Scheduled Up

It's not where you start, it's where you finish.

A peek at the Cornell football website this morning revealed times for all of the Big Red football games in the fall. That, in turn, led to a journey through a few other team sites trying to nail down the times for all of Dartmouth's games.

At some point a light went on in this low-octane brain and the exercise was put on hold to double-check the Dartmouth schedule. The times for all but one game were right there, added when we weren't looking. So here you have them:

Dartmouth 2010 Football Schedule
Sept. 18 at Bucknell 1
Sept. 25 Sacred Heart, 1:30
Oct. 2 at Penn, TBA
Oct. 9 Yale, 1:30
Oct. 16 Holy Cross, 1:30
Oct. 23 at Columbia, 1:30
Oct. 30 Harvard, 1:30 (Homecoming)
Nov. 6 at Cornell, 12:30
Nov. 13 Brown, Noon
Nov. 20 at Princeton, 1 p.m.

The Nov. 13 game against Brown is being played at noon, of course, because it is being broadcast by Versus.

TV games are a good thing, right? Suffice it to say they can be – but they haven't been lately.

Dartmouth has lost 11 of its last 12 televised games with the lone win the 59-31 victory over Cornell on Nov. 3, 2007. A list of the Big Green's TV games, with date, result and broadcast outlet can be found on this release.

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What did it say at the top of today's BGA blog? It's not where you start, it's where you finish.

Fitting words here on the shoulder of Moose Mountain where a phone message Monday and another via email the same day brought word that That Certain Hanover High School Graduate dared not believe at first: a chance to be a member of the Dartmouth Class of 2014. Suffice it to say she jumped at the chance, figuratively as well as literally.

Signed,
BGA P'14

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In the world of journalism they call that burying the lede. ;-)

More On Incoming Back

Incoming recruit Ryan Paganetti, a 5-foot-10, 206-pound running back from Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts, is the subject of a story in the Bedford Minuteman. The piece notes that Paganetti transferred to the boarding school from Bedford High School and went on to rush for "nearly 1,900 yards" and score 23 touchdowns in his two years at Belmont Hill. The story also says that he, "played about half of the defensive plays at outside linebacker, specializing in pass rush."

Here's what Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens told BGA about Paganetti earlier:

“He is an 11 flat 100-meter guy. ... He's ranked in the state in the discus and the shot. ... He is an explosive, powerful back, probably like Nick Schwieger in terms of stature, speed and quickness. ... Has a chance to help us on special teams early. ... It was Harvard and ourselves, and a couple of the other Ivies.”

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Former jayvee quarterback Sean Furey '04 won the national title in the javelin at the U.S. Outdoor Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, with a throw of 262 feet. There is a story in his Massachusetts hometown newspaper, The Eagle Tribune. Retired Dartmouth throws coach Carl Wallin gets a nod in the piece, which mentions Furey's upcoming marriage to Matti Chatterton-Richmond, herself a former standout Big Green track performer.

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A regular poster on the Any Given Saturday site does assessments of Patriot League football recruiting classes using the same points system for each school. While it's easy to nitpick the formula there's some interesting stuff in the capsule, including the mention of a transfer from UConn who redshirted for the Huskies.

Set to be in a Bucknell uniform come Sept. 18 when the Big Green opens up will be 6-foot-4 (or 6-5 depending ;-) 306-pound Clark Maturo, a junior offensive lineman apparently with sophomore eligibility. His recruiting profile out of Hotchkiss school is here and there was a story about him on UConn's Scout.com page. With the return from a Mormon mission of former All-Patriot League defensive end Josh Eden, and with new coach Joe Susan on board, there could be a lot of excitement building in Lewisburg.

Bucknell was 4-7 last year although it did finish the season with a huge, 23-17, win over NCAA playoff-bound Holy Cross, the Patriot League champion.

(While we are at it, for the same message board poster's look at the Holy Cross recruiting class, click here.)

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The changing landscape of big-time college football conferences won't have much of a trickle-down effect on the Ivy League but changes at the FCS level could have an impact on out-of-league scheduling. Old friend Craig Haley at The Sports Network writes here about the ground shaking under the powerhouse Colonial Athletic Association. From the story:

At the end of the 2009 regular season, the premier conference in the FCS had two programs drop the sport - first Northeastern, then Hofstra. Now word is filtering out (including via a Richmond Times-Dispatch report) that Rhode Island, which for decades has struggled to be competitive in a conference full of bigger members, is studying a possible departure from the CAA to join the smaller Northeast Conference for the start of the 2013 season.

CAA Football will get back two of the losses when Old Dominion joins the conference for the 2011 season and fellow independent Georgia State, which is debuting its program this season, will follow in 2012.

New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Villanova of the CAA have all been annual opponents of Ivy League teams (except UNH this fall). Haley suggests Stony Brook – another school that has started to show up on Ivy schedules – "might be attractive to the CAA."

In the News

Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens is the first quote and the last quote in a Tidesports.com story about Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy returning this year to the Manning Passing Academy. Teevens was instrumental in starting the famed quarterback camp and remains one of its directors. Find his (not-yet-updated) bio just below that of the Mannings here.

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Speaking of camps, the Buddy Teevens Football Camp is going on this week. You can read more about it here. In addition to teaching football skills to a wide range of players, this camp – like so many others – offers prospective recruits an opportunity to get a feel for the Dartmouth campus and coaches, while at the same time giving the coaches a feel for the prospective recruits. It seems there are a handful or more recruits each year who attended the camp.

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Holy Cross has announced the inaugural class of the Crusader Football Legends Ring of Fame. I had a chance to cover two of the six inductees: tailback Gill Fenerty '86 and two-way standout Gordie Lockbaum '88. Both feasted on Ivy League opposition during the Holy Cross heydays under Mark Duffner. Gill "The Thrill," a transfer from LSU who would end up playing in both the NFL and CFL, ran for 337 yards and six touchdowns in a 77-28 win over Columbia in '83. Lockbaum had six touchdowns in a 48-7 win over Dartmouth three years later.

It would be fun to see Dartmouth start its own Ring of Fame-type deal but for a variety of reasons it doesn't seem likely to happen.

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It's not the same thing but ...

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the unofficial 50 Years of Ivy League anniversary teams that Dartmouth football historian Jack DeGange helped pull together several years ago. Find the 50-Year Offense here, the 50-Year Defense here and an explanation of how the team was picked here.

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Playing with Ben Crenshaw, Dartmouth golf coach Rich Parker shot 71 in the final round of the PGA Champions Tour's Dick's Sporting Goods Open to finish 1-under for the event and take home $4,250. The morning paper says Parker called Crenshaw "Benny" all day – which should surprise absolutely no one who knows Rich. According to Parker, Crenshaw told him he'd be keeping an eye on Dartmouth golf from here on out. Parker is trying to Monday qualify today for the Champions Tour event in Montreal.

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And in case you are wondering, That Certain Hanover High golfer and I enjoyed a long and steamy day at the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship yesterday outside of Hartford, Conn. He bought a white tournament hat and got autographs on it from Ricky Barnes, Justin Rose and a golfer to be named later (when we figure out who he is ;-) Barnes' father, Bruce, was a punter for the New England Patriots.

Quick Hits and Out the Door

That Certain Hanover High Junior (to be) and I are off to Connecticut to catch the final round of the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship outside of Hartford. It's his first pro tournament so it should be fun – but leaving this early leaves no time for surfing the web, so I don't have much for you today.

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As long as we are on the subject of golf, however, Dartmouth men's golf coach Rich Parker tumbled back to earth yesterday with a 75 in the second round of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open Champions tour event. Find the leaderboard for that one here.

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And finally, our Hanover Green Machine finished a dream season yesterday with a 13-0 victory in the championship game of the Connecticut Valley Little League playoffs. Along the way the Green Machine:

• Finished undefeated in regular play, going 16-0.
• Won the Connecticut Valley League South Championship.
• Won the Lebanon 3-Pitch Championship
• Went 22-1 overall (with a one-run loss in the 3-Pitch tournament)
• Wonthe CVSLL Sportsmanship Award

I couldn't be prouder of a wonderful group of players who listened, learned and performed like champions for us all year.

Saturday Stuff

Rain had stopped and with the light absolutely perfect the other night I crossed the road and snapped this picture. Double-click it to see just how pretty the Upper Valley is. That's Mount Ascutney off to the left.

