By wpengine January 22, 2004
Last week, three finalists interviewed on campus for the still un-filled opening for the Cornell head football coach position. Kevin Gilbride, former offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills was in Ithaca on Monday, Jan. 12. Steve Nelson, head coach and athletic director at Curry College in Milton, Mass., interviewed on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Finally, former Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Marc Trestman interviewed on Friday, Jan. 16. A fourth candidate, Cleveland Browns defensive line coach Andre Patterson, was also invited to Ithaca for the final round of interviews, but removed himself for consideration prior to his scheduled meeting on Thursday, Jan. 14. Patterson was also a finalist in the head coach search in 2001. The interview process involved alumni, athletic administrators and staff, and five current members of the football team. A final decision has still not been reached and no offers have been made to any of the candidates despite numerous rumors to the contrary. Gilbride, a 29-year coaching veteran, has spent the last 14 years in the pro ranks, including two seasons as a head coach and 11 others as an offensive coordinator. Known as one of the preeminent offensive minds in the game, Gilbride has spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, which he led to offensive rankings of 11th and 30th in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, respectively. Prior to his stint in upstate New York, Gilbride served as the offensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers (1990-94), Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-96), and Pittsburgh Steelers (1999-00), where his teams were perennially ranked near the top of the league in passing offense. Gilbride’s only head coaching experience came during the 1997-98 seasons, when he served as the San Diego Chargers’ top man. However, during his time in San Diego, the team managed to win just six of its 22 games. Although not as distinguished as his pro r
By wpengine January 22, 2004
The women’s basketball team (6-8, 1-0 Ivy) enjoyed great success over this past winter break, including a 61-50 win over Columbia in the Ivy opener and the team’s first win against Syracuse since 1974. Overall, the team compiled a 5-4 record in nine games over break. The winter break began with the annual Cornell Classic, in which the Red won the opener against Bucknell, 68-62, and the championship match against James Madison, 66-55. “We’ve been a different team since the Classic,” explained head coach Dayna Smith. “We’ve finally learned to play together a little bit.” A highlight for the Red was its win over Ivy rival Columbia on Jan. 15. The Lions have a major size advantage over the Red, and boast standout guard Sue Altman, who scored 13 points. However, on the strength of double-doubles from senior forwards Tanya Karcic and Dani Aretino, Cornell came out on top, 61-50. Karcic scored a game-high 22 points, while Aretino tied a career high with 11. Each had 10 rebounds on the game. In addition, senior Lauren Kilduff scored 16 points while classmate Karen Force added 11. “Playing some teams [early on] like Indiana, Indiana State, St. Francis, Syracuse, and St. John’s prepared us for that game,” said Smith. “We’ve faced some 6-8 girls, 6-5 girls, and we’ve learned how to play some team defense against post players and contain athletic guards.” Another notable win for the Red was its victory over Syracuse on Dec. 20, Cornell’s first since 1974. The Red scored a season-high 82 points with four players scoring in double figures, while holding the Orange to just 62. Tri-captain Katie Romey went 10-for-14 from the floor and had 23 points on the night. “Looking across the court and seeing what names are on the other team’s jerseys has hurt us,” said Smith. “I think beating Syracuse is a huge hurdle that our program had to get over.” Despite several successes over the break, the Red has suffered losses in three out of its last four games. On Tuesday, Cornell fell 77-62 to Duquesne. Romey led the team with 17 points, while Aretino picked up her second consecutive double-double; however, this was not enough for Cornell. The Dukes’s Candace Futrell gave the Red fits all night long, scoring 30 points, including six 3-pointers. “We played a hard-fought game,” said Smith. “They have just a fantastic point guard in Futrell.” Overall for the break, Cornell outscored its opponents by an average margin of 4.1 points per game, and was able to establish itself on both ends of the court, something the team did not to in the first four games of the season. “We’ve had some people really start to fill in some roles for us,” Smith said.Archived article by Michael Pandolfini