Ivy League Football

Recently, sports analysts had selected their opinions of the top quarterback schools—one was inclusive of reaching the NFL and the other strictly based on college “production.”

Sounds fairly simple. For sure, two of the top scoring schools, University of Southern California and Boise State, would be in there somewhere right? Well, somewhat!

Both selected USC, while neither chose Boise State in their list of great quarterback schools. How in the world can that be? Not even to the bottom of the lists.

Get real! Boise State has had a number of quality quarterbacks over the years, and those guys lit up the scoreboards. And as such, created a Boise Bronco fanbase that spreads across the nation.

In fact, due to an apparent study, Boise State ranked second in points scored over a ten-year period with an average of 40.5 points scored each game from 1999-2008.

This data is found on Broncos web page and concurred via scores tabulated from James Howell’s web site—scores by name, i.e., Boise State, Yale, etc. can be found at http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/byName.htm  

This data goes back to the latter 1800’s, the prominent Ivy League, which was the gateway to college football, as we know it today.

In fact, Boise State ranks second—not to USC, but to Yale, who seems to have a lock on first place as a result of Yale’s dynamic 1891 and '92 seasons, which were back to back shut outs.  All the while, the comprising scores were near 100 points a game.

While a tad shocked that the Broncos trail only the former supreme majesty of college football in points scored over 10 years, it is not shocking that the Broncos would lead all others including USC, Florida, Oklahoma, and yes-even Nebraska.

Truly, Boise State fans are not surprised that Bart Hendricks, Ryan Dinwiddie, Jared Zabransky, Taylor Tharp, and Kellen Moore are the reasons that BSU football has risen to that pinnacle.  These guys have placed huge numbers against many foe. And although shutouts, unlike Yale’s era, were and are out of their control, Bronco quarterbacks have always been gifted passers.

Dinwiddie ranks second in college football career passing efficiency, with 168.79, and is currently starting quarterback in the Canadian Football League.

Boise State quarterbacks continue to come from all over in hopes of starring on the famed “blue turf.” Some wait, hope, and never get their chance, due to the talents of Bronco QB’s.

Ok, if it’s based on making the NFL, than these quarterbacks are (at present) excluded.  But if it’s based on college production, these five quarterbacks lay down college stats all day long.

Well maybe it goes deeper than that, maybe it’s academic school production? If that’s the case Boise State football leads the WAC in APR scores with a 966 (information released May 6, 2009 from USA Today).

The Boise State Broncos have also been conference champs all but two years since they were allowed entry. The Broncos have also gone undefeated in three of the last five seasons and won the Fiesta Bowl 43-42, when the BCS invited them—thanks greatly to Jared Zabransky.

That looks like production, if not, that’s another story.

The Big Red have a rough road ahead for 2009


Now for a quick look at the seventh place team in the 2008 Ivy League, Cornell.

I know the official Ivy standings had Cornell and Columbia tied for sixth, but Columbia beat Cornell head-to-head...enough said.


1) What happened to Cornell last year after that great 3-0 start?

Live by the bomb, die by the bomb. The Big Red used a short and long passing attack to squeak by Bucknell, Yale, and Lehigh in exciting fashion to start the year, but then opposing defenses got the message and started to defend the pass in earnest. The result was a 1-6 record the rest of the way and Cornell QB Nate Ford ended the season with a whopping 19 interceptions.

2) Are any of the big name 2008 stars coming back for '09?

With the exception of rising seniors Chris Costello and Bryan Walters, not really. Cornell has just 21 returning seniors this season compared to 33 in 2008. The Big Red needs a new starting QB, a lot of new starting wide receivers, three new starting offensive linemen, three new starting defensive linemen, three new starting defensive backs, and two new starting linebackers. That, my friends, is decimation. Of all the Ivy teams, Cornell is really feeling graduation losses the most, and this was a seventh place team even with all of that senior experience in 2008.

I know there are a lot of people who think the speedy Stephen Liuzza will be a great starting QB this year. But honestly, if he were "all that" as a passer/runner wouldn't he have been given the starting job by now? Nate Ford had a great arm, but he threw way too many interceptions not to make the Big Red coaches at least want to try someone else under center. My take is that Liuzza makes for a better receiver who can occasionally drop back and pass. I don't think he can be the 60-minute starter at QB for Cornell.