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Week One opponent Bucknell has released its first recruiting class under new coach Joe Susan. There's little information about the class but Susan did have this to say:

"Despite a late recruiting start, we put together a very good class. We have a lot of position variety with a good mix of skill players as well as big linemen. Our staff is looking forward to working with this class. It is a fine group of student-athletes that will fit well into the Bucknell community and serve as role models."

A contributor to the Any Given Saturday message board has posted a little background on the new Bison players who the Big Green will see on Sept. 18.

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Speaking of freshmen, Columbia has now added bio information about its incoming freshmen on the Lion roster page. Just click on the freshmen of interest.

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Dartmouth men's golf coach Rich Parker begins the second day of the Champions Tour event tied for 16th place after carding a 3-under 69 at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y. As the local paper's lead golf writer I covered at least two dozen pro events that Rich played in and I always wondered how he would do if he ever gave the former Seniors Tour a shot when he hit the big Five-Oh. Find the Champions Tour leaderboard here.

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Weather permitting, the Hanover Green Machine (15-0) will be playing for the Connecticut Valley Little League championship up in Haverhill, N.H., this afternoon. We had two wins over our championship game opponent during the regular season and I'm not going to tell the kids the old saw about how hard it is to beat a good team three times in a year.

Golf Coach Playing In Champions Tour Event

Half the field hasn't yet teed off but Dartmouth men's golf coach Rich Parker is tied for second as he nears the midway point of his first round at the PGA Champions Tour Dick's Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y.

Parker, who played on the Hogan and Nike Tours and in the U.S. Open at Medinah in the past, was on track to make what was formerly known as the PGA Senior Tour last fall until the final two holes on the final day of Q-School. He made it into the Dick's Sporting Goods field through qualifying.

Find his scorecard here and the leaderboard for the event here.

Sprechen Sie Football?

Former Dartmouth free safety Pete Pidermann has signed with the Mönchengladbach Mavericks of the German Football League. Pidermann, a member of the All-Ivy League second team last fall, is slated to leave for Germany this Sunday and could see his first action on the following Saturday.

After two games he will have a one-month break before returning to the field and playing through mid-October.

Pidermann is slated to line up at corner as well as to return kicks and punts for the Mavericks. He could also see action at wide receiver and as a backup running back.

A Dartmouth captain last fall, Pidermann had 55 tackles as a senior and 166 in his career. He was a starter from midway thought his sophomore year.

For more information on the Mönchengladbach Mavericks of the GFL – albeit in German – click here.

A future teammate who played in Canada writes (mostly) about playing for the team in his blog, Maple Syrup, Schnitzel and Shoulder Pads.

For a video look at some Mavericks action (along with way too much lame cheerleading) click here.

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Work continues on making the Dartmouth football website the repository for Big Green football information with the end of printed media guides. Worth checking out is the upgraded Results vs. Opponents section. In addition to scores of every game against opponents, there's an interesting addition: average scores.

Here is Dartmouth's record – along with points for, points against and average score – against this year's opponents in the order of the games being played. Note just how close the average scores are against most opponents over time.

Bucknell
Series Record: Dartmouth, 4-1
Dartmouth Points: 149
Bucknell Points: 97
Average Score: Dartmouth, 30-19

Sacred Heart
(First game of series)

Penn
Series Record: Penn, 43-32-2
Dartmouth Points: 1249
Penn Points: 1360
Average Score: Penn, 18-16

Yale
Series Record: Yale, 51-36-6
Dartmouth Points: 1267
Yale Points: 1738
Average Score: Yale, 19-14

Holy Cross
Series Record: Holy Cross, 35-34-4
Dartmouth Points: 1209
Holy Cross Points: 1154
Average Score: Dartmouth, 17-16

Columbia
Series Record: Dartmouth, 62-17-1
Dartmouth Points: 2062
Columbia Points: 1011
Average Score: Dartmouth, 26-13

Harvard
Series Record: Harvard, 63-45-5
Dartmouth Points: 1480
Harvard Points: 1981
Average Score: Harvard, 18-13

Cornell
Series Record: Dartmouth, 52-40-1
Dartmouth Points: 1797
Cornell Points: 1517
Average Score: Dartmouth, 19-16

Brown
Series Record: Dartmouth, 54-29-4
Dartmouth Points: 1775
Brown Points: 1166
Average Score: Dartmouth, 20-13

Princeton
Series Record: Princeton, 43-42-4
Dartmouth Points: 1446
Princeton Points: 1514
Average Score: Princeton, 17-16

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And in case you were wondering, no Ivy League player was chosen in last night's NBA draft. Cornell's Ryan Wittman and Jeff Foote were considered longshots to be taken along with Harvard's Jeremy Lin. Find an Ithaca Journal story here.

Next Stop: Hanover

Dartmouth-bound Austin Katigan, right, and Oklahoma-bound Casady School teammate Cale Shivers shared one final appearance on the field together when they helped the North team win the Texas Private School Coaches Association All-Star Game, 13-3 on Saturday evening.

Katigan saw action at wide receiver and defensive back as well has handling the punting duties while Shivers played quarterback and defensive back as the North overcame a 3-0 halftime deficit. Find a game story here. Find an earlier blog mention of Katigan with links to a video interview and story here.

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Tuesday's mention of the NCAA prohibiting FCS teams from staying off campus the night before a home game (link) brought the following response from a regular reader who knows his way around Dartmouth football:

Blackman did this in his "early years"... though I believe only on Dartmouth Night (homecoming to the newbies) and they would depart after the rally at Dartmouth Hall and start of the bonfire...remember, too, in those days and into the 70s, there was a Friday night bonfire before every home game though, again, in those days Dartmouth played only 3-4 home games...H-Y-P were always road games until Princeton (1964), Yale (1971), Harvard (1974 except for the oddballs in 1946 and 1955).

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I saw a story about this yesterday and received an email today from a reader with a broken link to a different story about the Dartmouth ice hockey recruit who bailed on the Big Green to go to Wisconsin. (BGA link) Turns out, he's changed his mind again and will come to Dartmouth after all. From College Hockey News:

The case of prized recruit Matt Lindblad took another turn today. According to sources, Lindblad, making a lot of news in college hockey before ever playing an NCAA game, has decided to turn down Wisconsin, and will attend Dartmouth after all.

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I spend a lot of time (too much, actually) surfing Ivy League websites and only now did it sink in what it says above the bold lettering HARVARD on that school's website:

Leadership and Competitive Excellence in Division I Athletics

Thoughts?

Winning Matters

A few of Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim's remarks under the tent Saturday at the Dartmouth Friends of Football Golf Classic:

On what he learned as a high school quarterback in Iowa ...

I played football, pretty poorly actually. My senior year we lost all our football games. But during our sophomore year we had a good season. And I remember that winning a football game was the greatest feeling I have ever had in my entire life. All the players felt that they contributed. We rang the victory bell. There was nothing like it and it's never been repeated. I played basketball also and we almost went to the state finals. But there was nothing in basketball and there was nothing in volleyball – which I played in college – that ever came close to the feeling you have with your fellow players when you win a football game.

And so I didn't win any football games when I was a senior, so I waited about 30-plus years to be on the field when we beat Columbia this past year. Giving Buddy a hug and singing the alma mater was one of the great moments of my life.

On why winning football games is important ...

That doesn't just lift the spirits of the football team. It lifts the spirits of the entire college. Of all the alumni. ... We know this is part of showing the world what we are made of. And that if you lose in football, for reasons that are not rational, people sort of think that's how the college is doing. That it can lose in football means you are not paying enough attention to details to do something that Dartmouth has done so well for so long.

On doing his part ...

We know that we are producing great citizens and great leaders. But we also know that we need to win more. And so when I talked to Buddy after the season the only thing was, what do we need to do to create a great program? ...

I've told Buddy he has access to me at any time. And if there's any obstacle for him to get his players prepared he should call me and I will remove those obstacles. ...

We are going to find everything we know about preparing young people to do fantastically well. From sports psychology to nutrition to weightlifting to stretching. We are going to give everything that they need to be successful.

On the help of the Friends of Football ...

