P.J. FLECK – Page 25 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Redemption Time for Football Gophers

Posted on November 17, 2022November 27, 2022 by David Shama

What kind of statement will the Golden Gophers football team make in its last two regular season games of the year? The results of Saturday’s home game against Iowa and then November 26 at Wisconsin will say a lot about the program’s status.

The view here is it’s time for the Gophers to earn 2022 and historical redemption. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who was hired in January of 2017, is 0-5 against the border rival Hawkeyes from Iowa. Worse, the Gophers haven’t defeated Iowa since 2014. That win was in Minneapolis and the last victory for the Gophers in Iowa City was 1999.

Floyd of Rosedale photo courtesy of Minnesota athletics communications.

There have been near misses for the Gophers in recent years but “what-ifs” won’t bring the famous bronze pig, Floyd of Rosedale, back to Minneapolis. Minnesota still leads the all-time series 62-51-2, thanks mostly to a stretch of dominance prior to World War II. But the 5-17 record of the new millennium gives passionate Gophers fans pain—hungry as they are for bacon, pork and ham.

Iowa won’t look much different on Saturday than in the recent past. The Hawkeyes’ defense (again) deserves mention with the best in the nation. Mostly a unit with developmental players, including Iowa natives, the Hawkeyes don’t beat themselves with mistakes and they stay true to their assignments. They’re a physical bunch that can knock the enemy on their collective butts and force turnovers.

As usual, Iowa plays for field position and boasts a great punter in Tory Taylor. College football rosters often have Australian punters these days (including Minnesota’s Mark Crawford) but Iowa’s Aussie is special. Taylor ranks third in the Big Ten with a 44.1 yards average for conference games and is deft at sending the football where he wants it to stop.

If you want to piss off Iowa fans, just bring up the names of offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and quarterback Spencer Petras. Struggling offenses are nothing new at Iowa under Brian and there was an offseason fan petition supporting the dismissal of Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz’s son.

Early season offensive production was low even by Iowa standards. The Hawkeyes relied on two safeties and a field goal for points in their season opener, a 7-3 win over South Dakota State. A week later Iowa managed a single offensive touchdown in a loss to Iowa State and even last month the offense was awful in losses to Illinois and Ohio State.

In the last three games Iowa has made strides and totaled 81 points in wins over Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. Iowa’s young offensive line has shown improvement, allowing Petras more time to throw and opening holes for gifted freshman runner Kaleb Johnson.

The Gophers can thump their collective chests over their defense, too. Minnesota ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring defense (16.3 points) for league games, while Iowa is fifth (18). Iowa is giving up 289 yards per league game, Minnesota 318.4, placing both programs among conference leaders. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, like Iowa counterpart Phil Parker, is a gem.

Who wins Saturday? The Gophers could be too emotional for this game at Huntington Bank Stadium and not stay true to their assignments and abilities. But home field and the crowd should be an advantage. If the crowd is at its noisy best, that could cause the Iowa offense to be confused when Petras and the Hawkeyes call signals and attempt to run plays.

To win, the Gophers will need to find their often missing passing game. Minnesota’s quarterback (either Tanner Morgan or Athan Kaliakmanis) will have to make clutch throws to loosen up the Iowa defense. But even with timely and accurate passes, is the suspect Minnesota receiving group going to get separation from defenders and consistently catch balls? Then, too, the offensive line will have to play at its highest level of the year to pass protect the quarterback and provide All-American tailback Mo Ibrahim occasional daylight.

If the Iowa defense forces the Gophers into turnovers and scores off them, it’s all but certain Fleck goes to 0-6 against the Hawkeyes. But in dreary November, why not be an optimist and predict the Gophers’ defense forces Iowa into mistakes and the Minnesota offense is just good enough in a 16-10 win bringing Floyd of Rosedale home.

Redemption road will then present the challenge of defeating Iowa and Wisconsin in the same season for the first time since 1990. Fleck’s teams have won twice against Wisconsin, most recently in Minneapolis last year.

The Gophers will not have a gimme task in Madison. Not with interim coach Jim Leonhard hoping to get the head job permanently and having a roster of players (presumably) all in on the former Badger defensive coordinator. A Wisconsin native who played for the Badgers, nobody has to give Leonhard a history lesson about another famous travelling trophy, Paul Bunyan’s Axe that annually goes to the winner of the Gophers and UW game.

The Badgers’ defense will challenge the suspect Minnesota passing game and if the Gophers have to rely just on Mo, the Axe could be residing in Madison for the next 12 months. The Wisconsin offense is similar to the Gophers, led by superb tailback Braelon Allen but unable to sustain a top passing attack with inconsistent quarterback Graham Mertz. The Badgers are 5-5 overall and 3-4 in conference games.