2) Are there any reasons to be optimistic?

I still like the Big Red's home field advantage at Schoelkopf, making their home 2009 games against Columbia and Bucknell a lot more winnable. I also think the change in personnel on the field will force Cornell to run the ball more which could work nicely with the experienced, if unspectacular, Randy Barbour coming back. Barbour's fans have long complained that he hasn't been given enough carries. This may be the year he gets to prove them right.

3) Can Jim Knowles Survive?

I think he may be in the most trouble of any Ivy coach right now. Cornell's new-found good national sports buzz thanks to basketball and lacrosse success is making the weaker programs like the football team stick out like a sore thumb. After initially pumping the football team with some excitement in 2004 and 2005, Coach Knowles seems to have fumbled his best chances to move up in the standings. The biggest problem is winning, or should I say losing, on the road. The Big Red haven't won a road Ivy game since 2005. Even Columbia has beaten an Ivy foe away from home more recently than that.

4) Why are you so harsh on Cornell?

I thought Cornell would come in last place in 2008, and after that nice start they played like a last place team and just barely avoided the cellar. Now the team that looked like the weakest in the league in '08 seems a whole lot weaker coming in to 2009. It's hard to give them the benefit of the doubt.


Tomorrow's quick review/ preview: PRINCETON

Rapp, Williams, and Dete...all gone in 2009.

Dartmouth begins its spring football season today, and that makes this day as good as any to begin my quick look back/quick look ahead assessment of the Ivy football teams.

Note that this is not the kind of in-depth preseason predictions and analyses I usually work up every August. This is more of a "where are they right now?" type of thing.

I'll do these in reverse order based on the 2008 standings. So again, let's start with Dartmouth.


1. Looking back, did Dartmouth deserve to go 0-10?

At this time last year, I was super impressed with then rising-senior RB Milan Williams. I thought he could lift the Big Green into the middle of the pack in the Ivies. But he was banged up, (again), a bit this past year, and the offensive line was just obliterated by injury.

Of course, it's hard to say anyone "deserves" to go winless for an entire season. We Columbia fans know how hard that is, and it doesn't get any easier no matter how often it happens to your team.

But for a proud program like Dartmouth to literally hit rock bottom, it must be especially difficult. The Big Green still have the most Ivy titles under their belt since the league was formed in 1956.

However, this is not about what going 0-10 feels like. It's about whether Dartmouth was really that much worse than all of its opponents in 2008.

The rough answer is: yes.

The numbers don't lie. Dartmouth's points allowed total was almost three times as much as the Big Green scored all season. That's something very reminiscent of the losing streak years at Columbia when the Lions' opponents tripled, or almost tripled the Columbia output in '85, '86, and '87—those were all 0-10 seasons.

Compare that to the last 0-10 team in Ivy history, the 1992 Brown Bears, who were "only" outscored by a little more than double their offensive output that year. In other words, this was just a very overmatched Big Green team week in and week out.

Dartmouth's two best chances for 2008 wins actually came on the road. They had a good chance to beat the Lions in Columbia's eventual 21-13 win, (that 8-point final deficit would be the closest loss of the year for the Big Green), and they tested Penn at Franklin Field in what turned out to be a 23-10 defeat to the Quakers.

Other than that, it wasn't even close. And don't bother looking at the stats pages for relief, you won't find it there.

The worst stat? The Big Green averaged less than 44 yards rushing per game. I don't care if you have Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, John Jefferson and Kellen Winslow in your passing attack, you can't win with running like that.

The defense wasn't much better, allowing a whopping 231 rushing yards and 220 passing yards per game.


2. Is there good reason for some optimism?

Some of the freshmen pressed into emergency duty did pretty well last year and they should provide some needed experience for 2009. Rising sophomores Connor Kempe at QB, Austen Fletcher on the O-line, Nick Schwieger at RB, and corner Shawn Abuhoff will be seasoned nicely for 2009.

The incoming freshmen recruits look to be at least a good-sized bunch. Pushing Dartmouth around on the line of scrimmage won't be so easy this year or at least by 2010.

Also, the two opponents Dartmouth came closest to beating in 2008, Columbia and Penn, will both be visiting Hanover in 2009 where home field advantage could tip the scales in the Big Green's favor.

