Speciality of the House

Well, guys, it's really been an exciting week. What with Jim Kubacki cornering the market on total offense, Jim Curry doing his academic down and out pattern, Bob McDermott boogalooing in the endzone time and time again, and Tommy Joyce upending everything in sight, I bet all of you think I'm having a tough time deciding whether the Crimson offense or defense has impressed me the most.

That's where you're wrong, illegal procedure breath.

Maybe you've been too busy getting your rear end comfortable on the concrete during the first two games to notice what an inspiring job Harvard's special teams are doing. All of them. Or maybe you're just not a bomb squad fanatic like I am. If either of these is the case you're missing out on one of the classic characteristics in football's unique personality.

Pro football has been blessed with the personality of several kick coverage kamakazies, most of them frustrated running backs who had nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than sacrifice their bodies.

Bob Gladieux, a flake from Notre Dame, made his mark with the Patriots a few years back with the way he used to hurl his body at the wedge set up by the kick return team. Gladieux didn't last long; he got his eggs scrambled a little too much from all of the wedges he busted.

Assistant coach George Karras calls Harvard's punt coverage team its most improved area over last year. With just the right combination of linemen for heft and backs for speed, both Columbia and UMass rarely had decent field position. Karras lauds this area, as well as the kickoff return team, as "outstanding, to put it mildly."

The punt return and kick coverage teams have found the Crimson not as gifted personnel-wise but all the more industrious. Assistant coach Goerge Clemens has been spending extra time in these areas, hoping "that we don't get burned." Needless to say, Harvard seems to be doing the burning, with Larry Schember, Ralph Polillio and Billy Emper singeing opponents on punts and kickoffs.

Although Ivy League football basks in pseudoviolence, one shining light for the memory of Bob Gladieux (or Micky Zofko, for that matter) has been the almost maniacal performance of sophomore Steve Potysman on the special teams.

Potysman, Harvard's answer to Lloyd Mumphord, came within a Gatorade drop of blocking punts on two occasions last week and Clemens says "he'll definitely cause some probelms before the season is over." A few more problems like Potysman and the guys in the gold pants will be in there, like lemonade.