On Reggie Williams

Should have posted this earlier but I heard it through channels and wasn't sure the news was public. As it turns out ... it was. Reggie Williams '76, who went from being an All-America linebacker at Dartmouth in 1975 to NFL Man of the Year with the Cincinnati Bengals, retired from his position as Disney's vice president for sports attractions on Nov. 21 for health reasons. Williams, who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday, left Disney after serving as chief executive of Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. In an Orlando Sentinel story he talks of problems recovering from knee replacements on both legs and the need to take care of his body. If you saw him at Dartmouth this fall when he was honored for his election to the college hall, it was painful to watch him hobble onto the field.

Dartmouth (as well as Brown and Georgetown) are mentioned in this story about a southern California quarterback preparing for last night's San Diego Section Division I semifinals.

Although standout tailback Mike McLeod will be back for another year, Yale has apparently added another weapon to its arsenal with news that the nation's leading rusher -- according to MaxPreps -- is headed to New Haven. Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year Alex Thomas has set the Connecticut state records for career yards rushing (8,030), season yards rushing (3,347), career touchdowns and season (111 and 44) and points in a career (729). From the Waterbury Republican American: "On the eve of the biggest game of his storybook high school football career, Ansonia High senior Alex Thomas received the greatest news of all for his future when he obtained a 'likely acceptance letter' from Yale University on Friday. ...

Here's what the opposing coach in the state championship game said about the small schools standout in the New London Day: “He's got everything a great back has. He can run with speed. He can run with power. He reads his blocks well. He's got tremendous balance. You put all those together and it makes for an unbelievable running back.”

The 5-9, 180 Thomas has averaged 11.7 yards per carry and 278.2 yards per game this fall. A scout.com profile can be found here. For a 2006 highlight video of him, click here. The video is "unregistered," leaving a yellow reminder of that fact across the middle of the screen, and there's a soundtrack that forced me to hit the "mute" buttom pretty quickly, but it does give you a sense that Yale may have gotten itself another good one.