Ivy Football Captains to Throw Out First Pitch

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

BOSTON, Mass. -- Ivy football captains Matt Curtis of Harvard and Bobby Abare of Yale will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park prior to the September 2 Baltimore Orioles vs. Boston Red Sox game.

The Red Sox are honoring the famous collegiate rivals to help promote the 125th playing of The Game on November 22 in Boston. It is also the 40th anniversary of the 29-29 tie in 1968, listed by many publications as one of the most famous games in the history of college football.

Both captains are from Massachusetts and are enthusiastic Red Sox fans.

Curtis, a Peabody native who attended Lynn English High School, lettered in three sports and was a two-time football captain before heading to Cambridge where he has become a two-time all-league selection as defensive tackle heading into 2008.

Abare, from Acton, played football and baseball at Acton-Boxboro High School and helped his gridiron squad go 50-0 while winning four state titles on the same team as his twin brother and current Yale teammate, Larry.

This season, the teams are favored to win the Ivy League as the two tied for first place in the annual preseason media poll. Harvard is ranked as high as 22nd in the preseason national polls and returns 11 all-league performers from a year ago including Curtis, quarterback Chris Pizzotti (Reading, Mass.), offensive lineman James Williams (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) and preseason All-American corner back Andrew Berry (Bel Air, Md.).

Harvard is the defending Ivy champion after finishing the season undefeated in league play, capped by a 37-6 victory over then-undefeated and 11th-ranked Yale last November.

Yale opens the 2008 season by hosting Georgetown on September 20 at 12:30, while Harvard hosts Holy Cross on September 19 at 7 p.m. The Yale-Harvard matchup on November 22 will be broadcasted nationally at Noon ET on VERSUS as the Ivy League Football Game of the Week, Presented by TIAA-CREF.