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.

Expect Both Gray & Shortell to Play Tomorrow

Posted on September 9, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Fans will attend tomorrow’s Gophers home opener against New Mexico State hoping to watch both MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell. It’s not likely they will be disappointed.

Despite Shortell’s impressive fourth quarter debut last week at USC, Minnesota coach Jerry Kill has made it clear Gray is still the No. 1 quarterback. The New Mexico State game, though, figures to be so one-sided that Shortell, a freshman, will at least be given mop-up duties in the third or fourth quarter.

The Aggies are a prime candidate to be the worst team on the Minnesota schedule this season. New Mexico State hasn’t played in a bowl game since 1960 and that’s not likely to change in 2011. The Aggies, 5-20 the last two seasons, lost their opening game last Saturday to Ohio in Las Cruces, 44-24, gaining 362 yards passing but only six running. Pre-season media and coaches polls predicted the Aggies will finish last in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Aggies are 0-6 historically in games against Big Ten teams. They have been out- scored 336 to 41.

The New Mexico State schedule matches the Aggies against 13 schools this season. The Aggies don’t have a winning record against any of them, including Fresno State (0-17) and Utah State (7-27).

As for Gray and Shortell, Kill likes to be aggressive with the use of his quarterbacks. When he coached at Northern Illinois, he was willing to play more than one QB in a game. That’s definitely a possibility tomorrow.

Shortell gave the coach a shot of confidence when he rallied the Gophers to a near win in the fourth quarter. Gray, a junior, had to leave the USC game because of cramping that Kill said might have been caused by both dehydration and anxiety. Both Gray and Shortell were seeing the most extensive playing time at quarterback of their college careers.

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Worth Noting

Posted on September 9, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

USC dropped out of the Associated Press top 25 after the Trojans’ close victory, 19-17, over the Gophers.

There are only five major college head coaches who have assistants with more total consecutive years with their bosses than Kill. No. 1 is Joe Paterno with a staff total of 173 years, followed by Gary Pinkel, 120; Frank Beamer, 116; Jim Grobe, 111; Kirk Ferentz, 99; and Kill, 94. It’s impressive that Kill’s longevity with his assistants has been compiled at five different schools while the others have either been at one or two programs.

The New Mexico Sate depth chart includes starting offensive right guard Andrew Kersten from Washburn High by way of El Camino College.

Edina High senior Nick Rallis has verbally committed to the Gophers and could join brother Mike on the Gophers roster next season. Mike is a junior linebacker for Minnesota and Nick could be a college safety. Mike was asked to compare himself as a high school senior with his brother.

“He’s a lot more technically sound than I was,” Mike said. “He’s a lot smarter than I was. …He’s an absolute student of the game. When I was in high school I watched a little bit of film, but I can’t even imagine watching the amount of film he watches.”

The Gophers depth chart is loaded with inexperienced offensive linemen. Senior center Ryan Wynn said there’s no way to completely prepare for the transition from high school to college line play. A big difference is the “speed” of the defensive linemen, Wynn said.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson needs one more rushing touchdown to become the franchise’s career leader. Peterson, Bill Brown and Chuck Foreman all have 52 touchdowns.

Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder earned his bachelor’s degree in finance in less than three years at Florida State, then had his MBA before his senior season playing for the Seminoles.

Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier works with All-Pro Dads, an organization that emphasizes fathers placing family first.

Former Vikings defensive lineman Keith Millard is the defensive line coach for Tampa Bay. The Bucs play the Vikings a week from Sunday at Mall of America Field.

The Lynx’s Lindsay Whalen broke the franchise single season record for assists last night with her 185^th assist in the first quarter, then had nine more assists in the game. She was the WNBA’s Player of the Month in August, averaging a league point guard best of 14.2 points and 5.8 assists.

MIAC football favorite St. Thomas plays at UW-River Falls tomorrow. Then coach Glenn Caruso’s team starts the conference schedule on September 17 at home against St. Olaf. WCCO Radio broadcasts Tommies games as part of a two-year deal that began this season.

Gophers left-handed pitcher Tom Windle is ranked as a top 20 Northwoods League prospect by both Baseball America and Perfect Game USA scouting service.

Canterbury Park closes its season this weekend with racing tonight, tomorrow afternoon and a special 11 a.m. start on Sunday. Admission is free all three days.

Correction: the September 6 Sports Headliners said New Mexico State isn’t on future Gophers football schedules but the Aggies return to Minneapolis in 2016.

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Ex-U AD Tried to Hire Bob Stoops

Posted on September 6, 2011October 9, 2011 by David Shama

McKinley Boston told Sports Headliners during a telephone interview last week that he tried to hire Bob Stoops as Gophers football coach when Boston was Minnesota’s athletic director.

The Gophers were floundering after the 1995 season under coach Jim Wacker. Wacker was 3-8 in 1995 and had won just seven Big Ten games in four seasons at Minnesota after Boston had hired him away from TCU. The “Air Wacker” show was a success offensively, but the Gophers defense was a “bomb.”

Boston, now athletic director at New Mexico State, comes to town this week for Saturday’s game between the Aggies and Gophers. He talked last Friday about his memories at Minnesota, where he played for the Gophers from 1964-67, and later served as athletic director and then as University vice president for student affairs.

Boston said back in the mid-1990s he had the commitment of governor Arne Carlson, University president Nils Hasselmo and Minnesota’s Board of Regents to take Gophers football “back to the glory days” of the 1960s. “We knew the (public) perception that we were not committed (to improving football),” Boston said.

Stoops, then the defensive coordinator for coach Steve Spurrier at Florida, was one of the hottest young names in college coaching. The Gophers were prepared to offer a $1 million per season salary, far above the going rate at that time for a big time head coach.

Spurrier, though, advised his young assistant (35) to wait another season, predicting the Gators would win a national championship in 1996 and Stoops could have his pick of head coaching jobs. Stoops, who knew the Big Ten from playing and later coaching at Iowa, was also incentivized to stay at Florida by a $500,000 raise, according to Boston. “If Spurrier doesn’t do what he did, I think we get him,” Boston said.

Oklahoma hired Stoops after the 1998 season and in 2000 he won the national championship. His record at Oklahoma is among the best in the country and he’s won seven Big 12 titles.

Wacker was allowed to coach one more season at Minnesota after the Stoops mission failed, finishing 1996 with a 1-7 conference record, 4-7 overall. By then Boston had moved into academic administration at the U and Gophers athletic director Mark Dienhart hired Glen Mason from Kansas as head football coach.

Boston has been athletic director at New Mexico State since December of 2004. He hired Hal Mumme whose passing circus was similar to Wacker’s and so was his record, never having a winning season with the Aggies. Now Boston’s coach is DeWayne Walker who played for the Gophers in 1980-81 and was defensive coordinator at UCLA before going to New Mexico State. Walker’s first two seasons have been difficult, winning five games and losing 20. Both New Mexico State and Minnesota are historically known as challenging places to win football games.

“I am very optimistic about this season,” Boston said last week. “This is his (Walker’s) third year. There’s a lot of chemistry and a lot of discipline.”

Boston, 65, plans to continue at New Mexico State for another “four or five years.” This week will likely be his only return to Minneapolis as AD watching the Aggies since Minnesota and New Mexico State aren’t scheduled to play beyond this season.

On Friday night a lot of Boston’s Minnesota friends will gather for a homecoming party at J.D. Hoyt’s downtown. “Minnesota was home for a long time,” Boston said. “I spent a total of 15-16 years there. Lots of friends and lots of memories. I am looking forward to it (coming back).”

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