structure of college life – the dining hours, that good work would flow out. But the only yard. In retrospect, the fiction that resulted the meetings, the endless stream of emails – way I could consistently get to that out-of- was only able to circle around Big Ideas— it made me reflect on the summer even more. reach place was to spend the majority of my evolving masculinity, the spirit of growing I recently read a Paris Review interview with time in the backyard, fooling around. up, whatever it was—by reacting sensitively the great short-story writer Amy Hempel If writing, or doing any sort of creative to all the things I did with my little brother, that framed this nicely. She suggests of her work, is about learning your own method my parents, and my friends in my lazy home- writing process, “…another way of doing it— to negotiate these two landscapes—fitting town. I worked on lots of projects over the to live in the two landscapes of that Charles one into the other, forcing both to influence summer—a senior thesis, magazine journal- Wright poem. ‘One that is eternal and divine each other, living between and in both— ism, a comedy musical, short stories—but if / and one that’s just the backyard.’” While then there’s no internship that can promise I can just manage to take forward the idea of trying to write, I felt caught between em- this lesson, at least directly. My peers and I living sensitively in the backyard in my writ- bracing an abstract, sort of lofty, sense of who are annoyed by the relatively unclear ing, and my life at large, I’ll consider those inspiration and the well-trod minutiae of path to an artistic career should perhaps find few months, waking up late in the basement, everyday life. I hoped always to connect to solace in this fact. As the summer went on, I a huge accomplishment. this inspiration—call it eternal and divine, think I grew more confident in this convic- or whatever you choose. I thought I’d be able tion. I hadn’t yet articulated it as such, but I Berta Greenwald Ledecky Undergraduate Fellow to reach it through brute force: locking my- could feel my writing getting better as I tried Matthew Browne ’17 is looking for a writing job de- self in a room and putting in enough time inflecting it more with a sense of the back- spite all this.

SPORTS Rebuilding…or Reloading? In the early going, the Harvard football team was enjoying its accustomed dominance.

t was either sheer inertia or a heart- felt tribute to Tim Murphy that made the voters in the Ivy League’s pre- season football poll place two-time de- Ifending champion Harvard on top again for 2016. More likely it was the latter; in his 22 seasons on the Crimson sideline, the coach had produced nine titles, plus a startling 15 consecutive seasons with seven or more wins. Moreover, in the previous three sea- sons Harvard was an omnipotent 28-2. Still, could any program survive the loss through graduation of 13 All-Ivy performers (includ- ing the league’s 2015 offensive player of the year, quarterback Scott Hosch ’16) and de- serve to be tabbed number one? Wasn’t 2016 a season for lowered expectations? In the early going, the wisdom of the crowd seemed to be confirmed. Spearheaded by Hosch’s replacement, Joe Viviano ’17, the dable hurdle for other aspiring titleholders. New quarterback Joe Viviano ’17 unfurled Crimson got off to a strong start, with easy In the preseason, Murphy set about re- passes with force and finesse, even as defenses had to account for his dangerous victories over non-conference foes Rhode placing departed members of the class of running ability. Island and Georgetown sandwiched around ’16 who were among the all-time Crimson an impressive road triumph over league ri- gridiron greats. On defense, the most glaring who were in NFL camps: Adam Redmond, val Brown. The tougher part of the schedule holes were those left by an All-Ivy lineback- Cole Toner, and Anthony Fabiano. Gone also loomed—particularly back-to-back away ing corps: Matt Koran, Jake Lindsey, and were tight end/H-back Ben Braunecker (to games with Princeton and Dartmouth—but Eric Medes. On the offensive line, the coach the Chicago Bears’ practice squad) and ram- Harvard at the least would present a formi- needed to find successors to three players bling running back Paul Stanton Jr. At the

