Lion Lloyd?

Former Dartmouth safety Lloyd Lee '98, let go as linebackers coach with the Chicago Bears after the season, might be resurfacing with the Detroit Lions according to this report.

And now for a series of posts about ... money.

New Hampshire football coach Sean McDonnell earned $182,404 last year according to a Manchester Union Leader story looking at compensation for all state and University System workers. While that sounds like – and is – a lot of money, it pales in comparison to the $382,000 (in salary and deferred income) that makes UNH hockey coach Dick Umile the highest paid state or University System worker in New Hampshire. By way of comparison, Umile earned $78,759 more than the president of UNH last year. (New Hampshire governor John Lynch made $113,537.88.) ... It's hard to say someone making $180,000-plus deserves a raise, but I think a pretty strong case can be made that compared to other football coaches McDonnell is underpaid.

Not sure quite how much the UMaine coach makes, but his Black Bears could be in for a pretty nice bonus. They have a signed contract to play Florida State next fall for $450,000. Nice money, but it gets better. The Seminoles are reportedly looking to drop the game in favor of a nationally televised game against Miami. Here's the kicker: To get out of the Maine game, FSU is obligated either to buy out of the contract with Maine for $900,000 or find the Black Bears a comparable payday. Check out the story in the Bangor Daily News.

Onward we go. To borrow a line from Sports Illustrated, here's one more Sign of the Apocalypse from the Daily Pennsylvanian. Thanks to a regular reader for the link to a DP story that says:

A new Web site, Ultrinsic.com, allows students to enter a contest where earning an A in a course wins them money. The deadline for entrance is Wednesday.

A $20-per-class bet plus a $2 entrance fee allows students to enter a pool which they can win outright or split with others if they earn an A or A+ in a class.

Man, I could have made a fortune in college betting against getting an A.

The regular reader who shared the UNH pay link offers up another from the New York Times that shows the financial difficulty at some colleges is taking more of a toll than it is at Dartmouth. Brandeis University, the story notes, will be closing its art museum and selling its collection to help in the face of a $10 million budget shortfall.

By the way, if you are a fan of SI's Signs of the Apocalypse, check out this compilation of some good ones. (Or bad ones, to be more accurate.) These are some oldies but goodies.