Pomona- Pitzer Football Logo Pomona-Pitzer Football: A Proud Tradition Football has a long and proud tradition at Pomona College and Pitzer College. Established in 1892—five years after the founding of Pomona College—the football program has flourished for over a century. The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens are a founding member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Conference members include Redlands, Whittier, La Verne, California Lutheran, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Occidental, and the conference champion receives an automatic birth to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The football program boasts long-standing rivalries with several con- ference opponents. For example, Pomona College first met Whittier College in 1907, Redlands in 1920 and La Verne in 1926. The longest standing rivalry though is against Occidental College which started in 1895, and the yearly battle for The Drum between the two colleges is now the oldest college football rivalry west of the Mississippi and one of the five oldest in the country. Throughout their long history of football the Sagehens also hold an impressive record of 6-5-1 versus UCLA from games in the 1920’s. Pomona College also met USC from 1897 until 1925, including the 1923 Dedication Game of the Los Angles Memorial Coliseum-site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics and current home of USC. Pomona College and Claremont Men’s College competed as a single Claremont Colleges team from 1947 to 1958, after which two separate athletic departments and intercollegiate programs were established among The Claremont Colleges. The two separate teams met initially in the 1959 season to launch the cross-campus rivalry for the Peace Pipe that packs a stadium of students, faculty, and staff from all The Claremont Colleges as well as local supporters. Pitzer College opened its doors in 1964, and its students eventually joined Pomona students to form Pomona-Pitzer intercollegiate teams. The squad currently plays on Merritt Field, a beautiful, well-maintained natural turf surface for practices and games that was renovated in the 2003 season. The 4,000-seat stadium was named for the legendary Sagehen coach Earl “Fuzz” Merritt ‘25, who headed the program from 1925 to 1958. Throughout the years, there have been many highlights and memories: Pomona-Pitzer ranks on the NCAA team list for all-time victories; the 1895 team was led by Byron Van Leuven, who was the team’s coach, trainer, and star halfback; the 1900 team was unbeaten and unscored- upon in seven games; the Sagehens blanked UCLA 26-0 in 1925; the Sagehens swept the conference title three straight years in 1954, 1955, and 1956; Leroy Sweeney kicked a punt 98 yards in 1960; Alan McCall connected on a 50-yard field goal in 1968; quarterback Larry Cenotto was the 1974 NCAA champion in total offense and passing yardage; fullback George Bushala rushed for 222 yards against La Verne in 1978; quarterback Rob Bristow finished his career in 1986 with 7,120 pass yards and once completed an NCAA-record 21 passes in one quarter; Dan Daley caught 17 passes in a 1988 game; Nate Kirtman returned a kickoff for a TD in 1991 that was an NCAA-record 100 yards (he was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft); Pomona-Pitzer set a team record for average yards per game (384.1) in 1992; Tony Fadulu Pomona-Pitzer Sports Rains Sport and Recreation Center 220 E. Sixth Street Claremont, CA 91711-6346 Logo FPO FPO ran for 2,141 yards in 1993. In the last six years, 1995 through the 2000 season, the Sagehens have a record of 35-14 and six con- secutive winning seasons. For part of this six years the Sagehens were lead by 1st team All- American and all-time total offensive leader (8721 yards and 90 TD’s) Jack Ramirez and WR/DB Ray Portella. Ray is in the top 4 of many individual offensive records, including 1st all-time in touchdown receptions (22). Ray as a senior WR/DB played nearly every snap of every game, which averaged out to over 120 plays per game. In 1997, the Sagehen offense broke the team record, and were ranked #3 in the country, in yards per game (504.0 yards), points per game (46.6), and James Regan won the Division III scoring title (21.0 per game). Regan also finished as the leading rusher in the history of the program (2767 yards), #1 in career points (360) and #1 in rushing touch downs (35). The 1998 Sagehen defensive squad was ranked #4 in Division III in Total Defense (192 yards per game), #3 in Rush Defense (66 yards per game), #11 in Scoring Defense (9.5 points per game) and #2 in Turnover Margin (+15). During the 1999 season the Sagehen football team was ranked #33 in the nation in the first ever Division III coaches poll with a 7- 1 record. In 2003, the Sagehens defeated #3 Trinity University on the way to another win- ning season. Jonathan Samples ‘04 was named SCIAC Player of the Year while leading the conference in rushing. Pomona College is con- sistently ranked as one of the top five Liberal Arts schools in the country. There are but a handful of schools in the United States that can boast of the academic standing of Pomona and Pitzer Colleges, and still have a