Remember, every little gift we get, every little thing that allows us to up our game is not just good for the football team. The things that you have done for us are going to be good for the entire Dartmouth community. When football wins everyone feels great about Dartmouth College. That's where we need to get to again and I'm going to push, push, push so that we can get there immediately and never retreat.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the applause at the end of his remarks was deafening.

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In addition to the TV package that will see the Nov. 13 Brown at Dartmouth game broadcast nationally on Versus, Yale will once again have its own package with the YES network. The Yale TV schedule on YES:

Oct. 16 Fordham at Yale
Oct. 23 Penn at Yale
Oct. 30 Columbia at Yale

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Former UNH quarterback Ricky Santos has been re-signed by the Montreal Alouettes. Find a blurb here.

Many Happy Returns

Jake Novak over at his Columbia football blog, Roar Lions Roar, continues a series about returning starters around the Ivy League by taking a look at Dartmouth. Jake writes of Dartmouth:

That's right. They have nine returing offensive starters and ten returning defensive starters.

And that STILL buries the lead.

Because their best overall offensive weapon, RB Nick Schwieger, was out in the final game against Princeton and he'll be back in 2010.

So were talking about 20 out of 22 starters returning for Dartmouth.

Throw in guys like the multi-talented 2008 starter WR/QB Tim McManus who should be back and QB Conner Kempe, who didn't officially start the final game but still threw 34 passes in the contest, and you're simply dealing with a bumper crop of experienced players in Hanover.

So where's the catch?

There are a few of them actually.

OK, now that I've whetted your appetite, you'll have to read Jake's post (we blogging types look out for each other) to find out exactly what he thinks those catches are. ;-)

Jake makes reference to quarterback Conner Kempe throwing 34 passes against Princeton in the finale and that sent me scurrying to document exactly how much experience the rising junior has had. Turns out he's one of the most experienced QBs in the league. Here's what I found:

Nine career starts

• Started final six games in 2009 (including Princeton)
  
• Started final three games in 2008

Completed 166-317 passes (52.4 percent) for 1,686 yards with 9 TDs, 12 Ints

• 101-196–1031, 7 TDs, 6 Ints in 2009
• 65-121–655, 2 TDs, 6 Ints in 2008

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Following up on yesterday's note in the BGA blog about the large roster Dartmouth is expected to field in the fall, a June 18 NCAA News posting says:

Cabinet members sponsored legislation for the 2010-11 legislative cycle to increase the number of student-athletes allowed to practice before an institution’s first day of class to 95 in FCS football starting in 2011. Currently, FCS football teams may have a maximum of 90 participants.

Note that the above refers to practice before an institution’s first day of class and not during the season.

Not that it pertains to Dartmouth these days, but the NCAA News also writes that:

The cabinet supports prohibiting institutions from providing accommodations to their student-athletes on the night before home contests in FCS football.

And no, silly, they aren't talking about making the players leave their dorm rooms on Friday nights. They are talking about bivouacking the team at an out-of-town hotel the night before a game to get a good night's sleep and avoid, shall we say, temptations.

I've been told Dartmouth would occasionally do that in the past. I know the "big boys" do it regularly.

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Meant to post this the other day but Bristol Herald down in Virginia has a story about Robert Young, the recent Dartmouth grad who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox and and has reported to the team's Appalachian League affiliate. From the story:

Greek and Roman tragedy and Guerilla Warfare and Counterinsurgency were just some of the classes that he took at the prestigious New Hampshire school.

However, the Bristol White Sox pitcher doesn’t want to solely be defined by his Ivy League pedigree.

“We do play baseball there,” Young said. “We do more than just sit in a library and study.”

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Speaking of baseball, our Hanover Green Machine Little League team advanced to the championship game of the Connecticut Valley Little League playoffs last night with a 14-2 win before a large and enthusiastic crowd here in Hanover.

It has been a total joy coaching these kids and at the risk of jinxing them I almost hesitate to write that they are 15-0 in the league and 21-1 overall (counting the local 3-pitch tournament they won). The Green Machine will be bidding for its first CVLL championship since back in 2006 when That Certain Hanover High Junior-to-be was the starting catcher and leading hitter in his final season of Little League.

Looking at the Roster

While our heads were turned the class years have been adjusted on the Dartmouth football roster for the 2010 season and the graduated seniors have been taken off. The roster does not yet include the incoming freshmen but it does list:

• 30 seniors
• 32 juniors
• 33 sophomores

If you add in 35 – give or take one or two – members of the Class of 2014, that's a whopping 130 bodies.

The roster shows:

DEFENSE
6 tackles
7 ends
15 linebackers
9 corners
3 free safeties
2 strong safeties

OFFENSE
17 linemen
6 tight ends
12 wide receivers
6 running backs
5 fullbacks
3 quarterbacks

SPECIAL TEAMS
3 kickers
1 kicker/punter

Heights:
1 – 5-foot-8
3 – 5-9
10 – 5-10
9 – 5-11
12 – 6-0
6 – 6-1
12 – 6-2
18 – 6-3
11 – 6-4
9 – 6-5
2 – 6-6
1 – 6-7
1 – 6-8

Weights:
165-175 – 4
176-185 – 11
186-195 – 8
196-205 – 14
206-215 – 13
216-225 – 6
226-235 – 7
236-245 – 9
246-255 – 2
256-265 – 4
266-275 – 5
276-285 – 5
286-295 – 3
296-Up – 4

Editor's Note: Keep in mind this is a spring roster for a fall sport. There are some position changes that have not been noted and at least one player is on the roster who will not be with the team in the fall. Also weights on the roster have been rounded to end in zero or five.

Picture This: Football and Golf

Scenes from the Dartmouth Friends of Football Golf Classic at Hanover Country Club Saturday.

President Jim Yong Kim took time out of his tremendously busy reunions schedule to come by. Here he talks with former lineman Brad Kliber '85, in from Montana. Kim's well-received remarks – as well as his optimistic prediction for the fall – brought a lengthy and rousing cheer from a large group of guys who bleed green.

The shared experience of Dartmouth football reaches across the generations. It was a sweltering day in Hanover but it delivered a record-setting turnout of golfers.Former teammates pose for a photo.And they are off ...
Jay Fiedler '94 crushes a drive on the first tee.
A Chevy Tahoe was the prize for a hole-in-one on the designated par-3. Alas ...





Former tailback Rich Weissman '85 was always comfortable carrying the ball.Speaking of balls, an autographed Don Shula football was but one of many auction items that were sold in the tent after dinner. The auctioneer was former quarterback and current Director of Football Operations Brian Mann '02, who kept everyone laughing and the bids coming in.

Fore-2!

Check back Sunday for a selection of photos from the Friends of Football Golf Classic. In the meantime, click the photo to see the sponsors of the well-attended event, held on a glorious Hanover Saturday.

Fore!

Heading over to Hanover Country Club in a couple of minutes for the Dartmouth Friends of Football Golf Classic so this has to be short. (Editor's note: The world Classic might be an exaggeration ;-)

Curious about Sacred Heart University, Dartmouth's opponent in the 2010 home opener? Check out the Pioneers' 2010 prospectus. Amon other things it will tell you Sacred Heart has eight – or nine depending on where you look – starters returning on offense. There are 10 returning on offense along with two specialists.

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Soccer fans are known for their singing, not that you could tell from the horn-infested World Cup. Ivy League football fans don't sing as much, but when they do they might sing along to the Ivy League fight songs you can listen to here.

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And finally on this quick blog, graduation ceremonies went off without a hitch at Hanover High last night. One of the advantages to being the parent of one of the marshals is you get a lot of photo ops because not only to they lead the parade, but they sit in their own row up front. It was a great night and thanks to everyone who emailed congratulations. The kid deserved 'em!

Media Guide-Less

With the end of printed media guides – yes, including football – it's hard to stress how important the web will be in helping colleges get the word out about their programs. And to record their history.

Dartmouth stopped printing most guides during the 2009-10 school year, but at least offered PDF downloads of the traditional media guide (such as this one for baseball). Starting in the coming fall even those PDF media guides will be eliminated in favor of posting most of the information they contained on the regular website.

Dartmouth is taking the first baby steps to the "media guide-less" future by reworking the football site's All-Time Results page. To see how it looks for 2000-10, click here. Look for more and more changes on the site as the summer progresses.

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For an interesting commentary on the move away from media guides and into the digital future, check out this piece on the CoSIDA (College sports Information Directors of America) website.

