Gophers Football – Page 147 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Griffen Return Depends on Who Ask

Posted on October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 by David Shama

A Monday notes column including results of time spent yesterday at U.S. Bank Stadium asking about Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen.

Griffen has been on leave since last month because of mental health issues. His whereabouts are a closely guarded secret, as they should be as he receives professional consultation. This is a serious situation with one Vikings source telling Sports Headliners, “He’s got a lot of demons.”

The Vikings come off of a bye week when they play the NFC North Division leading Bears on November 18, and there’s some opinion Griffen could return for that game.

However another source close to the organization said, “He might not ever be back.”

Ever, as the saying goes, is a long time, and Griffen is only 30 years old and an important part of the defense. He finished fourth in the NFL last season with a career-best 13 sacks and was named second team All-Pro.

Griffen is an emotional player and there is an upside to that with a source saying the Vikings not only miss his physical skills, but also “the goofy leadership” of the nine-year pro. That same source, a person with decades of experience in the NFL, said Griffen’s replacement, third year pro Stephen Weatherly, has been better than the team expected.

The Vikings’ top performer now at defensive end is Danielle Hunter. The 23-year-old is becoming a star and has learned from Griffen and others. “We all miss him out here. As a defense, we hope he is doing good and we hope to see him soon,” said Hunter.

The coaching staff of the Cardinals team the Vikings defeated yesterday includes Steve Heiden from Rushford, Minnesota. The assistant offensive line coach began his coaching career in the NFL at Concordia in St. Paul in 2012 after 11 seasons in the NFL.

Running back Mohamed Ibrahim from the Gophers was announced this morning as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his 157-yard performance last Saturday in Minnesota’s loss to Ohio State.

Word is the 2019 St. Thomas-St. John’s football game will be played at the Minnesota United’s new Allianz Field. The 2017 game at Target Field had announced attendance of 37,355, a Division III record crowd.

The storied rivalry went to another level last Saturday when the Johnnies paid tribute to their legendary coach John Gagliardi, who died earlier this month. The Johnnies ended the Tommies’ 31-game conference win streak in a matchup between two of Division III’s best football teams.

MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane on Gagliardi’s legacy: “There will never be another John Gagliardi. He was a pioneer in the way he approached his craft and it made him a household name in the world of college football. More important than his success on the field, however, was the impact he had on literally thousands of young men and women over the years. …Everyone who was fortunate enough to cross paths with John was better for it and his light in our world will be deeply missed.”

Interesting future dates on the calendar? If the Timberwolves trade Jimmy Butler to the Heat, they won’t see him at Target Center until near April Fools’ Day. The Heat comes to Minneapolis for an April 5 game, and the Wolves play in Miami on December 30.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino hosts his annual reception to raise awareness and fight cancer from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. November 4 at Interlachen Country Club in Edina. Pitino said he has raised a “couple hundred thousand dollars” in the past. “It’s been a fun event to be a part of,” he said.

More information, including about tickets and sponsorships, is available at coachesvscancerminnesota.org.

Tickets for the April 6 Final Four and April 8 NCAA title game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis will be hard to come by but Final Four Friday on April 5 will offer free admission to see how the facility has been modified for basketball and also watch the teams practice.

It could be quite a homecoming for Minneapolis area basketball players if Athlon magazine nails its 2019 Final Four prediction of participating teams—Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Gonzaga. Geno Crandall and Reid Travis now play for Gonzaga and Kentucky respectively, but in high school attended DeLaSalle. Tre Jones of Duke is a former Apple Valley Eagle.

Eric Musselman, son of former Gophers and Timberwolves coach Bill Musselman, has turned Nevada into a national power, with Athlon placing the Wolf Pack No. 5 in its preseason national rankings after Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas.

Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium events promoters have ongoing interest in bringing the college football national championship game to Minneapolis.

Former Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has struggled at the plate since joining the Dodgers and is hitting .133 in his last 30 games. Dozier has limited plate appearances in the playoffs this fall, with four at bats and one hit.

University of Minnesota volleyball head coach Hugh McCutcheon will be inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame on Nov. 10 in Holyoke, Mass., the location of the sport’s birthplace. Among his many achievements are coaching the 2008 U.S. men to the Olympic gold medal, and the 2012 American women to the silver.

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” yesterday that Maturi Pavilion, where McCutcheon’s teams play, will have air conditioning installed next year.

Among those on the University of Minnesota Presidential Search Committee to find a replacement for Eric Kaler is former Gophers football player and Minneapolis businessman Mark Sheffert who is renowned for his leadership and organizational savvy.

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Gophers Football Ticket Sales Decline

Posted on October 10, 2018 by David Shama

Ticket sales continue to decline for Golden Gophers home football games. In response to a request from Sports Headliners, the University of Minnesota reported that both non-student and student season tickets had declined 2,572 from last year.

As of late September, 21,682 non-student season tickets had been sold compared to 22,990 in 2017. The student season tickets total of 4,730 compared with 5,994 last year.

