The weather is pretty rotten this morning but it's supposed to improve as the day goes on, which is a good thing because Dartmouth is slated to begin spring football practice this afternoon. The Ivy League, which allowed just a single day of spring practice during coach Buddy Teevens' playing days and during his first tenure coaching in Hanover, now allows 12 spring sessions. (The NCAA allows 15.)
Here's the schedule (barring change):
Tuesday, April 8 - 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, April 10 - 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 - 9:45 a.m.
Tuesday, April 15 - 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, April 17 - 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 19 - 9:45 a.m.
Thursday, April 24 - 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 - 9:45 a.m.
Thursday, May 1 - 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 - 9:45 a.m.
BGA will be there every day and will have full-length stories posted on BGA Premium after every session.
Another emailer has sent along a few thoughts that might help dating the postcard from a few days ago:
•
The official Dartmouth football website chimes in with a report on the awards presented at Sunday's banquet. LINK
•
I noticed some of the same things mentioned, but they didn't narrow the time window much. BUT, the site prep for Leverone began in summer 1961, and it doesn't appear in this photo. Thus, pre-1961. It appears that the goal posts are at the back of the end zone. I remember televised football games in the early 1950s with the goal posts on the goal line. I also remember that they were at the back of the end zone during my playing days (1955-1961). My best estimate of the photo is thus "early 1950s.Apologies to those bidding in the eBay auction for the postcard because it would that the BGA mention has driven the price up. It was $3.49 before Sunday's original post but stood at $9.74 this morning. The auction closes at 11:30 eastern.
•
What will Penn football look like after the graduation of fifth-year senior quarterback Billy Ragone, who seems to have spent more time in Philadelphia than Ben Franklin? The Daily Pennsylvanian reports on the QB competition in West Philly. LINK
•
Smiling faces after Connecticut's win in the men's NCAA championship basketball game last night included assistant coaches Ricky Moore and Glen Miller. Moore served as a Dartmouth assistant before heading back to his alma mater. Miller is the former Brown and Penn head coach. Moore and Miller are pictured in a photo on the UConn Huskies.com page. LINK
•
Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten Network writes that it is Time For College Sports To Join Real World. LINK. Of note to Certain Readers is this:It seems like we often romanticize about the Ivy League and its purity. No athletic scholarships. No big TV deals. No postseason basketball tourney. No teams sent to the FCS football playoffs. We say: Wow, the Ivy is college sports as they are meant to be played. Well, let’s copy that model across the board.Of course, he also writes:
Without being encumbered to “prop up” all the other sports at a school, football and men’s basketball players should be able to be paid, right?
Think of money saved not needing to pay a woman’s basketball coach $500,000 or not to have to fund scholarships for the baseball team. What a huge savings. Take that cash, and share it with the players in the two sports that make the bacon.
Football and men’s basketball.
If college sports truly were a business, this is how it would be done. If a sane businessman from Wall Street looked at the books of an athletic department, he surely would slash the unprofitable endeavors. How could a business in the real world possible pay the coach of a sport that loses thousands of dollars a $200,000 salary? That business would be out of business in a heartbeat.
