It's Dartmouth month on Any Given Saturday.The State in South Carolina features a story about 6-6, 245 Dartmouth-bound lineman Ryan Lee (video clip) and a high school classmate who is headed to Tufts, where he will play lacrosse. Find the story and a picture here.
Senior safety Ian Wilson, who will return for a medical redshirt season next fall after being limited to three games in 2007, has been named a rugby All-American after leading Dartmouth to the national round of 16 and a walk-over for the Ivy League championship. Find the full All-America team here.
Ever wonder what happened to Mark Johnson, the Dartmouth quarterback-turned-major league first baseman with the Pirates and Mets? The Worcester Academy grad returned to his old stomping ground to accept the school's Varsity Club Award and is featured in a lengthy story in the Worcester Telegram.
Johnson's story is an interesting one. A lanky pitcher/first baseman, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round after his junior season. But he'd been elected captain of the Dartmouth football team and at least in part because the Ivies didn't – and don't – allow athletes to go pro in one sport and compete collegiately in another, he turned down a contract offer returned to Hanover for his senior year. An offseason wrist injury hampered him badly in the spring and his numbers fell, putting his baseball prospects in jeopardy. Fortunately, the Pirates drafted him again, this time in the 30th round.
The 6-4, 235-pound Johnson ended up playing parts of seven seasons in the majors between 1995 and 2002. He hit .313 as a pinch hitter and .232 overall with 38 homers.
Today, Johnson is vice president and senior institutional sale trader at Sanford Bernstein & Co. in New York.
Johnson graduated from Dartmouth in 1990 as the school's all-time leading passer with 4,413 yards and 25 touchdowns. He's still fourth on the career list for yardage. His 196 completions in a season are second in school history.
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