Say Hi to Seyi

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 Original "Lion Rooter"

Columbia fans who frequent the VOY Ivy Sports Board often see some great posts by someone named "Lion Rooter" who always displays great enthusiasm for all our teams. I've met "Lion Rooter" in the flesh a few times and he always dresses and acts the part of a great fan. We're lucky to have him.

But on page 11 of our 1961 Penn-Columbia game program we have a feature story by Columbia Spectator writer Stanley L. Waldbaum, (who I believe is now a lawyer in upstate New York), about the Director of Buildings and Grounds, Mike Maloney. The title of the article is: Mike Maloney - Lion Rooter. And it appears he is the original owner of that moniker.

Maloney was basically in charge of the maintenance staff both on the Morningside Heights campus and at Baker Field, a huge job for just one person even back then. He came to America from his native Quebec during the 1920's, began working for Columbia at the height of the Depression, and assumed the director's job in 1943.

Maloney is quoted extensively in the piece about his love of Columbia athletics, and how he doesn't tolerate anyone on his staff rooting for anyone else! His favorite players from the 1961 team were the brothers Asack, Bob and Lou, (he even talks about an unnamed third brother who Maloney expected to come to Columbia in the future, but if that happened, he never lettered in football).

Another highlight of the piece is Maloney's account of the 1947 Columbia shocker over Army where some of the students tied a rope around some of the stands and pulled them down!

As is the case with Bud Corn, I have been unable to find out what happened to Mike Maloney in the years after 1961. Comments or anecdotes about him are certainly welcome.

Kobler on Corn

Page 10 of our 1961 Columbia-Penn game program is a treasure trove because of the article's subject and its author.

The author is Arthur Kobler '62, who in 1961 was the student sports director of WKCR radio. He would go on to establish a tremendous career in broadcasting, but not in sports broadcasting.

First, he was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he began learning to become fluent in Chinese and Vietnamese.

Then he had a distinguished career as a diplomat in the Foreign Service for nearly 25 years. He held a number of key posts in the State Department and U.S. missions in Asia. He was an advisor in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam war; Economic Officer in Saigon during the final evacuation of the American Embassy; Economic Counselor in Beijing; Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong; and Deputy Chief of Mission in Singapore.

He left government service in 1992 and went on to become President of AT&T China. He is now an independent consultant based in Hong Kong.

Kobler's article that November day in 1961 was about long-time Baker Field P.A. announcer Bud Corn, Jr. '34, who was about to work his final game behind the mic. Corn was a beloved personality at Baker, coining terms like "It's 3rd down and a millimeter," ("millimeter" was an exotic word back then), and providing some comic commentary when there were some inexplicable stoppages in play.

He only missed one home game in his career, that was in 1957 when he was detained by the Venezuelan government while doing an exposition in Caracas, (shades of Hugo?).

Corn was leaving the P.A. job to focus more on his full-time business as exposition architect, a job that was becoming in demand as New York prepared for the 1964 World's Fair.

As a student, Corn worked on the Varsity Show with the great Herman Wouk, and opened his business at first on West 130th Street, not far from where the current Columbia sports information and marketing offices stand today.

But whatever happened to Mr. Corn in the years after 1961 are unknown at least to me. While we have the extensive details about Kobler's career, it's hard to find out more about Corn.

As far as I know, no one has come close to working the P.A. at Columbia football games for as long as Bud Corn did. And in honor of that, I'd like to propose that a plaque in honor of Corn be placed on the mic stand at Wien Stadium currently used by P.A. announcer Marty Collins. I'd be happy to donate the first $50 for that plaque, by the way.

Down with the Hatch?

Andrew Hatch

The decision-making process should be finished soon on whether LSU transfer QB Andrew Hatch will be allowed to play for Harvard this fall. It's a thorny issue for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being that the Crimson appear a little thin at the QB position this coming season, (but 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, it shouldn't 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. #1 was USC head football coach Pete Carroll, who made $4.42 million in the 2006-07 academic year. But #2 was Dr. David Silvers, a dermatology professor at Columbia who made $4.33 million.

For those of you who know 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. (If he were a plastic surgeon doing boob jobs, I wouldn't be so happy).

