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Rutgers Spring Report
JaWarrenJaHooker
Member Posts: 2,095
Fan support at all-time high in Jersey:
newbrunswicktoday.com/article/fans-support-scarlet-knights-football-their-spring-game
newbrunswicktoday.com/article/fans-support-scarlet-knights-football-their-spring-game
Comments
wjw, what is a rutgers doog? a knoot?
The thousands of fans must be on the other side of the stadium?
They lost in the Final Four to Michigan who lost to Indiana in the final, the last unbeaten team. I guess the B!G is claiming three teams in the Final Four now for 76.
UCLA was the 4th team, sans Wooden who retired after beating Kentucky in 75, who beat Indiana in the regional final when Indiana was unbeaten again.
Gene Bartow got run out of the gym by Indiana in 76. We knew then we had the wrong guy. Marques Johnson was the big star
In 1976, Rutgers declined an invitation to play an unranked McNeese State University at the inaugural Independence Bowl, feeling snubbed by more prestigious bowls despite its undefeated 11–0 season.[29] In 1978, Rutgers appeared in its first bowl game, the Garden State Bowl, which it lost to Arizona State 34-18.
Dick Anderson (1984–1989)[edit]
Penn State offensive line coach Dick Anderson was hired to replace Burns in 1984.[30] The Scarlet Knights mostly struggled during Anderson's tenure as head coach despite winning records in 1984, 1986 and 1987,[31][32][33] which resulted in Anderson's firing after the completion of the 1989 season.[34]
Doug Graber (1990–1995)[edit]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Doug Graber took over the Rutgers football program starting in 1990.[35] Under Graber's tutelage, the Scarlet Knights achieved winning seasons in 1991 and 1992,[36][37] but struggled to maintain consistency and, following a 4–7 campaign in 1995, Graber was fired with two years remaining on his original seven-year contract.[38]
Rutgers joined the Big East Conference in all sports in 1991. The team struggled to compete throughout the 1990s, facing powerhouse teams from Virginia Tech, Miami, Syracuse and West Virginia on a yearly basis.
Terry Shea (1996–2000)[edit]
Longtime assistant coach Terry Shea was hired to replace Graber in December 1995,[39] However, the Rutgers program suffered its worst five-year stretch in program history.[40] Shea's tenure not only failed to produce a single winning season, it failed to win more than three games in a single season with the exception of a 5–6 campaign in 1998.[41][42] Shea was fired after the 2000 season.[40]
Greg Schiano (2001–2011)[edit]
Coach Schiano interacting with a player during pre-game warmups in 2006.
Greg Schiano took over as head coach after Shea's termination.[43] Despite some early recruiting successes, his first four years resulted in losing seasons.[44][45][46][47] However, in 2005, the team achieved its first winning season since Graber's 7-win, 4-loss campaign in 1992, notching a rematch bowl berth against Arizona State in the 2005 Insight Bowl.[48] In that game, Rutgers lost in a shootout 45-40 but was led by a 100-yard rushing performance from a young freshman running back named Ray Rice.[49]
In 2006, Rutgers began the season with nine straight wins, culminating in a momentous 25-point comeback victory against the 3rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals in what became known as the "Pandemonium In Piscataway" game, with kicker Jeremy Ito sealing the 28-25 win with a late field goal.[50] The following week, Rutgers rose to its highest rank ever in the polls, topping out at No. 3 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the BCS. The Scarlet Knights achieved a record of 11–2 and a postseason rank of No. 12 in the AP Poll, including a first-ever postseason victory, beating Kansas State 37-10 in the Texas Bowl.[51][52]
The following year, Rutgers received its first ever preseason rank in the AP Poll at No. 16. 2007 was an up-and-down year for the Scarlet Knights, rising into the Top 10 for the second consecutive year, only to suffer back-to-back losses.[53] However, the season was highlighted by a 30-27 upset of 2nd-ranked South Florida, and ended with an 8-5 record and a 52-30 drubbing of Ball State in the International Bowl.[53][54]
2008 saw Rutgers again go 8-5,[55] beginning the year with a disappointing 1-5 start before ripping off seven straight victories to finish the season, winning the PapaJohn's.com Bowl 29-23 over NC State.[56]
In 2009, Rutgers entered the season the favorite to win the Big East Conference. However, the team opened the season with a loss to Cincinnati, who would end up with a perfect regular season and the conference title. Rutgers finished the season 9-4,[57] defeating UCF 45-24 in the St. Petersburg Bowl.[58]
Rutgers' streak of five consecutive bowl appearances ended in 2010, a year marred by a spinal cord injury suffered by defensive lineman Eric LeGrand in the sixth game of the season against Army.[59] Rutgers lost its final six games to finish with a record of 4-8.[60]
After the 2011 season, Schiano left Rutgers less than a week before national signing day to become the head coach of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[61] Schiano left Rutgers with a 67-66 record.[62]
Kyle Flood (2012–2015)[edit]
Kyle Flood was promoted from offensive line coach and took over as head coach after Schiano's departure.[63] He was the 29th head coach in Rutgers football history.