And finally, it does seem like Head Coach Buddy Teevens is fighting for his job. Another 0-10 or 1-9 record and he's probably gone. Teevens is not the kind of guy who takes things lying down. He's a doer, and his enthusiasm should boil over to the rest of the team somehow.


3. Is there a reason to be pessimistic?

There are quite a few.

Freshmen experience is nice, but it doesn't always translate into solid improvements in the following years. If I had to guess, guys like Fletcher and Abuhoff will get better, but I'm not so sure about Schwieger and Kempe, (but I would put Kempe as a better bet than Schwieger right now).

One good thing about youth is that it brings a lot of healthy enthusiasm to the table. The problem is, with the Big Green's murderous early season schedule, the team seems to run out of emotional gas after going 0-5 or 1-4 year after year in the 1st half. Colgate, UNH, Penn, Holy Cross and Yale are still the first five games of the year on 2009 calendar.

While Penn is an early home game, the Quakers seem to be a much better team than they were in early 2008. As for the Lions, they could have easily lost last year's game at home against Dartmouth, but in retrospect it should have been more of a rout. The Big Green's only TD came after a terrible call that should have resulted in a Dartmouth turnover. The battle on the line of scrimmage was really controlled by Columbia, and a gimme field goal attempt or two by the Lions was botched. That 21-13 final score could have easily been more like 27-6.

But more troubling than the schedule is the dearth of real stars at the key positions right now. Rising junior WR/QB Tim McManus, (he's probably going to stay at WR this year for the most part), is the big exception, but none of the other receivers, running backs, QB's, or defenders grab much recognition. Pete Piederman at safety looks like their best returning defender, while guys like Ian Wilson, Andrew Dete, Joe Battaglia, and even Ryan Muttalib are lost to graduation.

I just don't see how 2009 can be anything but another rebuilding year in Hanover.

We'll check back again in August to see if anything's changed.

Tomorrow's "Quick Review/Preview": CORNELL

                                           It's a rainy day in NYC

The returning Columbia Lions football players resume practice today in a rainy New York City. Perhaps the most important thing about drills today will be getting to this type of weather.

Rain has for some reason become more common on football Saturdays here in the Big Apple over the last two years. The 2007 and 2008 Columbia seasons saw more wet game conditions than sunny.

Some of the roughest games over the last two years:

1. Versus Dartmouth, 2008

Probably the strongest winds I've ever seen at Wien Stadium. I thought the goalposts were coming down two or three times.


2. Versus Towson, 2008

The heaviest consistent rain at a Columbia game that I have ever seen, (with the possible exception of the 1990 home game against Cornell). There were several puddles on the field, and play had to be halted in the first half for 45 minutes because of lightning.


3. Versus Marist, 2007

It kept looking like it might let up...but it really never did. Luckily for the Lions, their offense didn't let up either: Columbia won 31-7.


4. Versus Yale, 2007

Very ugly conditions dominated the first half. It did get a little better in the second 30 minutes, but it still was a rough day for the fans.


5. Versus Brown, 2008

No rain, but these were easily the coldest game conditions the Lions have faced since the 2003 "blizzard" game at Cornell. Thank God for the delicious hot soup they gave out liberally in the Brown Stadium press box.

Which brings us to another discussion...

I'm worried about ruffling a few feathers league-wide with my take on the press boxes and amenities at our opponents' stadiums, but what the hey?

I do realize that the food and other luxuries offered to the journalists in press boxes are just a courtesy, and I don't want to appear like an ingrate. I really do appreciate whatever I get in these press boxes, but I think everyone loves ratings.

Again, what the hey?

First off, let me give a shout out to our own home of Wien Stadium. We have the only press box that serves a halftime and a pre-game meal (that being actually a series of bagels and muffins, but New York bagels, 'nuff said), and the elevator service and completely closed-in area make things very comfortable for everyone involved.

I don't care what people may say, no one in the Ivies who covers Columbia games dreads coming to Wien Stadium and our press box. No one.

Okay, now let's look at the other schools in alphabetical order:





1. Brown Stadium

Truly a "tale of two stadiums." The press box is awful, period, and it seems the people who do most of the complaining are the Brown employees (it was practically non-stop last November)! The decaying wooden structure is a little scary, and let's not even mention the bathroom.