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Dartmouth recruit AJ Dettorre had a 60-yard kick return in the Ventura County East-West All-Star Football Game earlier this month. Tomorrow night Dartmouth-bound receiver Austin Katigan will be playing in the Texas Private Schools Coaches Association All-Star Game.

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The Sports Network has a story about how Ivy League coaches and athletes supported their colleagues at Penn in the aftermath of the death of Penn football captain-elect Owen Thomas. Dartmouth gets a mention.

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This hasn't happened much in football, but it could. The Dartmouth men's ice hockey team has lost a premier recruit to Wisconsin late. From the Western College Hockey Blog (thanks for the link):

Ivy League schools don't sign National Letters of Intent, and there's no "gentleman's agreement" in place between WCHA coaches and ECAC coaches about not recruiting committed players.

As a result, Wisconsin has gotten Sioux Falls forward Matt Lindblad to back out of his commitment to Dartmouth and sign with the Badgers for next season.

(Editor's note: A top Dartmouth women's basketball recruit one year accepted a late offer from an SEC team during the summer before her freshman year when, if I recall correctly, the SEC school had a slot open up because another recruit, um, became pregnant. The Dartmouth recruit did, in fact, report to the SEC school but upon realizing her mistake made a U-turn and ended up playing for the Big Green for four years. Quite a story.)

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As long as we're on other sports ... It's not hard to make a case that former soccer coach Bobby Clark – now at Notre Dame – was among the best and most popular coaches Dartmouth has had in the past 50 years. His son Jamie, who starred at Hanover High when his dad coached the Big Green (and then played for Bobby at Stanford) was named the head coach at Harvard a couple of years ago. Now, after just two seasons with the Crimson, he's leaving to become the head coach at Creighton.

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And speaking of people moving on abruptly, former Dartmouth Dean of the College Tom Crady has landed a new role as vice president for enrollment management at Gustavus Adolphus College. There's a story in the Daily Dartmouth and a piece out of Gustavus.

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Some sad Dartmouth news, away from the world of sports. Jonathan Wolken '71 wasn't an athlete or a coach but Pilobus, the dance company he founded, certainly was athletic and tremendously fun to watch. From the New York Times:

Jonathan Wolken, a nondancer who four decades ago helped found a dance troupe, named it after a fungus and watched gleefully as that troupe — Pilobolus Dance Theater — became one of the most popular modern-dance companies in the world, died on Sunday ...

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And finally, tonight is graduation for That Certain Hanover High Senior and if you'll indulge me, I'll toss out one last bouquet. Yesterday was Class Day Awards at Hanover and TCHHS was well-rewarded for all her hard work these past four years. First, she received the Tom Hanlon Council Award given, "to a person who by personal commitment and activity has increased the sharing spirit of our school, enhanced the processes of governance and decision-making, and promoted the involvement and interaction of everyone in our school community." The award was a beautiful engraved silver bowl.

She won the indoor track and softball athlete of the year awards and then was presented a very nice plaque as the co-Hanover High School Athlete of the Year.

At program's end she was awarded two local scholarships including one that will ring a bell with many who have lived or studied in Hanover: the Harry Tanzi Memorial Scholarship given to recipients who have, "demonstrated outstanding cizitenship qualities within the school and the greater Hanover/Norwich community. These qualities were the very essence of Harry Tanzi, former honorary mayor of Hanover and a member of the Class of 1917."

Athletic Director Posting

The job description for the Dartmouth athletic director's position has been posted here. Nothing really surprising but those of you with some institutional knowledge might find it interesting that under the Education heading it says, "Master's degree or the equivalent level of education and experience."

As for a timeline, the PDF says, "Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to July 8, 2010."

Joe Asch over at Dartblog has a column under the headline, "Do You Want to Be Dartmouth's AD?"

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Fargo offensive lineman Connor McGovern, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound player called the prize of the North Dakota recruiting class, has Dartmouth, Brown and Harvard among his final eight schools according to this story. A Fargo-Moorhead newspaper blog says he plans to attend camp at all three Ivy League schools.

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As you know – or would if you visit this electronic neighborhood regularly – Dartmouth football is scheduled to play host to Butler in 2012 and to play the Bulldogs at Indianapolis the next year. For a look at how the Butler football program is doing in the shadow of a basketball team that came within a shot of winning the national championship a few months ago, click here. Craig Haley's story on The Sports Network site is headlined, Madness at Butler in the fall, too. ...

In the FCS notes at the end of the article Craig writes that Maine fullback Jared Turcotte will be back in action this fall after missing last year with a sports hernia. Turcotte, you may recall, was widely reported to have had his heart set on Dartmouth (link) before ending up at Maine. He was selected a preseason All-America before being hurt last year and has once again shown up on preseason All-America lists this spring.

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A blog post in January noted that Dr. Fred Radke '73 had been elected to the Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Now a surgeon in Portland, the former defensive end was the only sophomore starter on the legendary 1970 team. He started three games the next fall before being sidelined by a knee and returned to start as a senior in '72. His Dartmouth teams had a combined record of 24-2-1 and 18-2-1 in the Ivy League. (Thanks for the help ;-)

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And finally, the rain held off on our visit to Colgate yesterday and as an added bonus I stumbled into 'Gate athletic director Dave Roach outside Huntington Gym. It's always a pleasure to visit with Dave and we had a good chuckle about the irony of That Certain Senior being in Hamilton next fall while I'm out in Lewisburg, Pa. Speaking of TCS, the hard choice is made and I'll be missing my Little League playoff game tonight to see her play in the Granite State Games softball event at Plymouth State University. Barring a huge upset, our LL team will move on but this will be the final softball game for you-know-who unless she is chosen to the New Hampshire team that will play against Maine and can fit it into her busy summer schedule as a counselor at an overnight camp.

Sorting Out Positions

Another day, another "sort" of the Ivy League combined football recruiting class, this time to see what positions are most in demand. Here's how many recruits were announced by position in the Class of 2014. (Where two positions were listed, the first was used for this exercise.):

OFFENSE
37 Offensive Linemen
28 Wide Receivers
21 Running Backs
16 Tight Ends
13 Quarterbacks
4 Fullbacks/H-Backs

DEFENSE
32 Defensive Backs
27 Linebackers
20 Interior Line
9 Defensive Ends

SPECIAL TEAMS
3 Punters
3 Kicker/Punters
2 Kickers
2 Long Snappers

(Also: 2 "Athletes")

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Curious about Dartmouth's opening-day foe next fall? In addition to the Bucknell football website, there's a Wikipedia page on the Bison program. Find it here.

Stumbling across that, of course, got me checking on other Wikipedia football pages of interest. There are football sections in the athletic or university entries for virtually all schools. But only the following schools have dedicated football pages:
Dartmouth
Cornell
Princeton
Holy Cross

Colgate

I'd be curious to know who pulled together the Dartmouth page. It wasn't me ;-)

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And finally, the blog will be quiet for the next couple of days as I head on the road with That Certain Senior's aunt from Texas. She's flying in for graduation and very much wants to get a look at a certain college in upstate New York. So I'm closing the laptop while we zip over to Hamilton, N.Y., tonight and then zip back tomorrow in time to catch – weather permitting – the Granite State Games softball doubleheader at Plymouth State in which you-know-who will be playing.

State-by-State

OK, here you go. This is a state-by-state listing of the Ivy League's incoming freshman football players (including a few Dartmouth "walk-ons."

A few words of warning. This list was compiled in large part by using copy-and-paste to move web page rosters into a spreadsheet. Because not every school does their rosters in the same order, columns then had to be rearranged and the whole thing pasted into another spreadsheet. It was, to say the least, a pain. (I would have been better off, I now know, retyping all the rosters.)

The whole thing was then sorted and repasted into a word processing document. Somewhere along the way a bug crept into the process and some names, schools and towns were chopped off after a few letters. I found most of them – but probably not all of them – before my eyes started to glaze over. The punctuation is a little off in places (which bugs the Adrian Monk in me), but I'm going to live with it. If you email me corrections I'll make them. After I'm relatively confident I've got them all (or most of them) I'll repost.

Don't say you haven't been warned ...

