The first collegiate football game ever played was played here in New Jersey in 1869. The two teams that squared off in that historic matchup were Princeton and Rutgers. Since then, there has been a tradition about Princeton football that no other school can emulate.
But what about the marquis teams like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, and Nebraska? Yes, they have football traditions of their own, but there is one record they have not touched that belongs solely to Princeton.
That's right. Princeton owns the record for most national championships since that first game in 1869. In the 131 years since then, the Tigers have won 28 championships.
One might wonder what this tradition means today. Football head coach Roger Hughes summed it up best in a recent interview:
"The thing that attracted me to this place is one word: excellence. Princeton wants to be the best in everything they do."
There are many sports in which Tiger teams are ranked among the best — men's and women's lacrosse, squash, field hockey, crew. In the classroom, Princeton's excellence is more than adequately documented. Any Princeton student can proudly point out the school's No. 1 ranking in U.S. News and World Report this year.
Apparently, people are excited to be here, but coach Hughes is not seeing it.
"We have a 30,000 seat stadium; we're averaging 18,000," he said. "I don't see enough students out there."
From what he saw in this year's spring practice, Hughes believes the football team has improved since his arrival. Following their comeback victory in the Dream Match 2001 against Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters over Spring Break, they have been training constantly, rising early to lift weights and practice. It is a young team, having lost eight seniors to graduation, but coach Hughes has pushed the team to commit more time to bettering themselves.
"I would like to get to the point where the kids expect a certain level of intensity, and expect a certain level of work ethic, and the older kids could just teach the younger kids coming in and it would perpetuate," Hughes said.
Once classes finish, the team will leave for 12 weeks of summer training off campus at their own discretion. Coach Hughes feels that he and his fellow coaches have instilled the work ethic needed, and the team with its new recruits will return in August ready to put their best forward for the 2001 season. But that has not stopped Hughes' recruiting efforts — now he wants more fans.
"You can watch all the NFL football on Sunday you want," he said. "It's not the same as a college game. It's not the same as being at a college game. And I think what we have to create is an atmosphere of fun and make it a social place to be."
He was amazed at how packed Princeton Stadium was for this year's Harvard game, a week after the Tigers thumped Brown. It was the kind of crowd Hughes wants for every home game this season. That is why there will be two night games next season: one against Lafayette, the other against Columbia.
"I just don't know how many kids are in labs or in the library studying at seven o'clock on a Saturday night," he said. "It's a great venue, and if [people] come out to watch us, I think they'll be excited with the product we put out on the field."
So aside from winning as a team this year, coach Hughes' other goal is to make the campus excited about football once again.
"There is no reason why we can't get three or four thousand students here, that's including grad students, and have a great time," he said.
"I'm not saying throw quarters at them, just maybe small rocks," he joked. "Just come and get rowdy."
Coach Hughes is so passionate about the idea of returning the excitement, he is even willing to take the campus's ideas of how to do it.
"So if you have any ideas, or the students have any ideas, e-mail me. I'll be glad to listen."
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