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.

Look for Wilf to Assess Vikings

Posted on January 2, 2012January 2, 2012 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema expects Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to demand accountability in the organization following the team’s 3-13 season, among the worst records in franchise history.

“If I was him I would put people on the spot as far as job security,” Lurtsema told Sports Headliners. “From people in draft headquarters to assistant coaches. There’s (got to be) a wakeup call.”

Lurtsema doesn’t expect any change in the head coaching position where Leslie Frazier finished his first full season yesterday during the team’s 17-13 loss to the Bears. Lurtsema, who played 12 NFL seasons for the Vikings, Giants and Seahawks, said the players play hard for Frazier and that’s a “big, big plus.” He also acknowledged the importance of coaching, attributing any team’s success to “65 percent” of what the staff accomplishes.

Before Wilf became a Vikings owner he was a loyal Giants fan and friend of Lurtsema. “I love Zygi Wilf,” Lurtsema said. “I knew him in New York and have done a lot of different things with him.”

Wilf wants the Vikings to be winners and has shown a commitment to spending money for personnel. “After a loss you never see anybody more down than Zygi,” Lurtsema said.

While Wilf can assess the leaders in the organization, it’s up to those authorities to scrutinize themselves and people who work for them, according to Lurtsema who is a passionate follower of the team. Players have to do their own assessments, too. “Everyone has to be accountable,” Lurtsema said. “Being nice will get you nowhere.”

The Vikings need to draft better in the future, according to Lurtsema who credited the organization with “the steal of the draft” in 2011 with the second round selection of tight end Kyle Rudolph. Lurtsema believes the first draft priority in 2012 is a big play wide receiver who can open up the field for the offense. He also said fans have to realize the reality of NFL drafting is “one-third” of the picks will be busts.

Worth Noting

If the Vikings decided to restructure their front office by creating a powerful general manager position, Brian Billick would be an interesting candidate. The former Vikings offensive coordinator and Super Bowl winning head coach with the Ravens is a TV commentator now, but last week expressed interest in the Dolphins coaching job.

Joe Webb considers himself a quarterback, not a wide receiver. His minutes at quarterback have been limited in playing behind Christian Ponder. Why hasn’t he played more?

“They (the coaches) don’t give me a reason,” Webb said last week. “I try not to get into all that. I just try to control what I can control.”

Webb has sometimes been impressive in spot duty but Lurtsema noted those are different circumstances than when opposing defenses game plan for a quarterback’s tendencies week after week. “He’s got a great attitude, studies hard and is athletic,” Lurtsema said.

Webb is conscious of being an upbeat leader. “They (teammates) see you down, they’re going to be down,” he said.

Vikings running back Toby Gerhart was drafted in 2010 but couldn’t participate in the team’s organized team activities because he was finishing school work at Stanford. In 2011 there were no OTA’s due to the NFL labor dispute so he’s looking forward to more thorough offseason preparations in 2012. Adrian Peterson’s left knee injuries have clouded the Vikings’ starting running back situation and yesterday Gerhart also hurt a knee.

“Adrian is a great friend of mine and he’s become like a brother,” Gerhart said recently. “You don’t want to see anybody get hurt, no matter what the circumstance. We pray for a speedy recovery for the interim. …”

Reserve wide receiver Greg Camarillo is a free agent after this season and may not return to the Vikings. Camarillo, who has played six seasons with the Vikings, Dolphins and Chargers, admires Vikings tight end Jim Kleinsasser whose last game yesterday ended a 13 year career.

“I was just telling Jimmy Kleinsasser he’s my hero,”Camarillo said last week. “Because if you can play 13 years and retire on your own free will, instead of injury or something like that, that is truly respectable. To have a career like that guy would be ideal.”

Defensive tackle Kevin Williams has two years remaining on his contract and is 31 years old. He’s undecided how much longer he wants to play, perhaps four or five more seasons. “I know if I can’t play at a high level, I don’t want to do it,” he said.

Glenn Caruso has been named 2011 Division III National Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly. The 37-year-oldSt. Thomas coach led his team to a school-record 13 wins and the program’s first trip to the Division III semifinals. He is also one of five finalists for the Liberty Mutual D-III National Coach of the Year award.

Concordia, St. Paul senior left offensive tackle Tyler Hendrickson placed fifth out of nine national finalists for the 2011 Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year award presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club. The award is given annually to the top NCAA Division II junior or senior lineman (offense or defense) in the nation.

It will be a surprise if major league baseball doesn’t award the 2014 All-Star game to Target Field.

The Timberwolves, who only sold out one game last season, sold out their first two home games this season. The TV rating of 5.6 for the home opener against Oklahoma City was the best in years.

Burt McGlynn, who was a Timberwolves owner and once owned the Minnesota Buckskins of World Team Tennis, died last month. He also owned McGlynn Bakeries.

