Author: David Shama

Tony Dungy is expected to draw a record crowd for the University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s celebration event when he provides the keynote address on Tuesday, May 8 at Mariucci Arena.  UMAA president Denny Schulstad told Sports Headliners he’s expecting 5,000 people to attend the event that’s also being headlined by Stan Freese and members of the University marching band.  Freese is a University school of music graduate and has held various positions with Walt Disney Company including director of bands. 

The energetic Schulstad, a civic leader and for many years a Minneapolis City Council member, is excited to have both Dungy and Freese at the gathering (in the past known as the annual meeting).  “We’re celebrating the new Gopher football stadium so what better way to do it than with football and music, Tony and Stan,” Schulstad said.

Although Dungy will be able to command extraordinary speaking fees as the coach of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, Schulstad said the former Gopher quarterback and assistant coach will speak gratis at the alumni event.   Schulstad hopes and expects some of Dungy’s remarks will express his affection for the University.   

“Tony told me that when he was an assistant coach at the University his dream job was to become the head coach of the Gophers,” Schulstad said. 

Dungy was an assistant coach for one season under former head coach Joe Salem. After coaching at the University in 1980, Dungy went to the NFL where his first job was as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  As his career developed, Dungy became attached to the NFL and he made it clear earlier this year he wasn’t interested in the Gopher football vacancy recently filled by Tim Brewster. 

Tickets for the celebration event go on sale Thursday, February 22 and can be purchased by calling 612-624-2345.  The celebration event is open to the public. 

Linden Dungy, who lives in the area, told Sports Headliners recently he hasn’t discussed future plans with Tony but believes his brother will continue coaching for awhile.  “I think so,” Linden said.  “If I had to guess (why) there are a couple of reasons.  He’s under contract to 2009 and he said he’s enjoying coaching.”

Several years ago when Dungy was coaching the Bucs in Tampa he told his brother he planned to coach until he was 50 years old.  Dungy will be 52 this year and is apparently still enjoying coaching but don’t expect him to continue too many more years.

Former KSTP TV news and sports anchor Joe Schmit, now president of Petters Media and Marketing Group, said a second Sid Hartman Sun Country Airlines TV ad began airing this week on CNN and Timberwolves games.  In the commercial (Sun Country is owned by Petters) Hartman says, “Schmit, you think you are a genius.  Bobby Knight is a genius.”  The commercial ends with, “Sun Country Airlines.  You don’t have to be a genius to know a great airline.” 

Schmit wrote and produced both commercials.  He also convinced Hartman, a long time friend, to make the advertisements.  The commercials required about one hour of Hartman’s time and he was given Sun Country tickets for his work.  Hartman is donating the tickets to charity, according to Schmit. The popular sports columnist promotes the Star Tribune in both ads.  He first began writing for Minneapolis newspapers in 1945 and has been a regular on WCCO Radio since the 1950s. 

The idea for the commercials came from a suggestion made to Schmit that he appear in an ad for Sun Country.  He liked the idea of developing an advertisement that included playing off an old relationship, either with Hartman or WCCO TV’s Mark Rosen whose contract didn’t allow him to make a commercial.   

Public reaction to the commercials has exceeded that of most advertisements.  Schmit said that except for “Super Bowl commercials 99 out of 100” ads don’t generate public response. 

Schmit left broadcasting last summer after 21 years with KSTP TV.  Does he miss the sports world?  “I think you always miss the heat of the battle and miss the relationships I have had over 20 years,” he answered.  “Sometimes it’s not just the athletes and coaches you miss but the trainers and security guards and people like that.  I was surprised how much I did miss all that.” 

As expected, transitioning to the corporate world has been challenging but Schmit said a lesson from sports has been valuable.  “I learned in sports that great coaches and managers surround themselves with great people,” he said.

Creative Charters, the Stillwater based company that has hosted about 20,000 customers on sports trips since 1993, will again organize a trip to the Kentucky Derby in Louisville.   The 2007 derby is Saturday, May 5.  Creative Charters owner Steve Erban is a horse racing enthusiast.  He and other partners own horses that race at Canterbury Park.

Brad Johnson is one of three quarterbacks listed on the Vikings roster along with Brooks Bollinger and Tarvaris Jackson but the guess here is he won’t return.  Drew Henson is the only quarterback on the practice squad roster. 

Timberwolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg said the new rule in 2006 preventing players going from high school to the NBA makes scouting easier.  There is already plenty to do scouting college and international players without having to spend too much time looking at high school players. 

A year of watching a player in college might help avoid a mistake such as when the Timberwolves drafted Ndudi Ebi out of high school in 2003 and released him in 2005.  College certainly could have benefited Ebi.  “It would have taught him more about discipline,” Hoiberg said.  “It would have taught him defensive rules.  Basically when you’re taking a high school kid you’re betting on his athleticism and his upside.  And he had a lot of athleticism and he was a good shot blocker and he really got out and ran the court, but his basketball IQ probably would have shown up a little bit more if he had gone to college for a year.” 

“Wild About Children, An Evening of Fine Dining at Pazzaluna” last Sunday raised $93,000 for Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the most money ever generated by the event.  Minnesota Wild players waited on tables filled with 200 guests at the sold-out event that included silent and live auctions. 

In 2006 the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) led NCAA Division III conferences in football attendance for the second straight season. The conference’s nine teams averaged 3,222 fans per game, a 204 per game increase over 2005. In 46 home games in 2006, the MIAC total attendance was 148,203 fans.

For the 10th time in 14 years Saint John’s University was first in Division III football attendance. Saint John’s averaged a school record 8,547 fans per game and had total attendance of 51,284 for six home games, an increase of 622 per game from 2005.  Wabash (Ind.) was second at 5,447 fans per game.