I think the bigger question is whether these big salaries will be sustainable for anyone at any school in the coming years. That's an open question that transcends medicine, sports, or bureaucracy.







... Back to the Program

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

We start today on page 9 when editor Philip J. Burke sets the scene for the Ivy race as three teams went into that week 8 of a 9 game season with a chance at the championship. Columbia had the lead at 5-1 in the Ivies while Harvard and Princeton were both 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 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).

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

Surprise is nothing new in Ivy play, and 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.

31 More Days of Winter

The Spring Countdown Begins!


I don't care what the groundhog and the weatherman say, we can put a definitive start date for spring by looking at the Columbia spring practice schedule. It all starts on March 26th. There are still 208 days until we kick off the 2009 season, but the 31 days until spring practice seem like they might fly by.


OY VOY

There's been some talk on the VOY Ivy Sports blog about how our site somehow overhypes the incoming recruits. I will admit to getting excited when I learn and confirm the names of our future players, but I can't remember ever writing anything about how any incoming player was a sure thing or a world beater.

And I don't apologize one bit for giving these kids some recognition. These are teenagers who have been able to successfully avoid all those terrible influences teens face and have excelled on the field and in the classroom well enough to become eligible for the Ivies. What's the ratio of stories about badly behaving teens to high achieving teens in the news media? 10:1? 100:1? I could only hope that my kids succeed so well so early in life. No, this does not make the football recruits heroes or saints, but they deserve at least as much ink and "cyberspace" as the kids who commit crimes or get pregnant at 15.


BBall Developments

The mens basketball squad had a tough loss Saturday night, losing a nine-point second half lead and falling to Yale after a nice win Friday night against Brown. But I am taking the optimist's side of this story again as we have to remember this is a very young team that was picked to finish 6th in the Ivies. As of now, the Lions are tied for second with four games to play. Still not too shabby.

The women are also 6-4 in the Ivies and have come on strong as of late. Their future looks bright as well.

Linebacker from Down the Shore

Dan Kerrigan


Standout linebacker Dan Kerrigan from Manasquan High School in the Jersey Shore area is coming to Columbia according to his high school coach.

Kerrigan led the defense and made several key plays in Manasquan's championship game victory in early December.


Take a look at this interview with Kerrigan and tell me he doesn't remind you a bit of graduating linebacker Drew Quinn. If he's even close to being as good as Quinn has been for the Lions, we'll be lucky.

So here's our UNOFFICIAL updated list so far:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24. 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

More on Matt Bocci

Matt Bocci holds off a tackler

Here is some more information on our latest confirmed incoming frosh, Matt Bocci from Sacred Heart Prep in the Palo Alto area.

It seems that Bocci is considered to be a better prospect as a safety, even though he also is a running back.

Our (VERY UNOFFICIAL) List So Far...

Before you read this list, I want to repeat my policy on listing verbally committed recruits. EVERYONE listed below has publicly said they are coming to Columbia in a local paper or other publication. All other leads, rumors, etc. are not put here or allowed in the comments section for many, many good reasons... one of which: the Athletic Department may kill me.

And as the title of this post clearly states, this is an UNOFFICIAL LIST, because you still can't believe what you read in the papers.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

23. 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

Good Advice

Chris Thomas


Running back, defensive back and return specialist Chris Thomas from Moreau Catholic High in the San Francisco Bay Area is coming to Columbia. He's best known as a killer returner as he had four kickoff returns for TD's this past season.

It appears we have Moreau athletic director Chris Krisman to thank for pointing Thomas in our direction. Thomas is already looking forward to taking on his former teammate Devin Saxon who is a rising sophomore at Harvard.

A complete list of our published incoming freshman class, (NOT OFFICIAL... just what we've seen in the papers), is upcoming. I haven't tallied the numbers, but I think we have the names of about 22 players in a class that should have about 30 incoming frosh.

Looking to the Spring

Jason Miller and Noruwa Agho are stars (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)


Congratulations are again in order for the men's basketball team after another home weekend sweep, this time against Dartmouth and Harvard. How good would this team be if it were even remotely healthy? I just had to ask.

