GianFrancisco documents League lore

Every time a Princeton athlete suits up and steps out onto the field, court, mat or rink, a moment of Ivy League history is created. Student athletes often lose this perspective, as competing transforms into daily life. Often, it isn't until years down the road that athletes are able to take a step back and realize that they have been a part of history for four years.

An appreciation for his place in the "bigger picture" is exactly what inspired George GianFrancisco, a member of Columbia's Class of 1988, to write and direct a documentary entitled "The League" –– a film focusing on the history of Ivy League football.

GianFrancisco played football at Columbia during the 80s, when the Lions were infamous for losing games. Even though the team was not winning many games, let alone championships, GianFrancisco realized the value of his dual experience as Division I collegiate athlete and student at one of the most challenging universities in the country.

After college, GianFrancisco ended up in Hollywood working as a screenwriter, where he met former Tiger football player Dean Cain '88 and producer Lee Reherman, (Cornell, '88). The three immediately bonded over their college football experiences and struck up a close friendship. GianFrancisco began to realize just how many high-profile people in Hollywood had been a part of the Ivy League football tradition, and he began forming the idea for a documentary about the "Ancient Eight."

"I met lots of people out there who had been Ivy League football players. We shared so much in common from our collegiate experience, very much unlike any of my friends who had played in the Big Ten," GianFrancisco said. "It gave us a startling familiar sense of kinship."

GianFrancisco's next step was to determine whether this appreciation for the student athlete experience existed across other generations of Ivy League players. He interviewed stars like Matthew Fox (Columbia '89) and Brian Dennehy (Columbia '60), and members of the NFL community like Eric Johnson (Yale '01) and Robert Kraft (Columbia '63).

"The passion and gratitude these people had for having been a part of the Ivy League football experience surprised me sometimes," GianFrancisco said. "Some of these men had learned real life lessons during their playing years."

Convinced that his sentiments toward his collegiate experience were shared by many, GianFrancisco pushed forward with the creation of his documentary, signing on Reherman as producer and Cain as executive producer and narrator. He centered the film around the tradition of Ivy League football — excellence both on and off the field.

"There is a right way and a wrong way to play football," GianFrancisco said. "It's a real character affirming thing to participate in the sport of football in the proper way."

The film reviews the creation of the Ivy League and the impact football had on the schools involved. The eight schools were focused on promoting industrial society through education, and GianFrancisco argues football was perfectly suited to the industrial world.

"Football was very closely related to that," said GianFrancisco. "Football was a way for these schools to attract men to become formally educated. A lot of things competed with men going to college, but often football was enough to convince them."

The documentary expresses GianFrancisco's belief that Ivy League football should be held up as a model for other football conferences.

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"The Ivy League is a living example of the right way for football to be incorporated into your experience," GianFrancisco said.

With the schools maintaining high academic standards, the player is a student first and a player second. Football is a way to have fun outside of the classroom, but the focus is not on turning football into a career.

"After watching the documentary, I want people to appreciate not only the fun of football," said GianFrancisco. "But the real value beyond the sport and play that factors into American education."

"The League" is currently in post-production and has the potential to be turned into a Hollywood feature film in the future. The trailer for the documentary can be viewed online at theleague.ivysport.com.