The Gophers, 7-3 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten games, will write a fulfilling script if they can finish the season with two wins. Fleck and Henry Williams are the only Minnesota football coaches to twice win nine games. Six Big Ten victories would match last year’s 6-3 record and be one win shy of Fleck’s 7-2 mark in 2019. Going 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the conference would boost Fleck’s record at Minnesota to 44-26. That’s a winning percentage of .628 that would rank third among all Gopher head football coaches who coached 45 games or more.

Expectations before the season were that it was finally time for the Gophers to win their first West Division championship. The talent appeared sufficient and the division competition mediocre, but a three-game conference losing streak in October was a major blow, although mathematically the Gophers are still alive in the race.

Illinois, Purdue, Iowa and Minnesota all have the same conference records as they compete for the West Division championship. Unlikely as it may seem, the Illini, Boilermakers and Hawkeyes could all lose a game before the regular season ends. Illinois and Purdue hold wins over Minnesota, and so any tiebreakers in the division standings with the Gophers will go to the Illini and Boilers.

None of the teams in the West, including the title contenders, will be remembered as great teams stocked with future pros. The Athletic’s Chris Vannini offered a ranking this week of major college football’s 131 teams and the list included No. 27 Illinois, No. 30 Minnesota, No. 40 Iowa, No. 41 Purdue and No. 54 Wisconsin.

Long suffering Gophers fans sometimes feel the program that once specialized in Big Ten titles and national championships is just never going to win the West. Well maybe the ghost of Bernie Bierman will hex the Hawkeyes, Badgers, Illini and Boilers, and inspire the Golden Gophers. Wins over Iowa and Wisconsin, and a first-place finish in the West, would be the ultimate Redemption Road for the Gophers.

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A Birthday Toast to Icon Harvey Mackay

Posted on October 23, 2022October 27, 2022 by David Shama

Minnesota icon Harvey Mackay turns 90 tomorrow, October 24. He has impacted a lot of us with his accomplishments and wisdom, including this writer. Speaking for the masses, “Happy Birthday, Harvey!”

Many know Harvey as the founder of a Minneapolis envelope business, but even more of the world knows him as the author of New York Times best-selling business books and as a syndicated columnist for newspapers including the Minneapolis Star Tribune. I have his books and read his columns but more importantly have memories of the kindness he has directed my way over the decades.

In 1990 a new ownership group booted me from my marketing position with the Minnesota North Stars. A few days later the doorbell rang at home announcing a delivery of balloons, along with an encouraging note from Harvey predicting my next career stop would be a home run.

This millennium there have been invitations to fly on a private jet with Harvey and other friends of his to away University of Minnesota football games. He also remembers my birthday every year and has a warm smile on the few occasions our paths may cross these days.

Doing for others is part of his DNA and the importance of giving are words he lives by. Harvey has made a tradition of annually donning a Santa Claus suit and ringing the bell for the Salvation Army in Minnesota. The weather is often frigid but for three hours he helps raise money for the needy because his dad taught him volunteerism should be a priority for everyone.

Harvey has a world-class network of friends, and he makes it a point to know details about them. PR maven Dave Mona recalled that when Harvey travelled internationally, he found places selling commemorative stamps because he had a customer who collected stamps. “Are you going to end your business relationship with someone who adds to your stamp collection?” Mona asked in admiration.

I first met Harvey when I was sports editor of the University of Minnesota’s student newspaper. In the 1960s boosters could help with recruiting and Harvey jumped in with both feet. Growing up in St. Paul he had loved the Gophers and he attended the University where he played on the golf team for legendary coach Les Bolstad.

Graduating in 1954, Harvey had ambitions to play pro golf but despite his fierce drive to excel he realized that career wasn’t going to take off. At age 26 he founded his envelope company located within about a 60 second drive to the U campus.

Why envelopes? Because everybody needs envelopes and Harvey couldn’t envision a time when the world would not. Today he is chairman of MackayMitchell Envelope Company, a $100 million business. The company has 450 employees and manufactures 25 million envelopes a day.

Several years ago, Harvey sent a PDF of a story I wrote about him for the Minnesota Daily in January of 1968. It was headlined: “When Mackay Speaks, Top Athletes Come Here.” The gesture was another example of Harvey’s thoughtfulness.

Harvey helped convince many football and basketball athletes to make the U their college choice. The list includes the late John Williams who was an All-American tackle on the Gophers’ 1967 Big Ten title team, and 1969 basketball captain Al Nuness who became a vice president at Jostens. “I tell the kids about the great job opportunity here after graduation, the M Club, the law school and things like that,” Harvey said in the article.

