The Amherst fans on the south side of Pratt Field erupted when
the Amherst punt rolled dead on the Williams 2-yard line with 5:26
to play in the 1996 clash of rivals. The Lord Jeff faithful were
giddy at the prospect of recording their first win over Williams
since 1986. Leading 13-12, on the verge of an unbeaten season,
Amherst was content to ride the strength of their defense to
victory.
Senior guard Rob Hyland and his Eph teammates (5-2) faced having
to go 98 yards against the number-one ranked defense in the nation
to extend the Eph streak.
“There was this strange sense of confidence we had all day
even though we were huge underdogs,” Hyland stated. “We
had stymied Amherst on defense and we'd had some success
moving the ball against them. When QB Peter Supino came into that
huddle and said, “We can do this, guys” I smiled at
Eric Kelly and I noticed everyone else confident and ready. We knew
we were going to score on that drive, the only question was
when.”
Current Head Coach Mike Whalen, then the offensive line coach,
recalled: “When we started driving, Amherst called timeout
and the o-line told me, 'Coach we can run the ball on
them,' which was key, because once we crossed the 50 I knew
we'd score. Being able to run the ball allowed us to run the
clock down and not leave Amherst much to work with.”
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| Rob Hyland '97
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Facing a third and two from the Amherst 3-yard line with under a
minute to play, the Ephs called on senior left tackle Eric Kelly
and left guard Rob Hyland to get a first down over Amherst's
much-heralded DT Alex Bernstein. Kelly and Hyland responded by
pushing Bernstein and the rest of the Amherst defensive line into
the end zone. “Mike McAdam [FB] just walked into the end zone
on that play,” Hyland said. With a successful PAT Williams
led 19-13 needing only to hold off Amherst for 36 seconds. The game
ended when a swarm of Eph DBs batted down the last Amherst pass,
securing a victory for the ages.
After “producing” in the clutch
and helping the Ephs go 98 yards to derail Amherst, Hyland took his
B.A. in history to NBC Sports in New York. NBC legend Bob Costas
was a strong Hyland backer. “My grandfather (Robert) gave Bob
his first real job working in sports at KMOX radio doing
play-by-play for the ABA's Spirit of St. Louis games,” Hyland
said.
Costas helped him get in the door at NBC Sports, but Hyland
seized the opportunity and has turned it into a stellar career as a
producer, garnering 10 Emmy Awards.
Hyland began at NBC Sports in July of 1997, working under Sam
Flood '83. He's worked five Olympic Games, golf, Track
& Field World Championships, horse racing, and Sunday Night
Football and has directed a number of taped productions, including
one last summer featuring a music video with Faith Hill for Sunday
Night Football.
This fall Hyland took over as the lead NBC producer on Notre
Dame football home telecasts. “While I loved working on the
NFL, I'm really excited to get back to college
football,” Hyland stated. “It's been 13 years
since I last stepped on the field as a player. To be able to
produce a major college game at the network level is going to be
incredible.”
Football coaches will tell you that most games are decided by
the line play and only the offensive linemen accrue no individual
stats and almost no recognition. Fans follow the ball expecting
star players to win the game, but offensive stars don't get
to shine without the help of the o-line.
“Rob was a hard worker who was willing to put the time in,
in the weight room, to get bigger,” Whalen said. “He
dedicated his efforts to make himself a player who was able to
compete at a high level.”
Hyland, though born in New York, arrived at Williams from
Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood, Calif, after being
impressed with Williams when his older sister Amy checked out
schools. “Amy had already been through the whole college
decision process and Williams was a school that was discussed along
the way. I knew that I wanted to play football in college and
Williams seemed like the perfect choice.
“At Williams I learned what it takes to be a part of a
successful team and the importance of being part of a team. One
person can't win a game, you have to rely on those around you. In
my four years at Williams, I think we only lost three games
[28-3-1]. Thirteen years removed, I'm sure that I've thought
much more about the three loses than about the wins. Williams
taught us to be winners. We expected to win because of the
preparation that went into each practice at Cole Field, each film
session, and each workout.”
Preparation is key for teams to compete in football and for
delivering a compelling and complete sports broadcast.
“I had a lot of great professors at Williams but Robert
Dalzell (American History) was one of my favorites,” noted
Hyland, a history major. Irony of ironies -- Robert Dalzell is a
graduate of Amherst College.
Hyland is one of the few Eph alums who can say he met his wife
through a horse. “I got married May 30th to Michelle Matz,
who I met through covering a horse race,” Hyland explained.
“In April of 2006, NBC Sports was televising the
Florida Derby, a major prep race for the Kentucky Derby.
Michelle's father Michael trained Barbaro the favorite in the
Florida Derby. Barbaro went on to win the Kentucky Derby and the
rest is history.” Proof positive that Hyland again put his
history degree from Williams to good use.
