Ivy@50

Rhodes Scholars
Every year, 32 Americans are selected as recipients of Rhodes Scholarships and move on to Great Britain to further their studies. In the last 50 years, about seven percent of those Rhodes Scholars have been Ivy League athletes.

Since the inception of the Ivy League 111 Ivy athletes have been named Rhodes Scholars. The accomplishments of these 93 men and 18 women are impressive. Princeton basketball player Bill Bradley is a former United States Senator, NBA Hall of Famer, and Olympic gold medalist. A. Michael Spence, who was one year behind Bradley at Princeton and played hockey, shared the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

The list goes on. From the world of politics, in addition to Bradley, Yale football and lacrosse player Kurt Schmoke was the mayor of Baltimore before becoming Dean of Howard Law School. Harvard football player Alan Bersin is the California Secretary of Education. Harvard basketball player Alison Muscatine was a Clinton White House speechwriter, and Columbia wrestler George Stephanopoulos was President Clinton's senior advisor before becoming host of ABC News' "This Week."

Harvard fencer Stanlake Samkange is a senior United Nations political affairs official. Dartmouth long jumper Jesse Spikes helped bring the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta. Harvard lacrosse player Sarah Sewall influences government policy through her position as Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where she also teaches.

Ivy athlete Rhodes Scholars are also prominent in the literary field. Penn basketball player John Edgar Wideman, who when named in 1963 was the first African-American Rhodes Scholar since Harvard's Alan Locke in 1908, is a best-selling author. Harvard golfer Stephen Bergman wrote "House of God," a best seller with more than two million copies sold that has been described by the British medical journal Lancet as one of the two most important medical novels of the 20th century. Princeton basketball player Richard Stengel is Managing Editor of Time magazine.

Does being an athlete help one become a Rhodes Scholar? The Rhodes will setting up the scholarship specifies "physical vigor, as shown by fondness for and success in sports," as a requirement. Surprisingly, the consensus seems to be that it doesn't help much. Princeton field hockey player Suzanne Perles, who in recent years has helped select Rhodes candidates, says "they want people who are healthy and active enough to lead productive lives. Athletics proves it, but everyone has their own interpretations."

Yale lacrosse player and current Columbia law professor Cathy Sharkey, who has also helped select Rhodes Scholars, says they want to see candidates "excelling in something," and suspects the committee who accepted her felt that "playing lacrosse feeds into leadership," Stephen Bergman, who won his Rhodes in 1965, says "in those days there was a beginning transition away from pure-bred 'jocks' -- I later heard rumors that some of the past Rhodes had left something to be desired in the Oxford academic don-dom." Even so, Bergman doesn't totally discount the sports connection, saying "I'm sure golf didn't hurt, though it was never mentioned in the interview."

Does choice of sport effect selection? Of the 111 Rhodes in the Ivy era the most heavily represented sport, with 19 Rhodes Scholars, is football, which isn't that surprising given the large number of players required to staff a team. But right behind football, with 17 Rhodes Scholars, is basketball, whose team size is hardly larger than a football team's offensive unit. If one wants to win a Rhodes one sport to avoid is baseball. There have been no baseball Rhodes' in the Ivy era, and one needs to go back to Dartmouth's Howland H. Sargeant in 1932 to find the most recent Ivy baseball representative.

Below is a list of Ivy League athletes who have earned Rhodes Scholarships. If you know more, please email us.

