Friday, January 11, 2008

Another Offensive Lineman Headed This Way

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune web site, Andy Altman, a 6-2, 275 lineman from La Jolla Country Day is headed Dartmouth's way. Altman was a member of the 2007 All-Pacific League football team. Find a profile of the Torreys' team captain and a long-snapper here.

Altman has an interesting story. From an earlier piece in the North County Times:
Poway resident Andy Altman, a 17-year-old who plays football for La Jolla Country Day School, is leading the school's team for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Walk at UCSD on Oct. 14. He also has diabetes, and diagnosed the disease himself.
That story, which notes he had drawn recruiting interest from Princeton, lists him at 200 pounds. That appears to be an error because he's listed at 275 on the berecruited web site and the school roster.

Paul Boudreau, a Dartmouth assistant from 1979-81 and for the past 21 years an NFL assistant, might be headed to West Virginia as offensive line coach after being fired by the St. Louis Rams according to the Daily Mail. Boudreau came to Dartmouth from Maine and left Hanover to spend one year at the Naval Academy before moving on to pro football, first for three years in the CFL.

Recruits who arrive early this weekend will have a chance to watch Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens run the 1500 this afternoon in the Masters Division of the annual Dartmouth Relays at Leverone Field House. Competing in the Relays in Sunday's open shot put is former Dartmouth nose guard and two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson '97. (I don't remember if it ended up playing out this way, but I interviewed Nelson and wrote a story about him years ago because, as a longsnapper, he was projected to be the first freshman to appear in a Dartmouth varsity game after freshman eligibility was OK'd for the '93 season.)

There's a release about the Dartmouth Relays here. A certain Hanover High sophomore will run the 800 in the sprint medley tonight and will compete in the two-mile tomorrow morning.

And finally, sad news for longtime followers of Dartmouth men's basketball. Lee Julian, widow of legendary coach Doggie Julian, has died at age 98. Mrs. Julian was the greatest Dartmouth men's basketball fan I ever knew. Until moving to North Carolina with her daughter over the summer, Mrs. Julian seldom if ever missed a Dartmouth home game. It was always comforting to look across from press row and see her seated in her usual seat about halfway up the grandstand. Not rain, snow, freezing cold weather, too many losses or old age ever stopped her.

I remember back when I traveled with basketball when Mrs. Julian, then probably in her late 70's, would ride the team bus for the Princeton and Penn road trips. In her late 80's, or perhaps it was her early 90's, she traveled overseas to follow the men's team around Portugal. Twice if I recall correctly.

Mrs. Julian was the mother of former Dartmouth basketball captain Toby Julian '56, who captained the Big Green to one of its last Ivy League titles as a senior. Grandson Jeff Julian was the first Vermont resident ever to earn his PGA Tour card, which he did twice before being struck down by ALS - Lou Gehrig's Disease.

I had a chance a few years ago to sit with Mrs. Julian and write a story about her on the 50th anniversary of Doggie Julian leading Holy Cross to the only NCAA men's basketball championship ever won by a New England team. It was a treat spending that time with her and hearing hilarious stories from Doggie's days at Holy Cross, as head coach of the Boston Celtics and finally at Dartmouth.

Thinking I might have a little more information, while her grandson was on the PGA Tour Mrs. Julian would occasionally call the house to ask a question. I can't help but smile as I remember picking up the phone and hearing her say, "Bruce, this is Old Lady Julian." She had me at Bruce ;-)

One of the last times I saw Mrs. Julian, she asked me a question she'd asked several times before, "Bruce, are they (Dartmouth men's basketball) going to win an Ivy League championship in my lifetime?" I answered her the way I always did, "Mrs. Julian, if it will keep you around for 20 more years, I hope not."

I don't know if they will have a moment of silence for "Old Lady Julian," at tonight's game against Harvard. I hope they do. I know I will.

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