Game Day

Trying to pass the time as we wait for an evening game with Anderson University tonight. Makes for a very long day. The team and coaches are excited to take the field. We load up the bus at 3:30....cannot wait. Last evening Chuck Yates spoke to the team at the "Rock." Great words of wisdom from Chuck. Players enjoyed listening to one of their professors talk to them about football and team work.

Homecoming

Friday evening we had HOF inductee Brice Sayne EC '82 speak to the players at the "Rock" followed with the HOF banquet. Legendary President Landrum Bolling entertained the audience with his stories. President David Dawson and Del Harris also spoke to the crowd. Very nice to hear David Dawson's vision for EC Athletics as we move forward. Very refreshing. My teammate Brice Sayne received his induction plaque from Frank Carr and Don Siler as Brian Sayne, Mike Olexia and Andy Avery looked on. Once again, Frank and Don did an exceptional job. Congratulations to HOF inductees Laurel Stewart and David McGuire, both very deserving as well.

The game versus Manchester was up and down with EC battling to a 17-13 loss. Our players were finally able to respond with good play in all aspects of the game. We ran out of time as we needed to answer Manchester's last score with a TD. I am so very proud of these young men. They battled to the very end and deserved the win. For more about the game you can venture over to www.goearlham.com

After the game we all met up in the tailgating quarters next to Darrell Beane Stadium. Donna and I had a wonderful time visiting with Earlham players and their families from the past 30 years. If you are a football alum and have not been back to Earlham for a homecoming game you are missing some good times. Many stories were told...and yes stretched just a little. I love all of you wonderful young men. Thanks for all you have meant to my family through the years.

Now, on to the Next.....Anderson

US News & Report

In the overall rankings of “Best Liberal Arts Colleges,” Earlham ranked 68th (up slightly from 75th in 2011), slightly below DePauw, St. Olaf, Wabash, Reed, and Beloit and slightly above Kalamazoo, Berea, Wooster and Knox. US News also ranks “Strong Commitment to Teaching” among various institutional categories and among National Liberal Arts Colleges, Earlham ranks eighth, sharing that position with some very good peers. That ranking is as follows: 1. Carleton 2. Swarthmore 3. Grinnell, Oberlin, Williams 6. Amherst, St. Olaf 8. Davidson, Earlham College, Haverford, Wabash 12. Hendrix, Kenyon, Macalester 15. Beloit, Berea, Centre, Lewis & Clark, Pomona, Reed, Rhodes In the ranking of “Proportion of International Students,” Earlham ranks 8th with 16% (after Soka University of America, Tougaloo College, Mount Holyoke, Wesleyan (GA), Bryn Athyn College of New Church, Principia, and College of the Atlantic. You might be interested in another national comparison that was released recently by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium that focuses on the Baccalaureate Origins of Students Earning Doctorates. That comparsion includes data covering the graduating classes of 1995 - 2004 (i.e. 10-year window) and includes doctorates earned in U.S. institutions over the period of 2000-2009. There are 1457 institutions in the total report. In that listing, Earlham is a very respectable 28th on this list (i.e top 2%). Indeed, as in the past, Earlham is, by a large measure, the highest Indiana school on the list. In fact, Earlham does better on this measure than all but 12 of the top 50 National Liberal Arts Colleges in the US News survey. Moreover, this comparison has special significance in that it is an objective measure of the outcomes of undergraduate education.

Game Week

This is game week. We depart for Sewanee this Friday at 11:00am. The team will be stopping off at Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, KY for our walk through before we continue on down to our hotel. Meanwhile, it is practice in preparation for Sewanee University. We had a pretty good scrimmage vs. Ohio Wesleyan University last Friday. We played everyone and got them on film for evaluation in game situations. Coaches have been working hard with the players throughout pre-season and we feel good about this year's team.

almost

We are almost ready. Last nights practice was decent. The conditioning effort was amazing. everyone is improving....getting better every day. Great coaching staff. Concerned about some ankles, and hoping they heal fast. Everyone is grinding. Work Wins!

Short Scrimmage

Our first live scrimmage went very well. Offense and Defense had some bright outcomes. Offense scored twice on sustained drives. A Rhythm was developed and I was pleased with the units consistency. Defense had two 3-and-outs. They played hard down on the goal line. Obviously, we had some breakdowns on both sides of the ball and these things can be rectified. Over-all for the first scrimmage I like our direction. Back to work today.

Sunday Practice

Big rain storm right in the middle of practice. We had some of the largest rain drops I have witnessed in some time. Wet ball drill. Mud with no footing. Gotta love football in these conditions. Players worked through the weather adversity and had a great time. At the conclusion of practice we conditioned hard and players left everything on the field. Evening meetings followed with some icebreakers with the team. Great stories from the players. I laughed until I cried. So funny. Great group of young men.