Two weeks from the start of spring practice, Dartmouth football players went through "mat" drills yesterday on Memorial Field. No footballs, no formations and no plays are allowed but instead the players take part in various drills designed to get them ready for the start of practice. Click the photos (and click again) to supersize them.
What is the story behind mat drills? From a BGA Daily post several years ago:
They are called mat drills because originally they were conducted on old wrestling mats in the weeks leading up to spring football. Lou Holtz and Bobby Bowden are considered the founding fathers of workouts like these that get players ready for action, and help in team-building.
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Dartmouth's Pro Day is scheduled for tomorrow starting around noon. Set to work out are defensive lineman Nick Tomkins, safety Colin Boit, tailback Ryder Stone, quarterback Jack Heneghan, receiver Emory Thompson, linebacker Justin Edwards, corner Jarius Brown and corner Danny McManus along with three players from the University of New Hampshire.
1997 – Bowling Green (graduate assistant)
1999 – Cornell
2000-02 Wagner
2003 – Texas Southern
2004 – Prairie View
2005 – Dartmouth
2006 – Kansas State
2007 – Kentucky State
2008-10 – Dartmouth
2011-12 – Northern Colorado
2013-15 – San Jose State
2016-17 – Northern Colorado
2018 – Cal Poly
And for those who remember his son Jonesy chasing footballs down on Memorial Field, the young man – whose bio notes that he attended 12 schools before entering college – developed into a three-star defensive back and is now playing at Air Force Academy. (LINK)
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James Jones, the itinerant defensive line coach who did two stints at Dartmouth, is on the move again, heading from Northern Colorado to Cal Poly. Jones' travels:1997 – Bowling Green (graduate assistant)
1999 – Cornell
2000-02 Wagner
2003 – Texas Southern
2004 – Prairie View
2005 – Dartmouth
2006 – Kansas State
2007 – Kentucky State
2008-10 – Dartmouth
2011-12 – Northern Colorado
2013-15 – San Jose State
2016-17 – Northern Colorado
2018 – Cal Poly
And for those who remember his son Jonesy chasing footballs down on Memorial Field, the young man – whose bio notes that he attended 12 schools before entering college – developed into a three-star defensive back and is now playing at Air Force Academy. (LINK)
