No Fool's Day

April 1st is usually a day for pranks, and bad practical jokes by morning radio dj's.

But 4/1/10 will be a big day for young men like Chris Cooper, the guy a lot of us are pulling for to make it in to Columbia's class of 2014.

Of course, I don't even know the names of any of the people who make the admissions decisions. So consider this for rooting purposes only:

When I originally wrote about Chris last month I alluded to his academic prowess, but I didn't know he was actually one of only 13 Ohio high school students invited to attend and present their scientific research at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on February 17 in San Diego.

I don't know whether this achievement, coupled with his strong efforts on the football field, tip the scales in Chris' favor. But I do know I'm proud Columbia attracts the kind of kids who want to compete athletically just as much as they do academically.

But speaking of football, Chris gets to play at least one more big game as he'll be a part of Ohio's East West All-Star game on Thursday, June 10.


Cornell... Again!

Cornell is taking their tournament dance to the next level. The 18-point whipping of Wisconsin yesterday has put the Big Red on the front page of dozens of sports sections and they're the talk of the sports talk radio in New York right now.

I also bet they're selling a ton of Big Red shirts, hats, and sweatpants, at stores on campus and online.

We want this to happen for Columbia sports someday soon.

Any Ivy school administrator who still doesn't understand the value of competing in big time athletics must face reality now. Retreating from the athletic arena means retreating from the national spotlight in more ways than one.

For example:

Most of us know the University of Chicago is a fine academic school, (hey, half my family including my dad went there). BUT, that's people like us. When I meet and talk with top high school seniors these days, none of them say they're considering U. of C. Many have never even heard of it.

I chalk that up at least partially to the school's exit from Division I sports eons ago.

Sure, it's still a great school, but it's also notorious for not having much of a social life despite being located in one of America's greatest big cities.

Coincidence?

I think not.


High School Database Update

The work continues on the herculean task of compiling the names of all the high schools that have sent players to Columbia football.

I want to clarify that I intend this to be a "living document" with many additions, (and hopefully not too many mistake-forced subtractions), for decades to come.

One reader did ask me about P-G years and how I would account for them. For now, the plan is to include the names of BOTH high schools such P-G players attended when that information is available. Usually, that info is easy to find from 1980 onward. Before that, it's a bit of a dice roll. But again, I encourage non-angry corrections and suggestions as much as possible.