John Paul Flores ’22, who played at Virginia, Louisville and Liberty after graduating from Dartmouth, is continuing his football career overseas. The well-traveled offensive lineman has signed with Finland’s Porvoo Butchers.
Here’s a Google Translate version of some of the comments out of Porvoo after the 6-foot-5, 305-pound Flores signed:
The Porvoo Butchers' newest addition to the offensive line, John Paul Flores, brings with him a convincing resume and a strong playing background in the United States. He began his college career at the prestigious Dartmouth, where he played a pivotal role in helping the team lead the Ivy League in the running game and win back-to-back conference championships.
And . . .
Last weekend, Flores was involved in the NFL Draft process and held one-on-one talks with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. He has also participated in the Dallas Cowboys' training camp. Although Flores was not selected by any NFL team, his experience has trained him to be a true top-level lineman.
And . . .
Offensive line coach Pasi Lautala describes the newcomer as follows: "John Paul Flores is everything a coach could want from a player. A strong, fast, technical and, above all, hard-hitting giant. In addition, the man has been praised as an excellent team player. The man's value is also increased by the fact that, despite his young age, he has accumulated coaching experience – and through this, you can bring the latest knowledge to both coaching and players."
A Porvoo posting refers to the Butchers as:
"6-time Finnish Champions 2005-2010, 2009 ranked 4th in Europe, EFL Contender 2007, 2009 and 2010."
For a glimpse of football and the Porvoo Butchers, check out a few video highlights HERE.
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Another Dartmouth product hoping to continue playing is former wide receiver Isaac Boston ‘24, who played last fall at Central Connecticut as a grad transfer, and keeps showing up on social media:
Undrafted/Unsigned Free Agent WR
— IB³ (@_iboston) April 30, 2025
Day 1 Starter
2x Ivy League Champion
1x NEC Champion
Can play all 3 positions
3rd down specialist. Gotta have it? throw it my way. Film doesnt lie.
You want someone who knows how to win? Look no further. pic.twitter.com/ULCsERFdod
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A Colorado Buffaloes On SI story offers a little more background on Shane Cokes ’23’s mini-camp invitations from the Broncos and Seahawks. From the story (LINK):
Cokes has accepted rookie mini-camp invites from the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The latter invite comes as no surprise as Broncos coach Sean Payton, general manager George Paton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph watched Cokes perform at CU's pro day earlier this month. There, Cokes produced 29 bench reps and a 30-inch vertical.
The Seahawks will hold their rookie mini-camp this upcoming weekend while the Broncos will roll during the second weekend of May, according to ProStar Sports agent Paul Sheehy. If Cokes performs well, he could earn himself an undrafted free-agent contract offer.
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Former Dartmouth linebacker Jeff Blackburn ’91, is the new Chairman-CEO of Tennis Channel. From the story (LINK):
Sinclair Inc. has appointed veteran media and technology executive Jeff Blackburn chairman and chief executive officer of Tennis Channel. In this role, he will lead the network's strategic growth as well as its expansion across digital, streaming and global platforms.
Blackburn joins Sinclair following a 24-year career at Amazon, where he was the prime architect of the company's expansion into streaming and sports, and instrumental in building some of the company's most successful businesses, including Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Amazon Music, and Amazon's advertising and marketplace divisions. Most recently, he was senior vice president of global media and entertainment at Amazon, overseeing the company's entire media portfolio.
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FootballScoop has a story headlined Concerned college football player pens open letter to college football: This is how the game is being destroyed.
The letter, shared with FootballScoop by the player’s coach, begins this way:
This is how young people will fail to learn the gifts that the game was meant to teach them.
Football, you had the ability to take a hundred young individuals, from completely different backgrounds, and unite them to work together as one team.
Deeper in the letter:
The portal and N.I.L. has changed all that. It has taken the focus off of you and the team, and put the focus on individuals and their own personal gain. Young players who came to the school for the love of the game, the school's program, and to pursue an education, are being seduced and distracted by the lure of money and fame.
Read the full letter, which almost sounds as if it were written by a coach rather than a modern player, HERE.
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EXTRA POINT
The snow is barely gone and yet I learned yesterday about a local woman who is battling Lyme Disease after a tick bite earlier this spring. Before hopping back on the tractor yesterday to finish my mowing I reached into my closet and pulled out a special pair of pants which “bind a proprietary permethrin formula tightly to fabric fibers—resulting in effective, odorless insect protection that lasts the expected lifetime of apparel.”
Why is it Griff the Wonder Dog can take a once-a-month pill that protects him from ticks, but I can’t? (I guess I could swallow one of his, but it’s probably not a good idea, huh? ;-)
