H Oya H Eritage
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H oya Heritage Hoya Heritage Hoya Fight Song . 72 Hoya Heritage . 73 Eacobacci Memorial Jersey . 74 Chronological History . 76 Where Are They Now? . 78 All Time Roster . 79 HOYA HERITAGE AN OLD TRADITION RETURNS The 2003 Hoyas restarted an old Hilltop tradition by singing the Georgetown fight song after every victory. It was the idea of Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and Head Coach Bob Benson. The squad learns the song during preseason by having each position group sing off against another group with the loser earning extra conditioning the next day. Georgetown’s first rendition of the song came at Lafayette on October 5, 2003. The Hoyas have con- tinued the revived tradition ever since. GEORGETOWN FIGHT SONG “It’s been so long since last we met In the clouds will proudly float the Blue Lie down forever, lie down and Gray.” Oh, have you any money to bet Lie down forever, lie down!” “We’ve heard those loyal fellows up at Yale “There goes old... Georgetown Brag and boast about their ‘Boola-Boola’ Straight for a... touchdown We’ve heard the Navy yell, we’ve listened See how they... gain ground to Cornell Lie down forever, lie down We’ve heard the sons of Harvard tell Lie down forever, lie down!” How Crimson lines could hold them ‘Choo! Choo! Rah! Rah!’, dear to Holy Cross “Rah! Rah! Rah! The proud old Princeton tiger is never at Hurrah for Georgetown a loss Cheer for victory today But the yell of all the yells, the yell that ‘Ere the sun has sunk wins the day to rest, Is the ‘HOYA, HOYA SAXA!’ of the dear In the cradle of Old Blue and Gray.” the west 2005 GEORGETOWN FOOTBALL 72 HOYA HERITAGE BY RORY F. QUIRK C’65, L’80 (PARTIALLY EXCERPTED FROM, “HOYA-SAXA: GEORGETOWN FOOTBALL 1874–1978,” PRINTED 1978, REVISED BY GU’S SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT IN 1993 AND 2003) eorgetown’s football past is Thirteen years later, Georgetown rich with upsets, stellar students petitioned for the resump- teams and bowl bids. tion of intercollegiate football on a GGeorgetown can rightfully boast low-budget, non-scholarship level. of outstanding individuals whose Their efforts were successful, and names dotted the weekend sports sparked the “club football” move- pages and who propelled the ment of the late ’60s, which saw Hoyas to national prominence: some 50 colleges that had previ- Al Exendine, the Carlisle All- ously abandoned football follow American who brought the Pop Georgetown back to the game on a Warner system and winning foot- non-scholarship basis. ball to the Hilltop as head coach In 1970, under the guidance of from 1914 to 1922...Johnny former Duke All-American Scotty Gilroy, perhaps the premier col- Glacken, Georgetown rejoined the lege running back of his day, intercollegiate ranks as an NCAA who led the nation in rushing in Division III member. Since that 1916...Lou Little, the Penn All- time, the Hoyas have finished 10th American who brought Georgetown to Eastern town’s finest hour as a college football power. (1974) and seventh (1978) in balloting for the prominence in the ’20s before moving on to The Hoyas finished unbeaten twice and lost Lambert Bowl, awarded annually to the best Columbia, where he won long-overdue just two of 26 games during that three-year small-college team in the East. The 1978 team acclaim as one of the finest coaches in the period in which Grantland wrote: finished 7-1, the best showing by a George- history of the college game...Jack Hagerty, “There can be no set system of ranking town team since 1939. All-East halfback and captain of Little’s football coaches... However, in my opinion, In 1993, Georgetown opened a new powerhouse, went on to star for the New York Jack Hagerty of Georgetown belongs high up chapter in its football history, as the Hoyas Giants before returning to his alma mater as on this list among the very best that football made the transition to the NCAA Division head coach from 1931–1948...George Murtagh, knows.” I-AA level as a member of the Metro Atlantic another Georgetown and Giant standout, who Then the war came. Georgetown continued Athletic Conference. GU won two straight returned as Hagerty’s assistant...Al Blozis, to field representative teams in the early ’40s MAAC titles in 1997 and 1998 and tied for standout tackle on the 1941 Orange Bowl before suspending the program in 1943. With the league crown in 1999. Then in 2001 team and NCAA shot put champion...Augie the resumption of football in 1946, Jack Georgetown University played its inaugural Lio, who played with Blozis, made All-Ameri- Hagerty and his staff tried to pick up the season in the prestigious Patriot League, can, and was named to the college Football pieces and the promise of the pre-war years. marking the transformation from