Photographs courtesy of Harvard Athletic Communications Harvard Magazine 29

Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 John Harvard's Journal long to find out: two viano hit his stride in the Ivy League opener, minutes and eight a rackety 32-22 Crimson victory. He rushed seconds of the open- for a net of 76 yards and two touchdowns ing game against on 15 carries. (He was sacked for 22 yards’ Rhode Island, un- worth of losses.) He also completed 17 of 31 der the lights at passes for 205 yards. Unlike most of today’s Harvard Stadium quarterbacks, who are primarily passers, before 12,167. (Al- Viviano acts almost like an old-fashioned most all those in single-wing tailback, passing or running attendance were depending on the design of the play or his seated on the home whim. With his loping stride, he is very hard side, not unusual to stop—and a fearsome weapon for whom these days in the Ivy opposing defenses must account. League.) That was This was the first Harvard game played the elapsed time of using an Ivy League experimental rule un- the Crimson’s scor- der which the ball is kicked off from the Tight end/H-back Anthony Firkser ’17 ing drive on its initial possession, a trek that 40-yard line rather than the 35. The object is riddled Brown with four receptions for an covered 61 yards in a brisk six plays and cul- to promote safety by means of boots into or eye-popping 19.5-yard average. In the season’s first three games, Firkser scored minated in a 15-yard touchdown strike from out of the end zone, thus curtailing kick re- four touchdowns, including a 75-yarder Viviano to Firkser (the first of two scoring turns, the plays on which the most concus- against Georgetown. hookups between the two). By the end of sions occur. (Another Ivy safety-oriented the first quarter Viviano—with arm, legs, sanction this season: no hitting during prac- game’s most important position, Hosch’s and aplomb—had staked the Crimson to a shrewd decision-making and winning touch 21-0 lead. were hard-earned intangibles that might be In the eventual 51-21 rout of the Rams, Vi- difficult for a neophyte to grasp. viano played a bit more than three quarters. Opposing coaches were shedding no He was 24-of-32 passing for 290 yards and tears: Harvard still had formidable weap- three touchdowns (and no interceptions). ons. Most notable was quicksilver receiver/ He rushed 10 times for 51 yards and one return specialist Justice Shelton-Mosley ’19, scintillating touchdown. Above all, he was last season’s Ivy League rookie of the year. in command. Murphy, a tough critic, was Tight end Anthony Firkser ’17 caught any pleased, especially given that this was Vi- ball that came his way, then shrugged off viano’s most extended outing since his days would-be tacklers. Running back Semar at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Penn- Smith ’18, while not as brilliant as Stanton, sylvania. “Joe will get better, but I give him a had a similar nose for the end zone. The two very high grade,” said the coach afterward. holdovers on the offensive line—guard Lar- Viviano’s highlight-reel play came near the ry Allen Jr. ’18 and tackle Max Rich ’17— end of the first quarter. Ahern had forced were potent piledrivers and dependable a fumble that McCollum recovered on the pass-blockers. On the other side of the ball, Rhode Island 22. Runs by Smith and Viviano captain Sean Ahern ’16 anchored the defen- took the ball down to the Rams’ eight-yard- sive backfield, while the line—seniors James line. Then Viviano proved a master of escape. Duberg, Miles McCollum, and Doug Webb, Dropping back to pass, he bounced off one and sophomore Dj Bailey—was close to im- Rhode Island rusher and spun away from Against Rhode Island and Brown, 2016 Ivy pregnable against the run. another. Seeing an alley, he dashed into the League rookie of the year Justice Shelton- Mosley ’19 picked up where he left off, The major question mark was at quarter- end zone. He then spiked the ball—“I was amassing 15 receptions, some spectacular. back. The 6-foot-5 Viviano, who had seen lim- excited,” he explained—incurring a 15-yard ited action in 2014, was strong and athletic. penalty (assessed on the ensuing kickoff) tices.) Against Brown the collateral dam- Last year he might have supplanted Hosch for unsportsmanlike conduct. He could be age was done to the kick-return career of as the starter but for a preseason foot inju- forgiven: it was his first touchdown since Shelton-Mosley, who watched two kicks ry. How would he fare once handed his Conestoga days, and had been a by the Bruins’ strong-legged Jake Wilner the keys to the offense? It didn’t take long time coming. He recovered his sail deep into the end zone for touchbacks; equanimity enough to direct the another three were either onside kicks, or Crimson to three more scores, the squibs that permitted limited runbacks. (Of To receive weekly last one set up by a beautiful 36- the 11 kickoffs in the game, four resulted in football reports, sign up at yard pitch to Shelton-Mosley. touchbacks, and only three provided con- harvardmag.com/email The following Saturday, at ventional runbacks.) Asked afterward if sun-splashed Brown Stadium, Vi- he was frustrated, Shelton-Mosley said he

