Harvard Running Back Neal Miller: A Stocky Stoic Who Does the Job

Rush hour cars move by the river toward the Mass Pike; in Harvard Stadium field lights go on to repel the dusk. On the field, the Crimson varsity continues to work.

In the mock scrimmage, a small, chunky back grinds his way up the middle like a reckless sumo wrestler. He doesn't cut to dodge a man. He runs over him.

When he returns to the huddle, sophomore Neal Miller from El Segundo, Calif., doesn't speak. He thinks about how quick he'll come off the ball next time, how much harder he'll hit, how much better he'll do.

Finally Miller lines up with the other first string backs. He delays one second, then slips deftly into the left flat unnoticed to catch a pass from Jim Stoeckel.

That's what Neal Miller, named Ivy League offensive player of the week for his Dartmouth performance, has been good at. Going unnoticed.

"We started the season knowing we'd have a problem at fullback," head coach Joe Restic said yesterday. "But out of nowhere Neal comes in to fill the void, and he's been sensational. He's been our unsung hero all season. And only now because of some fine runs in the Dartmouth game is everyone finally noticing him."

The program says Neal Miller is 5'9", barely. He weighs 195 pounds and is neither a fast nor a pretty runner. But Restic says Miller gets the job done in the clutch. He's an old-style daylight runner who always drives hard, always gives a second effort. He is a difficult man to stop.

"Hit him three times," said coach Restic, "and watch him battle for more."

In the Dartmouth game, Miller sparked the Crimson offense in the second half. On two plays he reeled off long gains of 37 and 21 yards, spinning and breaking tackles in the process.

"Dartmouth plays over their heads," Neal said yesterday. "I suppose a couple of my runs brought them down to earth. I'm sorry that wasn't enough."

Harvard's offense pressed in the second half, but stalled three times inside the opponent's fifteen yard line. Miller was rarely called upon in close.

"We don't have any real superstars on our team," said Neal. "We look for plays, not individuals, that work well on goal line situations."

Selfless on and off the field, Miller is reserved and dislikes controversy. He enjoys quiet evenings watching television, and is a self-proclaimed "non-party person." He doesn't like personal attention; only the attention of opponents appeals to Neal.

"If the opposition keys on me," Neal explained, "I suppose I'm doing something right, while removing pressure from others and enabling them to go free."

Unlike many Harvard football players, Miller lives for his sport. Winters and summers he prepares for the next season by lifting weights and gaining weight.

Weight could be a problem to Miller, who missed half of his freshman football games due to a heart murmur. "The doctors hear a swishing in my heart, but it never bothers me," Miller said.

Right now his main concern is next Saturday's game against Penn.

"Usually," said Neal, an English major, "I psych myself up for a game by writing some prose for myself. And then reading and re-reading it."