The public isn’t rushing to buy single game home tickets either. Announced attendance for four games so far includes three totals under 42,000 in TCF Bank Stadium with a seating capacity of 50,805. The attendance of 38,280 for the Fresno State game was the second lowest in stadium history since its opening in 2009.

There is also the eyeball test at each game that shows huge patches of unsold or unused seats all over the stadium, including many that are expensive seats. Buyers are paying for tickets but not showing up or successfully giving those seats away. This was evident even at the most attractive game on the 2018 schedule, last Saturday’s rivalry game against Iowa.

Announced attendances for college football games, including those at TCF Bank Stadium, have long raised eyebrows and caused speculation about accuracy. A Wall Street Journal article last summer reported that based on actual ticket scans at FBS games last year far fewer fans actually show up in their seats than what announced attendances indicate.

The Journal reported in its August 30 article that the Gophers announced total attendance in 2017 of 310,506 for seven home games contrasted with a tickets scanned total of 210,909. That resonates with last Saturday’s Iowa-Minnesota game at TCF Bank Stadium when despite an announced attendance of 48,199, it appeared that 10,000 to 15,000 fewer fans were in the building.

College football attendance decreased for a fourth consecutive season in 2017, and there are many reasons. HD TV delivers captivating pictures for those watching college football in the comfort of their homes without paying high ticket prices and investing time travelling to and from game sites. Then, too, the college game is lengthier than its NFL rival with longer halftimes and more clock stoppages during the four quarters of “action.”

Younger fans, including college students, often aren’t as interested in their hometown team as past generations. The argument of moving Minnesota’s games back to campus at TCF Bank Stadium to draw more students has proven highly questionable.

Whether a school has a winning team, of course, also has a big impact on attendance. Often, the schools that draw the smaller crowds in their conferences (like the Gophers) don’t have successful teams and in many instances haven’t for a long while. Add it all up and many universities, including those in the Big Ten such as Minnesota, find themselves with lots of empty seats but grateful for TV revenues in the range of $50 million this school year.

Interest in Gophers football began declining with the mid-season resignation of head coach Jerry Kill in 2015. Kill had the program on the rise and was a popular personality who connected with the public. Ticket buyers didn’t respond the same way with Kill’s successor, Tracy Claeys, who had one full season as head coach in 2016.

A couple weeks prior to the start of the 2016 season the University reported about a 19 percent decline in non-student season tickets. The total in 2015 had been 27,885 but in mid-August of 2016 the Gophers had sold 22,706 non-student season tickets.

Despite a winning Big Ten record and unexpected Holiday Bowl win in 2016, Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle and University president Eric Kaler terminated Claeys in early January of 2017. “I determined that the football program must move in a new direction to address challenges in recruiting, ticket sales and the culture of the program,” Coyle said in a statement.

University regent Michael Hsu said the message from administrators was there would be a “Fleck bump” in ticket sales by hiring P.J. Fleck, known as an exciting young coach from Western Michigan who was coming off a 13-1 season. Fleck had drawn national press coverage because of both his record and salesmanship. Hsu told Sports Headliners he had been reluctant to approve Fleck’s contract because it was not only considerably more compensation than Claeys earned, but also the athletic department was taking on the expense of over $3 million for buyouts of Claeys and his assistants.

In fact, there hasn’t been much “Fleck bump” in ticket sales. Last year, the Gophers’ first under Fleck, attendance for seven home games averaged 44,358—slightly improved over the average of 43,814 in Claeys’ only full season as head coach. That average was the lowest in TCF Bank Stadium history. The Gophers had averaged a TCF best 52,355 fans in 2015 when the Kill-effect was still in play and the stadium had a temporary larger capacity because the Vikings were playing there.

This season might set a new attendance low at TCF with the team off to a 0-2 Big Ten start, giving up 90 points in the first two league games. The Gophers could be underdogs in all of their remaining games. The remaining home schedule has three opponents with no marquee pull—Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue. Through four home games Minnesota is averaging 42,233 fans per game in announced attendance.

The “honeymoon” effect of TCF Bank Stadium has been gone for some time. As the weather turns colder, and the possibility of precipitation is in play, having an outdoor facility in this marketplace (compare to U.S. Bank Stadium) is a liability in selling tickets, and it causes those with tickets to stay away.

In an interview last month with Sports Headliners, Kaler acknowledged the attendance problem at Minnesota and elsewhere. “We’re not alone in this situation across the country,” he said. “As you know, attendance at sporting events has dropped off nearly everywhere. Of course, I expected more people to come (to Gopher games), but nothing brings people to a stadium better than a winning team. I think as P.J. begins to put more w’s up on the board, (and) the young men continue to perform, our attendance will rebound.”

Fleck’s recruiting classes have ranked higher than what Gophers fans have known over the years. Fleck, Kaler and other leaders at the U are counting on more talent in the seasons ahead. “I am very pleased with the decision that Mark and I made to hire P.J.,” Kaler said. “He is exactly what we expected him to be. …He is setting a foundation that I think will hold up a very, very strong team as time goes forward.”

When does Kaler believe the Gophers can start filling up their stadium for every game? “Oh, I don’t have a timeframe for it, Dave. But I do think when we start routinely beating Wisconsin, we will sell out.”