Once again, the fan support was tremendous in Levien Gymnasium. We need to find a way to bottle and multiply that student section enthusiasm and borrow it for Wien Stadium this fall and forever after. Any thoughts on how to do that?

Predictably, the football recruiting news is drying up big time as we head into late February. That means the real focal point for Lions fans should be the Spring Game this April 18th (61 days away!). Spring practice begins considerably earlier than that and so that's another reason to smile.

Officially, the actual countdown to the 2009 season kickoff is still 215 days. So, I recommend against doing the whole "not shaving or eating thing" until then.

I don't see any personal conflicts barring me from getting to the Spring Game this year, so I hope to provide as much first-hand coverage as I can. I also hope to see as many fans and readers of this blog as possible on what I'm predicting will be a beautiful day at the Baker Athletics Complex.

Bye Bye Blackshear

Coach Blackshear (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)


We've known for a while that outstanding offensive line coach Cheston Blackshear had joined the staff of new Head Coach Mike Locksley at the University of New Mexico, and now we see official publication of that here.

We wish Coach Blackshear the best, but we will miss him. I, for one, really thought he put together a big improvement for the Columbia offensive line especially this past season. I have a feeling Mr. Blackshear will be a head coach one day.




Danny Miller


Which Ivy for Miller?


Promising incoming offensive lineman Scott Ward has a teammate at Newport Harbor High School named Danny Miller who sounds like a special player. His coach told the local paper this week that Miller will likely go to an Ivy League school, but didn't name any names. Miller is a CB/RB who seems like a great kid according to this article from 2007.

Staten Island Receiver

James Pizzo makes a grab


Staten Island remains the strongest region for New York City high school football, and it appears a talented wide receiver from S.I. is headed to Columbia.

James Pizzo of Monsignor Farrell was a all-league team member for the New York Catholic High School Football League in 2008.

I should mention that Pizzo says he "hopes" to attend Columbia, so this is probably not a done deal.

If he does join the team, he can learn the ropes from fellow Staten Islander Mike Murphy who will be a junior.

And incidentally, the Monsignor Farrell football team's nickname is "Lions."

Speak Up for the Ivies!

Versus is conducting research on their College Football viewers as they plan their fall ’09 programming season. As the home of the Pac 10, Big 12, Ivy League and Mountain West conferences, they are seeking insights from college sports fans to better understand how their programming is perceived on the network. Their goal is to continue to enhance their programming of these sports to provide the best College Football viewing experience available on television. This is a rare opportunity to directly influence how this monumental event is viewed and enjoyed on air.


They want you to take a survey by clicking here.

Let's do what we can to keep Ivy football on the air.

Texas Blue Chipper

Eric Walker is #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.

Guilty, Guilty...

I am finished with federal jury duty as my colleagues and I took about 25 minutes to convict a major cocaine dealer on Long Island. The judge tells us he will get a minimum of 10 years, but probably a lot more.

Unfortunately, it does not look like there was any more published material about incoming Columbia freshmen while I was performing my civic duty. But with 20 or 21 names already published in local papers at this very early date, I'm grateful for what we know already.

Speaking of recruiting, it looks like more college recruiters will have to do more with less. Several college sports departments are cutting back on recruiting trips, and many high school programs are cutting back on regular season football schedules to save money.

More Photo Ops

Alec Kosminskas gets ready to sign

Here's a happy smile from incoming offensive line recruit Alec Kosminskas from Loyola in Wilmette, (just north of Chicago). And yes, that's the same school where all-time Lion great linebacker Des Werthman came from.

In an article about the Loyola team last season, a Chicago Sun-Times reporter marvelled at Kosminskas' great speed for a 6"2 288-pound center. (I'm not sure what he weighs now, but that was the 2007 number).

Loyola is also sending tight end Jackson Floyd to Dartmouth this fall.


Houghton not an Ivy

One of the most sought-after running backs for just about every Ivy and Patriot League team has chosen Holy Cross.

Eddie Houghton is following his backfield partner Sam Auffant at Phillips Andover to Coach Tom Gilmore's Crusaders.

