By: Craig Mankoff (P.C. 97)

 Pi Lambda Phi’s 34-7 win in Nosebowl 1997 was about much more than the 40 minutes of dominating flag football that was played that day. Three and a half months of dedication and preparation by the Pi Lam brotherhood and P.C. 97 culminated with one of the most dominating performances in the illustrious history of Nosebowl. And, while it looked like an easy conquest in the eyes of the hundreds in attendance at Lake Alice Field on October 19, 1997, anyone who ever has been associated with a Nosebowl knows that the journey was anything but easy.

The formulation of P.C. 97, eventually known as the “Chain Gang”, began in late June 1997 at the beginning of the Summer B session at the University of Florida.  Led by Matt Kobren (Spring 94) and Rex John Dawson (Fall 95), Pi Lam experienced a renaissance during the summer of 1997. Of course, some might say that partying and women were main factors in recruiting pledges to the house, but flag football games at Flavet Field was the key recruiting tool. Two-way starters Ruy Cuedra, Craig Mankoff, Todd Louer and Tommy Lancaster were all part of those scrimmages, as was quarterback Wes Worthington, which gave the group an invaluable head start entering the fall. During those six weeks, the core of the ‘97 team was formed and nurtured, and P.C. 97 entered rush week with an outstanding group of men committed to the Purple and the Gold.

After a successful rush week brought almost 30 pledges to 15 Frat Row, the preparations began in earnest for Nosebowl 1997.  Head Coach Matt “Big Country” Colin (P.C. 95) worked P.C. 97 hard, complete with three-hour practices and heavy conditioning in the brutal Gainesville heat. There were the usual ups-and-downs during the six-plus weeks of practice, but it was apparent that P.C. 97 was on its way to being an explosive machine. When the pledges took the brothers team to overtime in Mock Nosebowl, it was clear that the “Chain Gang” was ready for Nosebowl Sunday.

When the game kicked off on a beautiful sunny day at Lake Alice field after a two-hour delay (the original site for the game, Hume Field, was damaged the night before the game), it seemed early-on like it would be a typically close Nosebowl. After Tep picked up a first down on the game’s first possession, they faced a fourth-and-short near midfield. The Teps gambled and failed, throwing an incomplete pass and turning the ball over to the Lammies. That would be the closest the Teps would be to a win all day.

Big Country knew that he had the more talented side, and kept the offense simple. Utilizing the quickness of Worthington and Louer, the running back, the Lammie offense ran mostly the option down the field, sprinkling in a few passing plays along the way. Zack Leder scored the first touchdown on a short pass on Pilam's first drive. The second possession culminated in a five-yard touchdown pass to Mankoff, the center, which gave Pi Lam a 6-0 lead it would never relinquish.

The Lambo Defense, led by coordinator Chris Kavalir (P.C. 1995) and assistant Steffan “Ace” Alexander (P.C. 1992) put on a show, never allowing the Teps to threaten until late in the game. Another stop led to a Worthington touchdown on one of his many runs of the afternoon, and Pi Lam went up 13-0. The Lambo defense then stopped Tep three-and-out, giving the Lammies the ball deep in enemy territory. With just seconds remaining in the half, Worthington threw a deep ball into the corner of the endzone, when the left wing, Cuedra, leaped over two defenders to make a circus catch that remains one of the most amazing catches I’ve seen in my flag football years. Pi Lam went to halftime with a 20-0 lead, and was well on its way to its first win since 1990.

The second half showcases the talents of the Lambo defense, which knew that if Tep couldn’t score in a hurry, the game would be over. After Pi Lam drove the first possession of the second half deep into Tep territory, it failed on a fourth down, and gave Tep the ball back with some life. That didn’t last long, however, as Cuedra read the Tep quarterback on the first play and picked off a pass that he took 15 yards into the end zone with a celebratory dive.  The score gave Pi Lam a 27-0 lead, and the final nail had been hammered into Tep’s coffin. Worthington ran in another score on Pi Lam’s next possession for an incredible 34-0 lead.

Tep’s lone score came on the second to last play of the game, avoiding a 34-0 shutout. However, that score did little to dampen Pi Lam’s celebration, a moment that had been seven years in the making. A mass of Pi Lam brothers ran to the middle of the field at the game’s final whistle, hoisting up Big Country and the Nosebowl trophy in sheer jubilation. Looking back on that game and the glorious night of celebration that ensued, we did it the right way. No one can ever take that experience away from the Lammies who were at Lake Alice that day, and, personally, it was a journey and a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life. Anyone who played in a Nosebowl will know exactly what I mean.

I had not been at a NB game since 1990. However, I was extremely interested in the outcome of the 1997 game. It was the source of endless arguments in Plantation, Florida, between myself and David Stolberg, former Chancellor of Tep. Something very unusual had been going on over the prior 15 years, something never before seen in Nosebowl's 48 year history. The game was in the midst of the second of two monstrous winning streaks. Until the 1983 Pilam winning streak began, the most wins in a row was 5. That happened between 1966 and 1970, all Pilam victories. Take away that streak, and the next longest was 3. That happened 5 times. Pilam won three in a row three times ('51-'53, '56-'58 and '78-'80), Tep won three in a row two times ('63-'65 and '75-'77). Until 1983, the series stood with Pilam winning 19 and Tep winning 13. But then Pilam put on an incredible winning streak of 8 games from 1983 through 1990, expanding the series lead to a stunning 27 wins against only 13 losses. But Nosebowl, apparently like bull markets in stocks, reverted to the mean, and Tep won 7 straight going into the 1997 Classic. The series suddenly stood at 27 to 20, in Pilam's favor.

So here we were, in October of 1997, with our 8 game winning streak, which had once seemed invincible, close to being matched. Fortunately, the brothers and pledges of 1997 had different ideas, and won Nosebowl. Not by a little, but by 27 points, the biggest margin since 1953, eclipsing the second biggest Pilam victory of 26 points in 1979.

Matt "Big Country" Colin, NBC in 1997, makes the claim that his team was one of the best, if not the best. He just might be right.  But I did remind Matt that there were a few teams in the mid '80s and one or two in the late '70s that would laugh at such a comment. And lets not forget the 1953 team!

This game would also take on added historical significance, as it became the last Nosebowl played. Thus, the Nosebowl trophy ends up where it belongs, at 15 Frat Row, riding on the biggest win in 44 years.

Send me your comments on which PC had the best team. I will post them soon.

--Bruce Konners
pc '79 (just for the record, this was the best team ever)

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Mike Hernandez, Steffan "Ace" Alexander, Matt Kobren, Chris "Hollywood Hogan" Kavile, Matt "Big Country" Colin, John Dawson