Single Afternoon of Glory Skyrockets Shevlin From Football Limbo to Fame

When I called information to find out John Shevlin's telephone number, the person who took my call reacted with a displeased, "Oh, the quarterback." Four days ago, no one but Shevlin's mother would have known he played quarterback for Harvard.

Shevlin, a junior, is one of the legion of high school stars--he played for Wakefield High (Mass.) High--who disappear into the morass of college football and are never heard from again.

But good fortune in the form of injuries to other Crimson quarterbacks gave Shevlin the chance to extricate himself from junior varsity limbo.

With Harvard trailing 7-3 against Holy Cross on Saturday, Shevlin went into the game to relieve John McCluskey and directed the team to a pair of touchdown and a 17-7 victory.

The Kid Makes Good

"I thought I'd be able to do the job if I were given the chance," said Shevlin. "Through a couple of breaks, I got it."

Shevlin, though self-admittedly better at passing than anything else, stuck resolutely to a ground game, depending largely on the scampering of Bobby Leo.

"The very first play got seven yards. If we hadn't got seven yards I would have been very tempted to pass," admitted Shevlin.

Though he called all the plays on his own, without messages from the bench, Shevlin said the thought of pass-bating Coach John Yovicain watching from the sidelines helped dampen the inclination to throw.

Shevlin joined the chorus of praise for Leo. "He has great balance and his moves are great, too," he said.

Big, but Slow

The mammoth Holy Cross line didn't prove as damaging as had been feared. "Our linemen were able to get the angles on them," said Shevlin, "although they were tough to move because they were big and strong. They weren't quick."

Stage fright in front of 20,000 people wasn't a problem either. "I didn't have much time to get nervous," said Shevlin. "I only found out I was going in two or three minutes in advance."

Shevlin still expects McCluskey to start against Tufts this Saturday. "Mac really did get some tough breaks," he said. "He deserves to start."

Even so, after an undistinguished year on the J.V., Shevlin has suddenly found himself a hero in his first shot at varsity football.

"It feels real good," he said. "It's been a little while, I'd say."