Author: David Shama

David Shama is a former sports editor and columnist with local publications. His writing and reporting experiences include covering the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Gophers. Shama’s career experiences also include sports marketing. He is the former Marketing Director of the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. He is also the former Marketing Director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section. A native of Minneapolis, Shama has been part of the community his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he majored in journalism. He also has a Master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. He was a member of the Governor’s NBA’s Task Force to help create interest in bringing pro basketball to town in the 1980s.

Pieces Fit with Gopher AD Finalist Coyle

Posted on May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 by David Shama

It’s understandable why Mark Coyle has emerged, according to numerous sources, as the preferred candidate to become the Gophers’ next athletic director.

University of Minnesota representatives are reportedly meeting with Coyle today. Media outlets say he has resigned as athletic director at Syracuse. His willingness to travel to Minneapolis and have his named revealed in national media as the lone finalist for the U job indicates an agreement is all but completed. High profile candidates don’t put their names in the spotlight without intent to move on from present positions.

Coyle, 47, is a surprise name but Sports Headliners was told by a source close to Gophers athletics earlier in the week the short list of candidates for the job could include someone who hasn’t drawn media speculation. Coyle was hired at Syracuse last June with assignments that included dealing with a troubled athletic department facing image and NCAA concerns.

The Gophers Athletic Department has its own problems including a basketball program with issues specific to winning, academic performance and behavior of its players. University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler no doubt believes Coyle can provide guidance with basketball and other top priority issues at Minnesota.

Among those tasks will be completing the fund-raising for the $190 million Athletes Village project. Coyle was athletic director at Boise State from 2011-2015 and was credited with raising millions of dollars including seven-figure gifts. Prior to taking over at Boise, Coyle was Associate Athletics Director for Development at Kentucky where his responsibilities included fund-raising. He reportedly raised more than $140 million while at Kentucky.

Coyle joined the Wildcats after working for Gophers athletic directors Tom Moe and Joel Maturi. Coyle’s responsibilities while at Minnesota included overseeing corporate sponsorships and suite sales, marketing and promotions, athletic communications, video services, the ticket office, licensing and gophersports.com.

While Coyle was at Boise State, his teams posted the highest grade-point average in school history, with 18 teams establishing GPA records and more than 72 percent of the athletes earning GPAs above 3.0. The Broncos placed the most student-athletes on the Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete team in late 2014.

Coyle has a football background that includes playing the sport at Drake University in Des Moines. He also hired successful Boise football coach Bryan Harsin. After last season at Syracuse he replaced Scott Shafer with one of the hot names in college football coaching, Bowling Green’s Dino Babers.

Moe was impressed with Coyle’s skills and personality back when Coyle was developing his career. “You could see that he had a great future in athletics administration,” Moe told Sports Headliners today.

Media reports indicate Syracuse officials are sorry to see Coyle move on. “You can just tell from the places he’s been and the reviews he’s received, he’s been consistently highly thought of,” Moe said. “I think Syracuse was…both surprised and sorry to see him leave.”

Kaler no doubt finds a lot to like in Coyle who fulfills several criteria considered to be essential for the Gophers’ AD job. Those include prior administrative success, experience in fund-raising and other revenue producing areas, football knowledge, and a familiarity with the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis-St. Paul and the state.

Kaler might be as right with this hire as he was off on Norwood Teague who he made Gophers athletic director in 2012.

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U AD Announcement Coming This Week?

Posted on May 10, 2016May 10, 2016 by David Shama

Sources said yesterday the University of Minnesota is close to announcing the name of its new athletic director.

That announcement may come Thursday or Friday when the University Board of Regents gathers for previously scheduled meetings on the Minneapolis campus. If the new hire isn’t made known Thursday or Friday, then the announcement could be next week.

Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said final candidates for the AD position are being interviewed in town this week. Interviews are being conducted by a five-member group that is a subcommittee of the 16-person committee announced in late March by University president Eric Kaler.

Candidates being interviewed this week have previously been reviewed by the larger committee and Turnkey Search, the firm retained earlier this year by the University to identify and vet candidates. A source who believes the AD announcement could come this week said he expects between two and five names will be forwarded to Kaler. It will be Kaler’s call—not the Regents—as to who will be Minnesota’s next AD.

The final candidates are likely to represent diversity in multiple ways including via gender, ethnicity, education and career background. The group might include African-American Sean Frazier who is the AD at Northern Illinois, and interim Gophers athletic director Beth Goetz. A candidate with a business background like investment celebrity and multi-millionaire Pete Najarian would help present a diverse talent pool to Kaler. Another finalist might be former U Alumni Association head Dr. Phil Esten who is now a leader in the Penn State Athletic Department. He also has extensive sports administrative experience at California, Ohio State and Minnesota.

A source said the final field could include a surprise name or two—candidates who have received minimal or no media attention during the search period that began in late March. Another source said he received many inquiries from potential candidates about the AD job and there was a lot of interest in the position that opened up last summer with the departure of controversial AD Norwood Teague.

It’s not known who comprises the five-person subcommittee; although sources have said Vikings executive Kevin Warren is a participant. Presumably the co-chairs of the 16-member group, Katrice Albert and Perry Leo, are involved, too. Albert is the University’s vice president for equity and diversity. Leo is professor of aerospace engineering and the U faculty athletics representative.

Turnkey has been sorting out candidates for awhile and interviewing began last month. It’s believed many interviews—perhaps all initially—were conducted by telephone. Now with finalists said to be in town, it wouldn’t be surprising if Kaler joined the five-member group and got involved with in-person interviews to further boost confidence in his ultimate decision.

