Teevens Checks In On QB Recruit

Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens paid a recent visit to quarterback recruit Conner Kempe in Florida according to the Jupiter Courier. Notable from the story:

• Kempe missed most of his senior season with a shoulder injury.
• ... Teevens thinks this is "the best class he's ever had.
• Kempe's father Joseph: "(Teevens) did say that Conner is his No. 1 target for the 2012 class."

For more about the quarterback headed to Hanover, check out connerkempe.com. One recruiting profile can be found here. For a story about Kempe's final high school game, click here.

The morning email brought a couple of releases from the National Football Foundation in the aftermath of the College Football Hall of Fame inductions. Former Dartmouth standout Reggie Williams '76 was quoted:

"I am just leaving corporate America to try and see if I can get some old football injuries recuperated. ... There may be more titanium (in artificial limbs) at this table than any place locally besides the surgical hospitals, but that's okay. Football matures you and makes you seek bigger goals."

Also:

"You play a game you love so much. Many people have asked me if it is worth it after 13 surgeries? I answer with a resounding yes, and football has been an avenue of so many dreams. I grew up in Michigan and was told by head coach Bo Schembechler that I wasn't good enough to play at Michigan. I was able to convert a great education at an Ivy League school into another opportunity that was converted into success in sports and life. You could not ask for anything more."

Williams wasn't the only former Dartmouth student-turned-Hall of Famer in the news. Sadly, David "Chip" Reese has died at age 56. Haven't heard of him? From an espn.com story:

He made his first trip to Las Vegas in 1973. Once there, his play proved so successful that he opted to drop out of Dartmouth College to play poker professionally.

Reese was the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. I've heard Reese may have played freshman football and that's being checked out. One thing is certain: He hung out with the football guys, who kept up with him after graduation. Check out this link that will have links. For another story, click here.

The Yale student body may be expanding, but that won't necessarily mean more admissions slots for athletes. That percentage is tied to the number of teams, not to the size of the freshman class. Yale President Richard Levin, quoted in the Yale Daily News:

“We have an awful lot of (applicants) who come with no special constituency — not legacies, not athletes — and that’s the pool we’re hoping to expand most when we get larger.”

That doesn't sit well with all coaches. More from the Yale Daily:

One varsity coach who asked to remain anonymous said the limited number of recruiting spots means there is little leeway for recruiting mistakes. Coaches cannot afford for a recruit to underperform athletically, he said.

“The numbers are nowhere near what we want,” he said. “We’re at a disadvantage because our numbers are low compared to other (schools) in the (Ivy) League.”

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If you haven't read the many tributes (right column) to Kathy Slattery Phillips, the longtime Dartmouth sports information director who passed away late last month, do so. They tell the story of a life well-lived. I will be collecting the tributes in PDF format after this week and will make them available for downloading by Kathy's many friends, some of whom have expressed a desire to have them in printed form. If you'd like your remembrance to be included, be sure to click on the link and add your thoughts this week. Thank you.