Treasure Hunt

Time to start digging through those old boxes up in the attic. Here's a note from Jack DeGange, former sports information director at Dartmouth:

In conjunction with a pictorial timeline portraying the history of Dartmouth football (1881 to the present) that is planned for the football lounge in the new Floren Varsity House, a companion display case containing Dartmouth football memorabilia is being planned. The timeline will be completed in time for the opening of Floren Varsity House this fall. The memorabilia display is will be developed concurrently. The timeline project committee is chaired by Bob Ceplikas '78, deputy director of athletics.

This query is Step One of a "Dartmouth Football Treasure Hunt." The DCAD has a number of suitable items available for the memorabilia display but there are many holes to be filled in order to capture the full story, especially from the earliest days of Dartmouth football, i.e., from 1881 to the 1950s.

What we seek: Virtually anything (tickets and programs from historic games, old equipment that reflects an era long gone). If it was worth handing down, it's worth considering. Like the Supreme Court justice said about pornography, "I don't know what it is but I'll know it when I see it."

This is the first step: to identify items that can be candidates for inclusion. If you have an item (or know someone who does) that reflects the history of Dartmouth football that you would consider donating to this project, please contact Jack DeGange, the former Dartmouth sports information director who is the writer for the timeline project and coordinator of this football memorabilia acquisition process. This will be a locked display and donors will be suitably recognized for their gift.

To keep spammers from harvesting Jack's email address, I won't include it here. Email me (my box is already filled with spam) and I'll forward your responses to him.

First it was Trent Green's arrival, now it's Daunte Culpepper's expected departure that is softening attitudes toward former Miami Dolphins (and Dartmouth) quarterback Jay Fiedler. A Sun-Sentinel story about sympathy toward Culpepper includes this:

These are some of the same fans who showed no sympathy to any number of Dolphins, with hard-playing Jay Fiedler earning 37 wins but no benefit. Just doubts and curses.

A couple of non-football notes. That certain Hanover High freshman was all smiles yesterday after a good friend presented her with a signed Willie Mays baseball. The friend's father is a Dartmouth prof who had two balls signed by the Hall of Famer when he was here over the weekend for graduation. It's doubtful they could have found anyone who appreciated the ball more ... except her brother. He's a little jealous, but thrilled to have the autograph in the family.

Today is Day 2 of the Vermont Open and I'll be back at beautiful Lake Morey Resort about 20 miles north of Hanover. No Vermonter has ever won his own Open but an amateur who played for the No. 3 team in the NCAA Division I championships this spring will have a shot. Unless he gets too much sleep. Read why on the Vermont Open blog.