First Ivy Kicking Off Spring Ball

Penn becomes the first Ivy League team to kick off spring drills when the Quakers hit the field at 7 tonight. The Red and Blue Game will be held April 4. Find a blurb on the Penn football page here. From the story:

The Quakers hit Franklin Field this evening energized following an encouraging 6-4/5-2 showing in 2008. Persevering past injuries to three quarterbacks and counting on the conference's leading defense, the Red and Blue placed third in the Ivy League standings, with their only Ancient Eight defeats coming against eventual co-champions Brown and Harvard.

Speaking of Penn, the city school has released plans for a $40 million, 24-acre project that will including turning 14 acres of parking lots into athletic fields and open space. In addition to three fields, a 12-court tennis center and a softball field, the complex will include a dome to cover a field during the winter at the Ivy League's southern-most school. Find stories and drawings here and here.

Columbia has a new offensive line coach in Ed Argast, whose longest previous stint was 12 years on the staff at Colgate.

Holy Cross has "released" its 2009 schedule and Dartmouth is the Crusaders' Homecoming opponent on Oct. 17. Don't take offense. If Holy Cross is anything like Dartmouth, the decision on a Homecoming opponent is made somewhere other than the football offices and has less to do with the "who" and more to do with the "when." In case you are curious, here are Dartmouth's Homecoming dates for the next three years according to the college's Office of Alumni Relations:

• 2009 - Oct. 24 vs. Columbia
• 2010 - Oct. 30 vs. Harvard
• 2011 - Oct. 22 vs. Columbia

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, grandfather of Dartmouth quarterback Dan Rooney, is adding a new title to his resume: ambassador to Ireland. Find a USA Today story about the appointment here and a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reaction piece here.