Gophers marketing leader Jason LaFrenz said ticket sales have increased since Minnesota won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament and broke into the national rankings. Tickets remain for all games including the Big Ten Conference schedule.
The Gophers’ expenditures for the football program during the 2009-10 school year were $17.43 million, ranking Minnesota eighth in the Big Ten Conference, according to FanHouse, the AOL website. The Gophers were No. 29 nationally, moving up from No. 72 the previous year with an increase of $8 million to the budget, according to the article that obtained figures from the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity in Athletics.
The Big Ten rankings included Nebraska, a school that becomes the league’s 12th member next year. Ranking not far ahead of the Gophers were Penn State $19.78 million; Iowa, $18.46 million; Michigan, $18.32 million; Nebraska, $17.93 million; and Michigan State, $17.46 million.
Ohio State’s budget was $31.76 million, the largest among major college football programs in the country. Wisconsin, $22.04 million, was second in the Big Ten. Brett McMurphy’s article was posted on the FanHouse website November 16.
Former Gophers football player Mike Sherels told Sports Headliners he plans to ask the new head football coach for a position on the Minnesota staff. He also said his brother Marcus is learning on the Vikings practice squad and has been mentored by All-Pro cornerback Antoine Winfield.
Wolves forward Kevin Love was featured in the Pop Culture Grid of the November 29 issue of Sports Illustrated. Asked for a definition of Black Friday, Love said: “When my sister takes my credit card.”
Love is partnering with Comcast and the Salvation Army for a coat drive. Fans can bring new or “gently” used coats to any of eight metro-area drop-off locations, including the Target Center Box Office and Comcast service centers. The drive ends December 17.
Wolves rookie forward Wes Johnson was Grand Marshall of the Holidazzle Parade Sunday night.
There will be no advance ticket sales for Saturday’s playoff game at O’Shaughnessy Stadium between St. Thomas (12-0) and Bethel (11-1). Gates open at 10:30 a.m. with kickoff at noon. Adult tickets are $8, student tickets $4.
The game will be the first time that two MIAC teams have reached the Division III national quarterfinals in the same season. Coach Glenn Caruso’s Tommies defeated coach Steve Johnson’s Royals, 10-6, in October.
Canterbury Park will have a 62-day thoroughbred and quarter horse race schedule in 2011. The meet will begin Friday, May 20 and run through Monday, September 5 with Thursday and Friday post times at 7 p.m. and weekend and holiday post times of 1:30 p.m. Attendance this year averaged 5,859, a record since the suburban Minneapolis facility reopened in 1995.