30 November - December 2016

Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746 wasn’t—but the smile on his face showed with minor injuries. They weren’t needed. he had been thinking about it. The safety- The Crimson pushed the Hoyas up and Your Choice: conscious Murphy was unmoved. “It’s a down the field, racking up 33 first downs Harvard, good rule,” he said. to Georgetown’s nine and winning the total- It was Murphy’s 221st game on the Har- offense battle 535 yards to 266. Nevertheless, Graduate Schools, vard sideline, moving him past Joe Res- the final score was restrained: Harvard 31, or House Hats tic (1971-93) for most games by a Crimson Georgetown 17. This was partly due to two Purchase Reg. $22 / Member Price $1980 head coach. Murphy marked the occasion big-play Hoya touchdowns (a 76-yard pass with some trademark trickeration. Af- and a 74-yard run), and also to Viviano’s ter Harvard had spotted Brown an early playing only 17 minutes. In that span, how- Choose “Harvard” Embroidered Hat in field goal, the Crimson came back with 25 ever, he completed 15 of 21 pass attempts for maroon, navy, granite, khaki or black. second-period points. After the second of 210 yards and three touchdowns, including three touchdowns—a seven-yard Viviano a 75-yarder to Firkser. bolt up the middle—Harvard lined up for So far, so good. But the meat of the sched- an extra-point kick. But when the ball was ule—and, perhaps, health—would deter- snapped to the holder, backup quarterback mine whether the media had gotten it right. Cam Tripp ’19, he did not put it down for placekicker Jake McIntyre ’20 to boot but IN MEMORIAM: Chester M. Pierce ’48, M.D. instead picked it up, rolled to his right, and ’52, died in September after a long illness. He cantered into the end zone for two points, was the first African American to play in a with nary a Bruin within 20 yards. major college football game south of the Ma- There were other strong elements. The son-Dixon line when he suited up at tackle defensive line stuffed the Brown running in 1947 at the University of Virginia over the attack, limiting the Bruins to 74 yards. Run- initial objections of its administrators. (The Choose your Graduate School in Maroon ning behind the emerging offensive line, the game passed without incident.) Pierce went workhorse Smith gained 89 yards on 22 car- on to become a distinguished psychiatrist ries and rumbled for two touchdowns. Line- and educator; the Division of Global Psy- backer Tanner Lee ’18 and defensive back chiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital Wes Ogsbury ’19 made interceptions to is named in hisHeritage honor. “Harvard”Academic (For more, & seeRecognition “New Lamp blunt Bruin drives. And while you can cre- Faces,” January-February 2011, page 64.) ate kickoff rules that might contain Shel- ton-Mosley, you can’t stop him, as proven Tidbits: With the victory over George- Tote Bag 24 ounce cotton 16.5”h x 14”w x 9.5”d. by two plays from scrimmage: a splendife- town, the Crimson is now 14-0 in night Purchase Reg. $65/Member Price $5850 rous, stretching, 34-yard grab of a Viviano games at thePillow Stadium….Under Measures 18”w x 17”h. Murphy, bomb and a slick 33-yard reverse, each trig- Harvard is 18-5Purchase in its Reg. Ivy $45 League/Member openers…. Price $4050 gering a score. In geographical representation on the 2016 Choose your House Shield Hat in Maroon The next week, at the Stadium against roster, California leads with 17 players, fol-

Georgetown, Harvard played without Shel- lowed by Texas (16), Georgia (9), Connecti- ton-Mosley and Rich, who were held out cut (8), and Ohio (6). vdick friedman

she is the lone coach (male or female) to “Acting As If ” for lead a 16-seed over a one-seed in the NCAA tournament (the Crimson’s 1998 victory over 35 Seasons Stanford, 71-67, on the Cardinal home floor). Basketball coach Kathy Delaney-Smith Many coaches who have enjoyed such en- lives, and inspires with, her motto. during success are associated with a specific style of play. Pete Carril—the former Princ- eton men’s basketball coach who is second Harvard women’s basketball coach to Delaney-Smith among Ivy coaches on Kathy Delaney-Smith insists that her ac- the all-time win list, at 514—created the complishments are not “extraordinary.” But Princeton Offense, a methodical system that as she enters her thirty-fifth season, she is slowed the game and allowed the Tigers to the second-longest tenured head coach in compete with more athletic opponents. Division One women’s college basketball. Delaney-Smith, in contrast, is most close- She has the most overall wins of any coach ly associated with three words that at first For ordering and shipping information in Ivy League men’s and women’s basketball glance have nothing to do with any sport: call: 1-800-368-1882, fax: 1-800-242-1882, or history (546-375 overall, 322-142 Ivy). And “Act as if.” The subject of an eponymous shop our online catalog: www.thecoop.com www.gocrimson.com Harvard Magazine 31 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746