Matt Kaskey '19 and the Birmingham Stallions are playing for the USFL championship this week. Flo Orimolade '17 is proving he's worth every penny the Toronto Argonauts are paying him and Niko Lalos '20 is bidding for a regular season berth on the New Orleans Saints roster.
But those three aren't the only Dartmouth products collecting a check for their work on the playing field. Another former Dartmouth standout in the pro game will be in Toledo, Ohio Saturday playing for a championship at the city's Glass Bowl:
Get ready for a showdown between two elite QBs
— XLII Italian Bowl (@italianbowlusa) June 26, 2023
Jared Gerbino leads the top ranked @guelfifirenze offense with 821 yards, 9 TDs and 641 yards rushing.
Tommaso Monardi has guided @ParmaPanthers's offense with 726 yards, 15 TDs, and only 1 INT.
🔜 https://t.co/HAcE38puHW pic.twitter.com/BYkCZ1zrBH
Jared Gerbino '20, bidding to lead Geuelfi Firenze to its second Italian Bowl championship in as many years, has completed 55-of-90 (61.1 percent) for 821 yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions and run for another 641 yards this season. His team averaged more than 43 points per game and led the league in total offense.
OK, so how did the game for the Italian pro football championship end up in Ohio? Here's a morning television interview that shares the story.
“There’s this overall alignment, from the president to the athletic director to myself, where we all know where this place can get, and we’re going to do whatever it takes to get there and I feel as supported as I ever could,” Kirwan said. “I was blown away by the vision they have for the school and for this program.”
Speaking of the Dartmouth president, that's Sian Beilock, a former athlete herself, who took office just a few weeks ago. From the story:
Beilock called (Kirwan) in the middle of her move from Barnard College, where she had served as president.
Green Alert Take: For those who wonder about how strong a commitment to athletic excellence there has been/will be in the president's office, that should be reassuring. So should this statement from Athletic Director Mike Harrity regarding lacrosse success at Dartmouth under Kirwan:
"Why not Dartmouth? We can strive toward excellence here. I expect us to get better every day, every week, every month. I know we will with him as the leader, and I can’t wait to partner with him to absolutely elevate this program.”
Green Alert Take: As the old saying goes, "Them's fightin' words." Although departed coach Brendan Callahan brought in improved talent past several years and Dartmouth returns a solid nucleus for Kirwan's first team, there's a lot of work to be done. From the story (italics are mine):
Dartmouth owns one NCAA tournament appearance, the result of earning the Ivy’s automatic bid in 2003. That stands as the Big Green’s lone share of an Ivy title since 1965. It has finished above .500 in Ivy play twice in the last 40 years, and its 3-1 mark when the pandemic zapped the 2020 season is Dartmouth’s lone overall winning record since 2006.
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EXTRA POINT
I kind of wish That Certain Nittany Lion '16 had been shooting video on his phone when Mrs. BGA and I got back to our Vermont hillside yesterday at about 5 p.m. and were greeted by Griff the Wonder Dog after three weeks away.
I can't tell you how many times the old boy bounced back and forth excitedly between us, but it was a lot. And while I don't speak "dog," I know exactly what his moans were saying: "Welcome home."
