Hall of Fame
Joe Sabol is hesitant about comparing the 1970 Norwich University football team to Norwich teams he has not seen, but will quickly name the group the best that he has ever coached.
The 1970 team finished the year 7-1 marking the program's sixth straight winning season. The Cadets were ranked third in the final Lambert Bowl rankings of Eastern small-college football teams. The 1970 season also marked the culmination of perhaps the finest three-year period in the history of Norwich football.
"We had a little bit of everything that was good that year," Sabol recalled, "and a lot more than we had ever had before in some departments. The spirit, the will to win, the extra effort in every game and in every practice session were all that any coach could ever ask for."
NU nearly made the 1970 season a perfect one. The only blemish on the team's record came in its season opener. Norwich lost to Kings Point, the defending Lambert Bowl Champions, 7-3, when the Mariners scored in the final three minutes.
The Cadets responded to the season-opening loss by stringing together seven straight wins over A.I.C., Coast Guard, Tufts, St. Lawrence, Bates, Middlebury, and WPI.
Asked to name a few of the standout performers, Sabol replied, "You're asking the impossible. Pete Hattem never missed a minute's play in 24 games - Joe Cottone sat out five minutes in three years - George Kulhowvick got us 34 touchdowns in three years with a helluva lot of help from three great offensive lines - our defense was one of the best in the nation with our linebackers and defensive backs intercepting more passes than I can ever remember. It's impossible to name just a few of the standouts. Nobody could do that."
A 21-20 victory before 4,000 people at Middlebury was one of the highlights of the season. Kulhowvick scored two touchdowns and David Cronk, who intercepted six passes that year, picked off two in that game and returned one ofr a score.
Kulhowvick and Cottone were selected Co-Offensive MVPs by the team. Defensive end Steve Davis was named Defensive MVP. In addition, Bob Murphy and Tom Beers won First Team All-New England recognition along with Cottone.
"What's more important than all-star teams," said Sabol, "is what we got out of being together and working together. Our coaches gave all they had to offer, and those kids gave us twice as much in return. It's always been that way at Norwich."
