Yale Narrows In On Coach

If the New Haven Register has it right, UMass head coach Don Brown, the former Dartmouth assistant who got his coaching start at Hartford High School right here in the Upper Valley, is the leading contender to become the next head football coach at Yale. From the Register, which said there's still an outside chance an announcement could be forthcoming as early as Friday:

Brown, 53, has a 43-19 record in five seasons at UMass. He guided the Minutemen into the 2006 and 2007 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, reaching the championship game in 2006. In his previous head coaching stops at Plymouth State and Northeastern, he led his teams into postseason play within three years. In 12 years as a collegiate head coach, he has a 95-45 record. Brown has also spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach in the Ivy League, including defensive coordinator gigs at Dartmouth, Brown and Yale.

Brown, who was a candidate for the Yale job when Carm Cozza retired following the 1996 season, did hold a head coaching job at Yale when he was the interim baseball coach for the Bulldogs before current Yale coach John Stuper was hired in 1993.

According to the Register, Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore (like Brown a former Dartmouth defensive coordinator) interviewed Monday and Brown was in town on Tuesday. Other candidates who have "met with Yale officials" according to the paper include Florida offensive line coach Steve Addazio (a former Connecticut high school coach), former Sacred Heard coach Jim Fleming and Stanford offensive coordinator Dave Shaw.

Speaking of Yale, The Register writes the following under the headline, "Yale endowment takes $6B hit:"

Yale University is not immune from major losses in the economic downturn, with President Richard C. Levin Tuesday reporting an estimated 25 percent drop in its endowment to $17 billion over the last six months.

It is expected to cause a budget shortfall of $100 million next year, and $300 million by 2013-14, spurring the university president to order budget cuts and a hold on new positions without prior approval.

Have you finished your shopping yet? Better question if you are like me: Have you started?

Here's an idea for some of you. There are lots of photos around from the varsity games; jayvee shots are rarer but available. If you know someone who played jv football at Dartmouth, there's still time to order up a shot and have it delivered by, oh, Dec. 25.

Click here for the Dartmouth photo store that has pictures of jayvee players Aaron Limonthas, Zach Wodka, AJ Houston, Alex Johns, Alex Shulman, Anthony Diblasi, Brad Dornak, Brendan Murray, Brock Middleton, Carter Scott, Chad Hollis, Chris Hardy, Connor Phillips, Dan Rooney, Diego Fernandez-Soto, Joey Casey, Kevin Estrada, Mark Dwyer, Max Heiges, Michael Reilly, Tanner Scott, Tim Vanderet and Tyler Melancon to name, um, a few.

Snow is falling this morning with about five inches so far up here on the shoulder of Moose Mountain. We're not expected to get much more in this storm, but another is supposed to hit here Friday and a potential biggie is on tap for Sunday. As they say, "It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas."