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.

Gophers Ties Bind Men Decades Later

Posted on May 30, 2012May 30, 2012 by David Shama

John Williams will have kidney transplant surgery next week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. How could Williams have known more than 40 years ago that his organ donor would be someone he met as a Gophers football hero?

Williams was an all-Big Ten offensive tackle on the 1967 Gophers team that tied for the conference championship. Another young man associated with the team was Steve Nestor, now a Glenwood, Minnesota businessman, but back then he was one of the Gophers trainers.

Williams and Nestor share a passion for the Gophers. Their friendship has grown over the years. “We reconnected about four years ago,” Williams told Sports Headliners. “He’s a person of integrity and high moral values.”

A few years ago Williams, who played in the NFL before setting up a dental practice in north Minneapolis, was informed he had kidney disease and eventually would need a transplant. Last fall Williams learned that he would need the transplant before 2012 ended. Word got out to his family and many friends around the country. Many individuals expressed interest in being a donor including Nestor.

“I feel very humbled and appreciative of all the people who stepped forward,” Williams said. “It’s hard to put into words how I feel about Steve. It says who he is.”

The willingness of others to help says a lot about Williams also. Even last weekend a group email was circulating with messages offering prayers and good wishes from his many friends.

Williams is not just any ex-football hero. He chose to practice dentistry on the north side, a place where he can not only provide service but be a role model to young African-Americans and others in that inner city community. For years he’s been recognized for his volunteer efforts.

Williams is a lay minister who for more than 25 years has visited prisoners. A commitment to helping others was formed at an early age, back in Ohio where his father was a Baptist minister. “I grew up in the church,” Williams said.

Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was angry when Williams, then a much sought after high school star in Toledo, said no to the Buckeyes and accepted a scholarship to Minnesota. It was with the Gophers that he first started a life in Minneapolis and built a network of teammates who remain close to him to this day.

Those teammates and other friends know Williams for his cheerful disposition. Some of them know him as “Burgerbare.” That’s a nickname placed on Williams years ago when a football teammate learned that every night he went out for malts and hamburgers.

During this time of stress, prayers are welcome for Williams, Nestor and their families. “I know I have a long recovery ahead and I know we will need prayers going forward,” Williams said.

Williams expects to make a full recovery, planning to be back practicing dentistry in July. He also said that donors like Nestor typically live longer than others, perhaps partially because of their commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

A CaringBridge website for Williams has been posted to share his story and provide updates on his progress. https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnbjwilliams

Nestor said in an email to friends he realized awhile back that he was meant to be the kidney donor. He wrote that friends are “God’s way of taking care of us.”

Nestor and Williams will head to the Mayo Clinic soon, with the transplant scheduled next Tuesday. “Our task at hand is to get John healthy and we are facing this challenge together,” Nestor wrote. “It quite simply is no more than that.”

Williams was a Time Magazine first team All-American offensive tackle in 1967. He switched from fullback to tackle during his Gophers career and his run blocking was a key part of the team’s Big Ten title drive during 1967, his last season with Minnesota.

He was a first round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts and later played for the Los Angeles Rams. During a professional career that ended in 1980 he played in three Super Bowls including for the 1971 champion Colts.

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Vikings Stadium Raises Bar for U

Posted on May 25, 2012May 25, 2012 by David Shama

Financial support for a new Vikings stadium has been approved by the Minnesota legislature and endorsement is expected today from the Minneapolis City Council. The new facility will generate significant additional revenues for the Vikings, state, city, and local businesses, while also creating jobs for Minnesotans.

There will be many who benefit — but don’t include the Gophers football program in the group of beneficiaries. Yes, the Gophers athletic department can rake in up to $300,000 per game when the Vikings use TCF Bank Stadium for home games during a portion of the construction period for their new facility.

But the Gophers would have been winners five times over if the Vikings didn’t earn approval for a new stadium and instead packed their bags for Los Angeles. If the Gophers had this football market to themselves they would have more fans, financial support and media scrutiny, creating much higher expectations and pressure to put a better team on the field year after year.

Until 1961 when the Vikings started play in the NFL, the Gophers were the only big time football attraction in the state. In the early years of the Vikings franchise the Gophers played in front of sellout crowds, drawing over 60,000 fans to Memorial Stadium. The new pro team in town struggled to attract 40,000 fans.

But by the mid-1960s the Gophers were losing fans and the Vikings were expanding their audience and revenues. With only one exception this has completely been a Vikings state ever since. Lou Holtz arrived as Gophers coach in 1984 and within two years his magic act had not only vastly improved the football product but season tickets were pushing toward 60,000.

The Vikings were losing football games and followers while the Gophers were soaring in popularity during the Holtz era. Vikings coach Les Steckel’s 3-13 season in 1984 prompted Bud Grant to come out of retirement to mastermind not only a better team, but jump-start interest in the franchise.