Alabama (5)

Columbia Zach Olinger, LB 6-0, 210, Hoover, Spain Park; Dartmouth Daniel Barstein P, 6-1, 175, Birmingham Mountain Brook HS; Dartmouth Edward von Kuhn, WR, 6-4, 195, Birmingham, Phillips Andover; Penn Josh Drum, TE, 6-5, 225, Hoover, Spain Park; Princeton Joseph Robin DL, 6-3, 240, Vestavia Hills, Vestavia Hills

Arkansas (1)

Princeton Parker Mack, OL, 6-5, 305, Little Rock, Pulaski Academy

Arizona (4)

Cornell Zak Sanderson, DL, 6-5, 220, Gilbert, Mesquite HS; Cornell John Wells, PK/P 6-1, 190, Paradise Valley, Cathedral Catholic (CA); Penn Anthony Greco LB, 6-1, 220, Scottsdale, Notre Dame Prep; Princeton Max Leonesio, RB, 5-11, 195, Paradise Valley, Brophy Prep

California (28)

Brown Matthew Billeci, DB, 5-9, 175, Laguna Niguel, Mater Dei; Brown Alexander Norocea, K, 5-11, 165, Hermosa Beach, Mira Costa HS; Brown Donald Sproal TE, 6-4, 230, Yorba Linda, Valencia HS; Columbia Joey Andrada, WR 6-2, 180, Piedmont, Piedmont ; Columbia Marquel Carter, DB 6-0, 215, Culver City, Culver City; Columbia Jimmy Yukevich, OL 6-6, 255, Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes; Cornell Kevin Laird, WR/S 6-2, 185, Arroyo Grande, Mission College Prep; Cornell Tucker Maggio-Hucek OL, 6-5, 250, Penngrove Cardinal Newman; Cornell Jeff Matthews, QB, 6-4, 225, Camarillo, Camarillo ; Dartmouth Dana Barbaro, WR, 6-2, 185, San Diego, St. Augustine; Dartmouth AJ Dettorre, DB, 5-10, 165, Moorpark, Moorpark HS; Dartmouth Bronson Green, LB, 6-1, 215, Beverly Hills, Loyola ; Dartmouth Daniel Henggeler, RB, 5-11, 205, West Torrance, West Torrance; Dartmouth Clay Robbins, DB, 5-11, 166, Palo Alto, Menlo ; Dartmouth Robbie Rodriguez, DE, 6-3, 215, Torrey Pines; Harvard Andrew Berg, WR, 5-11, 190, Los Gatos, Los Gatos; Harvard Matt Martindale, LB, 5-10, 200, Laguna Hills, Laguna Hills; Harvard David Mathander, K, 6-3, 195, San Juan Capistrano, Phillips Exeter Acad. (NH); Harvard Damani Wilson, RB, 5-9, 175, Carson, Lutheran; Harvard Jaron Wilson, DB, 5-9, 180, Carmichael, Del Campo; Harvard Luke Zelon, LB, 6-3, 225, Santa Monica, Santa Monica; Penn Alex Kahn, DL, 6-3, 250, San Clemente, San Clemente; Princeton Cameron Koziara, DL, 6-3, 240, Newport Beach, Newport Harbor; Yale Keith Coty, TE/H-Back, 6-2, 215 La Mirada, La Mirada; Yale Wes Gavin OL, 6-5, 275 San Diego, Francis Parker; Yale Jackson Liguori WR, 6-1, 186 Pacific Palisades, Harvard-Westlake; Yale Max Napolitano, DB, 5-11, 180 Camarillo, Oaks Christian; CA. Cornell John Alexander, WR, 6-1, 180, Arroyo Grande, Arroyo Grande

Colorado (2)

Dartmouth, Hunter Foraker, LB, 6-1, 230, Denver, Mullen HS; Harvard Austin Scheufele, OL, 6-4, 285, Lafayette, Centaurus

Connecticut (9)

Brown Matthew Gorham, TE, 6-2, 200, Chesire, Cheshire HS; Brown Thomas Usakiewicz, DB, 5-10, 175, Suffield, Suffield Academy; Columbia Joe Ghergurovich, OL 6-3, 260, Glastonbury, Glastonbury ; Cornell Nick Baccile, WR, 5-9, 150 Greenwich, Brunswick School; Cornell Justin Strid, LB, 6-1, 220, Avon, Northwest Catholic; Dartmouth Dean Bakes, H-Back, 6-2, 240, New Canaan, Hotchkiss School,; Dartmouth Martin Pomykala DT, 6-2, 250, New Britain New Britain; Penn Evan Jackson, DB, 6-0, 195, Hamden, Choate Rosemary Hall; Yale Alex Flanders, WR/P, 6-1, 160 Madison, Daniel Hand

Florida(14)

Brown Clayton Paino, OL, 6-3, 270, Tarpon Springs, Tarpon Springs HS; Columbia Tyler Feely, K/P 6-0, 155, Plant City, Tampa Jesuit; Columbia Chris Rapka, QB 6-4, 200, Deerfield Beach, Cardinal Gibbons; Dartmouth Aaron Mondshine, OL, 6-5, 270, Boca Raton, Pine Crest HS; Dominick Dominick Pierre, RB, 6-0, 200, Calvary Christian; Harvard Rey Kirton, DB, 6-2, 200, Weston, St. Thomas Aquinas; Harvard Colton Lynch, DB, 5-10, 170, Cape Coral Evangelical Christian School; Harvard David Leopard, OL, 6-2, 250, Anthony Trinity Catholic; Penn Ryan Becker, QB, 6-0, 205, Davie, St. Thomas Aquinas; Penn Joey Grosso, LB, 6-0, 215, Lighthouse Point, Pope John Paul II; Penn Mason Smith, RB, 6-2, 195, Satellite Beach, Satellite ; Princeton Malik Jackson, QB, 6-4, 215, Jacksonville, Ribault ; Princeton Taylor James, DB, 6-1, 175, Davie, University ; Yale Greg Carlsen, P, 6-0, 195 Orlando, William R. Boone*

Georgia (11)

Brown Davis Feder, LB, 6-1, 237, Woodstock, The Walker School; Columbia Hamilton Garner, TE 6-5, 225, Duluth, Duluth ; Columbia Marcorus Garrett, RB 5-10, 185, Marietta, Alan C. Pope; Columbia Dylan Leonard, OL 6-3, 285, McDonough, Ola High School; Columbia Chris Mooney, TE 6-3, 220, Marietta, Walton; Cornell Brian Gee, S, 6-0, 175, Atlanta, St. Pius X; Cornell Josh Grider, OL, 6-4, 240, Athens, Oconee County ; Cornell Justin Harris, DL, 6-6, 220, Dacu St. Pius X; Harvard Parker Sebastian, OL, 6-5, 250, Atlanta, The Lovett School; Harvard Khani Tshishiku, DB, 5-10, 190, Martinez, Lakeside; Penn David Park, LB, 6-2, 215, Buford, North Gwinnett

Hawaii (1)

Yale Kolu Buck, DE, 6-3, 220 Kaneole, Punahou

Illinois (13)

Brown Jordan Reisner, RB, 6-1, 205, Highland Park, Highland Park HS; Columbia Paul Delaney, P 6-2 200, Palatine, Loyola Academy; Columbia Nick Melka, DL 6-2, 240, Glen Ellyn, Benet Academy; Dartmouth Michael Runger, LB, 6-2, 210, Lisle, Benet Academy; Dartmouth Philip Schmidt, DB, 5-11, 180, Benet Academy; Harvard Cameron Brate, DE, 6-6, 230, Naperville, Naperville Central; Harvard Jack Dittmer, DE, 6-3, 245, Oak Park, Fenwick ; Harvard Michael Hirsch, FB, 6-1, 230, Glenview, Glenbrook South; Harvard Connor Loftus, LB, 6-2, 220, Glen Ellyn, Glenbard West; Penn Harrison Furse, LB, 6-1, 225, Wilmette, New Trier; Penn Ryan Mitchell, WR, 6-0, 180, La Grange Park, Lyons Township; Penn Conner Scott, WR, 6-4, 190, Kenilworth, Deerfield Academy; Princeton Matthew Strauser, LB, 6-1, 235, Champaign, St. Thomas More

Indiana (2)

Columbia, Brian East, LB 6-3, 195, Carmel, Carmel; Princeton Connor Kelly, QB, 6-1, 195, Batesville, Batesville

Louisiana (3)

