overall record of 156-63 . He has won nine Ivy League championships and has guided the Crimson to 13 straight winning seasons . In 2004 when Murphy led Harvard to an Ivy League title and a 10-0 record , there were plenty of calls for the Crimson to play in the postseason . Harvard was , in fact , the only unbeaten team in all of the then Division I-AA . Murphy pulled off the same feat exactly 10 years later when his 2014 squad went 7-0 in Ivy League play and 10-0 overall . The Crimson finished the season ranked 14th in the final FCS coaches poll .
Despite not permitting postseason play , plenty of Ivy League football players have moved on to the NFL . Harvard quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick , an Ivy League MVP , has played for six teams in his 11-year career . At the 2016 NFL Draft , Princeton wide receiver Seth DeValve was selected in the fourth round by Cleveland and Harvard offensive tackle Cole Toner went in the fifth round to Arizona . The Crimson had four other players that signed on as free agents after the draft . Dartmouth had two free agent signings and Penn one .
While football is clearly not what it used to be , the Ivy League is not
completely out of touch with the benefits of big-time college football . In 2009 , a new tuition policy was instituted at Harvard , Yale , Penn , Princeton , and Dartmouth . All students accepted into these schools from families that have incomes less than $ 60,000 per year would go to school for free . Those coming from families that earn less than $ 180,000 per year would spend just 10 percent of that income toward tuition . The idea could lead to more superior athletes who also excel in the classroom giving the Ivy League a try . Still , suiting up to play against Brown on a Saturday afternoon in front of 10,000 fans just isn ’ t the same as running through the tunnel in the SEC or Big Ten .
“ Playing in the Ivy League was truly an honor ,” said Royce Novosel-Johnson , a former strong safety at Dartmouth in the early 2000s . “ The players ’ time commitments to practice , weight training , meetings , and film are just as rigorous as larger programs . The misconception people have with Ivy League schools is related to scholarships .” As mentioned , Ivy League schools still do not offer their football players scholarships of any sort .
“ It ’ s a challenge and Ivy League coaches have a tougher job than their counterparts at larger schools ,” Novosel-Johnson said . “ They spend as much time recruiting , watching film , coaching , etc . as coaches at FBS schools . The difference is that Ivy coaches have to find kids who are 1 ) good enough to play at a high level , 2 ) smart enough to make it through the course load from an academic standpoint , and 3 ) willing to play without a scholarship .”
The league continues to be ahead of the curve when it comes to things like concussions . Ivy League presidents formed a committee in 2010 to determine how the league could limit the number of concussions in a given season . The result was a move to limit the number of full contact practices ( two ) per week . In March of this year , the league became the first at any level to eliminate full contact practices during the regular season .
While a landmark move , the Ivy League is still hindered by its tradition . On one end are the hardliners who stick to the status quo . The Ivy schools are about academics , and any emphasis on sport takes away from the mission of America ’ s finest institutions . On the other end are those who see the benefits of more national exposure to their schools via athletics . The Ivy League continues to renew its TV deal with NBC Sports Network that televises between four and ten football games each year . The Game , Harvard versus Yale , is a staple that the network has broadcast every year since 2008 .
For now , it appears that the Ivy League will continue to remain somewhere between tradition and big-time football .
Photos Courtesy of : Princeton University Athletics
28 www . coachandplayer . com
In 1950 , Princeton ’ s # 42 , Dick Kazmaier , was the last Ivy League Player to win the Heisman Trophy .
* Bednarik was a three-time All- American at Penn and went on to star for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL . He was the last full-time two-way player in professional football . He is the only Ivy League football player in both the college and professional Halls of Fame .