Elite Company For QB

Dartmouth-bound quarterback and Cole Marcoux and his appearance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl are the subject of a story in the Riverdale Press. The story begins this way:

Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Vernon Davis, Jonathan Stewart, Kenny Phillips, Steve Smith, Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow and Jimmy Clausen.

These are just some of the current NFL and college football stars that burst onto the national scene by playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which is held every January and showcases the top high school seniors in the country.

Now you can add the name of Fieldston quarterback Cole Marcoux to this impressive list of Army All- American alumni.

Marcoux won his spot in the game on the high school football reality TV show The Ride, which the paper says finishes up tonight. (Check your local listings.)

For the second time in as many stories about Marcoux there's an anxiety-provoking paragraph if you happen to be Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens or a Big Green diehard. From the story:

Depending on how he does in the game, Marcoux said he is certainly willing to listen to any offers from big Division I football programs that show interest, but as of right now, he remains firmly set on honoring his original commitment to Dartmouth College. Regardless of where Marcoux decides to attend school and play football starting next year, his high school coach strongly believes that big things lie ahead for his protégé.

Cornell is backing off its commitment to offer "merit aid," according to an Inside Higher Ed piece that is spun out of a note on the Cornell-centered blog MetaEzra.

The headline of the Inside Higher Ed story reads, Ivies Force Cornell to Modify Aid for Athletes. From the story:

Cornell University, in the face of opposition from the Ivy League, has stopped including athletes in a financial aid enhancement announced a year ago. Under the program, selected groups of students who qualified for need-based aid and who were particularly desirable to the university -- including some athletes -- had the parental contributions in their aid packages reduced. "While we thought that including student-athletes with demonstrated need among those eligible for enhanced need-based aid awards meets Ivy League standards and practices, the league did not agree," said Simeon Moss, a spokesman for Cornell.

Also from the story:

Some advocates for Cornell athletics have complained in recent years that because Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities offer need-based aid to those from families at much higher incomes than can receive such aid at Cornell or other Ivies, those three institutions are effectively offering merit aid.

Discuss among yourselves. ...

Former Brown quarterback and Dartmouth part-time assistant James Perry will be the new offensive coordinator at Princeton according to the Brown Daily Herald. Perry has been Brown's quarterback coach. Looks like a terrific hire in Tiger Town. Princeton release.

Former Dartmouth quarterback Jay Fiedler's name pops up all the time in Miami Dolphin stories, sometimes pointing out his perceived shortcomings, other times patting him on the back. This reference in the Sun-Sentinel is one of the latter:

Jay Fiedler led with his toughness, and he had more respect from the team than most fans realized.

Named CEO of the United States Olympic Committee is Buddy Teevens' classmate Scott Blackmun '79, a summa cum laude (I had to look up how to spell that, which ought to tell you something ;-) graduate of Dartmouth. Blackmun won out over Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming chief executive and a familiar name in the Upper Valley. The LA Times has an interesting blog piece about Blackmun's selection. USA Today has a story with Blackmun.

(Former Dartmouth assistant football coach Joe Moglia and Dartmouth alum Sandy Alderson were also finalists for the USOC position. Earlier Green Alert post)

Moglia, who is said to have interviewed with Cornell for its vacant head football coaching position, is expected to be a guest on the FOX Business program between 1 and 2 p.m. today. If he is, expect that he will be asked about his interest in returning to college sports.

Cornell men's basketball very nearly accomplished the unthinkable last night, leading No. 1 Kansas in the final minute before dropping a 71-66 decision when a shot to tie with 9 seconds left misfired. Great quotes from the Lawrence Journal World & News:

“No disrespect to anybody we’ve played. That’s the best team we’ve played, though,” (Kansas coach Bill) Self said.

And this ...

Self had a question for Cornell coach Steve Donahue in the handshake line.

“I asked him if he thought they played well. He said, ‘Yes,’’’ Self said. “I said, ‘Good, because I thought we played well, too.’’’

The Kansas City Star blog has some interesting thoughts about Kansas running its home winning streak to 51 games.