Hall of Fame Selections--Payne and Levitt

[CornellFan]

Two former NFL draft picks from the same Cornell football team, Chad Levitt and Seth Payne are among 13 athletes to be inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame.  Both played on the terribly underchieving 1996 team.

http://cornellbigred.cstv.com/genrel/062507aaa.html

[Josh '99]

Chad Levitt up the middle.

Chat Levitt up the middle.

Chad Levitt up the middle.

Punt.

[Robb]

[quote Josh '99]Chad Levitt up the middle.

Chat Levitt up the middle.

Chad Levitt up the middle.

Punt.[/quote]
Is that the football equivalent of dump-n-suck?

[ugarte]

[quote Josh '99]Chad Levitt up the middle.

Chat Levitt up the middle.

Chad Levitt up the middle.

Punt.[/quote]
Hmm. I remember
Levitt up the middle for 12
Levitt up the middle for 5
Levitt up the middle for 6
Incomplete
Levitt up the middle for 7
Incomplete
Punt

[French Rage]

What made 1996 underacheiving?

[CornellFan]

2 NFL players-- one on the defensive line, the other a skill player in the backfield.

Cornell could only muster a 4-3 Ivy record and even worse, 4-6 overall.

I give credit to the coaching--for what could have been a much better season.

[RichH]

Also, a team that returned most of the key parts of the 1995 team which was one Penn win away (actually one 4th quarter drive at Princeton early in the season) from a championship.

CU got blown out in Philly, and Princeton played for the tie vs. Dartmouth in one of the most gut-wrenching days of Ivy football I've experienced.

[Josh '99]

And yet, somehow, Hofher got a job at a higher-profile school (Syracuse) after he left Cornell.

[CornellFan]

Didn't Hofher get a job as the offensive coordinator at UNC?  Then I think he left to take over Buffalo.  Am I wrong?

[RichH]

[quote CornellFan]Didn't Hofher get a job as the offensive coordinator at UNC?  Then I think he left to take over Buffalo.  Am I wrong?[/quote]

Partially.  But that means you're partially right.

Hofher resigned at CU to take the QB coaching job at North Carolina in Jan. 1998.  He was with UNC for 2 seasons ('98-'99) before becoming the Syracuse QB coach for one season in '00.    His first year at the University of Buffalo was 2001, and he was fired in 2005, having an aggregate  record of 8-49 (.140) with UB.

One story (from espn.com, linked below) has him as being the record holder for Cornell coaching victories and winning percentage, but that's clearly wrong.  maybe they mean formal Ivy League wins or something.  However, he is the only head coach to have a winning CU career record since I've been alive.  Hopefully, Knowles joins him in the fall.

Sources:
http://www.uconnhuskies.com/AllStories/MFootball/2004/11/16/20041116.html
http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/mac/buffalo/coaching_records.php
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2217375
http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_iaa/ivyleague/cornell/coaching_records.php

[ugarte]

First, in response to Josh, I don't think that saying that 1996 wasn't Hohfer's finest year is the same as saying that he wasn't a good coach. I think he had some good years at Cornell and nothing he did would have ruined his reputation at Cornell.

[quote RichH][quote CornellFan]Didn't Hofher get a job as the offensive coordinator at UNC?  Then I think he left to take over Buffalo.  Am I wrong?[/quote]
Hofher resigned at CU to take the QB coaching job at North Carolina in Jan. 1998.  He was with UNC for 2 seasons ('98-'99) before becoming the Syracuse QB coach for one season in '00.[/quote]
And this isn't surprising at all. Hohfer did very good work with the QBs at Cornell. Chris Cochrane was a hair's breadth from the NFL and Bill Lazor set a lot of school records (and is now coaching in the NFL, I think).

[jtwcornell91]

[quote ugarte]First, in response to Josh, I don't think that saying that 1996 wasn't Hohfer's finest year is the same as saying that he wasn't a good coach. I think he had some good years at Cornell and nothing he did would have ruined his reputation at Cornell.[/quote]

Yeah, I remember Hohfer coming in and taking a team that went 2-5 in the Ivies under Maxie's replacement (poor guy got "promoted" from Offensive Coordinator right out of the program, while Pete Noyes is still there) to an Ivy co-championship (and 5 yards short of an undefeated Ivy season) my senior year.