Columbia Lions Head Football Coach Bob Shoop Looks to Create a New Team Identity We’Re Really Good with Defense.” These Guys Are Doing

C olumbia U niversity RECORD September 12, 2003 9 Columbia Lions Head Football Coach Bob Shoop looks to Create a New Team Identity we’re really good with defense.” these guys are doing. There’s a BY COLIN MORRIS The Yale alumnus' straightfor- Columbia football player in a posi- ward approach is embodied by his tion of leadership in any field one n a year of new administra- three rules for the game: passion, might chose to pursue, and they tion, overhauls and promise, toughness and togetherness. He take care of and look out for each Ifirst-year Lions Head Foot- has been applying these ethics to other. It’s as tight and close-knit of ball Coach Bob Shoop sees the big his new squad in practice and a group of individuals I’ve ever picture. training since his appointment last been around.” “A good piece of advice some- winter. “The players have done The new Lions administration one gave me was to learn the com- everything we’ve asked of them looks to continue that trend through pleteness of things,” explains over winter and spring. I studied revamping the program’s recruiting Shoop. Flanked by new state-of- the composition of our team and I scheme. Shoop describes having the-art, NFL quality video equip- think this might be the year,” says one month last winter to recruit the ment, the new coach prefers sitting Shoop. “There are a lot of seniors class for the coming year—a feat and speaking in the middle of the who have played a lot of football that traditionally takes up to three office, far from the confines of his in close games—six of our nine months. Yet the new campaign corner desk. Outside his room, the losses last year were by seven was successful. “We beat out every football program’s offices are points or less, and we led several ivy-league school in at least one being physically overhauled. games in the fourth quarter.” head to head, except for Harvard,” Shuffling back and forth among As a new coach, Shoop stresses Shoop explains. “We beat out some the construction are new faces that the completeness of Colum- division I-AA scholarship pro- around the facility. These changes bia’s identity includes life off the grams head to head, so I think that mark Shoop’s goal for Columbia field as well. was very positive.” football: a new identity. “We demanded a tremendous Shoop has been very pleased Before accepting his new posi- amount of time and energy from with the support he’s received from tion, Shoop was the defensive our student athletes, and a lot of Columbia. “The administration has coordinator for Boston College’s people say it doesn’t work that provided us with everything we’ve football program. As a defensive way in the ivy-league, but 40 of asked for, in a new practice facility powerhouse in the Big East Con- our 70 players who participated in going up, new state-of-the-art play- ference, BC enjoyed the most suc- the winter program achieved a 3.0 ing surface, new office construc- cessful run their history with grade point average or better,” tion, NFL quality video equipment, Shoop, going to four straight RECORD PHOTO BY GENE BOYARS Shoop says. “I think that’s really even new uniforms,” Shoop bowls, winning the last three and First-year coach Bob Shoop expects his team to play with passion, impressive.” beams. “We’ve had great coopera- holding down a regular spot in the toughness and togetherness. “We challenged all our athletes tion from admissions and financial top 25. “I don’t know that we had to become a big league football aid as well as being able to hire the the best talent. We didn’t try and play, you could say ‘that’s a what he already sees as a solid team, and we sure got better, but I staff we wanted.” In its 250th year, reinvent the wheel,” Shoop Boston College football team.’ Columbia defense. “I want our don’t think we compromised their the University certainly shares explains. “We worked—and I That’s what I want this team to be,” guys to be opportunistic and to achievement in the classroom,” Shoop’s vision of completeness. don’t mean we worked 24 hours a Shoop says. “I want us to have an play fast,” the coach explains. Shoop explains. “They’re passion- For more information on Lions day, but we worked smarter.” identity where people can say “The success of our defense is ate, they’re unique, and they’ll be Football, go to http://www.colum- Shoop describes that over the ‘that’s Columbia Lions football.’” based on keeping it simple. It’s successful in everything they pur- bia.edu/cu/athletics/comm/Teams/f years “when you watched them Shoop will attempt to expand on not rocket science, but I think sue. It’s amazing what some of ootball/ In Memoriam... Howard Levene Dobzhansky and Leslie Dunn at Lewontin and the late Stephen Jay finished his Ph.D. thesis after the Columbia. His best-known work Gould, who were biology profes- war in 1947. The Statistical BY DOOD KALICHARAN with Dobzhansky involved the sors at Harvard. Research Group was part of the genetics of the fruit fly (Drosophi- In the field of