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Nice B-Day Present for Linval Joseph

Posted on October 8, 2018October 8, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column:

Not a bad birthday present. Yesterday 6-4, 329-pound Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph ran 64 yards for a touchdown on a fumble return that might have saved the season for his team. Wednesday he turns 30 years old.

Somebody said it was the first touchdown Joseph has scored in his nine-year NFL career, including five seasons with the Vikings. Teammate Stephen Weatherly caused a fumble by Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and Joseph snared the ball, running to the end zone for the Vikings’ first touchdown. “I just tipped it to my self and told myself to run by people,” Joseph said about the career highlight play.

The Vikings went on to win the game, 23-21. A welcome victory after the much hyped Vikings went to Philadelphia stumbling with a 1-2-1 record. “We needed some points, we needed a big play,” Joseph said. “I felt like that jump-started us to go out there and get the win.”

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer knew it was important, too. After the win over the Eagles he awarded Joseph with a game ball.

Joseph has been a rock on the defensive line for the Vikings and after the last two seasons was named to the Pro Bowl. He has a four-year contract of $50,350,000 that pays out an annual average of $12,587,500, according to Spotrac.com.

There were multiple reminders in the last few days about how precious life is including remembering Tony Sparano who died last summer. The former Vikings’ offensive line coach would have been 57 yesterday.

Zimmer’s wife of 27 years, Vikki, died on this day nine years ago at age 50.

Tom Sakal, captain of the Golden Gophers’ last Big Ten title team in 1967, lost his fight against cancer and passed away on Saturday in Florida. “Sake” was an All-Big Ten first team defensive back in 1967 and terrific captain who remained popular with former teammates all his life.

Condolences to the family and the long list of admirers of former St. John’s football coach John Gagliardi who also passed over the weekend in Minnesota. The legendary Gagliardi was perhaps the most quietly confident coach I ever met.

According to financial figures provided by the University of Minnesota, the Golden Gophers paid their 2018 nonconference football opponents the following amounts for games at TCF Bank Stadium: $1,250,000, Miami (Ohio); $800,000, New Mexico State; $250,000, Fresno State. Minnesota plays a return game at Fresno State next season.

Too much praise? Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz was asked Saturday on the Minnesota football pregame radio show heard on KFAN for his evaluation of the Golden Gophers. He immediately praised the special teams, but at times Minnesota faltered in its 48-31 loss to the Hawkeyes. The Gophers looked unprepared in giving up a touchdown on a fake Iowa field goal attempt. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck gambled and lost when punter Jacob Herbers threw a poor pass on a fake punt. Iowa capitalized on a short field and drove for a touchdown.

Ed Cohen, 86, has been part of the Gophers’ home football stats crew for 61 years, and is also a passionate golfer. He shot under his age this summer at Bluff Creek Golf Course in Chaska, recording a score of 84.

The Lakeville North and Prior Lake prep football teams play Friday night (October 12) at the Twin Cities Orthopedic Stadium in Eagan. The event is part of a high school football series that started September 28 with a sell-out of more than 6,000 fans who watched Eagan and Farmington.

The Vikings’ newly-constructed Twin Cities Orthopedic Performance Center and TCO Stadium is being utilized to continue the club’s commitment to youth football. Home teams in the Vikings Prep Spotlight series receive an amount equal to the average of their highest game revenue during the past three seasons. They are also reimbursed for team transportation. The Vikings retain gate and concessions revenue to pay expenses for game production, staffing, security and technology.

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said via email the Vikings are working under the assumption of incurring financial losses for the series but will not know the amount until after the games take place and final expenses are calculated against revenue.

Defending Class 6A champion Eden Prairie likely will know a lot more about its chances of winning yet another state title after games at Minnetonka and home against Edina next Friday and a week from Wednesday. The Eagles have one loss this season (against Lakeville North) while the Skippers have two losses and the Hornets one.

Congratulations to high school football coaches Carl Lemke of St. Croix Lutheran on career win No. 300, and to Troy Hendricks from Bemidji, Matt Lundeen of Redwood Valley and Bill Magnuson of Pequot Lakes on career 100 victories.

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated predicts who will be the 2019 NHL playoff teams and leaves out the Minnesota Wild. The magazine forecasts the Predators will defeat the Maple Leafs in the playoff finals. S.I. said the Jets, the Wild’s nemesis in the Central Division, will have the best coach in Paul Maurice.

Western Collegiate Hockey Association men’s commissioner Bill Robertson speaks to the CORES lunch group November 8 at the Bloomington Event Center (formerly the Knights of Columbus building), 1114 American Blvd. Robertson, a longtime sports executive with experiences in the NBA, NHL and MLB, is in his fifth season leading the historic WCHA. For lunch reservations and other information, contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

Mike Veeck’s Fun Is Good Seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. October 19 at CHS Field. The St. Paul Saints owner is one of sports’ more famous creative thinkers, and his seminar will offer instruction on personal development and building a work environment with high morale. More at Funisgoodteam.com/seminars.

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