While the Ivy League lacks the pedigree of the Southeastern Conference, Fitzpatrick is not the first Ancient Eight graduate to find success in the NFL, and he likely will not be the last. Over 100 League players have gone on to the NFL, including Hall of Famers Sid Luckman, a quarterback from the Columbia University Class of 1939, and Chuck Bednarik, a linebacker/center who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.
When the NFL started play in 1920, Dartmouth was a main source of talent for the fledgling league. In the NFL's second season in 1921, nine Big Green graduates were on NFL rosters. Dartmouth even produced its own Hall of Famer, offensive tackle Ed Healey '18, who remains the only Dartmouth football player enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
But as football became more popular, the paradigm in college football shifted, and massive programs were built at major public universities such as the University of Texas, the University of Michigan and the University of Alabama.
Although Dartmouth and the rest of the League were largely left behind, some recent Big Green alumni have made their mark at football's highest level.
Nick Lowery '78, a seven-time All-Pro kicker, played in the league for 18 years and held a slew of records by the time he retired in 1996. He set the bar for most career field goals (384) and best field goal percentage (80 percent), and currently ranks 10th on the NFL's all-time scoring list with 1,711 points. He was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs' Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jay Fiedler '94, the 1992 Ivy League Player of the Year, quarterbacked the Big Green to back-to-back League titles and enjoyed a 10-year NFL career split between five teams. Fiedler had a 37-23 record as a starter and threw for 11,844 yards and 69 touchdowns. Perhaps most notably, Fiedler succeeded NFL legend Dan Marino as the Miami Dolphins' quarterback in 2000.
The Dolphins have still not adequately replaced Marino, and Fiedler is often lumped with other Dolphins flameouts such as Cleo Lemon and Gus Frerotte. Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens, who recruited Fiedler to Dartmouth, said that criticism is unfair.
"He probably never got the credit he deserved replacing Dan Marino," Teevens said. "He was a very solid quarterback for [the Dolphins]. He was such a tough-minded individual."
Fiedler led Miami to playoff appearances in consecutive seasons, and the Dolphins did not finish with fewer than nine wins until 2004, when Fiedler started just eight games.
Teevens was able to recruit Fiedler partially because he had suffered an injury that turned off many larger football programs. Once Fiedler arrived at Dartmouth, however, Teevens said he realized he was dealing with a special player.
"I had a quarterback at the University of Maine named Mike Buck that was a similar type," Teevens said. "He had been injured and overlooked and he ended up playing for the New Orleans Saints. I thought Jay was very similar, so my prior experience told me Jay might be able to do that. I had people questioning, Do you think he can play in the NFL?' And he did."
While Teevens acknowledged that most Dartmouth players will never end up in an NFL uniform, he said making the league should still be a goal for Big Green players.
"Anyone who plays football and really loves the game has dreamed about playing in the NFL," Teevens said. "I encourage that. The push that I make is that, when you're in an athletic environment, have the drive to become a professional. When you're in an academic environment, have the drive for a doctor, lawyer, whatever."
Although no Dartmouth graduate has played in the NFL since fullback Casey Cramer '04 in 2008, the League has not stopped sending players to football's highest level. Seven League players currently populate NFL rosters and another two are on practice squads. Alongside Fitzpatrick, the most notable player is Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk, a two-time All-Pro who graduated from Harvard in 1998.
Harvard head coach Tim Murphy, who coached both Fitzpatrick and Birk, said that although the two players developed differently during their Crimson careers, their talent was evident by the time they graduated.
"Fitzy was a natural from the day he stepped on campus, a major college QB who just happened to go to Harvard," Murphy said in an email to The Dartmouth. "Birkie was not a natural and did not become a dominating player until he was a senior at Harvard. I am not surprised that either has had success in the NFL. By the time they were seniors at Harvard they could have played anywhere in the country."
Teevens said there are several reasons why League teams continue to churn out NFL talent.
"The interesting thing in the Ivy League and the NFL is a lot of guys at a lower level have the same skill set but not the exposure," he said. "But the NFL is so diligent now that if you're a good player, they're going to have a read on you."
Teevens added that while players on Football Bowl Subdivision teams still receive more exposure than those in the League because they play more games, a year-round emphasis on football in the Ancient Eight has helped to close that gap.
"Spring practice didn't exist 20 years ago," Teevens said. "The level of play now is higher. Every year, three, four, five, [League players] have a chance to go to an NFL camp. They're probably more mature and confident, and you know what you're getting from an Ivy League guy."
