Strong Man Sandberg

Penn's Joe Sandberg makes like a big farmer

Bob Kent '92, who was the subject of a great interview, (if I say so myself), a few weeks back emailed to tell me that Penn running back Joe Sandberg won an event at a "strongman contest" sponsored by Joe DeFranco and DeFranco's training. Bob even sent me the picture above of Sandberg doing the "farmers walk." And he tells me that the New Jersey-based DeFranco has trained a number of college football players, including lots of Ivy guys.

The value of these kinds of contests is debatable, but it's not debatable that Sandberg is going to be a very serious candidate for the Bushnell Cup this season. I find the fact that he's not listed as the best or second best running back in some preseason Ivy football reports to be almost laughable. I still think Yale's Mike McLeod is the best running back and overall offensive weapon in the league, but Sandberg will give him a run for his money this season. Remember, Joe is coming back for a 5th year after two disappointing 3-4 Ivy League seasons at Penn. I'm sure he wants to finish on a high note, both personally and for the team.

Speaking of Penn, don't think that Coach Al Bagnoli is perfect. Here's an article about Seattle star free safety Brian Russell, who left Penn in the late 90's and transferred to San Diego State. Russell went to Bishop Amat High School in California, a big feeder school for Ivy football.

And just in case you haven't seen enough of Penn today, the Quaker football media guide is now available online. Nice pictures.

Tad's Time to Shine?

Tad Crawford '07 should get more playing time again as his 5-0 B.C. Lions take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home. The game starts at 10:30 Eastern Time and can be heard online at Team Radio 1040. Saskatchewan is 3-2, but fell hard at home to B.C. by a 42-12 score when they played back on July 13th.

Tad filled in nicely in the Lions 32-27 win last weekend at Calgary, and injuries to the starters are pressing him into more service.

When Tad was first drafted, I wrote about how I hoped he would get enough media attention to possibly improve interest in the league up north. I certainly can't complain, as almost every major piece on the team in the Canadian papers seems to mention him. Ontario has produced some good players for Columbia and the other Ivies in recent years, (most notably the recently-graduated Clifton Dawson of Harvard who hails from Scarborough, Ontario), but the rich West country of British Columbia seems almost untapped. So Tad if you're reading this, please send any recruiting tips to the CU coaches immediately!