From the Sidelines

A football player's tribute to the seniors

It is always hard for athletes to finish out a season, even when it ends in a thrilling victory and even if they are proud of all they have accomplished and love the game they play. Such is the case for this year's seniors on the Bulldog football team. They all have stories to tell about how they came to Yale—most at the very last minute, to a coaching staff that hadn't even had a chance to settle in. But the knowledge that if they hadn't come to Yale, they probably wouldn't be playing at all, has given the members of the senior class a true respect for the game they play. Every practice and workout has been more intense because the seniors have had the last four years to realize how lucky they have been to be able to suit up; that feeling of privilege has elevated our level of play and led us to success.

This year's seniors started their college careers with a mission—to prove everyone who had doubted them wrong. Yale football's new coaching staff hoped that its first recruiting class would lead the program back to glory, but they didn't have much talent to work with. But perhaps this is exactly the challenge they were meant for.This class proceeded to build a chip on its shoulder—even if it wasn't going to be the most talented group in Yale football's history, it could be and would be the hardest working.

Their dedication is one of the main reasons that our program sees at least 45 guys give up their summers in order to stay in New Haven and work out. This is the attitude that champions are made of and a huge part of why we have been so successful this season.

This mentality of working past natural abilities to achieve a goal also developed the Class of 2001's leadership abilities, which were crucial on and off the field this season. In the past two years, these leadership skills were constantly put to the test. Whenever there was a bad play or bad spot in the game, whenever a big play was needed late in the fourth quarter, the seniors were always there to keep everyone focused and, if needed, to rise to the occasion.

This season was not without its low points. Suffering from a horrible loss in the last seconds of the game against Princeton, we were feeling very down as a team. It took a tremendous amount of leadership to bring our team back from such heart-rending defeat and to turn it around into an unbelievable victory the very next week.

The seniors have also stepped up consistently whenever needed. Whether it was a huge catch, a great tackle or an unbelievable block, the seniors could be counted on to come through in the clutch. My teammates and I appreciate better than anyone how much these seniors have given to this program, and we all knew that there was no better way to pay them back for all their work than by beating Harvard for the third year in a row. The last game of a player's career is always remembered forever, and I am sure all of the seniors will value that day as one of the best of their entire college careers.

The attitude that our program must be and will be tougher than anyone we face is now a trademark of our team. In the mind of a football player, one of the most rewarding moments in a game is when you hit a player so hard that he can barely get up for the next play. It is this exact emotion that our seniors have held in front of our noses and that we have strived for and will continue to pursue.

Jason Lange, JE '03, is a defensive tackle on the Yale football team.

Photos by Julia Tiernan.

Back to Sports...