Holtz left Dinkytown after two years, whistling the Notre Dame fight song while making his way to South Bend where he would coach the Irish to renewed glory for 11 seasons including the 1988 national championship. The Gophers reverted to losing football games and customers—the profile the program has mostly kept in place for more than 40 years.

There are multiple reasons Gophers football has floundered for decades but the presence of the Vikings can be counted among them. The public pressure to have Gophers football be something special lessened with the arrival of the Vikings and has remained minimal compared to before they arrived.

Minnesota won 17 Big Ten football championships and six national championships prior to 1961. The Gophers have one Big Ten title since, sharing the 1967 championship with Purdue and Indiana.

Gophers administrators will maintain publicly, just like their predecessors, that the presence of the Vikings doesn’t have anything to do with their program. Baloney. On Vikings football Sundays the team is followed by millions of Minnesotans. Hundreds of thousands may not know the Gophers are playing on college football Saturdays.

With the spotlight on the Vikings and lousy football at the U, generations of potential Gophers fans have been lost. The pathetic student attendance at Gophers games has something to do with the Vikings, too. It wouldn’t be surprising if a poll of University of Minnesota students showed more of them are Vikings fans than Gophers followers.

This column isn’t about criticizing the Vikings or their fan base. I attended the team’s first game at Met Stadium in 1961 and now cover the team on a regular basis. I “get it” that the NFL is the most popular sport in America and there’s no expectation that will change in the future. The Vikings are one of the league’s stronger brands and the club’s passionate following includes season ticket holders who come to Minneapolis in large numbers from even outside the state.

The new Vikings stadium will be another challenge for the Gophers. The facility is likely to have a retractable roof so outdoor football is no longer an amenity claimed only by the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. The stadium, perhaps the best in college football, will within a few years no longer be the newest football facility in town.

That’s another edge for the Vikings who are in competition with the Gophers for ticket sales, suites, stadium signage, broadcast ratings and fees, sponsorships and merchandising. The best way the Gophers can respond is with a winning team under second-year coach Jerry Kill. He’s a promising leader who could create the best possible scenario for Minnesotans who want to see both the Vikings and Gophers thrive.

While the Vikings watch their new stadium being constructed, public interest in them will be enhanced. The Gophers need to finally become winners or else they will maintain their low profile. If the Gophers didn’t know it before this spring, the Vikings aren’t going away.

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Draft Big Potential Step for Twins

Posted on May 23, 2012May 23, 2012 by David Shama

The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft next month could be a significant step in rebuilding the Twins franchise. After finishing with 99 losses last season and starting this year with an American League worst record of 15-27, it’s indisputable the franchise is looking for lots of talent on the big league roster and in the minor league system.

The Twins will have the second pick in the draft that begins on Monday, June 4 and continues through Wednesday, June 6. The Twins will also choose players at the No. 32 and 42 spots in the early drafting, plus four other picks before the draft ends.

The overall 2012 draft pool might not be the most talent-filled compared to predecessors but choosing at No. 2 after Houston is an extraordinary opportunity for the Twins. Baseballamerica.com lists the five top prospects as outfielder Byron Buxton, catcher Mike Zunino and right-handed pitchers Kyle Zimmer, Mark Appel and Kevin Gausman.

The Twins are struggling on the major and minor league levels to find starting pitching so one of the right-handers could be the choice at No. 2 in the draft. But there’s some bias against taking a pitcher so high for fear of an arm injury. Back in 2001 Twins general manager Terry Ryan passed on super pitching prospect Mark Prior and took catcher Joe Mauer with the first pick in the draft. It was a savvy move as Prior later developed arm problems while Mauer became a three-time batting champion for the Twins.

After returning as general manager during the last off-season, Ryan knows he’s on the spot to produce a great draft next month. He’s got plenty of help, though. Like other major league clubs, the Twins employ a lengthy roster of scouts.

The Twins media guide lists a scouting staff of 55 names. The roster includes director of scouting Deron Johnson and four major league scouts, one advance scout and one professional scout. But most of the scouts are looking for talent not already at the major league level with assignments in the U.S., Australia, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Panama,Venezuela and other countries.

That global commitment is documented by the organization’s roster of foreign born players as of 2011: Aruba, 1; Australia, 10; Canada, 5; Cuba, 1; Czech Republic, 1; Dominican Republic, 36; Germany, 2; Japan, 1; Mexico, 2; Netherlands, 1; Panama, 1; Puerto Rico, 8; South Africa, 1; Taiwan, 3; Venezuela, 31.

The Twins won’t, of course, fill all their personnel needs at next month’s draft. They will just try to secure a big contributor—or two or three—for future seasons, while continuing to look for talent all over the world.

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