Shannon, Fuselier Honored

Dartmouth center Mike Shannon is the winner of the 2006 Nason Award winner for Senior Achievement. Presented by the New England Football Writers Association, the award is given to the senior who has "persevered against all odds to succeed in football." A three-year-starter who had a terrific first season snapping the ball, Shannon is a more-than-deserving winner of the award. From the Dartmouth sports information release:

After spring practice in 2004, Shannon was slated to be Dartmouth's starting left tackle. During the summer, a bruise in his calf, the remnant of being kicked at the bottom of a pile during May, became a nagging soft spot. It was the focal point for a bacterial infection of unknown origin that spread throughout his body.

For nearly a month in August, Shannon was hospitalized at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center as he battled what was ultimately diagnosed as necrotizing fascitis and septic shock. Family, teammates and coaches were at his bedside throughout the life-threatening ordeal, and Shannon was finally released on August 25.

Dartmouth wide receiver Ryan Fuselier is the Big Green football team's representative on the fall Academic All-Ivy team. According to the Ivy release: "The 80 men and women were starters or key reserves on a officially recognized varsity team with 3.0 or better cumulative grade point averages." ... Fuselier, who led the Ivies in catches this fall, also has been named to the All-New England first team along with standouts like UNH's David Ball.

For an interesting look at the "likely letter," process in Ivy League recruiting, check out this Brown Daily Herald story. According to the story, 35 or so of the roughly 120 athletes who are accepted early at Brown receive the letters. According to the story:

Likely letters tend to go out to students fielding attractive athletic scholarship offers from other institutions, which often require students to commit before early decision letters arrive.

Dartmouth is recruiting one of a pair of speedy twins in Plano, Texas, (although a coach's visit has been put on hold) according to a story in the Dallas Morning News.

From today's Daily Dartmouth: "Several hundred students, staff and faculty members gathered outside Dartmouth Hall for a 'Solidarity Against Hatred' rally on Wednesday afternoon." The rally was largely in response to the Nov. 28 issue of the Dartmouth Review's treatment of the Native American issue on campus. The Boston Globe writes about it all here.

Regarding Athletic Director Josie Harper's apology for inviting the North Dakota Fighting Sioux to the holiday ice hockey tournament, a letterwriter (and Dartmouth alum) writes in the Concord Monitor (the daily newspaper in the state capital):

Some, who are not as sensitive as I, might suggest that the athletic director could better spend her time figuring out how to put competitive football and basketball teams in play.