TOKYO and PRINCETON, N.J. — The Ivy League unveiled the complete 52-man roster for the
Dream Bowl, being held on January 21 in Tokyo. Guided by Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach and the Columbia football coaching staff, the Lions have a league-high 15 student-athletes on the squad.
The team is comprised of senior and graduate student-athletes from all eight Ivy League programs. The group comprises of 22 players that earned All-Ivy honors throughout their careers. The Japan All-Star team will be a combined team of X League (Japan's top American football league) players, including nine Americans, college players and crossover sport athletes.
Representing the Lions will be:
•
Alex Felkins, Sr., PK (Tulsa, Okla.)
•
Mike Fluegel, Sr., DB (Clarkston, Mich.)
•
Ryan Hamilton, Sr. LB (Dublin, Ohio)
•
Will Hamilton, Sr., OL (Suwanee, Ga.)
•
Jackson Heath, Sr., TE (Overland Park, Kan.)
•
Matt Klenk, Sr., OL (Pittsford, N.Y.)
•
Parker Lefton, Sr., LS (Duluth, Ga.)
•
Fara'ad McCombs, Sr., DB (Passaic, N.J.)
•
Zach Minch, Sr., OL (Manchester, N.H.)
•
Stew Newblatt, Sr., OL (Clarkston, Mich.)
•
Ernest Robertson, Sr., WR (Bronx, N.Y.)
•
Thomas Thibault, Sr., DL (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada)
• Xavier Thibault '22CC, DL (Quebec City, Quebec, Canada)
•
Scott Valentas, Sr., LB (Wichita, Kan.)
•
Ryan Young, Sr., RB (Wheaton, Ill.)
The Ivy League delegation will arrive in Tokyo on January 15 and balance its time between preparation for the game along with several Japanese cultural and educational events, including a planned visit to the U.S. Embassy, interaction with Ivy League alumni, discussions with Japanese students and social exchanges with the Japanese team. The league's group will be joined by two professors from Ivy League institutions to further the educational experience of the travel party.
The game will be held on January 21 at 11 p.m. EST in the United States (Sunday, January 22 at 1 p.m. JST locally) at the newly-built National Stadium, site of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The event will be broadcast live in Japan.
This event is not unprecedented to Ivy League football as the Ivy Epson Bowl existed between 1989 and 1996. Like the Dream Bowl, the game matched up an Ivy League All-Star team against a Japanese All-Star squad.
For the latest on the Columbia football team, follow @CULionsFB on
Twitter,
Instagram,
Facebook and on the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
