Jerry Robertson told Sports Headliners earlier this week he believes grandson Rodney Williams will have the high school GPA and college entrance credentials to be admitted to Minnesota. Williams, the Cooper basketball star, is part of coach Tubby Smith’s outstanding freshmen recruiting class for 2009.
The NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association has selected Jay Pivec of Minneapolis Community and Technical College as Division III Coach of the Year after leading his Mavericks to a 33-2 overall record and runner-up finish at the NJCAA DIII Tournament. Pivec’s team held the No. 1 ranking in the NJCAA DIII Men’s Basketball poll seven consecutive weeks last season. The Mavericks lost in the Division III tournament championship game to Richland College (Texas), 58-57. Pivec has coached seven NJCAA first-team All-Americans at Minneapolis, the most of any Division III program.
Sporting News Website reported on Tuesday that Konrad Zagzebski, a highly recruited linebacker from D.C. Everest (Schofield, Wis.), has changed his commitment for 2010 from Minnesota to Wisconsin. More at https://www.sportingnews.com/blog/TheRecruitnik/tag/157565/college_football.
The Big Ten Conference announced yesterday that the Gophers’ first ever game in TCF Bank Stadium (versus Air Force) will be televised on September 12 starting at 6 p.m. local time on the Big Ten Network. The October 31 home game against Michigan State will also be on the network, starting at 7 p.m.
Win Willy, despite a fourth place finish in last week’s Arkansas Derby, has enough earnings to qualify for the May 2 Kentucky Derby and may participate. A source told Sports Headliners that trainer Mac Robertson and Minneapolis owner Jerry Myers are likely to enter the horse in the famous derby.
Former Stillwater High grad Glen Perkins has no wins in two starts for the Twins but has been impressive. He’s 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA, giving up three earned runs in 16 innings, three walks and eight strikeouts.
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation 2009 Legend of Hockey recipient is Don Roberts, former head hockey coach at Gustavus. Although Roberts never played the sport, he ranks 12th in all-time collegiate hockey wins. Roberts will be honored along with this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner, Matt Gilroy, at the Hobey Baker Award banquet May 7 in St. Paul. Banquet tickets are available by visiting the Hobey Baker website, www.hobeybaker.com.
Center John Tavares of the Ontario Hockey League and defenseman Victor Hedman of the Swedish Elite League retained their respective top-ranked status among North American and European prospects for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, according to NHL Central Scouting Bureau final rankings released on Tuesday. Gophers’ wing Jordan Schroeder is ranked fifth among North American skaters. The Wild will pick 12th in the entry draft on June 26.
It was a memorable weekend last week for the Fitzgerald family, Larry Sr. and sons Larry Jr. and Marcus. Six years ago Carol Fitzgerald, Larry’s wife and the mom to her football playing sons, died from cancer but her memory and spirit live on through the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund. Last week two fundraisers generated monies that will go to nonprofit organizations. “We gave out $50,000 last year and we’re going to be close to that or more this year,” Larry Sr. said last Saturday.
What would Carol have thought about the fund and the activities that included friends, family and celebrities trying to help others? “She’d be ecstatic about it,” Larry Sr. said. “She was a very giving person. That spoke to what she was all about. …The money gets turned around right away to help others.”
Sean Gothier, from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, reports that his organization expects a 225 person sellout for its annual awards dinner on Sunday. The event at St. Thomas University will honor 11 individuals associated with pro and amateur football. Jim Malosky, former UMD coach, will receive the chapter’s Distinguished Minnesotan award. St. John’s coach John Gagliardi will give a keynote address. More at https://nffmn.org/.