Former Dartmouth running back Noah Roper '23, who played last fall at Colorado School of Mines, works with players from Japan's Yokota High School at Yokota Air Base in advance of the "Dream Bowl" in this photo from Stars and Stripes that references Dartmouth University in its caption. Find the story HERE.
There are 5 schools that have at least one player on all 4 remaining NFL rosters. #BlueBloods pic.twitter.com/37fqAWzvFl
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 22, 2024
Apparently there are six, with USC also belonging in the graphic. But check out who is front and center in the top row.
For the record, here are the Ivy League players still bidding for the Super Bowl:
Ravens
LS Tyler Ott, Harvard
Chiefs
WR Justin Watson, Penn
DE Truman Jones, Harvard (Practice squad)
49ers
FB Kyle Juszczyk, Harvard
Lions
TE Anthony Firkser, Harvard
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The guess here is that you can name one of the two former Dartmouth players to be on a Super Bowl team. But can you guess the other?
The easy one is linebacker Reggie Williams '76, who helped the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl XVI in 1982 and Super Bowl XXIII in 1989, both against the San Francisco 49ers.
The second former Dartmouth player helped his team to Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Need a clue? That game pitted the Baltimore Ravens against the New York Giants.
Give up? The player was 6-foot-4, 265-pound tight end Adam Young '99, a member of the Giants' practice squad.
Here's the lede from an amusing Aug. 16, 2000 New York Times story regarding the Dartmouth product:
The three-time Pro Bowl player shouted something at the undrafted, unknown rookie as the practice play ended.
''What is wrong with you, boy,'' Michael Strahan, the Giants' star defensive end, said Monday at training camp. ''Get your hands off me.''
Adam Young, a tight end from Dartmouth who a year ago was playing in something called the Regional Football League in Jackson, Miss., turned his head toward Strahan.
In that moment, if it dawned on Young that Strahan would earn $8 million this season while Young may not make the team and could soon be back at his last job -- which was teaching physical education in an elementary school -- Young didn't show it.
He put up his right hand and shoved hard at Strahan's shoulder.
Strahan yapped at Young again, which should surely have sent Young scurrying back to the offensive huddle. Protocol matters in a National Football League camp and the rules for a rookie are clear: don't confront veterans, let alone prominent veterans. And definitely don't do it twice.
But in this sequence Monday afternoon, Young raised his right hand and again shoved Strahan's shoulder pads.
Then, Young turned and headed to the huddle. Given his status, Strahan did what most of his teammates would have expected. He charged Young, getting the 265-pound tight end in a headlock as he slammed him to the ground.
There was little else to the tussle as Young and Strahan were soon separated. ''Two points, a clean takedown,'' Giants Coach Jim Fassel said later, joking about the confrontation in the classic boys-will-be-boys manner of football coaches.
But today, when Fassel was asked about Young, it was clear that the coach had seen something he liked in a rookie who would stand up to a Pro Bowler.
And this from deeper in the story:
When Young walked into the team dining hall Monday night -- with Strahan also in the room -- they started singing the theme from the movie ''Rocky.''
''They were just teasing me,'' Young said. ''They do the same thing about playing at Dartmouth. Some of the guys from the bigger football schools say: 'Now who did you play?'
''But I wouldn't trade my Dartmouth years for anything. It's natural to wonder what would have happened if I had gone to a bigger football school, but I've got no regrets.''
Green Alert Take: I was the Dartmouth beat writer at the local daily at the time and wrote a story on Young in advance of the Super Bowl. I remember him telling me he was occasionally mistaken by Giants fans for quarterback Kerry Collins.
Green Alert Take II: Young's brother Oge '96, was working on the EA Sports Madden NFL 2001 game at the time and I asked Adam if his brother could "power up" his capabilities. He laughed and said he thought he could. Young signed with the San Diego Chargers after being released by the Giants but did not make the roster.
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EXTRA POINT
When we bought our EV it came with an invitation to sign up for a subscription-based communication service that would locate the car and send help in event of an accident. You know the one. We did not take out a subscription.
Still, I occasionally get email reports detailing how many miles I've driven and if there are any issues with the car. Last week I got a message that the right, rear tire needed air.
That's helpful, of course. But it's still kind of creepy, particularly when I opted not to take out the service. It feels a little as if my car is ratting me out.
