Ivy Presidents Extend Football Season

The presidents of the eight Ivy League universities voted last Wednesday to break the long-standing nine-game football season by allowing a tenth game to be played.

Each team has played seven league games and two non-league games since the eight institutions were organized into the Ivy League under the Ivy Presidents Agreement of 1954.

"We're happy to get the tenth game," Harvard football coach Joe Restic said yesterday, "But most of the clubs we want to play are already scheduled into the 1980s."

Who Wants To Play?

Restic said that the problem of finding non-league teams is severe because all the Ivy League schools will be looking for the same group of schools to play. Restic said he particularly wants to have a chance to play against one of the service academies.

Barren Pittenger, associate director of the Athletic Department, said yesterday that one of the primary reasons for the addition of a game to the football schedule was to increase each college's income from sports.

"We all seem to be having budget problems," Pittenger said. "The tenth game may mean additional income of $15,000 to $20,000. If the game is televised, it will be considerably more."

Big Brother

During the next ten seasons, there are only seven years in which ten games could be played under the calendar limitations that remain in the present football schedule, however.

According to Ivy league rules, there can be no game before the third Saturday in September or after the Saturday before Thanksgiving. In 1978, 1979, and 1984, each team will only be allowed to play nine games.

'Disadvantage'

Pittenger said that since the National Collegiate Athletic Association had changed its schedules to allow games, the Ivy League teams had had a "distinct disadvantage" due to the fact that they were unable to find good teams to have pre-season scrimmages with. As a result, the Ivy teams have had to practice against each other.

Keeping Up With The Jones

"I'm looking forward to playing a 10th game," Bob Baggott '78, all-Ivy defensive end, said yesterday. "It will keep us competitive with teams like Colgate and UMass, who already play eleven games."

Tim Davenport '78 said yesterday that the additional game will not prove to be a strain on the players. "The effect of an extra week is minimal when you've been training three months already," Davenport said.

The Ivy presidents, meeting in New York also voted Wednesday to continue their prohibition on the use of freshmen on varsity football teams, basketball teams, and rowing crews.

The NCAA now allows freshmen on varsity teams in all sports.