As Abner Oakes '56 watched the Big Green football team crush Colgate University on Saturday, he probably thought of his grandfather, Charles Oakes, a member of the Class of 1883.
More than 100 years before the Dartmouth football team squashed Colgate 35-14, Charles Oakes scored the only touchdown in the College's first-ever football game, an 1881 meeting against Amherst College.
Abner Oakes, a third-generation Dartmouth alumnus, was just one of many graduates who returned to the College for Homecoming this weekend to reminisce and pay homage to their alma mater.
Most alumni at the football game said they came to the game because, as Roger Phillips '52 said, they "love Dartmouth football." This love is what Phillips said draws him from his home in Connecticut to watch the Homecoming game at Memorial Field ever year.
Though his two sons, members of the Classes of 1979 and 1980, keep the College on his mind, Phillips' strongest link to Dartmouth remains football games. Even as the rain drenched the loyal crowd, Phillips stayed in the stands to savor the Big Green's victory over Colgate.
Ben Johnson '50 was another alumnus who said he was excited to be back on campus. According to Johnson, who frequently attends Homecoming football games, the Big Green were "playing wonderfully."
Johnson said Dartmouth is "a wonderful opportunity for all of you who are here, and I'm glad I had it as well."
Jay Evans '64, a regular spectator at Homecoming football games, had a new reason to be on campus for Homecoming this year -- he has a daughter in the Class of 1999.
As a result, the tradition of freshmen rushing the field is an issue close to Evans' heart.
"I think it's absolute nonsense," Evans said. "I think they ought to allow the freshmen to form the lines and cheer the team on."
Evans was referring to the tradition of freshmen forming a gauntlet for the Big Green to run through when they returned to the field after half-time.
"The insult to the students of having a video camera is extraordinary," he said. "To prevent them from showing their enthusiasm for the team ... I think that's nonsense." Hanover Police was armed with hand-held video cameras on Saturday, filming potential field rushers.
The meeting of the Thayer Alumni Fund Board also brought alumni to campus this Homecoming weekend.
The head of the board, Harris McKee '61, attended the game. Ever since his graduation, McKee, an ex-member of the Big Green football team, said he has tried to attend at least two games per year.
McKee noted several changes to the Homecoming football game atmosphere.
"The scoreboard is pretty neat. The other one was becoming kind of an antique," he said. "When I came in 1957, [the scoreboard] was not as good as my high school scoreboard."
Rushing the field "was considered the freshmen duty to go down and form a line through which the team came when they came back, and I thought that was kind of a neat tradition," McKee said.
The Class of 1954 also had a mini reunion on Homecoming weekend, which brought Bob Dean '54 to campus. He agreed with McKee that the scoreboard was "better than the old" one.
Dean said the tradition of rushing the field was "sort of a fun thing. All the classes would run out and form their class numbers."
Dean also explained his loyalty to Dartmouth, saying, "If you're lucky enough to get in here, you should be able to do a couple of really, really great things."
Fred Louis '58, who is president of his alumni class, made the trek to Dartmouth from Chicago for both Homecoming weekend and the mini reunion of his class.
"The band was fun when I was here, and it's still fun today," Louis said. "The band always sounds very good."
