Ron Rogerson
As abrupt and sad as it's been for Columbia and Dartmouth to lose their legendary head coaches because of health reasons this year, Ivy League football has seen more tragic stories when it comes to great coaches who had their tenures cut short.
The two most extreme examples are connected to Columbia and Princeton.
Some of you might remember the sudden death of Princeton Head Coach Ron Rogerson just before training camp was set to begin in 1987. Thee Tigers, who had been struggling as a program for years, responded with a 6-4 record in 1987 which was their best mark since 1981.
Working with mostly the players Rogerson recruited, the Tigers won a share of the Ivy title in 1989.
Percy Haughton
Legendary Harvard Head Coach Percy Haughton came to run the CU program after 9 successful years in Cambridge... only to die suddenly on the practice field in the middle of his second season with the team in 1925. After his death, the Lions went 2-2-1 (which included a win over Army at the Polo Grounds) to finish the season at 6-3-1.
Thank goodness both Al Bagnoli and Buddy Teevens are still very much with us, but we shouldn't be surprised if both of their teams show some real resiliency this year.
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