Earl Blaik Resigns

ANNOUNCEMENT WAS made December 26 that Earl Blaik had resigned as head football coach at Dartmouth to accept a similar position at the U. S. Military Academy. He will be the first civilian to become head coach at West Point and will take with him his entire varsity coaching staff of Harry Ellinger, Andy Gustafson and Frank Moore. And in addition, Roily Bevan, trainer, and Averill Daniell, freshman line coach. Blaik and Ellinger are graduates of the Military Academy.

A persistent bid for Earl Blaik's services has been made by Army in the last few weeks. With its football record slipping over a period of years, West Point is understood to have waived its traditional regulation that the head coach must be an army officer, in order to attract Blaik back to his Alma Mater. The Dartmouth coach had no desire to leave Hanover. He has said that "There is not money enough in any civilian college to entice me to leave my loyal friends at Dartmouth. This is just a situation where my conscience overrules my wishes." He referred to the West Point call as a "Challenge, a duty, and a privilege."

William H. McCarter 'l9 said there was nothing Dartmouth could have done which would have encouraged Blaik to stay on in Hanover. President Hopkins had known of the situation since before the end of the past season and had talked with Earl Blaik and members of the Athletic Council about it on several occasions. His expression of the loss suffered by Dartmouth is the sentiment surely shared by the Dartmouth alumni body.

This news is received as the ALUMNI MAGAZINE goesto press. A detailed review of the football coaching situation will be printed in the February issue.