A stumbling block for Kaler and the U could be defining what assurances they will give finalists about the athletic director’s power and line of reporting. Only a weak and compliant candidate will accept the job without promises that he or she can have the resources and authority to be successful.

In big time college athletics there can be variances from school to school regarding who athletic directors report to, and what they can do specific to coaching hires, the recruiting and eligibility of athletes, facilities and fund-raising. Critics continually question the U administration’s commitment to winning in the high profile sports of football, and men’s basketball and hockey.

Kaler has said he wants the new AD to be leading the department by July 1. That timing seems to further support the possibility of someone being hired soon.

Worth Noting

The Twins were swept by the White Sox over the weekend, leaving Minnesota with an American League worst record of 8-23. It was the sixth time this season the Twins have lost every game in a series.

Before the White Sox series Twins president Dave St. Peter talked about the frustration regarding the team with a roster similar to last year’s 83-79 club. “Morale is not high,” he told Sports Headliners. “There’s an intense level of frustration and disappointment but I don’t think anybody inside of our organization views the season as complete. …Almost five months of baseball remaining and there’s an opportunity for us to try and dig our way out of the hole that we are currently in. I still have the belief that we have the talent on this team to do it, and the depth in our minor league system that I think will help us over time. “

Much has been written about the team missing retired outfielder Torri Hunter who was a dynamic leader last season. St. Peter said Hunter has a “unique personality” but expects other players to emerge as leaders. “I don’t think we are where we are because of a leadership void,” St. Peter said.

Adrian Peterson (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

Adrian Peterson told Peter King in a story posted yesterday on MMQB that the Vikings may “win everything” this year. The 31-year-old Vikings running back, who believes his team may be the NFL’s best, predicted he could play until he is 40. But by the time Peterson is 38 he questions having the same love for the game.

Peterson spoke at length about his hometown of Palestine, Texas that has been hit hard by spring flooding. People have died and homes ruined. Peterson has donated $100,000 to those in need and will work this week with the Salvation Army in Palestine, according to King.

Happy 20th birthday today to Timberwolves guard and Minnesota native Tyus Jones.

Herb Carneal, the deceased Twins broadcaster, would have been 93 today.

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Wild Scores with Head Coach Hire

Posted on May 8, 2016May 8, 2016 by David Shama

Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher got his man with last night’s announcement Bruce Boudreau will be the team’s new head coach.

Several days ago a knowledgeable NHL source warned that the Wild better sign him soon. “Others want him,” said the source who spoke anonymously. “He’s the best of the bunch (available coaches).”

The Wild had a vacancy after firing Mike Yeo this winter and replacing him with interim head coach John Torchetti. It’s been reported that Ottawa was interested in Boudreau so Fletcher had a sense of urgency with his new hire.

Boudreau, 61, was fired by the Ducks last month after winning four division titles in Anaheim. He did the same with the Capitals before taking over the Ducks. A former pro player and minor league coach, he is highly regarded. “He’s a very good coach,” the source said.

How good? The source said Boudreau can be ranked among the top “25 percent” of coaches in the NHL. He praised Boudreau for his communications skills with players and being “adept” at making changes.

Chemistry issues appeared to be a locker room problem last season for the Wild, but rather than working with a vastly different roster next season Boudreau probably will have to build cohesion with the players already here including Zach Parise and Ryan Suter who are locked in with expensive long-term contracts. Even with a new coach Fletcher is likely to retain final authority over personnel.

Extensive changes could be much more likely with the coaching staff. Boudreau could hire his own staff leaving the futures of longtime Wild employees Andrew Brunette, Darby Hendrickson and Bob Mason in doubt.

It’s believed Boudreau agreed to a four-year deal perhaps worth about $3 million per year. If so, that would make him among the better compensated coaches in the league and could represent a better deal than Fletcher initially offered. In addition to compensation, Fletcher likely pitched Boudreau on the potential of the Wild and the franchise’s loyal and supportive fan base.

Wild owner Craig Leipold has made his commitment to Fletcher clear despite the team’s inability to make a deep playoff run since the GM was hired in 2009. Sports Headliners’ source suggested, though, if the team starts poorly next season Fletcher will be on the spot.

Fletcher had previously hired three coaches during his era—Todd Richards, Mike Yeo and Torchetti. Yeo was dismissed in February when doubts prevailed about the team making the playoffs. Under Torchetti the club played well enough to just qualify for the postseason, but the inconsistency of play during 2015-2016 continued. The Wild lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Stars.

Fletcher has never hired a coach with the extensive resume of Boudreau who has a 409-192-80 (.659) record in nine seasons as an NHL head coach with the Capitals (2007-2011) and Ducks (2011-2016). He leads active NHL coaches in winning percentage.

Although Boudreau didn’t reach the conference finals with either the Capitals or Ducks, his coaching abilities weren’t unrecognized. He won the 2008 Jack Adams Award honoring the NHL Coach of the Year with the Capitals. He was a runner-up for the award coaching the Ducks in 2013.

Before joining the Capitals, he spent parts of nine seasons as a head coach in the American Hockey League. His Hershey team won the 2006 AHL title and advanced to the 2007 Calder Cup Final.

Boudreau played parts of eight NHL seasons (1976-86) with the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks, scoring 70 points in 141 career games. The native of Toronto, Ont., was originally selected by the Maple Leafs in the third round of the 1975 NHL Entry Draft. He was also selected in the first round of the 1974 World Hockey Association Draft by the Minnesota Fighting Saints and played in 30 games with the St. Paul-based team in 1975-76.

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