The announcement that Bob Blackman had quit his coaching job at Dartmouth to take the head position at Illinois was good news for the Ivy League. His departure marks an opportune time to take stock of the situation in the Ivy League, especially since there will be three new head coaches next fall.

There are probably only a handful of persons who remember when Blackman sent part of his first defense back into the Harvard game late in the fourth quarter when the Crimson was threatening to get its second touchdown in a 37-14 loss. The Dartmouth players who were pulled out at that moment probably do, though. And it wasn't until the Big Green had rolled up a 48-0 advantage over Columbia that the second offense got a chance to perform.

When one of the clean-uniformed Dartmouth players walked out of Harvard Stadium, he was asked why he thought Blackman had kept his best offense in until the last couple of minutes. "I don't know. I guess he wanted to win", he replied.

Certainly, that's a legitimate goal. But there's a difference between a victory and a slaughter, between a game and a war; and it's an important one. The ideal should be wide participation, not enormous margins of victories and an impressive set of statistics. Blackman always made a point this Fall of stating that everyone got a chance to play in most games, but being on the field for two minutes at the end of the fourth quarter barely qualifies as playing.

We should concede that big point spreads give a team confidence, and lots of playing time helps keep the first team in practice for upcoming games. But should the substitutes have to sit on the bench because of these considerations?

At one point Blackman gave his reserves a pat on the back for their invaluable contribution to the team that year-"by their hard work in practice simulating our next opponent's offense and defense." Of course, Blackman's strategy won't hurt him next year since he'll be at Illinois while his replacement, Jake Crouthamel, tries to make do with the inexperienced leftovers.

The issue of full participation is but one in the whole concern about the direction of Ivy League athletics. The sudden appearance of outstanding basketball talent worries many persons. There is a general uneasiness about Penn's vigorous push in all phases of its athletic program, particularly the swimming and crew programs. No one can deny that Ivy League sports are threatened with professionalization, and that's one thing we can do without, if only because of the financial strain.

With the addition of three new head coaches, the football situation is extremely flexible. Perhaps their influence will be a good one.