Author: David Shama

New Gopher football coach Tim Brewster is an intriguing hire.  The former Denver Broncos assistant coach is known as a superb college recruiter.  Before going to the NFL for the 2002 season with San Diego, Brewster coached under Mack Brown at North Carolina and Texas.  It was at Texas where Brewster’s recruits are said to have included all-American quarterback Vince Young who led the Longhorns to the 2005 national championship. 

In 2004 Brewster was a candidate at Illinois, his alma mater, for the head coaching job.  Scout.com had this quote about Brewster from nationally acclaimed recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, “He’s the best recruiter I’ve ever seen… he has a drive. It’s almost like he has a chip on his shoulder. When he loses a kid, he gets upset.” 

If Brewster is that effective as a recruiter, you know he has charisma. Personality, pep and a positive outlook are qualities that the ticket buying public needs to see, too.  Expect Brewster to work 24-7 to rally everyone behind the Gopher program. 

At 46, this is Brewster’s first head coaching position.  He must prove he can assemble a talented staff of assistants.  Then Brewster and his assistants will need to show they can coach in practices and games.  The better their talent, the better the coaching will look.  

Bet on this: as the seasons go by the Gophers will no longer “gift wrap” a game almost every year as in the past.  The meltdown era that ripped the heart out of the program needs to end.

Frank Jirik, the popular former Minnesota North Stars and Met Center executive, had no active cancer after a November check up.  Jirik, 67, who also was an executive with the San Jose Sharks and is now a consultant with the Xcel Energy Center, was diagnosed four years ago with lymphoma cancer.  He had a successful stem cell transplant in March.  

Jirik recalled a funny story about the late John Mariucci, the former Gopher coach and North Stars executive whose dry wit was well known.  Mariucci was asked for his scouting input on a player who was obviously slow.  Mariucci wisecracked that he liked the guy.  “He’s pretty slow so you get a good look at him.” 

Don Lucia said on WCCO Radio Sunday morning he expects freshman Kyle Okposo, the Gophers’ leader in goals scored with 15, to return for his sophomore season. 

Minnesota Vikings assistant offensive line coach Jim Hueber coached Wisconsin’s Outland Trophy winner Joe Thomas before Hueber joined the Vikings for the 2006 season. The Vikings need a right tackle but Thomas is not likely to be available when Minnesota drafts at No. 7 in the first round.

Talk is optimistic that Flip Saunders, who comes to town with his Detroit Pistons to play the Timberwolves Friday night, will be the next Gopher basketball coach.  You wonder if son Ryan, a senior on the team next season, might one day become an assistant to his dad with the Gophers. 

Wally’s Choice, whose owners include Wally the Beerman, is successfully recovering from an inflamed tendon, and is expected to race later this year.  Wally’s Choice is expected to break the all-time record for earnings ($533,528) by a Minnesota horse in 2007.

Thunderbolt or thud.  When the University announces its new football coach the reaction will either generate immediate enthusiasm or none at all.  Present us with former Gopher quarterback Tony Dungy, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano or West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez and listen to the telephone ring in the ticket office.  Hire an offensive or defensive coordinator, or head coach from the Mid- American Conference, and watch for some yawns. 

A hot coordinator like LSU’s Bo Pellini or Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, or a not so well known head coach like South Florida’s Jim Leavitt, might eventually establish a superb program at Minnesota.  Such a hire, although greeted with a whimper by the masses, isn’t necessarily a flawed strategy but it is the wrong approach if the University doesn’t first move heaven and earth to first find a heavenly head coach. 

Perhaps never before have the University president and athletic director communicated such high expectations as heard during the last few weeks from Bob Bruininks and Joel Maturi.   Bruininks expects a football program that can at least occasionally win Big Ten Conference championships.  Maturi talked championship at the news conference announcing the firing of Glen Mason who during 10 seasons never finished better than fourth in the conference:  “I want to assure the fans of Minnesota that we are committed to bringing a championship here, and we’re going to do everything we can to do that.” 

It’s not just Bruininks and Maturi who are creating expectations but also fans and media who don’t accept all the excuses as to why Gopher football has to be mediocre.  I can never recall a time, not even when Minnesota football was at its lowest lows, when there was so much optimism about a better future. 

Steve and Dorothy Erban’s Creative Charters company has been organizing trips to away Gopher football games for many years.  They recently e-mailed their customers with an upbeat message that included this: “We have a GOLDEN opportunity to be part of bringing a football championship to the University of Minnesota.  Gopher fans, the time has come to support our leadership and ask what we can do to bring a Big Ten Football Championship to our new on-campus stadium.  I can vision it now, sparkling GOLD letters in the end zone, 2009 BIG TEN CHAMPIONS.” 

Yes, there is optimism but also angst over “what undoubtedly is the most important hiring decision in Golden Gopher sports in the past 60 years,” according to Mike Wilkinson, a zealous fan since the 1950s.  And this from a former Gopher football player who e-mailed the following: “The U has a chance to do things correctly and get winners on and off the field.  They need to do it.”