In 2012, Rutgers began the season 7-0, including a 35-26 defeat of Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville.[64] The team reached a No. 15 ranking in both the BCS and AP Polls, before a surprise homecoming loss to Kent State by a score of 35-23.[65] Rutgers would go on to finish the regular season 9-3,[66] including a heartbreaking 20-17 loss to Louisville in the last game of the season, in which the winner would clinch the conference's BCS Bowl berth.[67] Rutgers suffered yet another bowl loss in the Russell Athletic Bowl, dropping an overtime decision to former Big East foe Virginia Tech by a score of 13-10.[68]
In November 2012, Rutgers was announced as a formal expansion acquisition of the Big Ten Conference, alongside rival Maryland of the ACC.[69] Both Maryland and Rutgers were unanimously accepted to join the conference in all sports, effective July 1, 2014. Before this, however, Rutgers competed for one season in the American Athletic Conference, created from the remaining teams of the former Big East Conference.[70]
Despite high expectations, Rutgers had an underwhelming 2013 season in the AAC,[71] finishing 6-7 after losing the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to Notre Dame by a score of 29-16.[72]
2014 marked Rutgers football's first official season of Big Ten play, with conference home games against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana, as well as road games against Ohio State, Nebraska, Michigan State, and Maryland.[73] Rutgers finished the 2014 season in the Big Ten with a conference record of 3-5, including its first ever Big Ten Conference win over conference member Michigan, and an overall record of 7-5. Rutgers became bowl-eligible with that record and earned an invitation to play on December 26, 2014 in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl, where it trounced North Carolina 40-21 and capped off its inaugural Big Ten season at 8-5.[74] After the 2014 season, the Scarlet Knights were awarded their first ever Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy, being recognized as the top team in the eastern region.[75]
Looking to back up its strong showing in 2014 with another successful campaign in the Big Ten, the Scarlet Knights struggled mightily in 2015, beleaguered before the onset of the season by the arrest of multiple active players on assault-related charges.[76] During the season, the Scarlet Knights failed to gain traction, finishing 4-8 with a 1-7 Big Ten Record.
Amid the disappointment of a poor season and myriad off-the field issues, both head coach Kyle Flood and athletic director Julie Hermann were fired on November 29, 2015.[77]
Chris Ash (2016–present)[edit]
Eight days later, on December 7, 2015, Rutgers officially announced Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash as the Scarlet Knights' new head football coach, becoming the 30th head coach in program history.[78] Rutgers posted a 2-10 record in Ash's first season, the 2016 campaign.[79]
Head coaches[edit]
26 men have served as head coach of the Rutgers football team.