Former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher said his ex-assistant Jimmy Williams was hired as an assistant at Memphis last month to fill the vacancy left by Luke Walton. Walton was working for the Tigers until the NBA labor dispute was settled and then returned to the Lakers.

Dutcher’s son Brian is the head coach in-waiting at San Diego State. When Steve Fisher retires the school has agreed to promote Brian from assistant to head coach. Jim said the Aztecs, ranked No. 25 in last week’s A.P. poll, are the only nationally rated team on the West Coast and have defeated three Pac-12 schools this season.

The Aztecs play in the Mountain West Conference and among the league’s best teams is UNLV. Jim said UNLV is the “most underrated” team in the country.

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Gophers Roses Sweet, 50 Years Later

Posted on December 29, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

How could I let the memory pass without writing about it?

On Sunday it will be 50 years since the Golden Gophers last played in the Rose Bowl. Back then I was a sophomore at Washburn High in Minneapolis. But on January 1, 1962 I was one of 98,214 fans who watched the Gophers kick butt in a 21-3 win over UCLA.

My family followed the Gophers with passion and arguments often were part of the dinner time conversation at our house. Family opinions differed about head coach Murray Warmath and the personnel on his roster. But we all shared one expectation: the U football program should be among the best in the country.

My dad was a young man when Bronko Nagurski became a national football legend playing for the Gophers. Soon after Nagurski’s playing days ended, coach Bernie Bierman arrived on campus and began reeling off national titles. Before he was through coaching in 1950, Bierman’s teams were credited with five national championships.

At Minnesota you expected to chase Big Ten and national titles. By 1960 the Gophers produced another national championship and a first ever trip to the Rose Bowl. Back then the national champion was named before the bowl games, and a good thing it was for the Gophers. We sat at home and watched in disbelief as Washington upset Minnesota 17-7 in the 1961 Rose Bowl.

I was furious and so was Warmath and the returning players. The Gophers, if the opportunity was there, wanted redemption in another Rose Bowl. The path to Pasadena opened in the fall of 1961 when Big Ten champion Ohio State saw its academic administration (I am not making this up) turn down the Rose Bowl invitation.

The Gophers had finished second in the Big Ten race in 1961 and were happy to head west with probably Warmath’s best team ever. The coach’s teams from 1960-1962 were all national powers and compiled a 22-6-1 record, but the 1961 team was the best balanced offensively and defensively.

Sandy Stephens was a senior All-American quarterback and Bobby Bell was a junior All-American tackle who the following season would win the Outland Trophy. The Gophers had a second tackle, similar to Bell, who was capable of stopping a defense almost by himself, sophomore Carl Eller who would be an All-American in 1963.

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Memorable Train Ride to Pasadena

Posted on December 29, 2011December 29, 2011 by David Shama

I loved those Gophers teams of the early 1960s and when my Uncle John booked a train ride for the two of us to California for the 1962 Rose Bowl I couldn’t wait to hear the conductor yell, “All aboard!” It was a memorable ride through the Rocky Mountains with our first stop in San Francisco. Then it was on to Los Angeles where I read and tried to absorb all I could in anticipation of the game.

In the nights before the Rose Bowl I remember listening to the Lakers on the radio, and also seeing a TV special about Elgin Baylor whose basketball acrobatics had started when the team was in Minneapolis. I reveled in being close to the Lakers again while fighting off the disappointment of the great franchise having relocated from Minneapolis to southern California.

But whatever sorrow I carried gave way to the magical day of January 1, 1962. It was a Rose Bowl scene like you’ve seen so many times over the years on television. Blue sky, steady sunshine and that majestic stadium with 100,000 seats and the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.

I was ready for revenge and so were the Gophers. The final score had Minnesota winning by 18 points but that didn’t indicate the difference between the Gophers and Bruins on this day. The Gophers dominated second half ball possession and other stats for the game. Minnesota had 21 first downs, UCLA eight. The Gophers gained 397 total yards, the Bruins 107.

Stephens was the game’s MVP and is now a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. He scored two of Minnesota’s touchdowns, led the team in rushing yards and completed seven of 11 timely passes.

It was a day for the ages if you were from Minnesota. Not even keys locked inside the rental car could put a dark cloud over my Rose Bowl day experience.

The train ride back home was a blur but one thought dominated my mind. These Gophers, who had finished 6-1 in the Big Ten and 8-2 overall, could beat anybody in the country including 1961 national champion Alabama. The Gophers had lost the opening game in 1961 to Missouri, 6-0, and Wisconsin beat Minnesota 23-21. Nine points stood between the Gophers and another national championship.

Both the final Associated Press and UPI polls ranked Minnesota No. 6 in the nation. It’s the highest ranking the Gophers have had since the national championship season of 1960. Now even the most passionate of fans wouldn’t dare utter a whisper about another national title, but many of us hope for another Rose Bowl.

While generations of Minnesotans have been born and died without another glorious Gophers journey to Pasadena, I can be grateful for the trip and the triumph of 50 years ago.

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