Women's Athletics Speaker Series

For Friday, TigerBlog takes you back to Wednesday and Friday.

If you recall, Wednesday was picture day. TigerBlog has a follow up on one of those pictures, the one of the Dartmouth football player who was launched off the back of one of his teammates. To refresh, here is the picture:

To add some context, TigerBlog turns to his old friend and the man behind the Big Green Alert Bruce Wood, who knows as much about Dartmouth football as anyone. Bruce sent this:

This is from the Jack DeGange/David Shribman 2004 book Dartmouth College Football: Green Fields of Autumn.

AIRBORNE: SAM HAWKEN '68. It is illegal today, but in 1965 Dartmouth's "human steps" play was the brainchild of assistant coach Jack Musick. While it misfired, the play made the Princeton players wonder, "What will these guys do next!" While scouting Princeton, Musick learned from small talk with a Princeton manager that Charlie Gogolak, one of the Ivy League's greatest kickers, always aimed over the right guard. The play was practiced, and six-foot-two inch sophomore back Sam Hawken, wearing cross-country shoes, was charged with climbing the steps and vaulting to block Gogolak's field goal attempt. Unfortunately, Hawken leaped too soon and was offside. Gogolak, now rattled, scuffed his next attempt. In a "most memorable" game, this may be the most memorable play in Dartmouth football history.

So there's that cleared up. 

Next up is Monday. This past Monday was the 50th anniversary of the first "team" event in Princeton women's athletic history. It was on April 12, 1971, that Princeton defeated Penn in women's tennis 5-1. 

It was the third time that Princeton women competed, with the first the previous fall, when Margie Gengler Smith and Helena Novakova played in the Eastern tennis championships and the second in March 1971, when Jane Fremon and Cece Herron competed at the Eastern swimming and diving championships. The tennis match against Penn was the first time that Princeton women competed as a varsity team against another school's varsity.

TB received a picture yesterday from Novakova, who played No. 2 singles behind Gengler Smith in the Penn match. 

That's Novakova on the right. On the left is Merrily Dean Baker, Princeton's first female administrator and the person who got the women's athletic program started. The two celebrated the 50th anniversary of that Penn match by going to lunch together in South Florida, where they both live

That's a great picture, with a lot of Princeton history to it. 

Speaking of Princeton women's athletics history, you have two great chances coming up in the next few days to hear Tiger alums reflect on their experiences at Princeton and how those experiences shaped them since they graduated.

The first of the events is Sunday night from 7-8 and is part of both the 50th anniversary of women's athletics celebration and the Jake McCandless PVC Speaker Series. It is entitled "Investing In Women's Athletics" and features Angie Knighton Long, a rugby player from the Class of 1997 who is now the CIO and owner of Palmer Square Capital Management and owner of the Kansas City team in the NWSL, and Kara Nortman, another member of the Class of 1997 who is a partner at Upfront Ventures, the largest venture capital firm in Los Angeles, and the owner of Angel City Football Club. 

The moderator of the discussion will be Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan.

The second event is Monday, when four "Princeton Alumnae Leaders In Sport" will participate in panel discussion. They are: Bella Alarie (Class of 2020, professional women's basketball player), Stephanie Hsiao (Class of 2005, swimmer, now marketing director for NFL China), Whitney Malkiel (a women's hockey player from the Class of 1994 and now vice president and general manager for Global Nike Women's, Jill Pilgrim (1980 track and field alum who is a business and sports attorney with the Knight Commission).

The discussion Monday will be followed by breakout sessions co-hosted by Princeton women's head coaches and PVC board members.

For more information, including the link for the event Sunday and how to register for the event Monday, click HERE.