Columbia Hunter Coleman DL 6-3, 200, Shreveport, Loyola College Prep; Columbia Maurice Rothschild, WR 5-10, 160, New Orleans, Warren East; Dartmouth Sanders Davis, OL, 6-4, 275, Baton Rouge, Catholic HS

Massachusetts (17)

Brown John Bumpus, DL, 6-3, 220, Concord, Concord-Carlisle HS; Brown Zachary Lattrell, LB, 6-1, 205, West Newbury, Central Catholic HS; Brown Ryan McCourt, OL, 6-4, 275, Scituate, Boston College HS; Brown Alexander Phelan, QB, 6-1, 185, Walpole, Xaverian Brothers HS; Brown Michael Yules, DE, 6-4, 240, South Dartmouth, The Moses Brown School; Columbia Luke Eddy, K/P 6-2, 200, Shirley, Worcester Academy; Cornell Andre Joseph, CB 5-11, 180, Somerville, BB&N; Cornell Bobby Murphy, RB, 6-0, 185, Duxbury, Duxbury; Cornell AJ Okereke, CB, 5-11, 170, Randolph, Boston College HS; Dartmouth Cameron Colwell, OL, 6-4, 275, Medfield, Xaverian HS; Dartmouth William Connolly, LB/LS 6-1, 230, Wellesley St. Sebastian’s School; Dartmouth Ed Kingsley, TE, 6-5, 210, St. Sebastian’s; Dartmouth Max Kingsley, DE, 6-5, 225, St. Sebastian’s; Dartmouth Ryan Paganetti, RB, 5-10, 206, Bedford, Belmont Hill School; Harvard Blake Barker, TE, 6-5, 230, Wellesley, Buckingham Browne & Nichols; Harvard Chris Splinter, WR/DB, 5-11, 175, Middleton, Masconomet ; Penn Josh Scott, RB, 6-1, 210, Newton, Milton Academy

Maryland (6)

Brown Adewole Oyalowo, LB, 5-8, 190, Bowie, Woodberry Forest School; Cornell Nate Baruch, OL, 6-4, 230, Rockville, Thomas Wooton; Cornell Jesse Heon, ATH, 6-2, 185, Urbana, Urbana ; Cornell Thomas Kokolas, OL/DL 6-4, 230, Sandy Spring Our Lady of Good Counsel; Harvard Bisi Ezekoye, RB, 6-0, 185, Silver Spring, John F. Kennedy; Princeton Max Coale, OL, 6-4, 255, Highland, River Hill

Michigan (6)

Penn Aaron Bailey, WR, 5-9, 185, Brownstown, Woodhaven ; Penn Howard Crippen, DB, 5-10, 180, Clawson, Clawson ; Penn Matt Rea, DL, 6-2, 245, Rochester, Rochester Adams; Penn Eric Smith, DL, 6-3, 250, Warren, De La Salle; Princeton Jason Ray, LB, 6-2, 215, Clarkston, Detroit C.D.S.; Princeton Lawrence Zietz, RB, 6-2, 220, Clio, Powers Catholic

Minnesota (3)

Columbia Eddie Hitchcock, LB 6-0, 205, St. Paul, Cretin-Derham Hall; Columbia Brad Losee, DL 6-2, 220, Eagan, Eastview ; Princeton Dan Freund, DB, 6-0, 185, St. Paul, St. Thomas Academy

Missouri (2)

Columbia Griffin Lowry, RB 5-11, 220, St. Louis, St. Louis University; Princeton Mark Holekamp, WR, 5-10, 165, St. Louis, Mary Institute C.D.S.

North Carolina (4)

Cornell Davis Austin WR, 6-5, 200, Charlotte, Charlotte Latin ; Harvard Nick Easton, OL, 6-3, 280, Lenoir, Hibriten ; Princeton Alex Polofsky, LB, 6-0, 215, Matthews, Butler; Princeton Andrew Shafer, TE, 6-5, 255, Raleigh, Cardinal Gibbons

Nebraska (1)

Brown Nicholas Mizaur, RB, 5-11, 195, Omaha, Creighton Prep

New Hampshire(1)

Dartmouth Brett Kana, OL, 6-4, 276, Bedford, Bishop Guertin

New Jersey (11)

Columbia Mike DiTommaso, DB 6-0, 190, Short Hills, Seton Hall Prep; Dartmouth Mike Banaciski, S, 5-11, 185, Hillsborough, Hillsborough ; Dartmouth Peter Calvanelli, WR, 6-2, 175, Morristown, Delbarton School; Dartmouth Ethan Posey, DT, 6-2, 255, Lawrence, Lawrence HS, HS; Harvard Scott Miller, WR, 6-1, 175, Egg Harbor Twp, Sierra Vista; Penn Chris Bush, OL, 6-3, 245, Westwood, Bergen Catholic; Penn Sebastian Jaskowski, DB, 6-0, 195, Moorestown, Moorestown ; Princeton Phillip Bhaya, DB, 5-11, 190, Haddonfield, Haddonfield ; Princeton Chris Pondo, TE, 6-3, 230, Monroeville, Delsea ; Princeton Michael Willis, OL, 6-4, 300, Rutherford, Rutherford ; Yale Chris Brady, DB, 6-0, 202 Wayne, Don Bosco Prep

Nevada (1)

Princeton Elijah Mitchell, DB, 6-2, 190, Las Vegas, Desert Oasis

New York (10)

Brown Dillon Ingham, FB, 6-2, 230, Fulton, G Ray Bodley HS; Columbia Louis DiNovo, WR 5-10, 180, Loudonville, La Salle Institute; Columbia Bruce Grant, WR 5-11, 175, White Plains, Fordham Prep; Cornell Dustin Dillard, RB, 5-8, 190, Rochester, Churchville-Chili HS; Cornell Taylor Engstrom, RB/LB, 6-2, 215, Ithaca, Ithaca HS; Cornell Matthew Simmonds, OL, 6-3, 260, Fairport, Fairport HS; Dartmouth Cole Marcoux, QB, 6-5, 234, Bronxville, Fieldston School; Penn Christian Bersani, OL, 6-4, 260, Syracuse, Christian Brothers Academy; Princeton Joe Goss, OL, 6-2, 260, Massapequa, Chaminade ; Yale Obinna Nwakeze, DL, 6-1, 220 New Rochelle, Rye Country Day

Ohio (10)

Brown Emory Polley, DB, 5-9, 165, University Heights, Cleveland Heights HS; Brown Matthew Shannon, DB, 6-0, 175, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield HS; Brown Cody Taulbee, FB, 6-0, 235, Kettering, Archbishop Alter HS; Columbia Mark McClain LB 6-1, 195, Columbus, Upper Arlington; Columbia Jeremy Mingo, DB 5-11, 180, Akron, Akron Firestone Senior; Cornell Brett Buehler, LB, 6-1, 220, Dublin Coffman HS; Cornell EJ Williams, WR, 5-10, 165, Dublin Coffman HS; Harvard Danny Frate, LB, 6-2, 220, Bentleyville, University ; Penn Jake Schwertner, OL, 6-5, 275, Hinckley, St. Edward; Princeton Connor Clegg, DL, 6-6, 235, Chagrin Falls, Chagrin Falls

Oklahoma (7)

Dartmouth Cohle Fowler, OL, 6-6, 315, Claremore, Verdigris School; Dartmouth, WR, Joseph Dowdell, 6-3, 190, Tulsa, Bishop Kelley HS; Dartmouth Austin Katigan, WR/P, 5-9, 172, Cadady School, Oklahoma City; Harvard Tyler Ott, TE, 6-3, 245, Tulsa, Jenks ; Princeton Michael Major OL, 6-5, 325, Tulsa, Bishop Kelley; Princeton Brian Mills, RB, 5-10, 185, Edmond, Edmond Santa Fe; Princeton Roman Wilson, WR, 5-11, 185, Broken Arrow, Lincoln Christian

Oregon (3)

Harvard John Campbell, WR, 6-1, 170, Eugene, Sheldon ; Yale Henry Furman, QB, 6-3, 190 Portland, Lincoln ; Yale Michael Leunen, TE, 6-7, 220 Portland, Westview

Pennsylvania (12)

