Old-school Tv Tie

Looking for NFL talent? Check out the Big Ten or the SEC. Looking for small-screen talent? Visit the Ivy League, four of whose gridiron alumni have made it big in prime time.

Ed Marinaro, RB, Cornell, 1969-71. Praised for his work in character roles in such dramas as Hill Street Blues and Sisters, and a costar of Showtime's TV movies Gift of Love (which will be telecast on Nov. 21), Marinaro first dashed to celebrity as the Big Red rusher who holds the NCAA record for career yards per game (174.6).

Stone Phillips, QB, Yale, 1975-76. Who knew that Phillips's Eli helmet concealed what's now considered the best coif in broadcast news? The NBC Dateline anchor, who led Yale to a share of the Ivy tide in his senior season, has said that for him the NFL "would have been a long exercise in futility." Like trying to disabuse America of the notion that you're nothing but a hunk.

Dean Cain, CB, Princeton, 1985-87. He was Superman before he ever wore an S on his chest Cain, who was drafted by me Bills, holds the Division 1-AA interceptions record for a season (12).

Matthew Fox, WR, Columbia, 1986-88. As stubble-faced Charlie Salinger on Fox's Party of Five, he has dealt with the loss of his parents, his fianc�e and his razor. As a wideout for the hapless Lions, he dealt with what was the longest losing streak in NCAA history: 44 games. "I was on the field when we broke through by beating Princeton," Fox recalls. "Charlie only had to overcome cancer."