Class of 2001 leads Yale football Renaissance

When Yale's football recruits arrived in New Haven in 1996, the Bulldogs were in the midst of their fifth straight Ivy League losing season, which ended with their second straight loss to Harvard and Coach Carm Cozza's retirement. It seemed like Yale, with an all-time record of 783-284, would reach the 300-loss milestone long before it won its 800th game.

Four years later, thanks to the Class of 2001, Yale football has returned to Ivy prominence. In 1998, they helped the Bulldogs to a second-place finish in the Ancient Eight, and last year they led the team to a league co-championship, capped off by their second straight victory over Harvard. This year, the 24 players of the Class of 2001, guided by captain Peter Mazza, JE '01, (see page 4) led the Bulldogs to a third straight winning season, one that included Yale's 800th win—a mark they reached weeks before they lost their 300th game. The following five seniors have played starring roles throughout the season.

Eric Johnson, JE '01
WR/P, 6'3", 225 lbs., Needham, Mass.

Only 29 seconds remain in the 1999 Yale-Harvard game, and Yale trails 21-17. The Bulldogs have driven down the field to Harvard's four-yard line. The Yale Bowl crowd of 52,484 holds its collective breath as quarterback Joe Walland, TD '00, drops back to pass and fires the ball into the middle of the end zone. The ball hits off the hands of a Harvard lineman and careens toward the turf, when, out of nowhere, Johnson dives for it and makes an acrobatic fingertip grab, putting Yale ahead for good and clinching the Ivy League Championship. The play is instantly immortalized in Yale football lore as "The Catch."

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Eric Johnson (21), JE '01, has shined in his second identity as a punter, while Than Merrill (8), JE '01, is Yale's top pro prospect.

But one play does not a game, or career, make; indeed, Johnson has distinguished himself as the most prolific receiver Yale has ever seen. In that 1999 Game, Johnson smashed Eli single-game records by hauling in 21 catches for 244 yards, surpassing the previous marks of 13 and 188. His 21 receptions were also an Ivy League mark. Johnson owns the Yale records for single-season receptions (73), single-season receiving yardage (874), career receptions (168), career receiving yardage (2034), single-season receiving touchdowns (12), and career receiving touchdowns (21).

As if his exploits catching the ball were not enough, Johnson was named second-team All-Ivy both as a receiver and a punter in 1999. Johnson also excels in the classroom, and last year he was named a first-team GTE Academic All-American.

Than Merrill, JE '01
DB, 6'3", 220 lbs., Fresno, Calif.

Merrill began his collegiate career at Stanford, where he—once a high-school All-Far West quarterback—was switched to safety. Thankfully for the Bulldog faithful, however, Merrill transferred to Yale prior to his sophomore season. Merrill is generally considered to be the best professional prospect on the 2000 Bulldogs because of his size and ferocious hitting ability.

After a sophomore campaign in which he amassed 69 tackles, Merrill was a first-team All-Ivy performer in 1999, leading the team with 77 tackles and intercepting four passes. While he has had to miss a few games this year due to an ankle sprain, he will be able to play at full force in The Game. Merrill's best performance at Yale came in the Bulldogs' heartbreaking loss to Brown last season, a game in which he totaled 10 tackles and an interception.

"Than, pretty much from the day he stepped on campus, has been an impact player for us," said Yale coach Jack Siedlecki.

Rashad Bartholomew, MC '01
RB, 6'0", 215 lbs., Palos Verdes, Calif.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Rashad Bartholomew, MC '01, has a knack for making tacklers miss.

Bartholomew transferred to Yale from the Air Force Academy as a sophomore in 1998, and quickly established himself as one of the preeminent tailbacks in the Ivy League. His 4.49 time in the 40-yard dash and knack for finding holes in the line propelled him to first-team All-Ivy status as a rookie, a campaign that saw him rush 213 times for 942 yards and four touchdowns. As a junior, he rushed 214 times for 841 yards and 10 touchdowns and was named second-team All-Ivy.

Despite being slowed by foot and ankle injuries in recent weeks, Bartholomew has had his best season at Yale in 2000. In the first contest of the season, versus Dayton, Bartholomew had the third-best rushing day ever for a Yale back, amassing 201 yards on the ground. In The Game, Bartholomew is in position to move up in the school record books. He starts the day with 2,896 career rushing yards, just 52 behind Dick Jauron's, PC '73, record of 2,947. Had he not been forced to miss time in three games because of his injuries, he would probably have entered The Game with a chance to catch Rich Diana's, TD '82, single-season rushing mark of 1,442 yards; as it stands, he will need to rumble for a miraculous total of 329 yards to earn that honor. Bartholomew is also fourth in career rushing touchdowns with 23 (John Pagliaro, TD '78, leads with 34), and he will try to pass Rudy Green's, BK '75, 24 to reach third on that list.

Mike Murawczyk, MC '01
PK, 6'2", 195 lbs., Cherry Hill, NJ

Yale's kicking game has faltered somewhat this season and has not been helped by the fact that Murawczyk has gone through what, for him, has been an off year. Entering the season, Murawczyk had connected on 24 straight field goals from inside 40 yards, but he is only five of 11 this year from that distance and seven of 15 overall. He also missed a last-second 32-yard field goal versus Cornell earlier this season that would have won the game for the Elis; they lost 24-23.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Mike Murawczyk (99), MC '01, is Yale's second all-time leading scorer; Todd Tomich (17), TC '01, holds numerous Bulldog records.

"He hasn't had a great year," said Yale Coach Jack Siedlecki of Murawczyk, "but he's had a great career." Murawczyk ranks among the best to ever play his position for Yale. He holds the school records for most career field goals (34), most field goals in a season (13), and most PATs in a career (93). He is just nine points shy of breaking John Pagliaro's, TD '73, career scoring record of 204—a mark that he will try to best in The Game. In 1999, Murawczyk was named first-team All-Ivy and All-New England and became the first two-time All-Ivy Yale kicker in history. The highlight of his career came in the 1998 Game, in which he hit a 27-yard field goal with three minutes left to lift the Bulldogs to a 9-7 win. He also kicked a career-best 44-yard field goal in the 1999 Harvard game.

Todd Tomich, TC '01
DB/PR, 5'11", 175 lbs., Long Beach, Calif.

Tomich was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1997, and his performance throughout his career has cemented his position as one of the best defensive backs ever to take the field in the Yale Bowl. Tomich holds five Yale records as a cornerback and punt returner. With his 13th career interception, which came in 1999, Tomich broke Van-deveer Kirk's, TD '48, 52 year-old mark for career picks. Tom-ich's tally now stands at 16. This season, in a 31-27 win over Holy Cross, Tomich's 99 punt-return yards broke Yale's 42-year-old single-game record of 94. He also topped the 63-year old record of 770 career punt-return yards in that game.

Tomich was selected as the preseason Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year by Lindy's magazine and was named a preseason Division I-AA All-American by The Sports Network. The cornerback is also vying for his third All-Ivy selection. Tomich is a big-game player—he had a career-high 13 tackles in the 1998 Game—and he will look to add to his interceptions record against Harvard quarterback Neil Rose '02 in The Game.

"Todd is one of those guys that has lived up to all expectations," Yale Coach Jack Siedlecki said. "He's probably as competitive a kid as we have."

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