Jake Crouthamel (1938-2022)

Jake Crouthamel, 1976.

I was saddened to hear about the recent death of Jake Crouthamel, the Syracuse University athletic director from 1977-2005 who, among his other accomplishments, helped found the Big East and oversaw the construction of a little thing called the Carrier Dome (now the JMA Wireless Dome). He also hired Dick MacPherson as football coach, and Coach Mac went on to guide the Orange to an undefeated 1987 season. During Crouthamel's tenure, Syracuse won a national title in men's basketball and EIGHT in men's lacrosse. (Hey, when I was in high school, where lax was a big deal, "Syracuse Lacrosse" T-shirts were a big fashion statement, I joke you not.)

But before he turned Syracuse into The 'Cuse, Crouthamel got his start at Dartmouth, first as a player (1957-59) and later as an assistant (1965-70) and head coach (1971-77). He won one Ivy League title as a player, three as an assistant coach and three more as a head coach. 

Let's take a closer look at the three phases of Crouthamel's Dartmouth days, complete with uniforms, many of which I've written about before:

As a player: Crouthamel ran for 1,763 yards over three seasons, which, amazingly, is still tied for sixth on the Big Green's all-time list. (Hey, if you think that's wild, Myles Lane is the school's all-time rushing TD leader with 33; he set that record from 1925-27.) He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and ran for 12 touchdowns. He also played defensive back in those two-way days. Dartmouth was 19-6-2 during his time in Hanover.

Crouthamel in his playing days, This and the next few photos 
are from the Dartmouth alumni magazine's archives.

The uniforms above is from 1959, Crouthamel's senior season (he wore No. 27). Note the curved UCLA-style numbers and the horizontal shoulder stripes on the road jerseys. I wrote a little bit about this style here.

As an assistant: Crouthamel returned to Dartmouth in 1965 to coach the offensive and defensive backs. His work with the defense seems to have worked; the 1970 Big Green allowed a whopping 42 points over nine games and delivered six shutouts.

Crouthamel offers some tips on carrying the ball. I believe 
Gene Ryzewicz was the QB on Dartmouth's undefeated 1965 team.

The uniform above is from 1969, by which time the Big Green was wearing UCLA-style numbers at home but block numbers on the road. Dartmouth started wearing the Native American head on the sleeves of the road shirts in 1965 — the same year the classic "D" helmet with the funky stripes debuted — but the home versions didn't comply until 1970.

The 1969 Big Green had plowed through their schedule undefeated and frankly unchallenged, but was blown out by Princeton in the season finale, 35-7, and had to share the Ivy title with Princeton and Yale.

As a head coach: After the 1970 season, longtime coach Bob Blackman left for Illinois, and Crouthamel became head coach after top choice Joe Yukica elected to stay at Boston College. (Yukica, who also died this year, eventually replaced Crouthamel in 1978.) Crouthamel proceeded to win three straight Ivy titles out the gate (1971-73), extending the Big Green's title streak to five. 

According to this very long, detailed interview with former athletic director Seaver Peters (it's definitely worth the read if you're interested in the inner workings of an  athletic department), Crouthamel would quit nearly every year, only to come back for another go-round: "Jake quit two or three times, two or three years in a row," Peters recalled in 2001. "I'd come in on a Sunday to get caught up, or on a Monday there would be something on my desk, 'I can't stand doing what I'm doing to my family, the pressure's too great,' and then we'd meet, and then he finally meant it, of course (in 1977)." Peters also recalled that Crouthamel would deflect any praise sent his way: "Oh, yeah, but that's Blackman's material," the coach would tell Peters.

Crouthamel in 1971. Wayne Young became a longtime
Norwich, Vt.-based attorney and Big Green radio analyst.  

Crouthamel in 1972 after another Ivy crown.
Love those old 2-bar facemasks.

Perhaps Crouthamel was right; his last four years, Dartmouth went from Ivy juggernaut to merely good before he left for Syracuse.

The uniforms above are from his first and last seasons as head coach. The 1971 style continued what the Big Green wore in 1970. In 1973 (road) and 1974 (home), the Native American head on the sleeves was replaced by a "D;" some are tall and narrow, others short and wide. 

When Yukica became the the coach in '78, he overhauled most of the uniform save the helmet, adding thick stripes to the sleeves and black trim on everything.