News Of Note

New from the Dartmouth football office:

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Before we get to any football, here's a welcome headline in The Dartmouth (LINK):

College to move to “less limited access” June 1, “full access” by Aug. 1

From the story:

(T)he College intends to move to phase four, “less limited access,” of its reopening plan on June 1. The change comes amid “anticipated improvement” in pandemic conditions and changes to government guidelines. 

In this phase, masking and COVID-19 testing twice a week will still be required, although students who have submitted their proof of vaccination will have reduced testing requirements. Students will only be required to maintain three feet of distance but must maintain six feet of distance while dining or engaging in physical activity. 

Visitors may now access outdoor spaces on campus without prior approval. To access indoor spaces, however, visitors must be registered by a Dartmouth staff or faculty member and must adhere to the College’s visitor requirements.

Find the official college release HERE. 

Editor's Note: There's no clarification yet about mask wearing on campus.

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GeekWire headline (LINK):

Longtime Amazon exec Jeff Blackburn returns after brief hiatus to lead new entertainment unit

Blackburn '91, of course, was a three-year letterwinner at Dartmouth. From the story:

Blackburn, a 22-year Amazon vet who was one of Bezos’ top lieutenants, will lead a new “Global Media & Entertainment” organization that will include Prime Video and Amazon Studios, Music, Podcasts/Wondery, Audible, Games, and Twitch. He starts June 7.

And . . .

Blackburn, who attended Dartmouth and Stanford, took a year-long sabbatical starting in 2020. His association with Amazon started when he was a junior investment banker at Deutsche Bank, assigned to work on the Amazon IPO. During his more than 21 years of active work at the company, Blackburn led key businesses including Amazon’s third-party sales, Prime Video, Amazon Music and Amazon Advertising, working alongside Bezos on key business initiatives. 

A scan from the 1990 Dartmouth media guide: 

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There's still time to submit a question for me to ask coach Buddy Teevens after Saturday's practice for use in that night's BGA Premium practice recap. 

If you've got something you'd like me to ask him for you, CLICK HERE and it will address an email to me with the subject line QuestionsForCoach. Either that or send me an email with that subject line. I'll select a representative sampling of your questions, ask them (anonymously) and include them in Saturday's BGA Premium story.

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Next in a series of postings on Dartmouth points scored and allowed:

Greatest Negative Dartmouth Scoring Differential

-	Year	Coach	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA
-214	2008	Buddy Teevens	0	10	0	.000	129	343
-192	1987	Buddy Teevens	2	8	0	.200	110	302
-162	1999	John Lyons	2	8	0	.200	138	300
-157	2000	John Lyons	2	8	0	.200	231	388
-134	2005	Buddy Teevens	2	8	0	.200	126	260
-129	1954	Tuss McLaughry	3	6	0	.333	121	250
-122	1884	No Coach	1	2	1	.375	30	152
-121	2009	Buddy Teevens	2	8	0	.200	161	282
-107	2006	Buddy Teevens	2	8	0	.200	147	254
-103	1946	Tuss McLaughry	3	6	0	.333	91	194
-99	2001	John Lyons	1	8	0	.111	202	301
-97	2004	John Lyons	1	9	0	.100	108	205
-85	1944	Earl Brown	2	5	1	.312	57	142
-84	1998	John Lyons	2	8	0	.200	142	226
-84	1986	Joe Yukica	3	6	1	.350	188	272
-82	1952	Tuss McLaughry	2	7	0	.222	116	198
-79	1945	Tuss McLaughry	1	6	1	.187	40	119
-76	2007	Buddy Teevens	3	7	0	.300	271	347
-67	1953	Tuss McLaughry	2	7	0	.222	152	219
-55	1985	Joe Yukica	2	7	1	.250	144	199
-52	1984	Joe Yukica	2	7	0	.222	174	226
-50	2003	John Lyons	5	5	0	.500	211	261
-48	2002	John Lyons	3	7	0	.300	247	295
-44	1892	No Coach	5	3	0	.625	102	146
-34	1950	Tuss McLaughry	3	5	1	.389	123	157
-31	1951	Tuss McLaughry	4	5	0	.444	121	152
-30	1900	F.E. Jennings	2	4	2	.375	38	68

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Penn is the latest school to release its incoming recruiting class. (LINK)

Editor's Note: As has been the case each year, I hope to speak with Coach Teevens at the end of spring practice for a look at the incoming class.

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Football Scoop has a story about the revolutionary high school coach hired by incoming Pioneer Football League member Presbyterian under the headline, Kevin Kelley walks you through why he’d go for it from inside his own 10-yard line. (LINK)

From the story:

The new Presbyterian coach isn’t guaranteeing that he’ll go for a 4th-and-5 from his own 6, but he isn’t guaranteeing that he won’t, either.

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From a story in The Athletic about Northwestern's botched athletic director search (italics are mine):

“If there is a playbook on how to mess up a good thing, on how to turn your digs from the penthouse to the outhouse, and on how an institution that fashions itself as an Ivy Leaguer can instead resemble a bottom-feeder, then Northwestern just authored the manual with its botched hiring and subsequent resignation of Mike Polisky.”

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Yet another survey that means little but gives people something to talk about (LINK):

A countdown of the 100 Best private colleges in America:

18. Cornell
13. Dartmouth
12. Columbia
10. Penn
9. Brown
6. Princeton
4. Yale
2. Harvard

And coming in at No. 1: MIT.

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Per another study (LINK), Vermont has been the second-safest state in the union during the pandemic and New Hampshire the fifth safest. Hawaii was the safest. The bottom three: Florida, West Virginia and Michigan.

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EXTRA POINT
Not that I ever do, but I haven't done much shopping over the past year. Yesterday, however, before football practice I stopped by Home Depot to pick up Mrs. BGA's delayed Mother's Day gift – which had to be ordered online. (Don't worry, I didn't give her a chainsaw or a shiny new trash can. It was a chaise lounge for reading in our sunroom or out on the deck ;-)

Anyway, while I was waiting for the clerk to find the box I looked to my left and standing there was a man without a mask, which surprised me because the sign on the entrance to the building was pretty insistent that masks be worn. It wasn't until I was in the stands at Memorial Field that I learned the CDC had relaxed its recommendations on mask wearing.

I would like to take this opportunity apologize to the fellow at Home Depot for what I was thinking about him while waiting in line.

We are going to have a get-together Sunday at their lake house with friends we used to see regularly but haven't visited with since early fall. We are all fully vaccinated and so will not be wearing masks. It will feel wonderfully natural.

But I have to admit, the next time I go into Home Depot if I'm not wearing a mask, it's going to feel remarkably unnatural.

It's been a strange year indeed.