In the 1970s I wrote a cover story for Corporate Report magazine with Harvey’s photo in the foreground and a domed stadium in the background. The Twins and Vikings were getting restless about the limited capacity and revenue sources at Met Stadium. Harvey, as president of the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, helped lead a drive that eventually turned a domed stadium into the reality of the Metrodome.

The Metrodome opened in 1982 and a couple of years later Twins owner Calvin Griffith could break his lease if not enough tickets were sold. He could then relocate the franchise if he chose to do so. Harvey got an idea and marshalled the help of others in the business community. One day he walked up to the stadium box office and ordered 45,400 tickets to alleviate the problem, according to a 1984 New York Times article.

Several months before that Harvey chased down Arkansas head football coach Lou Holtz, and with U AD Paul Giel in the hospital, convinced Holtz to take the Gophers’ job. Harvey revered Giel who was an All-American golden boy as a Gopher athlete, a star for the ages in football and baseball in the early 1950s who became Minnesota’s athletic director in 1971. (BTW) Tom Brokaw will tell you about riding the train from South Dakota in his youth to watch Giel run and pass the football for the Gophers in Memorial Stadium.

At my request several years ago, Harvey spoke to a club that I belong to and he brought up Giel’s name. “If 100 people walked into a room where Paul Giel was, 100 people wouldn’t like Paul Giel. 100 people would love him.”

Harvey has maintained a connection to Gopher football to this day and he has built a friendship with coach P.J. Fleck. “Happy birthday, Harvey,” Fleck said last week. “Harvey has been very instrumental in…my time here. He always says, ‘I only need 37 seconds.’

“He’s given me some incredible wisdom and perspective in the six years I’ve been here, and he’s become a really good friend to me. He’s been in our locker room…after games, and he’s always just there to be able to talk through some things.”

Fleck said Harvey will ask him what is going on and what he’s thinking about to gauge the coach’s state of mind. “He always has something for that exact way of thinking of the thing that I am going through, and I think that’s what makes him special,” Fleck said. “It’s not just some broad terms, he really breaks it down to what I am doing, what our team is doing and really kind of hits home the message.

“But one thing always sticks out to me is, ’I need 37 seconds.’ …That’s how he gets in the door.”

Harvey has relished challenges all his life. Deep into his adult years he decided to become a superb amateur tennis player and he did by taking lessons and having a dogged pursuit of his goal.

More than 30 years ago Minnesotans scoffed at the idea of Minneapolis hosting the Super Bowl. Mona remembers everyone thought it was a crazy idea to convince NFL powers to come here in the dead of winter, but Harvey said, “We’re going to win this.”

Then he proceeded to sell everyone on all the assets and things this area has to offer. With the efforts of Harvey and many others, Minneapolis won the bid for the 1992 Super Bowl. The city also hosted the 2018 Super Bowl.

Harvey is famous for his Mackay Morals in his columns and books. One of them is: Life is 10 percent how you make it and 90 percent how you take it.

Over the decades Harvey has gotten up off the mat many times. In his birthday email to me in 2021 he wrote about his months of struggles with COVID. Whether it’s illness or a back issue hospitalizing Harvey, he always fights back. He loves life and every second is precious.

My phone calls with him most always include a warning about his time constraints. He describes time management as the most important management of all. It is the one resource we cannot buy or replace. That’s why those in Harvey’s world can expect brief phone calls and sometimes at odd hours of the day and night.

Greg Bailey, Harvey’s right-hand man for all things needed, was asked if there is a curfew on the calls? “That’s gotten better. He used to call pretty much any time but now he doesn’t call before 6:30, 7 in the morning and (after) 11 at night.”

Harvey can view sleep as a waste of time. I remember decades ago when it was a big deal for Americans to visit Fidel Castro’s Cuba. Harvey was part of a business delegation that visited Havana, and he didn’t go to sleep while he was there because he didn’t want to miss anything.

Bailey smiled when a visitor referred to him as Harvey’s do-it-all assistant. “It’s almost like a marriage,” Bailey said. “When he had dinner with my wife, when I was almost hired for the job, he asked, ‘You know this is kind of like a marriage if we get together? My wife turned to him and said, ‘As long as you remember I am his first wife.’ “

Bailey’s life is more exciting than when he was writing annual reports pre-Harvey. He talks about the fun of those Gopher football trips and “rubbing shoulders” with some of the most famous people on the planet including Muhammad Ali. “It’s been 27 plus years working hand-in-hand. Very interesting, that’s for sure.”

