was a 140-pound star named Albert "Albie" Booth, '32. Many consider Booth to be one of the best football players ever to play for Yale. Finally, Yale was represented in the first Super Bowl when Chuck Mercein, SY '65, who played for both the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants during his career, took the field with the Packers team.

One of the most famous coaches to ever come through Yale, Amos Alonzo Stagg of the class of 1888, coached football at the University of Chicago for over 50 years. Besides inventing the modern form of the batting cage, he also played football for Yale and was honored as an All-American in 1889. In fact, the 1889 team was the first All-American team ever assembled.

Few alumni have had as much influence on athletics as the aforementioned people, however, many other Yalies went on to professional careers in their respective sports. Chris Dudley, TC '87, played Eli basketball before joining the Portland Trailblazers. Although he never graduated, Ron Darling, DC '82, played Bulldog baseball before pitching for the New York Mets and the Oakland A's. In addition, John Reed Kilpatrick, '11, played hockey for Yale and the New York Rangers before becoming the President of Madison Square Garden.Randy Wood, PC '86, plays hockey for the New York Islanders.

Eddie Eagen, '21, has placed his name in the record books as the first and only Olympic athlete ever to win a gold medal in both the summer and winter games. Captain of the boxing team at Yale during his undergrad years, he proceeded to win a gold medal in the Summer Olympics for boxing in 1926. Then, in 1932, he won a gold medal in the winter games for the bobsled race.

Some recent Yale graduates are hoping to follow similar paths. Dave Feuerstein, SY '95, is currently in the minor leagues of the Colorado Rockies baseball organization and hopes to make it one day into the majors.

Football captain Chris Hetherington, JE '96, hockey captain John Emmons, SY '96, and baseball captain Dan Thompson were drafted by the Kansas City Bengals, the Detroit Red Wings, and Milwalkee Brewers, respectively.

Some alumni played sports at Yale but went on to become famous in another arena of life. George Bush, DC '48, was the captain of the Yale baseball team in1948 before realizing his calling in the political world. In addition, William Howard Taft of the class of 1878 wrestled at Yale before his presidency, during which time he began the tradition of a President throwing out the first ball at a baseball game. John Kerry, JE '66, played soccer before enlisting in the military and eventually being elected to the US Senate, and Cyrus Vance, BK '39, played hockey before going on to become the Secretary of State.

Although women's sports have not been around as long as men's, several women athletes have gone on to successful careers in other fields. Jessica Yu, PC '87, who fenced at Yale, recently won an Academy Award for one of her films. In addition, Susan Morse, CC '74, and Lawrie Mifflin, SY '73, were teammates on the field hockey team before proceeding to their respective careers as a film editor for Woody Allen and as an editor for the New York Times.

So while you are at Yale, stop and think before you call anyone a "dumb jock." They just may wind up as the next Babe Ruth, or President of the United States.

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