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Princeton Head Coach Roger Hughes (Doane, 1982)
6-13-0 (third season with the Tigers) |
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Coach Hughes’ second season as Princeton's head coach proved to be a very successful building year for the Tigers, even though the 3-6 record does not show it. Coach Hughes led his Tigers to a 3-6 overall record in the 2001 season and a 3-4 mark in league play. After September 11th cancelled the home opener against Lafayette (2-8), The Tigers opened their season on the road against Lehigh (10-0). Along the way, Princeton gathered victories against Columbia, Yale and Dartmouth. The Dartmouth victory proved especially emotional for Hughes who spent the 1992-1999 seasons coaching offense for the Big Green.
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Princeton is picked 2nd in the
2002 preseason poll. Roger Hughes talks about the upcoming
season.
Hughes On...
...the team
outlook…
"We're actually excited about
this year. We have 19 returning starters coming back, which
is the most we've had since our staff was assembled [at
Princeton]. We have some skilled kids returning in
Chisom Opara at wide receiver, Dave Splithoff quarterback,
and Cameron Atkinson at tailback. We start three seniors on
defense next year, but we do have a lot of experience, so
we're excited about that."
Hughes On...
...losing close
games…
"I think we played Harvard very
tough and lost on a last second field goal. I think that
gave us a shot of confidence in that we figured we could
play with some of the best teams in the League. Then down at
Penn, we ran the ball pretty effectively for that game. Even
though we lost the game at Penn, we did a great job of
coming back. I thought that confidence carried over into the
last two games of the year and hopefully we can use that as
a springboard for this
year."
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Princeton's three league victories all proved sizable. Although the Tigers depended on large contributions from multiple underclassmen, the Tigers were able to register a 44-11 victory over Columbia in the home opener, a 34-14 victory over Yale in the final home game and a 35-14 win over Dartmouth to complete the season. Of Princeton's four league losses, three found the Tigers in striking distance in the final ticks of the clock. Those three losses included a 35-24 loss to Brown after the Tigers took the lead with 12:11 left to play in the fourth quarter, a 28-26 loss to undefeated Harvard and a 10-7 loss to Cornell.
Hughes had directed Dartmouth’s record-setting offense from 1992 to 1999, coaching players who hold 14 of the top 15 single-game passing and total yardage records. The Big Green won two Ivy League Championships and 22 straight games during Hughes’ tenure. He had first been an offensive coordinator during a three-year stint at Cameron University in Lawton, Okla., before heading to Dartmouth.
In a one-year stay at Wis.-Whitewater as the running backs coach, the team advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Hughes had first served as a graduate assistant at Nebraska from 1984 to 1986. The Cornhuskers were in the top 10 each season and played in the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls during his appointment.
He had lettered in three sports (football, basketball and golf) at Crawford High School in Nebraska and played scholarship basketball at Nebraska Western Junior College before switching schools and sports. At Doane, Hughes was a tight end on the football team and played intercollegiate golf. He and his wife Laura reside in Princeton with six-year-old daughter Maddison.
Assisting Coach Hughes...
Stan Clayton (Penn State ‘88) -- Offensive Line
Cody Deti (Wyoming '96) -- Tight Ends
Don Dobes (Illinois Wesleyan ‘79) -- Run Defense/Linebackers
Eric Jackson (Eastern Michigan ‘87) -- Defensive Backs
Dave Rackovan (Millersville ‘73) -- Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs
Steve Verbit (Delaware ‘77) -- Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line
Eric Van Heusen (SUNY New Paltz '00) -- Defensive Assistant
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