Author: David Shama

The Vikings offensive line allowed three sacks of quarterback Brett Favre in Sunday’s win over Dallas.  Injuries and talent issues are a real problem that could be the reason this team has a short run in the playoffs, if the Vikings qualify.  “They’re bad,” a former NFL assistant coach said on Sunday.

Local author Ross Bernstein wrote a book last year titled “I love Brett Favre, I hate Brett Favre.”  Now he’s working on a similar Randy Moss book due out before Thanksgiving.

The student sale is in progress for Gophers basketball and 97 percent of general public customers have renewed season tickets.  Total season tickets are expected to be 12,000 to 13,000, similar to last season, according to athletic department marketing official Jason LaFrenz.

In year two since he left for New York, the Wild continue to miss high scoring Marian Gaborik and his ability to electrify the home crowd.

Brainerd’s Ron Stolski and Verndale’s Mike Mahlen, the two state prep football coaches with the most all-time career wins, each has 326 victories.  Both teams have games tonight with Brainerd hoping to become 8-0 while Verndale tries to improve its record to 2-6.

The Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association will induct the following into its Hall of Fame on Sunday, October 31 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis: Bill Baumann of North Branch, C.R. “Chuck” Gulsvig of Moorhead, Bruce Kugath of Shakopee, Jerry Litfin of Delano and Roger “Shorty”Schroeder of Willmar.

St. Cloud State quarterback Phillip Klaphake has an eye-catching 170.7 passing efficiency while averaging 240 yards throwing per game.  The Princeton High School grad was chosen NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance last Saturday in a 24-6 win over Southwest Minnesota State.  He accounted for 454 of his team’s total yards.

It’s MIAC showdown time on Saturday when 6-0 Bethel goes to 7-0 St. Thomas to put more definition on the race to win the league title.  While Saint John’s legend John Gagliardi has dominated the MIAC for decades, coaches Steve Johnson of Bethel and Glenn Caruso of St. Thomas have been fielding formidable teams of late.  A standing-room-only crowd of more than 6,000 is expected in the Tommies’ 4,500 seat stadium to watch the Homecoming game.

Sorry I missed it, but a Sports Headliners reader emailed to report that Sunday night’s Sports Huddle TV show had 90-year-old Sid Hartman singing happy birthday to 65-year-old Patrick Reusse.

Hire a high school coach, or bring back Glen Mason?

Ludicrous.

The announcement yesterday that Tim Brewster will not be retained as Gophers coach has set off speculation as to who should replace him.  The hiring of Brewster in January of 2007 was a high risk move, entrusting a Big Ten football program to a guy who had a reputation as an extraordinary recruiter but never had been a college head coach or even a coordinator.

Brewster went 1-11 his first season as he transitioned the Gophers from a successful running team to a spread attack.  His next two seasons the Gophers were 7-6 and 6-7.  Before the 2008 season he dropped the spread in favor of a pro style offense, a change in scheme that was highly visible just like the parade of changes to his coaching staff that includes six different coordinators.

Despite the instability in coaches and changes in X’s and O’s (including on defense) the Gophers wouldn’t have lost 10 of their last 13 games dating back to last season if the recruiting had been as advertised.  Brewster was the biggest fan of his recruiting classes but so far the performance of his players hasn’t matched the coach’s hype.

Brewster’s 6-21 Big Ten record got him fired.  His predecessor, Mason, was 16 games under .500 in conference games in 10 seasons.  That record got him dismissed in January of 2007 and is no endorsement to bringing him back despite a suggestion in a local newspaper last week to make him interim coach.

How the University goes about choosing the next coach will have everything to do with the outcome.  Here’s what should be done:

Minimize risk.  Don’t hire a high school coach, or college assistant with no experience as a coordinator, or a retread former college head coach whose past success was mediocre.  And don’t give the job to a pro assistant coach just because he works for the Vikings (see Darrell Bevell and Leslie Frazier), or used to be with the Purple (see Mike Tice).

It’s all about experience and past success.  Target coaching candidates who have at least a few and preferably several years experience as a head coach at the Division I level.  To be considered the coach needs a winning percentage of about .600 percent or better.  Exceptions can be considered for coaches who have made dramatic progress at historically awful programs.

Age matters.  The Human Resources Department cringes, but let’s be real.  Odds of success favor hiring a coach within a certain age range.  Something like 37 to 53 years old.  Why?  Because too young can translate into not enough experience.  Too old can mean the “fire in the belly” is gone, with less passion and commitment to the mega challenge of making the Gophers a consistent Big Ten title contender.

EXCELLENCE.  There’s a reason the word is spelled in cap letters. The whole search needs to be done with this mantra: “We are committed to hiring a college head coach who is a proven winner.”  No excuses.

Fundraising starts now. The best of efforts must be made to raise money from outside sources to allow the Gophers to compete for top coaches.  There are probably 25 college coaches or more who earn about $1.6 million or greater per season.  Brewster was paid approximately $1 million a year.  Not good enough going forward.

Hit a grand slam home run.  If the mantra demands excellence at the top of the search criteria then the hunt begins with a dream short list.  Can you say Jim Harbaugh, Chris Petersen or Tony Dungy?  Hire any of those guys and the town goes nuts just like when Lou Holtz brought his magic bag here in 1984 and transformed a slum program overnight into a respectable outfit on its way to the Rose Bowl and becoming bigger in this state than the Vikings.

Keep your eye on the criteria.  If the U can’t hit a grand slam home run, then hit a solo shot.  Head coaches like Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham and South Florida’s Skip Holtz are criteria poster boys.  Don’t panic.  The right guy who meets the criteria is out there.

For gosh sake, make sure the administration is on board.  It takes more than a great coach and willing athletic department to have a powerful football program.  The school president and other top leaders have to be arm-in-arm with the coach and supporting his needs.  Gary Barnett led the Northwestern miracle turn around in the mid-1990’s and said about administrators: “They’re not on the outside looking down saying, ‘Good luck.’…”

Check out Wednesday’s column when Sports Headliners will have a more complete list of who should be considered for the job and the names of three coaches the U may ultimately choose from.