Harvey and wife Carol Ann were close friends with Ali and his wife Lonnie. Ali is gone now as is another friend, Larry King. They would have been entertained at a mega birthday bash Harvey is throwing in November in Phoenix. Friends are coming in from all over for a celebration weekend that includes an Elton John concert November 11 at Chase Field. Harvey will also celebrate tomorrow night with a smaller gathering at an Arizona restaurant.

Before Harvey ever bonded with Ali, he did his homework and learned the heavyweight boxing champion—sometimes referred to as the most famous person in the world—loved magic and performed tricks. Well, guess who taught himself magic to make an impression?

Harvey can also play tricks on his friends. He shared a story awhile back about Ali and King that is a favorite. “Larry loved boxing and Muhammad Ali,” Harvey wrote via email. “He once wrote in his column in USA Today that meeting Muhammad was ‘the biggest thrill in my life … I couldn’t sleep last night … chills running up and down my spine.’

“One night I was having dinner with Larry in New York, and I brought Muhammad with me as a surprise. Suddenly a woman came up and said, ‘Oh, Mr. Mackay, I’ve read all your books … Can I have your autograph?’

“Larry went nuts and said, ‘Don’t you know who this is? This is Muhammad Ali. Don’t you want his autograph?’

“I looked at Larry and said you bit it hook, line and sinker. I paid her $50 an hour to come up and ask for my autograph.

“We were still laughing about that years later. But the point is don’t ever be boring. Don’t be predictable. Show some creativity with your friends and have some fun.”

Mona and his wife Linda will be part of the group that will be on the receiving end of that creativity and fun next month for the birthday extravaganza in Phoenix. Mona marvels at the life Harvey has led and the vibrancy he still possesses.

“He is a lifetime learner. It’s amazing as he approaches 90. …He is one of the most curious people I’ve ever met.”

That’s Harvey. He will find something that intrigues him and off he goes.

“He’s never allowed himself to go stale,” Mona said. “Constantly looking for new mountains to climb, new things to master. …Quality golfer who became a world-class tennis player. How often does something like that happen? But he has always kept himself in good shape and he has remained both physically and mentally active, and he loves a challenge. Because if he hears someone is (an) underdog he wants to get involved.”

Oh, and BTW, earlier this month Harvey came out with a new book: Harvey Mackay’s ABCs of Success. It’s a busy fall for Harvey—just the way he likes it.

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U Football Frustration Merited, But…

Posted on October 18, 2022November 16, 2022 by David Shama

The results of the last two Golden Gophers football games are frustrating enough but now Minnesota goes on the road to play No.16 ranked Penn State with an uncertain quarterback situation. Tanner Morgan, the winningest Gopher quarterback in program history, was injured last Saturday and is being monitored this week by medical advisors.

Redshirt junior reserve Cole Kramer wasn’t available Saturday to relieve Morgan because of injury. Coach P.J. Fleck said Kramer’s status for Penn State is uncertain. That could leave quarterback duties up to redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis who fumbled a snap and threw two interceptions in relief of Morgan.

Consecutive losses to Purdue and Illinois have resulted in a 1-2 Big Ten record, and frustration by the fanbase. It’s a long shot now the Gophers can win a first-ever West Division championship. Fans are rightfully hungry for a division title now that Fleck is in his sixth season leading the program.

Critics are piling on Fleck after 20-10 and 26-14 losses in the last two games (Gophers have a 4-2 overall record). He is unlikely to deliver a division title to Dinkytown until next season at the earliest, but his resume is solid while coaching at one of the most difficult places to win in the Big Ten.

Other than Nebraska, the Gophers have to go farther to recruit much of their roster than any school in the conference. Out of state recruiting is a must because Minnesota high schools don’t produce a lot of Big Ten prospects. And when it comes to recruiting, remember this about the University of Minnesota: the Gophers don’t cheat by paying players like some of their Power Five rivals. That puts programs like Minnesota at a competitive disadvantage.

The Gophers are a developmental program with a roster that has no five-star and few four-star players coming out of high school. Often developing talent works but there are also ongoing times of poor results. An epicenter in the last two games is the receiving corps. Too often receivers aren’t gaining separation to get open. There are instances where effort is lacking, like not contesting a catch or poor route running.

To be successful the Gophers need balance between passing and running. The passing game didn’t show up in the last two losses, with Minnesota scoring a total of 24 points. In the first four games of the season Minnesota had that balance and scored over 30 points in three nonconference wins and a Big Ten road victory at Michigan State. No doubt, though, one of the nation’s easiest schedules helped fuel the Gophers’ success.