playing Hall of Fame...Maurice “Mush” Dubofsky, While there were occasional upsets and a regional powers to facing foes that are in longtime Hagerty aide, who starred in the 1950 Sun Bowl appearance, crowds dwindled, contention for the NCAA Division I-AA ’30s, then returned as head coach in 1968 and expenses rose, and Georgetown discontinued Championship year in and year out. 1969 before his death in 1970. football. An institution that had been born in Georgetown football, in its second century Aside from outstanding individuals, a cornfield in 1887 and had risen to the of play, has added immeasurably to the rich Georgetown can point to outstanding teams: heights of 1940, died abruptly in 1951. heritage of a university in its third century. The 1916 squad, which crushed nine consecu- tive opponents after an opening-game loss to Navy...the 1925 team, arguably Georgetown’s GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES (YEAR OF GRADUATION) finest, which shut out seven opponents, George Bahan (1895) Paul Florence (1924) Frank McGrath (1926) smothered previously unbeaten Fordham Steve Barabas (1930) H. Earl Fullilove (1942) Jack McQuade (1926) before a stunned crowd at the Polo Grounds Al Blozis (1942) Louis Ghecas (1941) Joe Mellendick (1940) in New York and finished 9-1...the Hagerty Vincent Bogdanski (1972) Johnny Gilroy (1919) Lou Metzger (1926) powerhouses of 1938, 1939 and 1940. The John Burke (1975) J. Percy Given (1907) Jim Mooney (1930) 1938–39 teams won 15, tied one and held the H.C. “Curly” Byrd (1909) Robert Gormley (1927) Thomas “Ooch” Moriarty (1916) opposition to 48 points over the two seasons. Jim Castiglia (1941) Thomas Gormley (1916) Robert Morris (1975) The 1940 team extended the unbeaten streak Rudy Comstock (1922) Claude Grigsby (1928) George Murtagh (1926) to 23 before losing to Boston College in a Harry Connaughton (1927) Jack Hagerty (1926) Bob Noppinger (1951) battle of unbeatens before a standing-room- Jim Corcoran (1982) Thomas Hardiman (1951) Bob Nork (1928) only crowd at Boston’s Fenway Park. BC Sam Cordovano (1932) James “Hub” Hart (1904) Dan O’Connor (1916) edged the Hoyas 19-18 in a contest Grantland Harry Costello (1913) Julius Koshlap (1941) Marc Ostinato (1941) Rice characterized as one of the most exciting “Babe” Cunningham (1927) John Kuhns (1972) Tony Plansky (1927) ever played. William J. Cusack (1917) Augie Lio (1941) Ken Provincial (1930) Georgetown finished the 1940 season Art Devlin (1910) Lou Little (coach) John Scalzi (1931) ranked 13th nationally and received a bid to “Mush” Dubofsky (1932) John H. Maloney (1918) Fred Sheehan (1925) the Orange Bowl to play unbeaten Mississippi Bob Duffey (1944) Leon Martel (1908) William Sitterding (1912) State. The Hoyas outplayed the ninth-ranked John Dwyer (1971) Frank Mattingly (1952) Clem Stralka (1938) Maroons on New Year’s Day, but lost 14-7. Al Exendine (coach) Al Matuza (1941) John Tomaini (1927) The defeat marked the conclusion of George- Jack Flavin (1922) Joe McFadden (1941) Carl E. Werts (1923) 73 2005 GEORGETOWN FOOTBALL IN MEMORY OF Joe Eacobacci The Eacobacci family Joe Eacobacci (C ’96) with sister Michelle n September 11, 2001 the Joe was a football student-athlete Georgetown community lost for Head Coach Bob Benson former Hoya football standout between 1993 and 1995 and was the OJoe Eacobacci. A 1996 graduate of the College team tri-captain his senior season. Benson of Arts and Sciences he was an energy trader believes that Eacobacci’s mark on Georgetown for the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald on was inked not only on the gridiron but also on the 105th floor of the north tower of the the entire Georgetown campus. World Trade Tower. “He had more friends than anybody, and that was what made him a beautiful person,” stated Coach Benson in an interview with GU’s student newspaper the Hoya. “He would light up a room, he really could make people smile and bring enjoyment and pleasure to a room.” Joe is survived by his parents, Ann and Mitch Eacobacci, his older brother Tom, a 1993 graduate of the McDonough School of Business and former football player, his younger sister Michelle, and by his girlfriend of many years Denise Mauro. The Eacobacci family and Georgetown University have set up a need based scholarship fund in Joe’s name. Beginning in the 2003 season Georgetown’s athletic department and football program began honoring Joe every year by having a football student-athlete wear his former playing jersey #35. Joe Eacobacci The 2005 #35 Joe Eacobacci Memorial Jersey is bestowed upon senior defensive end Michael 2005 GEORGETOWN FOOTBALL 74 EACOBACCI MEMORIAL #35 JOE EACOBACCI MEMORIAL JERSEY RECIPIENTS Michael Ononibaku, Senior, Defensive End 2003 2004 2005 MATT FRONZCKE MICHAEL ONONIBAKU MICHAEL ONONIBAKU DB DE DE Ononibaku.