The Ivy Football Association dinner brought together an elite group of heavies – from politicians to financial wizards – to celebrate a bond sealed with sweat and scholarship.The tone of the proceedings was reverent, though the ballroom had its share of laughter – mostly incited by alumni teasing their “inferior” former rivals.

Governor Pataki, who served as honorary chairman of the dinner, gave the opening remarks to 1,200 guests at the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom, where the balconies were draped with giant school banners. He called Ivy League football “the finest amateur sports program in America.”

Other speakers described how playing in the league influenced their destiny.

“Our experiences have shaped our lives, our values, the contours of who we are,” the master of ceremonies, Jack Ford, said.

The eight honorees at the event (one from each school in the league) reiterated Mr. Ford’s sentiment.

“My teammates have supported me in every election I’ve run – we’re 13 for 13,” the governor of Maryland, Robert Ehrlich said. Mr. Ehrlich was an “undersized linebacker” and co-captain of his team at Princeton. He added, “It was my great pleasure to play in a league where my teammates could read, write, and leave practice early to go to chem lab.”

The chief executive of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt, a Dartmouth graduate, said being an offensive tackle was “pretty good training to be a CEO.” Other football lessons he uses in business: “There’s always another play” and “Trust is more important than power.” He also shared some poignant memories – the first time he saw New York City (playing Columbia) and sneaking out of hotels to meet girls. “I don’t remember much about Princeton – what is there to remember?”

The chief executive of Life Measurement, a manufacturer of medical devices, Thomas McLeod rolled up his sleeve to demonstrate the “football technology” he had used to prepare his remarks – he had written notes on his wrist. Mr. McLeod played both football and baseball at Cornell.

The other honorees of 2005 were the chairman of the software company Intuit, William Campbell, who served as captain of Columbia University’s only championship football team; the chairman of the mutual fund company Franklin Resources, Charles Johnson, who recently contributed $5 million to the renovation of the Yale Bowl, where he played offensive guard; the chief executive of the Marmon Group, an association of private manufacturers, John Nichols, a Harvard tackle; the chief executive of American Association of Retired Persons,William Novelli, a right halfback and wingback at the University of Pennsylvania, and the founder of the Institute for Global Engagement, which advocates for religion freedom, Robert Seiple, who was an ironman at Brown.

The dinners, held every other year, started in 2001. The chairman of this year’s dinner was Henry Higdon, a Yale man who noted with pride that three of the past honorees – William King of Dartmouth, James Riepe of the University of Pennsylvania, and Kurt Schmoke of Yale – have served as chairmen of the boards at their alma maters.

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The Viennese Opera Ball celebrated its “Golden Jubilee” year Friday night with an elegant evening of dance set to the Peter Duchin Orchestra. The event, organized by the U.S.-Austrian Chamber of Commerce, raised money for the Special Olympics.A choir of Special Olympics athletes performed and a group of professional ballroom dancers demonstrated waltzes in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria. But the horse and carriage that rolled onto the dance floor early in the evening stole the show.