But, the folks at Brown can make a very good case for having the best and most appropriate food in the Ivies. The sandwiches, cookies, and much-needed delicious soup are worth every splinter and other indignity their press box has to offer.






2. Schoelkopf Field (Cornell)

This is a very, very nice facility. It boasts cozy broadcast rooms and a completely closed-in structure to keep that biting Ithaca wind off your face.

The food? Eh. Totally forgettable and not easy to get to, as they keep it in a corner of the floor that leads to bottlenecking. I think I'm bringing my own chow next time.





3. Memorial Field (Dartmouth)

Certainly a friendly atmosphere, but I was a little afraid climbing the steps up there and again, let's not mention the bathroom.

The food was not great and in short supply. I realize that Hanover, NH is supposed to be rustic, but come on. I'm not sure if the press box has been rennovated since 2007, but I don't think so.





4. Harvard Stadium

It's a hike to get up the stairs to the press area, but it's not a scary hike on narrow rickety steps like at Dartmouth, so I actually enjoy the workout (I always take staircases two steps a time, and you should too).

The food is pretty forgettable. No, seriously, I really can't remember what I ate at Harvard this past season. That's bad.





5. Franklin Field (Penn)

As the kids say these days: "OMG." This has to be the worst place for anyone covering a game, through and through.

I can honestly say the makeshift-looking scaffold where they seat the media is frightening. It had the quaint quality of allowing all the cold air to circulate around its residents while blocking out the sun completely. As a result, I froze through a 55-degree day.

And here's the kicker: There was no food. Thank God the Penn game this season is at home. Now, is there a building inspector in Philly I can forward my complaints to?





6. Princeton Stadium

Well, this is nice, very nice. The newest Ivy League football stadium has great broadcast booths, pretty good food, and just great amenities all around.

Forget what you hear about Harvard and Yale, Princeton has the money. I mean the real money.






7. Yale Bowl

It's a chilly, open-air press box impossibly far from the field, but the food is plentiful and pretty good. I've been lucky enough to only be there on nice weather days, but I can imagine things getting really dicey on windy, rainy Saturdays.

Well, I've avoided the QB "position preview" for spring practice as long as I could—and with good reason.

Nothing fires up the fans' passions more than the quarterback position—two fans, three opinions.

After two years of Craig Hormann's rock-solid ownership of the job, every week in 2008 became a question mark when it came to who was going to start at center.

I thought Shane Kelly started the season extremely well. Despite going 0-3 through the first three games, Kelly was putting up good passing numbers and running better than any starting QB since Steve Hunsberger '04.

Then after some tough outings against Lafayette and then at Penn, he seemed to be on thin ice. A lost fumble against Dartmouth late in the third quarter led to the coaches putting in Millie Olawale and he energized the team to victory.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing from there. Olawale wasn't perfect in the next week's loss to Yale, and Kelly ended up leading the team through a significant portion of that game.

The week after that, both QB's had their troubles versus the fierce Harvard pass rush.

Olawale seemed to be back on top securely after leading the Lions to a win against Cornell in week nine, but an injury at the end of the first half against Brown kept him from finishing out the year on a strong note.

But seniors Kelly and Olawale are not alone. The sole returning junior QB, Paul Havas, who missed 2008 with an injury, is back. He's joined by rising sophomores Jerry Bell, who got a decent chunk of playing time in the Brown game, and Kevin Lenehan.

In one of his published spring practice notes, Head Coach Norries Wilson talked about how only two QB's were available, but I'm not sure if he meant available for that particular practice or for ALL of spring practice.

Either way, there should be a lot to watch for from the QB position at the April 18 spring game. Check it out and let your opinions fly!

Fordham head coach Tom Masella has told a group of Ram supporters that Fordham intends to offer full athletic scholarships in football as early as the next recruiting year.

In addition to putting Fordham in a presumably much stronger recruiting position, such a move could force its departure from the Patriot League.

It could also spell the end of the annual Liberty Cup game between Columbia and Fordham that began in 2002 (the Fordham-Columbia rivalry was renewed as an annual game in 2000).

Some Columbia fans would argue that losing Fordham on the schedule wouldn't be much of a loss.