1923-Anderson, Troyer Steele (Dartmouth, Track & Field)
1995-Arjoon, Roger Warren (Yale, Squash)
1995-Babik, Jennifer (Princeton, Field Hockey, Softball)
2006-Backus, Kerriann (Brown, Cross Country)
1988-Bartkus, Viva (Yale, Volleyball)
1966-Bergman, Stephen Joseph (Harvard, Golf)
1968-Bersin, Alan Douglas (Harvard, Football)
1933-Billings, Frederick Tremaine (Princeton, Lacrosse, Football)
1911-Blake, Maurice Carey (Dartmouth, Football)
1971-Bogan, Willie Clyde (Dartmouth, Football)
1997-Boyda, Edward K. (Harvard, Golf)
1965-Bradley, William Warren (Princeton, Basketball)
1990-Brown, Christopher Leslie (Yale, Football)
1904-Brown, Jullius Arthur (Dartmouth, Football)
1975-Brown, Kenneth Charles (Cornell, Rowing)
1991-Brown, Stephen Phillip (Dartmouth, Rowing)
1931-Byles, Julius (Princeton, Football)
1967-Campion, Edward Winslow (Dartmouth, Lacrosse)
1922-Carey, William David P. (Cornell, Football)
1975-Carfagna, Peter Alphonso (Harvard, Football)
2004-Clemens, Daniel W. (Yale, Tennis)
1929-Cornsweet, Albert C. (Brown, Football)
2005-Crocker, Alison (Dartmouth, Skiing)
1979-Crowley, William C. (Yale, Football)
1984-Dangel, Stephanie Ann (Penn, Track & Field)
1990-Dechet, Andrew John (Princeton, Soccer)
2004-Dell, Melissa L. (Harvard, Track & Field)
1970-Dotson, Heyward Harrell (Columbia, Basketball)
1948-Douglas, John Woolman (Princeton, Football)
1988-Dreier, Alexander Edward (Harvard, Basketball)
1950-Drury, Francis Remington (Dartmouth, Skiing)
1950-Durning, Marvin Bresler (Dartmouth, Football)
1983-Fanestil, John Whitaker (Dartmouth, Volleyball)
1966-Filson, Charles Webb (Harvard, Basketball)
1979-Fine, Glenn Alan (Harvard, Basketball)
1977-Fournier, Daniel Edward (Princeton, Football)
1953-Garner, James Frederick (Yale, Football)
1971-Gogel, Donald Jay (Harvard, Lacrosse, Basketball)
1928-Goodwillie, Eugene William (Cornell, Track & Field)
1977-Grant, Robert Gourlay (Harvard, Soccer)
1974-Griffin, Brian Colvert (Harvard, Tennis)
1957-Hansen, Roger Dennis (Yale, Football)
1970-Hanson, Eric Cotter Thomas (Harvard, Swimming)
1948-Harr, Jr., Karl Gottlieb (Princeton, Football)
1965-Heineman, Jr., Benjamin Walter (Harvard, Basketball)
1992-Hessler, Peter Benjamin (Princeton, Track, Cross Country)
1970-Hicks, David Vern (Princeton, Rowing)
2004-Hill, Sarah J. (Harvard, Track & Field)
1959-Hill, Jr., Thomas English (Harvard, Football, Wrestling)
1988-Himes, James Andrew (Harvard, Rowing)
1973-Hughes, Owen Craig Bragdon (Dartmouth, Rowing)
1923-Jack, Raymond Hervey (Penn, Lacrosse, Track)
1974-Johnson, David Lawther (Harvard, Ice Hockey)
1994-Johnston, Alexander Murray (Harvard, Cross Country)
1953-Jones, Vincent Wendel (Dartmouth, Football)
1985-Kasevich, Mark Adams (Dartmouth, Swimming)
1951-Keniston, Kenneth (Harvard, Rowing)
1960-Keyes, Jr., Langley Carleton (Harvard, Lacrosse)
1977-Kloske, Dennis (Harvard, Soccer)
1997-Koutsoukos, Demetras (Harvard, Rowing)
1980-Lawrence, Gary Martin (Yale, Ice Hockey)
1926-Lingelbach, Jr., William E. (Penn, Soccer, Tennis, Football)
1984-MacLeod, John Malcolm (Harvard, Skiing)
1985-Madsen, Jr., Robert Ashley (Harvard, Track & Field)
1991-Marci, Carl David (Columbia, Track & Field)
1960-Maynes, Jr., Charles William (Harvard, Basketball)
1975-McCaffery, Michael Gerard (Princeton, Swimming)
1968-McCallum, Jr., Robert Davis (Yale, Basketball)
1965-McClung, Merle Steven (Harvard, Basketball)
1976-McGuire, James Joseph (Yale, Basketball)
1907-McLane, John Roy (Dartmouth, Baseball, Football, Tennis)
1948-McLane, Malcolm (Dartmouth, Skiing)
1950-McQuade, Lawrence Carroll (Yale, Football)
