At a school with as much heritage as Dartmouth, there are many names thought of as living legends. They may be former professors, star athletes from a previous era, or successful coaches.
One such Dartmouth legend, Bob Blackman, passed away this past March 17.
Blackman, 81, who coached Dartmouth's football team from 1955 to 1970, leaving with a 104-37-3 record, the best of any Dartmouth coach in history.
"Not only is he the most successful coach in Dartmouth's, but his recruiting method was copied across the Ivy League," said current head football coach John Lyons.
"He was the first to go out and really recruit players. He even created terminology for calling plays that people copied."
Blackman fell ill while traveling in Singapore with his wife Kay. He was thought to be well enough to return to his Hilton Head, S.C. home, but his plane made an emergency landing in San Francisco. Blackman died at Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, CA due to complications from an infection.
Blackman's coaching career with a twist of fate, when he was stricken with polio his freshman year at the University of Southern California, ending a promising playing career. He served as a student assistant at USC for his remaining collegiate career.
After graduating, he coached military teams during World War II. He then returned to California to coach Monrovia High and Pasadena City College before moving on to University of Denver.
While at the helm of the Big Green, Blackman led his teams to four Ivy League championships, while sharing in three others. The Dartmouth teams of 1962, 1965, and 1970 all went undefeated, with the latter two being awarded the Lambert trophy for the best team in the east.
The 1970 squad is recognized as one of the best ever to don the pads at Dartmouth. Under Blackman's leadership, the team went 9-0 and recorded six shutouts. As further proof of their dominance, the team outscored its opponents by a 311-42 margin.
After Dartmouth, Blackman moved on to the Big Ten and the University of Illinois where he coached from 1971-1976. He finished out his career in the Ivy League with a six-year tenure with the Big Red of Cornell.
In retirement Blackman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
Coach Blackman's legacy is one that is not only felt here at Dartmouth, but across the Ivy League.
"He was a heck of a guy, and an outstanding coach," Lyon said.
"I didn't get to know him until I took over here, but he has been supportive and encouraging over the years. He was a great resource for solving problemshe was one of the best men of this profession. His legacy makes it tough for any of us to live up to it."
It is obvious that Bob Blackman will be missed dearly by the Dartmouth athletic community, as well as that of college football as a whole. However, it is also clear that his legacy will live on.