If the Rams indeed improve on the field to a large degree because of the scholarships, the competitive aspect of the game might go the way the Dartmouth-New Hampshire has gone in recent years as UNH has become a dominant FCS team.

All the Big Green faithful's hopes that playing such a strong team year after year would make their team stronger haven't really come true.

Others would say they don't enjoy trekking up to Fordham's Jack Coffey Field every other year since the stadium doesn't have "away" stands and the uncomfortable aluminum bleachers are...uncomfortable.

These arguments are compelling.

But unless Fordham becomes as strong or stronger as UNH, I would hate to see this series come to an end. I have three reasons.

1) The Liberty Cup is a classy event that acknowledges the victims of the 9/11 attacks in a way that's becoming too rare in sporting events. Never Forget.

2) Fordham is a good enough academic school that a decent number of its football recruits are eligible for Ivy play. Who knows what will happen when some of the more studious Ram prospects see that there's an Ivy option just a few miles away? I like the idea of keeping them in the loop.

3) Fordham's stadium may not be the comfiest, but it's the easiest road game ever! The players get to sleep in their own beds, and the bus ride to Jack Coffey is just about the same length as the trip to Wien Stadium. I know gas prices have fallen off a cliff, but I still like to save money.

**LOU MILLER UPDATE**

The NCAA powers that be decided not to give Lou Miller an at-large bid to the national tournament despite his third place finish at the EIWA tournament last weekend. It's a bit of a robbery, but it does give him a little more time to get ready for spring practice, which begins two weeks from today.

We're all still impressed with Lou's fantastic season on the mat.

Seyi Adebayo (CREDIT: Brophy College Prep)


Brophy College Prep is now announcing that standout defensive end Seyi Adebayo is indeed coming to Columbia.

Brophy Prep is the Alma Mater of rising senior offensive lineman Brandon Veldman.

His full name is actually Oluwaseyi Adebayo and here is some YouTube video of him in action.

Our updated published, BUT NOT OFFICIAL list of incoming freshmen football players is below.



1. Seyi Adebayo, 6'3" - 217, defensive end, Brophy College Prep, Phoenix, AZ

2. Sean Brackett, 6'1" - 195, quarterback, Griswold H.S., Jewett City, CT

3. Matt Bocci, 5'10" - 180, safety, Sacred Heart Prep, Atherton, CA

4. Brian De Veau, 6'1" - 200, quarterback, wide receiver, Kinnelon H.S., Kinnelon, NJ

5. Xander Frantz, 6'4" - 260, offensive guard, Buckingham, Browne & Nichols H. S., Cambridge, MA

6. Nick Gerst, 5'8" - 170, running back, Bergen Catholic H.S., Paramus, NJ

7. Steve Grassa, 5'11" - 188, safety, Buckinghham, Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge, MA

8. Greg Guttas, 5'11" - 190, kicker/punter, Serra H.S., San Mateo, CA

9. Dallas Hartman, 6'5" - 235, tight end, Wilimington Area H.S., New Wilmington, PA

10. Ian Hillman, 6'5" - 230, defensive end, Germantown Academy, Ft. Washington, PA

11. Dan Kerrigan, 6'2" - 210, linebacker, Manasquan High School, Manasquan NJ

12. Alec Kosminskas, 6'3" - 286, offensive lineman, Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL

13. Josh Martin, 6'3" - 230, defensive lineman, Cherokee Trail H.S., Aurora, CO

14. Andrew McHugh, 6'1" - 215, linebacker, St. John's Prep, Danvers, MA

15. Joe Nathan, 6'2" - 215, linebacker, Cypress Bay H.S., Broward, FL

16. Price Pinkerton, 6'1" - 175, wide receiver, Cascia Hall, Tulsa, OK

17. *James Pizzo, 6'2" - 175 wide receiver, Monsignor Farrell, New York, NY*

18. Michael Poage, 6'2" - 290, defensive lineman, Redlands H.S., Redlands, CA

19. Shad Sommers, 6'3 - 275 offensive guard/defensive end, Milton H.S., Milton, MA

20. Chris Thomas, 5'11" - 160 DB/kick returner, Moreau Catholic H.S., CA

21. Anthony Villamanga, 5'11" - 265, defensive lineman, Cypress Woods H.S., Houston, TX

22. Mike Waller, 6'1" - 190, linebacker, Wayne Hills H.S., Wayne, NJ

23. Eric Walker, 6'3" - 285, offensive tackle, Arlington H.S., Arlington, TX

24. Scott Ward, 6'7" - 241, offensive line/defensive line, Newport Harbor H.S., Newport Beach, CA

25. Andrew Weiss, 6'1" - 175, quarterback, Ramapo H.S., Franklin Lakes, NJ

*= Pizzo has publicly said he "hopes" to attend Columbia, which could mean this is not a done deal

