OT: Down. Set. Cheery Oh. Hut 1!

While checking out the Big Red football roster for this year, I noticed this:

11 Britton, Tom Quarterback JR 6-1,195 Hayward Heath Sixth Form College/West Sussex, England

Here's some background on him from the football web site:

At Cornell: Britton transferred to Cornell in January 2002 and participated in the spring training camp.

At SUNY-Morrisville: Britton comes to Cornell after attending SUNY-Morrisville for two years. While at Morrisville, he was the starting quarterback and was a second-team all-conference selection in 2001.

At Haywards Heath: Britton played football for the London Capitals while attending Haywards Heath Sixth Form College. He was a three-year starter for the team, playing at both the quarterback and free safety positions. He led the team to the national championship in 1999 and was named the championship MVP. Britton also played four years for the All-Great Britain national team. Serving as the team’s captain, the squad won two sliver medals at the European championships.

Personal: Thomas Samuel Britton is the son of John and Olwen Britton and has an older sister. He is a communication major in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences...Born: 11-20-81.

I guess if we had a goalie from Australia, it shouldn't be too surprising to find a QB from England. Only in the Ivy League.

I suppose if one thinks Canada is the place to recruit basketball players then why not go to the UK for a quarterback.

Next thing you know Heidelberg will recruit soccer players in Las Vegas and McGill will establish a hockey pipeline from Bermuda.

Unimpressed by the presence of a Brit quarterback, the media picks Cornell to finish seventh in the Ivy League. Yawn.

[www.nytimes.com]