Houghton was a star in Canada befre coming to Andover for a PG year. He had grabbed interest from Boston College, Northwestern, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Minnesota, Columbia and Cornell... among others.

Stuck in the Box

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 wih 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.

Juror #4

Mike Waller, right, signs up


I was shockingly picked to be a juror in a federal trail today, so my writing will be modified for the next week, maybe less.

Today was National Signing Day, but I did not see any articles featuring any new names coming to Columbia football today. Remember that signing day is mostly for BCS schools and it's actually the FIRST day student athletes can sign letters of intent, not the last.

Of course, the Ivies do not use letters of intent. So whatever they "sign" at a public ceremony is usually just a piece of paper.

That said, incoming freshman Mike Waller signed one of those pieces of paper today and answered some questions about how he made his college choice.

Polian Moves Up

Former Columbia football administrator Dennis Polian has been named Assistant General Manager and Coordinator of Player Personnel for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger Cats. Polian previously worked for the Indianapolis Colts.


Props to Holder

Some of my readers wrote to say that I shouldn't make it sound like new Attorney General Eric Holder isn't an enthsiastic alum. Apparently he is very active and I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear. No word yet on whether he's planning to pardon Jim Garrett.

Friends in High Places

Browns Owner Randy Lerner, Class of 1984


With the news that Senator Judd Gregg will be taking the job as Commerce Secretary, we now have two Columbia College grads in the cabinet to go along with our Columbia College grad president.

Gregg has probably been the strongest alumni supporter of the school of the three and he was an athlete on the golf team while he was a student. He also reportedly wore the Lion mascot costume at several football games!

Attorney General Eric Holder is no slouch as he was a letterman on the lightweight football team in 1971 and 1972.

And then there are those possibly apocryphal stories of a young Barack Obama being lightly recruited to run track while he was at CU.

But with all the big names at the top, we can also expect some claims of elitism.

Some ugly innuendos reared their heads in this piece in today's National Football Post.

The author hints that maybe Eric Mangini was hired by the Browns because Browns owner, (and CU alumn), Randy Lerner felt like he had more in common with a Weslyan grad like Mangini as opposed to Romeo Crennel. Not exacly a claim that Lerner is a racist, but close. That's a nice thing to call someone you don't even know, isn't it?

Winning and Cheering

Kudos to the men's basketball team for its weekend home sweep over Yale and Brown.

And special kudos to the very vocal fans who made their presence felt throughout both games and proved that school spirit is very much alive in Morningside Heights. I wathced most of both games on GoColumbiaLions.com, but during those moments when I had to run a few errands I listened to WKCR in the car and you could barely hear the announcers over the raucous student fans.

It was a nice face of the campus sports scene to show to some strong potential football recruits who were reportedly making campus visits over the weekend.



Back to the Program

I continue now with my page-by-page look at the 1961 Columbia-Penn program. This was the game that the Lions won to clinch their one and only Ivy title.

We pick it up now with page 8 and the pictures of the team captains.




On top we have a shot of Bill Campbell standing at attention at the foot of the Lion statue at Baker Field.

I've written so much about Campbell, Columbia's current Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and I encourage everyone to use the search feature at the top left of this page and search for all those posts.

But something that I will add here today is that everyone should realize how valuable a person Campbell has been to this university for the past 50 years. His name truly belongs with names of Seth Low and Nicholas Murray Butler as people who made Columbia the school that it was, is, and will be in the future.

Below Campbell is the picture of Penn captain Michael Natale. He is pictured facing the home stands at Franklin Field.



Michael Natale


Now you have to feel for almost anyone who has to compare his playing and post playing career to Bill Campbell. But poor Natale really seems small in comparison. I say that because I'll be darned if I can find anything written about him out there.

I do know he was a 5"9 190-pound right guard who came to Penn from Uniontown Joint High School in New Salem, PA. He was also quoted later in the program in a running feature that I assume appeared in all Ivy League game programs at the time. Several players would be asked questions like, "who's the best or toughest opponent you ever faced in the Ivies, etc." Natale's answers to the question: "Who was the best Ivy player you ever played," was Ben Balme, a Yale guard who graduated after the 1960 season.

More on the program in the days and weeks to come.