The Tale of Harvard and Hatch

The decision-making process about whether or not LSU transfer QB Andrew Hatch will be allowed to play for Harvard this fall should be finished soon. It's a thorny issue for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that the Crimson appear a little thin at the QB position this coming season.

Then again, that's what we said two years ago when Liam O'Hagan was suspended and Harvard had to settle for Chris Pizzotti, who turned out to be a star.

As much as I don't want to see Harvard get stronger than it already is (and I actually think the Crimson got weaker last year, compared to 2007, despite sharing the title), I do hope young Mr. Hatch is judged based on the rules and the rules alone. Just because Harvard is a very rich team right now doesn't mean they should be held to a different set of rules.

It's kind of like making it legal to rob rich people: It might make you feel good, but it ain't right.

Big Money

Columbia is getting a lot of publicity, maybe not all good, from a national story about the highest-paid university employees in the nation. At the top of the list was USC head football coach Pete Carroll, who made $4.42 million in the 2006-07 academic year.

Of course, No. 2 was Dr. David Silvers, a dermatology professor at Columbia, who made $4.33 million.

For those of you who don't know much about medicine in this country, dermatology is a field only the best med students can get into. It's the specialty with the best earnings-to-terrible schedule/hassles ratio.

So this guy must be a total genius. I think I can live with a top skin expert making that kind of money; I guess if he were a plastic surgeon doing boob jobs, I wouldn't be so happy.

I think the bigger question is whether or not these big salaries will be sustainable for anyone at any school in the coming years. That's an open question that transcends medicine, sports, and bureaucracy.




Back to the Program

And now, we return to the 1961 Penn-Columbia program.

Today begins with page nine, on which editor Philip J. Burke sets the scene for the Ivy League race: Three teams went into Week Eight of that nine-game season with a chance at the championship.

Columbia had the lead at 5-1, while Harvard and Princeton were close behind at 4-1 in the league. Burke talks about how fans will be listening closely to P.A. announcer Bud Corn's updates on the Yale-Princeton and Harvard-Brown games, both of which could help the Lions clinch a solo title.

As it turned out, both Princeton and Harvard won that Saturday as well. Princeton ended up losing the following week to Dartmouth, leaving Harvard and Columbia tied for the title, even though the Lions defeated the Crimson at Harvard Stadium.

Anyway, Burke goes on to remind readers that Yale was predicted to win the Ivy title in 1961 and that Cornell was chosen second. Ends up Yale was stuck in the middle of the pack that year, and the Big Red barely eluded the cellar.

Surprise is nothing new in Ivy play. While the last couple of seasons have been free of absolute shockers, you know another "Cinderella" champ like Brown in 2005 or Princeton in 2006 can't be far off.

Eric Walker is No. 62 on the far left

An alert reader has directed me to the great news that a star offensive lineman from Arlington, Texas named Eric Walker has committed to Columbia.

You can read ESPN's glowing review of Eric's abilities here. That web page also includes a nice part of Walker's recruiting video.

Here's a little video of Eric in a library, as he was named a scholar-athlete of the week last year.

Our New Leader

And Now, Some More Big News...

ROBIN HARRIS NAMED IVY LEAGUE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

(from the Ivy League office)

PRINCETON, N.J.—The Council of Ivy Group Presidents announced today that Robin Harris, Senior Counsel and Co-Chair in the Collegiate Sports Practice at Ice Miller, LLP, will be the new Executive Director of the Council of Ivy Group Presidents, effective July 1, 2009, and as such, the chief executive officer of the Ivy League athletics conference.

“Robin Harris is a dedicated and talented athletics administrator and attorney, with a keen understanding of the importance of academics in intercollegiate athletics and a deep appreciation of the role of competitive athletics as a component of a liberal arts and science education,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann, chair of the Ivy Group.

