Call it a curse or just call it old?fashioned dumb luck, but wherever Tom Beaton goes, he just winds up on the losing side of the rivalry.
A defensive assistant for the Tufts football team, Beaton graduated from Bates in 2009 after finishing 10th in the NESCAC in receiving yards per game and ninth in all?purpose yards per game, good enough for all?conference honors. But the one obstacle the 5?foot?9 former wide receiver could not hurdle was to finally get the Bobcats that elusive win against the Jumbos.
Heading into Saturday's Homecoming tilt at Zimman Field, Bates was trapped in a 24?game losing streak against Tufts, stretching back to 1986. That consequently put Beaton on the wrong end of things for four years. Given the streak, things were looking up for Beaton as he made the move to Medford.
But just as Joe DiMaggio did not get a hit after 56 games, Cal Ripken finally took a break after 2,632 contests and Johnny Unitas stopped throwing touchdown passes after 47 games, so too did the Jumbos' winning streak come to an end in spectacular fashion this weekend with a 21?20 Bobcats triumph. It was a historic loss for Tufts