statistics, Levene U.S. Office of Scientific Develop- Howard Levene, who made a la), which has been used in experi- developed run tests of randomness, ment from 1942 to 1945 to per- number of important contribu- mental studies of heredity because techniques for assessing the effec- form statistical quality control and tions to statistics and genetics and of its short life cycle and great tiveness of quality control charts, develop new methodologies in was a professor of mathematical reproductive ability. He worked and the Levene tests for the equal- support of the war effort. statistics and genetics at Columbia with Dunn on population dynam- ity of two population variances. He It consisted of many eminent University before his retirement in ics and the effects of mutations on served as chairman of the Depart- statisticians, including Harold 1982, died of natural causes on developments in mammals. He ment of Mathematical Statistics at Hotelling, Abraham Wald, Allen July 2 at his home in New York wrote a chapter on statistical infer- Columbia for many years, includ- Wallis, Jacob Wolfowitz (who City at the age of 89. ence in genetics in Principles of ing an uninterrupted period from was Levene's Ph.D. thesis advi- Levene received his Ph.D. in Genetics by Dunn, Dobzhansky 1975 to his retirement in 1982. sor), and the Nobel laureates Ken- mathematical statistics from and Sinnott, which became an Levene was born on Jan 7, 1914, neth Arrow, Milton Friedman and Columbia in 1947 and then important reference on the subject in New York City. He received his George Stigler. became a faculty member at the after its publication in 1958. undergraduate education at New Howard Levene was the only University, holding a joint It was an exciting period in York University, graduating with a son of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander appointment in statistics and biol- genetics and evolutionary biology B.A. degree (Summa Cum Laude) Levene, and is survived by his ogy. He began a long period of at Columbia, and among Levene's in 1941. During World War II he cousins Mrs. Marie P. Lampard collaboration with the distin- prominent students during that worked at Columbia University in and Dr. Benjamin. F. Levene Jr. guished geneticists Theodosius period were Richard Charles the Statistical Research Group and James Shenton tise in the Civil War and Recon- Alexander Hamilton Medal and became a full professor in struction, the history of radical (1999). In addition, the American 1967. BY TIMOTHY P. C ROSS movements, ethnicity and immi- Historical Association and the A well-know supporter of lib- gration, and World War II. He Society for History Education eral causes, Shenton participated James Patrick Shenton, was a mainstay of the College's awarded him the Eugene Asher in the March on Selma in 1965 CC’49, a noted scholar of Amer- Contemporary Civilization pro- Distinguished Teaching Award in and counseled draft resisters ican history who taught at gram and directed the history 1995. during the Vietnam War. Columbia for more than 50 department's summer session for Born on March 17, 1925, in Shenton's published works years, died on Friday, July 25, in many years. He also led summer Passaic, N.J., Shenton was the include Robert John Walker: A Paterson, N.J. Shenton had seminars sponsored by the oldest of four children. He Politician from Jackson to Lin- recently undergone heart surgery National Endowment for the attended public schools in New coln (1960), An Historian's His- at St. Joseph's Hospital in Pater- Humanities for college and sec- Jersey and served as a medic with tory of the United States (1967), son. He was 78. ondary school teachers. the U.S. Army in the European The Melting Pot (1973) and Free "Jim Shenton was a Columbia At Columbia, Shenton theater during World War II. In Enterprise Forever (1979). In institution, and a Columbia leg- received virtually every award 1946, Shenton arrived at Colum- the 1960s, he taught a 76-hour end, for half a century—a devot- possible for a teacher and alum- bia College as a 21-year-old survey course on public televi- ed and charismatic teacher, a nus, including the Mark Van freshman on the G.I. Bill. After sion, entitled "The Rise of the warm and caring mentor to gen- Doren Award (1971), the Great finishing his bachelor's degree in American Nation." erations of students, and a tant and brilliant chapter in the Teacher Award (1976), the John three years, he earned his M.A. in For more information regard- beloved colleague to those of us University's history." Jay Award for Distinguished Pro- 1950 and his Ph. D. in 1954 from ing the memorial service on in the history department," said Shenton was a highly regarded fessional Achievement (1995), the Graduate School of Arts and campus on Oct 2, please go to University Provost Alan Brink- historian of 19th- and 20th-centu- the Presidential Award for Out- Sciences. He began teaching in http://www.college.columbia.ed ley. "His death closes an impor- ry America, with special exper- standing Teaching (1996) and the the history department in 1951 u/alumni/events/index.php#2420