Brown Bradley Herzlich, LB, 6-3, 195, Wayne, Conestoga HS; Columbia Joe Raimondi, DL 6-4, 270, Gibsonia, Hampton ; Cornell Tyler Bostain TE, 6-5, 220, Washington Crossing Council Rock ; Cornell Brad Wagner, OL/DL, 6-3, 265, Mill Rift, Delaware Valley HS; Cornell Andrew Weber, DL, 6-7, 230, Garnet Valley, Garnet Valley HS; Harvard Jake Boy, DE, 6-3, 218, Royers, Moniteau ; Harvard Cory Briggs, QB, 6-3, 205, Selinsgrove, Selinsgrove Area; Penn Tyler Hamilton, QB, 6-1, 190, Wycombe, Council Rock North; Penn Sean McGinn, OL, 6-4, 270, West Chester, St. Joseph's Prep; Penn Steve Szostak, OL, 6-2, 265, Fort Washington, La Salle College; Penn Dan Wilk, DB, 6-0, 175, Bethlehem, Nazareth ; Princeton Robert Basile, LB, 6-1, 210, Quakertown, Quakertown

Rhode Island (4)

Brown Samuel Artenstein OL, 6-3, 285, Pawtucket, The Moses Brown School; Brown Brett Polacek, DL, 6-6, 250, Providence, Moses Brown School, Hotchkiss School; Cornell Kevin Marchand, DL, 6-8 235, Wakefield, Choate/Bishop Hendricken; Penn Tosan Eyetsemitan, DE, 6-1, 205, Lincoln, Moses Brown School

South Carolina (1)

Cornell Tre’ Min DL, 6-2, 245, Columbia, Blythwood

Tennessee (4)

Brown Daniel Austin OL, 6-3, 270, Franklin Phillips Academy; Brown Jordan Evans, WR, 6-0, 170, Brentwood, Brentwood HS; Columbia Sam Williams, RB 5-9, 165, Swanee, Baylor School; Dartmouth Steve Stafford, DB, 6-3, 225, Germantown, Evangelical Christian School, Tenn.

Texas (13)

Columbia Duncan Dickerson, OL 6-2, 250, Houston, Cypress Falls; Dartmouth Luke Dornak, TE, 6-4, 250, Victoria, St. Joseph HS; Harvard Zak Aossey, LB, 6-1, 220, Austin JB Connally; Harvard Michael Pruneau, QB, 6-4, 190, Plano, Plano West; Harvard Austin Taylor DE, 6-1, 220, Sugar Land, Clements ; Harvard Ricky Zorn, QB,DB, 6-0, 180, Dallas, Lake Highlands; Princeton Dillon Farley, WR, 6-4, 195, Keller, Keller ; Princeton John Ed McGee, WR, 5-9, 160, Houston, Kinkaid ; Princeton Taylor Pearson, OL, 6-5, 285, Allen, Allen

Utah (4)

Brown Nathan Svensson, OL, 6-4, 250, Provo, Timpview HS; Columbia Zach McKown, TE 6-1, 205 Salt Lake City, Fork Union Military Academy; Dartmouth David Daines, RB, 6-1, 202, North Ogden, Weber HS; Yale Kyle Aberton, DB, 5-10, 180 Holladay, Cottonwood

Virginia (6)

Columbia Chris Alston, DB 6-1, 190, Vienna, The Hun School; Columbia Luke Dorris, OL 6-3, 275, Alexandria, T.C. Williams; Cornell Walter Simmons, ATH, 5-9, 185, McLean, Maret School ; Harvard Tyler Caveness, RB/DB, 5-9, 185, Roanoke, North Cross; Penn Kris Martin DB, 5-10, 185, Fairfax, Chantilly ; Princeton Tommy Sedeski, WR, 5-9, 180, Sterling, Park View

Washington (2)

Cornell Grant Gellatly, RB, 5-10, 180, Issaquah, Issaquah HS; Dartmouth Andrew Gay, QB 6-4, 200, Mill Creek, Jackson HS

Wisconsin (1)

Brown Andrew Marks, TE, 6-3, 235, Berlin Berlin HS

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The local paper's coverage of Dartmouth graduation can be found here. ... A look at Saturday's story about Jim Kim's first year as Dartmouth president from the same publication.

Graduation Day

It is Dartmouth graduation day and it appears the weather will cooperate. It's gray out right now but the hourly forecast and radar both suggest it won't rain on the proceedings.

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Sad news out of Virginia that Harry Wilson '77 died this week. That from a story about his son Russell, the starting quarterback and a star baseball player at North Carolina State. From the Times Dispatch:

One day after experiencing a great moment in his life, being drafted in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies, Russell Wilson experienced a low moment in his life.
His father, Harrison Benjamin Wilson III, a 55-year-old Richmond attorney, died Wednesday after a lengthy illness. Russell Wilson, a graduate of The Collegiate School, also is the starting quarterback for N.C. State.

Harrison Wilson III was an outstanding wide receiver at Dartmouth College and had a tryout with the San Diego Chargers.

For a 2008 ESPN.com story about Russell and the Wilson family, click here.

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The Daily Dartmouth graduation issue has a Big Green sports year in review. Of football it had this to say:

The Dartmouth football team (2-8, 2-5 Ivy) managed to improve on last year’s season and broke a 17-game losing streak with a 28-6 victory over Columbia in the Homecoming game and a 20-17 double overtime thriller over Cornell two weeks later. Nick Schwieger ’12 broke the then-school record by running for 242 yards in the win against the Lions, but his record was soon eclipsed by Greg Patton ’13, who rushed for 243 yards against the Big Red.

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Ivy Leaguers performed well at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. In addition to Brown's Craig Kinsley winning the javelin, Princeton's Ashley Higginson finished third in the steeplechase and the Tigers Donn Cabral finished second in the men's steeplechase and sixth in the 5,000. Yale's Kate Grace was seventh in the 800 and Columbia's Kyle Merber 10th in the 1,500. Find the complete results here.

Sweeping the men's 800 and 1,500 was Oregon senior Andrew Wheating, who grew up across the river from Dartmouth in Norwich, Vt. His head coach at Oregon and the architect of the rebirth of Track Town USA is Vin Lananna, former Dartmouth track and cross country coach.

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Back on the subject of football, I watched what I could of yesterday's World Cup futbol game between the United States and England. You would think ABC could figure out a way to filter out the annoying buzz of what I've learned are vuvuzela horns. I can't imagine sitting in the stands with those things being blown all game long.

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Yesterday was senior prom night for Hanover High and baccalaureate is being held at Rollins Chapel on the Dartmouth campus this afternoon. Graduation is Friday. Until a couple of years ago it was held at the Bema, a nice reflection of the town-gown relationship. But with a new football field at the high school and a large class, the ceremony was moved to the school several years ago and will be held there again this year.

Saturday 'Stuff'

Editor's Note: Welcome to the redesigned Big Green Alert Blog. Having worked at newspapers I know change like this can be a little jarring and it usually takes some getting used to. Hopefully this design is a little easier on the eyes. I may tweak the look a bit more in coming days if some of the rough edges need to be smoothed over.

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Cornell has released its list of recruits in the Class of 2014 here. The bios are accompanied by video clips of each kid.

With all the recruiting classes now accounted for, keep an eye out in this electronic neighborhood early next week for a state-by-state listing of all of the Ivy League football recruits.

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In the latest of his Top 10 columns, Craig Haley of The Sports Network looks at FCS Specialists. Because the "lede" was about a return specialist, I half-expected Dartmouth's Shawn Abuhoff to get a mention until realizing that Craig included not just the returners, but also kickers and punters. The only player from the northeast who made the list was Matt Szczur, the Villanova standout who might not even play next fall after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs.

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Interesting Internet goings-on regarding Villanova football and the perceived need for the Wildcat football team to return to FBS (I-A) football if for no other reason than to save its basketball program from potentially being forced out of the Big East and being labeled a "mid-major." (That seems like a stretch, but what do I know?) The response to the threat is an alumni-driven Internet fund-raising campaign that brought in pledges of $119,000-plus in the first day. No one is collecting any money yet and the pledges are contingent on a move by the FCS national champions to the FBS. While it would be a huge surprise if Nova opts to move up, this kind of grassroots fundraising is worth watching and the comments on the message board are interesting. (Caveat: I'm not sure I'd want to be the one trying to collect all the pledges, including some from anonymous posters.)

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Did you see that Brown's Craig Kinsley won the NCAA javelin title? How cool is that? Find a story here.