1969-Menaker, Richard Glen (Columbia, Tennis)
1934-Michelet, Robert H. (Dartmouth, Football, Track)
1992-Millay, Todd Martin (Dartmouth, Rowing)
2005-Miller, Jeff (Princeton, Basketball)
1951-Moore, John Lovell (Harvard, Track & Field)
1988-Muirhead, J. Russel (Harvard, Skiing)
1949-Munroe, George Barber (Dartmouth, Basketball)
2004-Murphy, Tucker (Dartmouth, Skiing, Rowing)
1977-Muscatine, Alison (Harvard, Basketball, Tennis)
1959-Nelson, Bryce Eames (Harvard, Basketball)
1971-Neville, Thomas B. (Yale, Football)
1976-Newhouse, George Baxton (Harvard, Football)
1974-Oristaglio, Michael Lewis (Yale, Basketball)
1991-Pallesen, Edward Sysel (Harvard, Rowing)
1926-Parker, Nathan Kuhns (Dartmouth, Football, Track)
1975-Peisch, Christopher Lyons (Dartmouth, Track, Cross Country)
1976-Perles, Suzanne (Princeton, Field Hockey)
1967-Peters, Charles (Princeton, Football)
1973-Petkevich, John Misha (Harvard, Figure Skating)
1926-Pfann, George Roberts (Cornell, Football, Lacrosse)
1959-Post Jr., Gaines (Cornell, Rowing)
1971-Raines, Franklin Delano (Harvard, Basketball)
2005-Randera-Rees, Yusef (Harvard, Tennis)
1973-Rexer, Lyle Clift (Columbia, Swimming)
1969-Saba, Paul Francis (Harvard, Football)
1995-Sabot, Diana Mairin (Dartmouth, Skiing, Rowing)
1960-Sachs, Daniel Martin (Princeton, Football)
1986-Saint John (Deane), Bonnie Lee (Harvard, Skiing)
1982-Samkange, Stanlake M. (Harvard, Fencing)
1932-Sargeant, Howland H. (Dartmouth, Baseball)
1980-Schatz, David Gillman (Yale, Squash, Lacrosse)
1971-Schmoke, Kurt Lidell (Yale, Football, Lacrosse)
1904-Schutt, Warren Ellis (Cornell, Track, Cross Country)
1980-Sellers, Mortimer Newlin (Harvard, Track & Field)
1984-Sewall, Sarah Buckeley (Harvard, Lacrosse)
1988-Seybold, John Lorne Campbell (Harvard, Nordic Skiing)
2003-Shackelton, Laura A. (Princeton, Track & Field)
2005-Shaheen, Brett (Penn, Squash)
1992-Sharkey, Catherine Moira (Yale, Lacrosse)
1956-Siler, Arthur Grant (Harvard, Track & Field)
1984-Simon, John Gregory (Harvard, Tennis)
1978-Smith, Frederick Theodore (Harvard, Wrestling)
1965-Smith, Michael Edward (Princeton, Football)
1922-Snow, Royall Henderson (Harvard, Fencing)
1929-Spaeth, Carl Bernhardt (Dartmouth, Baseball)
1965-Spence, A. Michael (Princeton, Ice Hockey)
1972-Spikes, Jesse James (Dartmouth, Track & Field)
1977-Stengel, Richard Allen (Princeton, Basketball)
1984-Stephanopoulos, George R. (Columbia, Wrestling)
1957-Stewart, Michael MacCracken (Princeton, Football)
1976-Stone, Alfred Douglas (Harvard, Soccer)
1958-Stromberg, Jackson Caflin (Dartmouth, Track & Field)
1913-Taber, Norman Stephen (Brown, Track & Field)
2003-Tandon, Prateek (Yale, Tennis)
1972-Tatrallyay, Geza Paul (Harvard, Fencing)
1977-Thal, Denise Ann (Harvard, Basketball, Tennis)
1964-Thomas, Bruce Richard (Harvard, Lacrosse)
1956-Thompson, Clifford Fritz (Harvard, Fencing)
1984-Thompson, Roosevelt Levander (Yale, Football)
1993-Ticktin, Miriam Iris (Princeton, Swimming)
1997-Trancik, Jessika Ebba (Cornell, Tennis, Skiing)
1976-Tu, Lawrence P. (Harvard, Fencing)
1973-Valenzuela, Terence David (Harvard, Fencing)
1970-Viita, Paul Sears (Harvard, Fencing)
1967-Wagenseil, Harris (Dartmouth, Track & Field)
2004-Wagner, Rachael A. (Harvard, Skiing)
1933-Walker, Owen Franklin (Brown, Football)
1990-Warren, Michael James (Yale, Track & Field)
2004-Wells, Christopher W. (Yale, Soccer)
1963-Wideman, John Edgar (Penn, Basketball)
1968-Williamson, Thomas Samuel (Harvard, Football)
1964-Wood, Peter Hutchins (Harvard, Lacrosse)
1910-Worthen, Joseph Washburn (Dartmouth, Football)
1977-Yasunaga, Milton Minoru (Harvard, Wrestling)