“She brings a wealth of experience as a leader, advisor, administrator and advocate for colleges and universities in a range of important athletic issues, including academic standards, diversity and gender equity. She also brings extensive national experience within the NCAA. As an advisor to university presidents, athletic directors and coaches, Robin is perfectly suited to promoting the Council’s values as well as to maintaining the Ivy League’s strong competitive presence. I am delighted she will be joining the Ivy Group in this important role.”

"I look forward to working closely with the athletic directors and their staffs, and with other administrators, coaches and student-athletes at all eight Ivy institutions to implement the priorities of the Presidents and to lead the governance and administration of Ivy League intercollegiate athletics," Harris stated.

In her role as executive director of the Ivy League office, Harris' responsibilities will include overseeing Ivy League championships, officiating and other athletic administration matters in all 33 Ivy League sports; promoting a positive and competitive experience for approximately 8,000 student-athletes; administering and reviewing Ivy and NCAA rules with regard to recruitment, admissions, financial aid, eligibility, practice, compliance and competition; staffing the Council and coordinating the activities of the Ivy League’s extensive committee governance structure; and representing the Ivy League in NCAA governance and other national organizations, as well as publicly.

Harris joined Ice Miller, LLP in 2002, after serving for nine years in increasingly responsible roles in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ending her tenure at the NCAA as associate chief of staff for Division I. In that role, she provided advice and guidance to the NCAA president, Executive Committee, Division I Board of Directors, Division I Management Council and other committees in nearly all athletic governance areas, including academic standards, amateurism, championship policies, diversity, gender equity and Title IX, legislative proposals, membership requirements, strategic planning, student-athlete welfare and studies regarding basketball and football concerns. From 1993-1998, Harris was the NCAA’s director for the Committee on Infractions (COI).

Harris is a graduate of the Duke University School of Law, where she served as editor of the Duke Law Journal. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Duke.

She is a member of numerous professional associations, including the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) where she serves as legal advisor to the Board of Directors, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) and National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC).

Harris is the author of several articles on issues related to intercollegiate athletics and has made presentations at numerous NCAA, NACUA and Division I conferences and seminars.

Harris replaces Jeffrey H. Orleans, a nationally respected leader in both athletics and higher education law, who announced last year he would retire after serving 25 years as executive director. Throughout his tenure, the Ivy League has consistently provided the country’s widest athletic opportunities for both men and women, finishing among the top conferences in the National Association of College Athletic Directors competitive rankings and producing the country’s best records in the NCAA’s annual Academic Performance Rankings.

"Robin Harris will be a great Executive Director and I look forward to assisting her in this transition,” said Orleans. “We have worked together in many ways and I'm very pleased that she now will be representing the Council and Ivy League athletics."

The Ivy League is the broadest-based conference in the NCAA, sponsoring Division I championship competition in 33 men’s and women’s sports. The Ivy League includes Brown, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Cornell and Yale Universities, the University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College.

Xander Frantz is in the middle, Steve Grassa is to his left

It looks like I'll be stuck in the jury box at least through Tuesday, but let me take some time this weekend for a few updates.

I have not heard any new names of incoming recruits since last week. If I see something published somewhere reputable, I will pass it on.

We do, however, have a little more info on some of the recruits we already knew about. Thanks to some of my readers for the following links:

A short bit on incoming wide receiver Price Pinkerton from the Tulsa World, (it's good to have an Oklahoman coming to CU. I was born in Oklahoma City myself. Okay, we moved when I was two...but I have some Sooner left in me).

What the article about Pinkerton doesn't say is that his high school, Cascia Hall has sent two more players to the Ivies, both to Dartmouth.

They are O-lineman Danny Husband and QB Sam Clancy. It's always interesting when one high school has multiple Ivy recruits from the same year. These former teammates may be squaring off against each other sooner than they think.

Speaking of schools with more than one Ivy recruit, Browne, Buckingham, and Noble is sending four players from the class of '09, two to Columbia in Stephen Grassa and Xander Frantz. (QB Mike DiChiara is attending Cornell and kicker Philippe Panico is going to Yale).

This more in-depth piece about incoming defensive end Ian Hillman, talks about where Hillman wants to go as far as his weight and speed.