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It's Saturday and you have the time. Go ahead and put a smile on your face and check out this video of moose playing in a backyard sprinkler. Very sweet and no, it wasn't shot here on Moose Mountain. Wish it was. It's actually from Alaska.

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And finally, we learned last night that our Little League team, the Green Machine, has won the Connecticut Valley Little League sportsmanship award for the second year in a row. It's a huge goal of ours every year and to win it this spring when our team has made it through the regular season undefeated and largely unchallenged is particularly special. Congratulations to a very talented, but also a very nice and respectful group of young players! Now on to the start of the playoffs Monday night.

A Good Cause

Scrolling through the list of coaches who volunteered at Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp it was nice to find the name of Don Dobes, Dartmouth's first-year defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.

Dobes shared the following press release about the camp:

FOOTBALL CAMP RAISES FUNDS FOR PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCH AND SUPPORT
Camp Donations Help Easton-Based Charity Surpass $1 Million Mark

EASTON, PA (June 8, 2010) - Nearly 1,700 high school football players attended the seventh annual Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp at Lafayette College on Sunday, June 6, and donated more than $67,000 to Lauren's First and Goal Foundation for pediatric brain tumor research, cancer services and family support.

For the year, the foundation has received more than $213,000 in donations, including a $100,000 commitment from the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration. With the proceeds from the camp, the foundation has raised more than $1 million since its creation in 2004.

"The success of this camp would not be possible without the hundreds of volunteers and coaches and the unwavering support of Lafayette College," said John Loose, who created Lauren's First and Goal in honor of his 13-year-old daughter Lauren, a pediatric brain tumor survivor. "It is their dedication to this event that allows us to continue funding the search for a cure and to help families who battle this disease every day."

The Lauren's First and Goal Football Camp welcomed high school student-athletes from 15 different states and Canada, who received offensive and defensive instruction from more than 250 volunteer coaches representing colleges and universities across the nation. In addition, U.S. Naval Academy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo was the featured guest speaker and addressed the campers over lunch. Niumatalolo talked about the four quarters of life and the importance of showing gratitude, making good decisions and being selfless.

Along with the Pennsylvania camp, the foundation will be hosting another one-day event at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio on Sunday, June 27. The camps raise money through a $30 registration fee for each student-athlete as well as non-camper donations. Of every dollar received, the foundation donates 90 cents toward research, services, family support and awareness of pediatric brain tumors and cancer.

To the credit of the schools and the coaches who volunteered, every 2010 Dartmouth opponent – plus once-and-future opponents Colgate and New Hampshire – had someone helping out. Nice to see.

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Former Dartmouth defensive back Muhammed Abdul-Shakoor is one of two varsity athletes among the 10 marshals leading the Class of 2010 into commencement Sunday. Find a link here.

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A 6-foot-7, 305-pound "rising senior" from Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, Calif., has been "offered" by Dartmouth thanks to his talents on the field and in the classroom. Of course, he also has an offer from Stanford and interest from the schools you would expect: Duke, Boston College, Cal, Harvard, Notre Dame, Vandy et al. Learn a little more about Brian Moran here.

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Want to sneak onto the sidelines and pose as a Bucknell coach for the Big Green opener next fall? (Just kidding, of course.) But credit to the folks out in Lewisburg, Pa., for finding a way to keep the interest building in football by auctioning off, "the official 2010 Bucknell Football Sideline long-sleeved coaching t-shirt and hat." Check out this page.

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The preseason magazines have started to meld into one so you'll have to excuse me if I already posted The Sporting News FCS Top 25 (current Dartmouth opponents in bold, original opponents for 2010 in italics):

1. Villanova
2. Montana
3. Appalachian State
4. Southern Illinois
5. Richmond
6. Stephen F. Austin
7. South Dakota State
8. James Madison
9. Elon
10. New Hampshire
11. Prairie View A&M
12. Montana State
13. William & Mary
14. Holy Cross
15. South Carolina State
16. Illinois State
17. Samford
18. Delaware
19. Eastern Kentucky
20 Colgate
21. Eastern Washington
22. Wofford
23. Penn
24. Cal Poly
25. Northern Iowa

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And finally, new Dartmouth men's basketball coach Paul Cormier knows he has his work cut out for him rebuilding the Big Green program. A Q&A in the local paper today makes it abundantly clear that players who want to get on the court have their work cut out as well. Some plain talk from a driven coach includes this:

There are some kids on our team I see and I'm wondering why they played so much last year. There are some I'm wondering why they didn’t play more. But there's not one person who we need to start next season or couldn’t afford to be without.

Find the full Q&A here.

Down on the Bayou ...

Dartmouth recruit Sanders Davis, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive lineman from Catholic High School in Baton Route, will be playing Saturday night in the Nike Bayou Bowl in Baytown, Texas. Find a story about Davis in The Advocate. From the story:

“Sanders is a guy who is very self-disciplined,” Catholic coach Dale Weiner said. “You give him a task and he’ll complete it.

“He dedicated himself to becoming a better pass blocker and he got in great shape physically. What he’s accomplished is no accident.”

Davis will be joined in the game by Columbia recruit Duncan Dickerson. Find a story about the Ivy League-bound pair in The Baytown Sun.

The Bayou Bowl features graduating seniors from the Houston area against those from Louisiana.

For a picture of Davis "signing" with Dartmouth click here and the first BGA mention of him signing can be found here.

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The NCAA has released its Academic Progress Report information under the headline, "Latest APR data reveal academic success; Rates rise three points from last year; basketball and football also improve"

The NCAA summarizes the APR this way:

Each Division I team calculates its APR annually based on the eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes. Teams scoring below 925 out of 1,000 can face penalties, such as scholarship losses and restrictions on practice and competition. Rates are based on the past four years of performance.

A PDF with Dartmouth's sport-by-sport performance can be found here.

Here's how the Ivy League football teams did (with 1,000 being a perfect score and 925 required to avoid sanctions):

• 996 Penn
• 991 Dartmouth
• 990 Yale
• 989 Brown
• 984 Columbia
• 984 Princeton
• 983 Cornell
• 981 Harvard

The Patriot League football programs shaped up this way:

• 981 Colgate
• 980 Bucknell
• 978 Holy Cross
• 974 Lafayette
• 968 Georgetown
• 968 Lehigh
• 960 Fordham

New Dartmouth opponent Sacred Heart did not make the 925 cut. From a Stamford Advocate story:

Sacred Heart's football team scored a 918, resulting in the loss of a partial scholarship. University spokesman Bill Peterson said the sanction only would apply if the Fairfield school used all of its available football scholarships, which it does not. He said the program has been working to improve its APR.

The University of New Hampshire came in at 977.

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While Dartmouth southpaw Robert Young was drafted yesterday by the Chicago White Sox in the 31st round (link), Yale lefty Brook Hart was not drafted. That's notable in the football realm because, as the Portal 31 blog points out, it assures he will return to New Haven next fall to battle with Patrick Witt for the starting quarterback job.

(Robert Young, by the way, follows in the footsteps of his brother Russell, who was drafted out of Dartmouth in the 28th round by the Cleveland Indian in 2008.)

While we are on the subject of baseball, Dartmouth freshman catcher Chris O'Dowd has been named a 2010 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America and head coach Bob Whalen has earned the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association's Jack Butterfield Award, "bestowed upon a coach who exhibits the integrity and dedication to the game that Coach Butterfield displayed during his long career at the University of Maine."

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Back to football.

As you may recall, Eastern Washington University is putting in red turf for the fall. The school has a press release about the "Turfbreaking" set for Saturday. While checking that out, I came across a promotional piece EWU did for its red turf fundraising project. It is a short take-off on a movie trailer that can be found here. My initial reaction was that it was over the top. But after a few seconds I realized it was supposed to be over the top and I came to appreciate it. It's only about one minute long so do take a look. It's actually a well-done parody.

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Joe Asch over at DartBlog offers his take on the search for a permanent Dartmouth director of athletics.

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And finally, That Certain Hanover High Senior has been nominated to speak at graduation next Friday night. I don't know if she will be chosen, but simply to be put forward is a nice honor, particularly at a school like Hanover which is sending (if my math is right) 15 kids from a class of about 160 on to Ivy League schools next fall. She was already chosen as one of the marshals.