Note: Robin Patsey of the Ivy League Office spearheaded the creation of this list

— Stephen Eschenbach

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This website will be hosting a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of formal Ivy League competition, featuring special articles every weekday through the end of May 2007.

Although some League rivalries predate the Civil War, and the term 'Ivy League' was used in newspapers as early as the mid-1930s, the Ivy League began formally with the Ivy Presidents' agreement of 1954, and the first year of formal competition was 1956-57.

The first formal Ivy League contest -- on Sept. 29, 1956, when the Columbia Lions' football team hosted the Brown Bears at Baker Field in upper Manhattan -- will be commemorated at that same site (now Wien Stadium) with a ceremony on Saturday, September 30, when Columbia hosts the Princeton Tigers.

Since that first contest, more than 75,000 Ivy athletes have played under a unique model of college sports, sharing a remarkably consistent goal: to provide successful athletics as an integral part of the full undergraduate experience -- combining the values and lessons of athletics with those of the classroom and laboratory, the campus and the community -- to produce leaders in every walk of life.

The 50th Celebration is not intended as a formal or complete history of each era, sport or school in the last half century. There's simply too much history to be able do that -- although the online Ivy League Record Book provides a wealth of information about Ivy League standings and All-Ivy teams, national successes in every sport, and individual athletic and academic achievements.

Rather, the Celebration will ask more than 200 former Ivy League athletes to tell the story of Ivy athletics through an almost-daily series of interview-based profiles. Combined with more comprehensive theme-based features (such as the Ivy League's long Olympic history), these profiles will cover every part of these 50 years at all eight schools -- all of the more than 30 Ivy women's and men's championship sports (the broadest collegiate athletic participation in the country) -- and the incredibly diverse backgrounds and careers of Ivy athletes.

Some of these alumni were stars or champions. Others -- like most athletes at every level of competition -- played more anonymously or with only modest team success. In their combined athletic and academic Ivy League experiences, however, each of them found values and habits that led to later success, whether in global arenas or in their own families and neighborhoods.

Special aspects of the Celebration will include:

a preview of each week's stories in the weekly Ivy League email newsletter, which is available free of charge on the left hand side of this page, beneath the menu. Just simply place your email address in that box and select 'GO.'
an earlier (preceding Friday) preview for members of the media, Ivy Sports Information Directors and other Ivy institutional staff (media may sign up by writing to Jane Antis).
archiving of all profiles and features on www.ivy50.com, chronologically as well as by both school and sport.

We welcome reprinting of all stories, with appropriate credit, in public media, and in all institutional media (including websites, weekly bulletins and calendars, game programs, and alumni magazines).

The Ivy League 50th Celebration will be Co-Edited by Ivy League Associate Director Brett Hoover and by Stephen Eschenbach, a long-time contributor to each of the Ivy alumni magazines who also will be Senior Writer. Other contributing writers will include two-time Olympian and 1990 Harvard graduate Meredith Rainey Valmon; former Ivy Public Information Assistants Josi Carlson and E.J. Crawford; current Ivy Public Information Assistants Wes Harris and Bethany Karantonis; and Ivy League Executive Director Jeff Orleans and Associate Director Chuck Yrigoyen.

We hope you will enjoy this special year-long Ivy feature, and we look forward to reading your comments and answering your questions, which can be sent to Hoover.