winning foot- ball program. In fact, since 1995 the Sagehens winning percentage in football (62%) is better than California rivals Stanford (49%), Cal (38%), CMS (44%) and Occidental (42%). Our combination of top academics and competitive football are unrivaled on the West Coast and a testament that the two can successfully co- exist. With an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs now in sight the Sagehens are looking forward to national prominence. Athletics and Academics The Pomona-Pitzer football program offers students the opportunity to develop and enhance their athletic skills within an environment that fosters excellence in athletics and academics. Athletic achievement provides lifelong satis- faction and requires the blending of a special person and a special place. Students who value an educated mind and appreciate the vitality that comes from physical and mental competition can gain a complete college edu- cation at Pomona College or Pitzer College. Pomona and Pitzer consider football to be an extension of the classroom. Athletic participation offers a learning experience that cannot be duplicated within a traditional teaching environment. Through the football experience, we encour- age the broadening and sharpening of critical thinking skills developed in the classroom. Because of the intensive and well-rounded education offered at Pomona and Pitzer, students often pursue such fields as law, medicine, education, and business. You will be challenged intellectually and physically on a daily basis at Pomona and Pitzer as you prepare for your future. The Coach Roger Caron, Professor of Physical Education, practices the skills he teaches. A 1985 graduate of Harvard University, he was a Division I-AA First Team Kodak and A.P. All-American and Two Time First Team All-Ivy League. Caron was a fifth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he played from 1985 to 1987. In 1987, he joined the staff of Williams College in Massachusetts and helped coach the program to a 45-9-2 record in 7 years, including a 23-game win streak (1988- 1991) and an unprecedented 14 Little Three victories in a row. The Facilities Pomona-Pitzer Athletics features the finest Division III athletic facilities in the country. The 86,000- square-foot Liliore Green Rains Center contains two gymnasiums, racquetball courts, and strength-training and locker facilities. The Rains Center is the hub of a larger physical plant that includes Haldeman and Pendleton pools, 14 tennis courts, Merritt Football Field, Alumni Field (baseball), a soccer field, and Strehle Track and Field. Pomona College and Pitzer College clearly recognize the importance of a healthy intercollegiate athletic program. The Colleges Pomona College is an independent, coeducational liberal arts college located in Claremont, California, 35 miles east of Los Angeles. Since its founding in 1887, Pomona has offered distinguished undergraduate education in the humanities, social sciences, fine arts, and natural sciences. Twenty-four academic departments and 16 special programs offer 40 majors. High value is placed on close interac- tion between professor and student. Enrollment is 1,390, with a student-faculty ratio of approximately nine to one. Pitzer College, founded in 1963, is the youngest of the Claremont Colleges and features a self-direct- ed curriculum especially appealing to a highly motivated, decision-making type of student. A residential college of approximately 725 men and women, Pitzer is one of the few colleges in the U.S. that emphasizes the social and behavioral sciences. An average class size of 10 students fosters a dynamic relationship between professor and student. Pitzer recently added two academic/administrative build- ings and a new multipurpose recreation center for students. Both colleges are members of The Claremont Colleges consortium, an incomparable arrangement in American higher education whereby students from Pitzer, Pomona, and other member insti- tutions share in the educational, social, and cultural resources of five adjacent undergrad- uate colleges and a graduate school. Admissions and Financial Aid The admissions committees of both colleges welcome inquiries and applications from students who have approached their high school years with energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. Excellence in football—or music, art, writing, other sports, and community service—is part of the general portrait you present. The committees consider the strength of your academic program and the quality of your record, as well as the pattern of subjects. Like all NCAA Division III institutions, Pomona and Pitzer do not offer athletic scholarships. Our athletes are truly students. Financial aid is awarded on the basis of demonstrated need. Information For more information about the Pomona-Pitzer football program, please write Coach Caron, Rains Center, 220 E. Sixth Street, Claremont, CA 91711, or phone (909) 607-1826 or email rcaron@pomona.edu. Pomona College and Pitzer College do not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, age, or sexual orientation in the administration of their educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or other programs.