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Monday, September 17, 2007

Rutgers Hall of Fame

Some information about the three players that will be inducted into the Rutgers football Hall of Fame later this year, courtesy of the Rutgers sports information staff: (And a quick note about next Saturday's game against Maryland: it will be on ABC at either 3:30 or 8, and we'll know on Sunday which time).


PISCATAWAY, N.J. (September 17, 2007) – The three newest members of the Rutgers Football Hall of Fame, tight end Marco Battaglia (1992-95), tailback Arthur Gottlieb (1937-39) and right tackle Kenneth MacAlpine Rendall (1914-17) will be inducted during ceremonies at halftime when the Scarlet Knights host Cincinnati on Oct. 6 at Rutgers Stadium.

Battaglia concluded his career as one of the most decorated players in
Rutgers football history. As a senior in 1995, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end from Queens , N.Y. , was a consensus All-America, earning First-Team recognition from a number of organizations, including the Associated Press, and the Football Writers Association of America. Battaglia led the nation’s tight ends with 69 catches for 894 yards and 10 touchdowns in his memorable senior season, and was named the “Offensive Player of the Year” in the BIG EAST Conference. As a junior, Battaglia was the BIG EAST’s leading receiver with 58 catches for 779 yards.

Battaglia appeared in all 44 games in his career (1992-95); making 32 starts, and hauled in 171 passes for 2,221 yards and 16 touchdowns. Battaglia went on to play eight-years in the NFL, and was a member of the 2004 Carolina Panthers’ Super Bowl team. He was an All- New York City and All-State player at St. Francis Prep, and played on three consecutive New York City Catholic League championship teams. Battaglia currently resides in Queens with his wife Maria and children Ava and Marco, and remains a fixture on the sideline at all
Rutgers home games

Regarded as a triple threat performer during his Rutgers career (1937-39), Gottlieb will long be remembered for the role he played in the Nov. 5, 1938, victory over Princeton, which dedicated Rutgers Stadium. It was Gottlieb’s memorable 13-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to “Moon” Mullen that propelled
Rutgers to a come-from-behind 20-18 victory over its in-state rival before a sold-out crowd. Gottlieb was known as one of the top passers of his era, and was also an accomplished runner and kicker. In the day of the “two-way” player, Gottlieb played nearly 60 minutes every game, as a tailback and defensive back. In his three seasons on the varsity, Gottlieb led Rutgers to a combined 19-6-1 mark (including 14-2-1 in 1938-39) and earned All-East and All-Middle Three honors. Gottlieb, who also played baseball while at Rutgers, went on to play for two seasons with the Buffalo Indians of the American Football League, before settling in as a coach and teacher at New Brunswick High School .

Rendall , a two-time captain, was a stalwart at right tackle for the Rutgers football team during his career (1914-17). He was known as a rugged performer who was nicknamed “Thug” for his physical style of play. Rendall’s teams compiled a 22-7-4 record during his career, including an outstanding 7-1 season as a senior when he played alongside All-America end Paul Robeson.

Rendall’s 1915 team proved to be an offensive powerhouse, scoring 351 points, the most of any Eastern team, and posted a 7-1 record. Two years later, the Rutgers eleven capped off Rendall’s outstanding senior campaign with a season ending 14-0 win over highly regarded Newport Naval Reserve, which featured some of college football’s top players during this war-era contest. Rendall was selected to the
Boston Herald’s All-East squad following his senior year, and also earned all-star recognition from other leading newspapers of the time, including the New York Tribune and the New York Sun .

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