In both losses this fall Minnesota trailed at the half, part of a history of not being able to stage second half comebacks. At one point in Jerry Kill’s coaching career at Minnesota his teams were 0-22 when trailing at halftime. Using a run-heavy offense over the years, the Gophers are currently 0-31 in their last 31 games when trailing by 10 points or more, per ESPN. Minnesota fell behind by 10 points early in their Purdue and Illinois losses.

Kill, a talented coach like Fleck, never won a division title while leading the Gophers from 2011 thru part of the 2015 season. Glen Mason, who coached some of the greatest rushing teams in program history, didn’t win a Big Ten title during his run in Minneapolis from 1997-2006.

Minnesota is a difficult place to win consistently and at a high level. The Gophers haven’t won a Big Ten title since 1967 under coach Murray Warmath who was fired after the 1971 season for losing too many games. Since then, Minnesota has plowed through nine coaches including Fleck who has a resume that deserves respect.

Including bowl games, Fleck is 39-25 at Minnesota, with a winning percentage of .609 that ranks third in program history among head coaches who led the Gophers in 45 games or more. His Big Ten record is 22-24 but none of eight predecessors won more league games than they lost and most of them didn’t even come close. Warmath at 66-57-4 was the last Minnesota coach to have a winning record in conference games. Fleck’s 7-2 and 6-3 league records in 2019 and 2021 are among the best at Minnesota in more than 60 years.

Fleck is the only Gopher coach to go undefeated in bowl games. The Gophers have won three consecutive postseason games including the New Year’s Day Outback Bowl against Auburn after which they finished No. 10 nationally in the final AP poll.

Minnesota is 15-5 in its last 20 away games. Maybe the Gophers surprise their critics Saturday night and make it 16-5.

Wolves Owner Expects Fast Start

The Timberwolves play five of their first six games at Target Center including the season opener Wednesday night against the Thunder. The Wolves also have nine of their first 12 games at home—and for the most part the opponents are not a who’s who of NBA heavyweights.

With a reconfigured roster led by newly acquired all-NBA center Rudy Gobert and coming off a 46-36 season in 2021-2022, owner Glen Taylor has expectations for a fast start. “Well, I looked at the schedule. I think we’re playing against teams that I would say we have a very good chance of beating on paper. …Then we have the home games so expectations (are) we should come out of these first group of games with a pretty good record.”

Taylor has owned the franchise since 1994 and there have been plenty of difficult seasons. He counts the Kevin Garnett era and one season with Jimmy Butler as times of high expectations, along with right now. “This is the third time where I think we have a really good team, and my expectations are that we should go far into the season and do very well. You know it’s going to be fun for our fans, including myself.”

The way Taylor sees it is his team can make a statement in its first 12 games. “We have a history of not doing well against teams we should win (against). …Teams that are missing their stars, we go ahead and lose the game, and stuff like that. You know my expectations (are) that won’t happen this year.

“Get off to a good start. Now that’s good for the players but it’s also good for our fans too because I think it gets their interest and we’ll have a bigger attendance. …I think they’ll get behind the players (and) just motivate them to a higher level of play.”

Taylor also wants to see his team have playoff success, going beyond the first round of the postseason. That’s something Minnesota hasn’t done since 2004. The sting of last spring’s playoff series loss will last awhile since many observers will argue the Wolves were superior to the Grizzlies.

“That’s my expectation (to get beyond the first round),” Taylor said. “I think with the guys that we have, if other than injuries, they should deliver that. I am really confident in our coaching. I think they’ll get the most out of these guys. That’ll make a difference.”

A factor in how successfully the Wolves start the season will be the performance of Karl-Anthony Towns. The all-NBA big man has been asked to switch from center to power forward, and complicating the transition is an undisclosed illness that hospitalized him at the start of training camp.

Taylor didn’t describe the medical problem Towns faced. “Well, I am not going to go into it. They kept me advised everything that was going on. It was a setback, but we are hopeful given the next couple of weeks that he can get his strength and weight back.”

Taylor also said that as Towns recovers it doesn’t mean he “can’t play well.”

Is the nature of the medical issue something that can re-occur? “I don’t think so,” Taylor answered.

New owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are scheduled soon to make another installment on the payment plan leading to their taking over majority ownership of the Wolves and WNBA Lynx by December of 2023. Taylor believes the process is on schedule. “My expectation (is) that the end of this year they would be obligated to make their second payment.”

For now Taylor is basking in a time of high expectations for his team. A visitor suggested there is a buzz about the Wolves. “You’re correct,” the 81-year-old owner said.

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