A couple of thoughts: I've known Jeff since he started at the Ivy League (I was working at Dartmouth at the time) and he's handled a difficult job with uncommon grace. When I moved back to the newspaper side and on rare occasion had to ask Jeff hard questions, he never dodged them. He was always accessible, always helpful and always a gentleman. The only tough question I can recall asking him for which he didn't provide a satisfying answer was the one without an answer: Why can't Ivy League football teams go to the playoffs?
A second thought: Dartmouth President Jim Wright will help oversee the committee that will begin looking for a replacement for Jeff Orleans in September. Now, I'm not an alum so I can't foist off an "alumni play," on President Wright, but I do have a candidate to recommend. It wouldn't be right to post his name here, but suffice it to say the Ivy League would be very, very lucky to have him. I've talked with him in the past about the possibility of one day making this move and I hope, for the Ivy League's sake, he'll consider it.
The Cornell Sun begins a three-part series exploring, "Cornell’s difficulties in athletic recruiting because of non-competitive financial aid packages." A taste of what the series includes:
"In all, 12 of the 31 Cornell head coaches were interviewed, and all but three said they are experiencing a problem recruiting athletes competitively against the other Ivies, especially Harvard, Yale and Princeton, because of differences in financial aid packaging."and ...
In one recent example, a “top-priority football recruit” was estimated as having no need at Cornell, but roughly $25 thousand of need, per year, at an Ivy League competitor. The recruit eventually decided not to apply to Cornell.For another spin on what's happening in the Ivies and where it could take us, check out the posting, "The Ivy 'Arms Race' And What It Could Mean," over at Chuck Burton's fine blog, Lehigh Football Nation.
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