Coach Tenure Record (%)
William A. Reynolds 1869–1894 49–80–9 (.355)
H. W. Ambruster 1895 3–4 (.429)
John C. B. Pendleton 1896–1897 8–12 (.400)
William V. B. Van Dyck 1898–1899 3–15–1 (.184)
Michael F. Daly 1900 4–4 (.500)
Arthur P. Robinson 1901 0–7 (.000)
Henry Van Hoevenberg 1902 3–7 (.300)
Oliver D. Mann 1903, 1905 7–10–1 (.417)
Alfred Ellet Hitchner 1904 1–6–2 (.222)
Frank Gorton 1906–1907 8–7–3 (.528)
Joseph T. Smith 1908 3–5–1 (.389)
Herman Pritchard 1909 3–5–1 (.389)
Howard Gargan 1910–1912 12–10–4 (.538)
George Sanford 1913–1923 56–32–5 (.629)
John H. Wallace 1924–1926 12–14–1 (.463)
Harry Rockafeller 1927–1930, 1942–1945 33–26–1 (.560)
J. Wilder Tasker 1931–1937 31–27–5 (.532)
Harvey Harman 1938–1941, 1946–1955 74–44–2 (.625)
John Stiegman 1956–1959 22–15 (.595)
John F. Bateman 1960–1972 73–51 (.589)
Frank R. Burns 1973–1983 78–43–1 (.643)
Dick Anderson 1984–1989 27–34–4 (.446)
Doug Graber 1990–1995 29–36–1 (.447)
Terry Shea 1996–2000 11–44 (.200)
Greg Schiano 2001–2011 67–66 (.504)
Kyle Flood 2012–2015 24–16 (.600)
Norries Wilson (Interim) 2015 1-2 (.333)
Chris Ash 2016–present 2-10 (.167)
TOTAL 641–622–42 (.507)
Bowl games[edit]
145-year history in college football. Rutgers has won 6 bowls out of 10 bowl games.[86]
Date Bowl Opponent Result Score
December 16, 1978 Garden State Bowl Arizona State L 34–18
December 27, 2005 Insight Bowl Arizona State L 45–40
December 28, 2006 Texas Bowl Kansas State W 37–10
January 5, 2008 International Bowl Ball State W 52–30
December 29, 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl North Carolina State W 29–23
December 19, 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl Central Florida W 45–24
December 30, 2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Iowa State W 27–13
December 28, 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl Virginia Tech L 13–10 OT
December 28, 2013 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Notre Dame L 29–16
December 26, 2014 Quick Lane Bowl North Carolina W 40–21
The game was played with two teams of 25 men each under rugby-like rules, but like modern football, it was "replete with surprise, strategy, prodigies of determination, and physical prowess," to use the words of one of the Rutgers players.
William J. Leggett, captain of the Rutgers team who later became a distinguished clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Church, suggested that rules for the contest be adopted from those of the London Football Association. Leggett's proposal was accepted by Captain William Gunmere of Princeton, who later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
At 3 p.m. on that memorable afternoon, the 50 combatants and about 100 spectators gathered on the field. Most of the assemblage sat on a low wooden fence and watched the athletes doff hats, coats and vests and use suspenders as belts. To distinguish themselves from the bareheaded visitors, 50 Rutgers students, including players, donned scarlet-colored scarfs which they converted into turbans.
The teams lined up with two members of each team remaining more or less stationary near the opponent's goal in the hopes of being able to slip over and score from unguarded positions. Thus, the present day "sleeper" was conceived. The remaining 23 players were divided into groups of 11 and 12. While the 11 "fielders" lined up in their own territory as defenders, the 12 "bulldogs" carried the battle.
Each score counted as a "game" and 10 games completed the contest. Following each score, the teams changed direction. The ball could be advanced only by kicking or batting it with the feet, hands, heads or sides.
Events leading up to the game were described by John W. Herbert, Rutgers '72, who was one of the players: "To appreciate this game to the full you must know something of its background," Herbert wrote in 1933. "The two colleges were, and still are, of course, about 20 miles apart. The rivalry between them was intense. For years each had striven for possession of an old Revolutionary cannon, making night forays and lugging it back and forth time and again. Not long before the first football game, the canny Princetonians had settled this competition in their own favor by ignominiously sinking the gun in several feet of concrete. In addition to this, I regret to report, Princeton had beaten Rutgers in baseball by the harrowing score of 40-2. Rutgers longed for a chance to square things."
A challenge for the game was issued by Rutgers. Three games were to be played that year. The first played at New Brunswick and won by Rutgers. Princeton won the second game, but cries of "over-emphasis" prevented the third game in football's first year when faculties of both institutions protested on the grounds that the games were interfering with student studies.
Herbert gave this detailed account of the play in the first game: "Though smaller on the average, the Rutgers players, as it developed, had ample speed and fine football sense. Receiving the ball, our men formed a perfect interference around it and with short, skillful kicks and dribbles drove it down the field. Taken by surprise, the Princeton men fought valiantly, but in five minutes we had gotten the ball through to our captains on the enemy's goal and S.G. Gano, '71 and G.R. Dixon, '73, neatly kicked it over. None thought of it, so far as I know, but we had without previous plan or thought evolved the play that became famous a few years later as 'the flying wedge'."
Fifty years after their historic inaugural game, members of the 1869 Rutgers football team were honored at Homecoming cermonies in 1918.
Herbert then related that his teammates failed to note a conference the Princeton's captain was holding with the giant of the Tiger team, J.E. Michael, '71, known to his mates as "Big Mike."
