Two more freshmen introduce themselves in quick Instagram/Twitter posts from the Dartmouth football office. Meet Zachary Farris, a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back from Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale HERE and Ejike Adele, a 6-1½, 245-pound defensive tackle from Westminster School in Atlanta HERE.
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The last in a three-part positional look at who is gone and who's returning for the 2021 Dartmouth football team is a glimpse at the specialists. As was the case with offense and defense the past couple of days, this is based largely on published rosters. There are additional holders and return specialists who have practiced those responsibilities but who have not yet appeared in those positions during games so they are not included. (Click the chart to enlarge it.)
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The Minnesota Vikings website has a story announcing the hiring of Chris Blanco '07 as Assistant Director of Pro Scouting. From the posting (LINK):
Blanco is beginning his Vikings tenure while preparing for his 10th NFL season. He spent the previous nine seasons with the Houston Texans, working as a pro scout since May 2017. A native of La Mirada, California, Blanco was a two-year starter at cornerback for Dartmouth College, earning a bachelor's degree. He also earned a juris doctorate degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and served as a recruiting assistant for the Hawkeyes football team.
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Dartmouth has announced it will be putting commercial FM radio station WFRD (99 Rock) up for sale. WDCR, once the college's AM radio station, will continue as an online station. (COLLEGE RELEASE)
For a little more history on Dartmouth broadcasting, check out the Wikipedia entries for WFRD and WDCR.
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EXTRA POINT
I hope to break away from the computer this afternoon to head about 10 miles south to Lake Morey Country Club to look in on the final round of The Jeff Julian Memorial Vermont Open Golf Championship. For many years I covered the annual 54-hole stop on the New England state open circuit, writing about newly minted pros dreaming of the PGA Tour, including some who would actually make it, like Sean O'Hair and Brett Quigley. I wrote about former PGA players like Jumbo Elliott and Billy Ziobro having a final fling in the nether reaches of the pro game, and remember thinking Dana Quigley could make his mark on the Champions Tour when he hit 50, which he most certainly did.
As a freelancer I interviewed Dylan Dethier, who had written the book A Young Golfer's Epic Journey to Find the Essence of the Game (read my story HERE) even before joining the Williams College golf team. And one of my favorite interviews at the event was with tennis great Ivan Lendl, a Connecticut resident who played a few tournaments on the New England Tour for fun. I wasn't much of a fan when Lendl was playing tennis but found him to be a delightful and gracious interview.
Each year I'd catch up with Rich Parker, now the Dartmouth men's golf coach and for many years one of the top finishers at the Vermont Open. He'd always fill my notebook with great quotes. I clearly remember Jeff Julian – grandson of legendary Dartmouth basketball coach Doggie Julian – playing in the Lake Morey Tournament on a brief hiatus from the PGA Tour. I'd been friends with Jeff for years and the very slight slur I noticed in his speech when we spoke was concerning. It would be one of the first signs of ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, which would take his life and lead to his name being added to the tournament title.
I haven't covered pro golf in a few years and I miss it. The three days of the Vermont Open were three of the longest and most grueling days of the year when I was at the paper and still the tournament was something I looked forward to each June. Nothing against college football, but as I've said before, having covered the Vermont, New Hampshire and New England Opens many times as well as two Masters tournaments, two U.S. Opens and countless other pro and amateur events, I think in my next life I'm going to be a golf writer.
