Defending Ivy Co-Champions Back On field

Missed this one but Princeton was scheduled to start spring football practice yesterday according to this story in the school paper. ...

I also missed this opinion piece in the Daily Dartmouth from before spring break. While not as pointed as the piece in the recent Columbia Spectator, the Daily Dartmouth opinion piece did include this:

Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems like athletic teams are the only groups with the privilege to submit a list of recruits to the admissions office. The English department cannot recruit creative writers nor can the studio art department have any influence over attracting budding architects. And yet, it could very reasonably be argued that these departments want top talent just as much as athletic teams do.

The Dallas Observer has a nice story about former Princeton quarterback Jason Garrett, now the offensive coordinator and possibly head coach-in-waiting for the Cowboys. The story is headlined: "Red Bull; Familiar freckled face will give Cowboys offense wiiiings." From the story:

As an undersized pro with an Ivy League pedigree, heavy on brains and extremely economical with brawn, Garrett bounced between teams and leagues like the rest of us alternate beer and CSI

Former Columbia quarterback Jeff Otis has signed with the Oakland Raiders according to this note. ... IvySport.com, the Ivy League clothing company, now has a link up to the trailer and information on the upcoming Ivy football documentary, For Love And Honor. The trailer appears to load a good deal faster than the earlier version, so you might want to check it out.

Brown's Zak DeOssie appears to be climbing draft boards as the big day approaches later this month. This draftnik for the San Francisco 49ers writes: "Zak DeOssie ... is one of my favorite "sleeper" linebackers in the draft." ... NFL.com has DeOssie ranked fifth among inside linebackers. From the NFL.com site:

Positives: Size (6-4-plus, 250 pounds), strength, speed, and considerable intelligence.

While DeOssie is moving up in the draft, UNH wide receiver David Ball may be moving down or out, and he's got some strong opinions about that in this story. ... What's interesting in the story is that another UNH wide receiver tested out significantly faster than Ball with a markedly better vertical when the NFL scouts were in town. But he didn't have a great year. That presents an intriguing dilemma. Do you grade the kid with the better workout numbers higher or the kid who has produced on the field higher? Ball makes a point in the story: No passes were thrown during the workout. Having watched David Ball for four years, it's clear he's got something that you can't measure. ... DenverBroncos.com profiles the record-setting receiver who tied Jerry Rice's TD mark on Memorial Field last fall. ... Ball isn't the only Vermont native getting a look by NFL scouts as a UNH teammate is also gaining attention as this story notes.

In light of a search for a new head basketball coach at Harvard, today's Boston Globe has a story about the school having 41 varsity sports and no black head coaches.