"Next period Rutgers bucked, or received the ball, hoping to repeat the flying wedge," Herbert's account continues. "But the first time we formed it Big Mike came charging full upon us. It was our turn for surprise. The Princeton battering ram made no attempt to reach the ball but, forerunner of the interference-breaking ends of today, threw himself into our mass play, bursting us apart, and bowing us over. Time and again Rutgers formed the wedge and charged; as often Big Mike broke it up. And finally on one of these incredible break-ups a Princeton bulldog with a long accurate, perhaps lucky kick, sent the ball between the posts for the second score.
"The flying wedge thus checkmated, Rutgers might have been in a bad spot had not Madison Ball, '73, come through. He had a trick of kicking the ball with his heel. All the game he had been a puzzle to the Princetonians. The ball would be rolling toward the Rutgers goal, and, running ahead of it instead of taking time to turn, he would heel it back. He made several such plays, greatly encouraging his team. Then he capped all this by one tremendous lucky backward drive directly to Dixon, standing squarely before Princeton's goal...Dixon easily scored, giving us a one-goal lead. Big Mike again rose, however, in a berserk endeavor, and, getting the ball, he called the Princeton men into a flying wedge of their own and straight-away they took the ball right down the field and put it over."
It was at this point that a Rutgers professor could stand it no longer. Waving his umbrella at the participants, he shrieked, "you will come to no Christian end!"
Herbert's account of the game continues: "The fifth and sixth goals went to Rutgers. The stars of the latter period of play, in the memory of the players after the lapse of many years, were "Big Mike" and Large (former State Senator George H. Large of Flemington, another Princeton player). Someone by a random kick had driven the ball to one side, where it rolled against the fence and stopped. Large led the pursuit for the ball closely followed by Michael. They reached the fence on which students were perched, and unable to check their momentum, in a tremendous impact they struck it. The fence then gave way with a crash and over went the band of yelling students to the ground.
"Every college probably has the humorous tradition of some player who has scored against his own team. This tradition at Rutgers dated from this first game, for one of her players, whose identity is unknown, in the sixth period started to kick the ball between his own goal posts. The kick was blocked, but Princeton took advantage of the opportunity and soon made the goal. This turn of the game apparently disorganized Rutgers, for Princeton also scored the next goal after a few minutes of play, thus bringing the total up to four all."
At this point Leggett introduced strategy to turn the tide in favor of Rutgers. Noticing that Princeton obtained a great advantage from its taller players, Leggett ordered his men to keep the ball close to the ground. Following this strategy, Rutgers kicked the ninth and tenth goals, thus winning the match.
An analytical account of the game appeared in the November, 1869 issue of the Targum, Rutgers' undergraduate newspaper.
"To describe the varying fortunes of the match, game by game, would be a waste of labor for every game was like the one before," wrote the student re-porter. "There was the same headlong running, wild shouting, and frantic kicking.
"In every game the cool goaltenders saved the Rutgers goal half a dozen times; in every game the heavy charger of the Princeton side overthrew everything he came in contact with; and in every game, just when the interest in one of those delightful rushes at the fence was culminating, the persecuted ball would fly for refuge into the next lot, and produce cessation of hostilities until, after the invariable 'foul', it was put in straight.
"To sum up, Princeton had the most muscle, but didn't kick very well, and wanted organization. They evidently don't like to kick the ball on the ground. Our men, on the other hand, though comparatively weak, ran well, and kicked well throughout. But their great point was the organization, for which great praise is due to the captain. The right men were always in the right place."
One of the Princeton players, William Preston Lane, in 1933 contended in a newspaper interview that Rutgers "ran us Princeton men out of town. I never found out why they did that," he related. "But we don't ask any questions. When we saw them coming after us, we ran to the outskirts of New Brunswick and got into our carriages and wagons and went away as fast as we could."
Lane's contention is refuted in the Targum account. "After the match the players had an amicable "feed together," the paper reported. "At 8 o'clock our guests went home, in high good spirits, thirsting to beat us next time, if they can."
The Daily Fredonian, a New Brunswick paper of that era, supported the Targum account in its issue of November 9, 1869.
"Though the generous liberality of the students of Rutgers College," the Fredonian reported, "a bountiful entertainment was prepared for our Princeton friends, at the favorite resort in Church Street known as Northrop's where 'mine host' and his estimable lady know how to get up a good supper."
Regardless of what actually happened after the first game, football was here to stay. Rutgers got Columbia University started in the grid sport the following season and in a few years most of the colleges and universities in the East were represented on the gridiron.
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