Gophers Football – Page 276 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Holtz Saw ‘Gold Mine’ at Minnesota

Posted on July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 by David Shama

George Stewart has been on vacation from his job as the Vikings’ wide receivers coach but it wouldn’t be a surprise if his thoughts have wandered back to 1983.

It was 30 years ago last spring that Stewart began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Lou Holtz at Arkansas. In December of 1983 Holtz was hired by the Gophers as head coach and he made Stewart his offensive line coach.

“I’ve been very fortunate. Lou Holtz is the person who got me into coaching,” Stewart told Sports Headliners.

Without Holtz, Stewart wouldn’t have experienced a national championship at Notre Dame in 1988. That success in South Bend helped send Stewart into the NFL in 1989 coaching special teams for the Steelers and beginning a 25 year pro coaching career.

Stewart was reminded about his time with the Gophers under Holtz who quickly rebuilt the program in two seasons, 1984 and 1985. Even back then Holtz was one of America’s premier coaches and his ambitions for the program could have made an optimist blush.

Stewart believes the Gophers might have even earned glory beyond Big Ten titles and Rose Bowl victories under Holtz, who was fired for unknown reasons at Arkansas despite a 60-21-2 record. “We had a chance to build something very special (at Minnesota),” Stewart said.

How special? Well, how about the Gophers’ seventh national championship?

Scoff if you wish but first listen to Stewart. “When coach Holtz left in ‘85 that (first) recruiting class we had in South Bend, (the) majority of those guys were coming here,” he said. “They all switched (Minnesota commitments) and came to South Bend with coach Holtz (in 1986). You’re talking about a lot of great players. …We were able to have a national championship with those guys.”

Holtz—a devout Catholic who as a kid walked to school singing or humming the Notre Dame Fight Song—used an escape clause in his contract to leave the Gophers after just two seasons. Stewart believes South Bend might well have been the only place that could have made him depart Minneapolis.

“I knew in his heart Notre Dame was where he wanted to be,” Stewart said. “Strong Catholic. …If Gerry Faust had done a great job, Lou Holtz probably would have finished his coaching at the University of Minnesota.”

Faust had jumped from Moeller High School in Cincinnati to head coach at Notre Dame. It was one of the strangest coaching hires in college football history and despite Faust’s bubbling optimism and passion for Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish often got kicked around during his era, compiling a 30-26-1 record in five seasons before he was fired. His postseason highlight was a one point win over Boston College in the 1983 Liberty Bowl.

Holtz was only 46 when hired by the Gophers in 1983. He took over a program in free fall, 1-10 during the 1983 season. The talent on the 1984 roster was probably worthy of duplicating the previous year’s record.

But in 1984 the Gophers were much improved, mostly because they played better fundamentally and had talented freshman quarterback Ricky Foggie. That team was 4-7 including 3-6 in the Big Ten after being winless in conference games the year before. In 1985 the Gophers improved to 7-5 overall, 4-4 in the Big Ten. Minnesota scared No. 3 ranked Oklahoma, losing 13-7 in the Metrodome. The Gophers gave No. 9 Ohio State the jitters in the dome before losing 23-19. At season’s end the Gophers, without Holtz coaching them while on his way to South Bend, beat Clemson 20-13 in the Independence Bowl game.

Stewart said Holtz thought the Gophers’ head coaching job was a “gold mine,” having the resources to turn the program into a national power. That was an opinion Holtz shared with Stewart back at Arkansas, even before the two arrived in Minneapolis. Stewart didn’t doubt the wisdom of the decision to come to Minnesota because he knew Holtz could out-coach and out-recruit most coaches.

Before Stewart coached for Holtz, he played for him at Arkansas as an All-Southwest Conference guard. From 1977-1980 Stewart saw the Holtz magic. “We always knew we had a chance to win because he was our coach,” Stewart said. “We knew our coach was better than the coach on the other sideline.”

For much of Holtz’s coaching career there was a perception he operated loosely with NCAA recruiting rules. Stewart said his experience was Holtz adhered to guidelines.

The two of them met when Stewart was a highly sought high school player in Little Rock. “People have a misperception of coach Holtz,” Stewart said. “I was the No. 1 prospect…in the south when I came out of high school. I had a choice go to any school in America. I was offered by a lot of other schools. …He (Holtz) promised me two things. He promised me an opportunity to get me my degree, and No. 2, I was going to work as hard as any player in the country.”

Stewart said other schools offered cars, money and easy grades, but not Holtz. Later as an assistant coach, Stewart saw Holtz operate within the rules. “He’s had a bad reputation for being a guy…that has had a lot of trickeries. But nothing was devious with Lou Holtz.”

Holtz may have mastered more roles than any college head football coach in history. He excelled in not just recruiting, but coaching practices and games, and hiring talented assistants. He could charm fans and boosters, raising funds and awareness for his program while throwing quips around the room and maybe performing a magic trick or two. He was a genius at understanding how to market Lou Holtz and his team.

Holtz, who during his coaching career entertained on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, had Minnesotans so enthralled about the program that in 1986 the Gophers’ season tickets total was 56,000, certainly among the largest totals in school history.

All those skills had everything to do with why Stewart chose to play and coach for Holtz. “He was like a father,” Stewart said. “He’s very demanding. I am glad I had an opportunity to learn how to coach from him. I was able to learn all aspects of football from him.”

When Holtz first approached Stewart about becoming a graduate assistant, Stewart was selling cars in Little Rock. Holtz convinced him to try coaching for three months. Three decades later Stewart has experienced a career that has included six years with the Vikings and many memories—even some might-have-beens in Dinkytown.

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Football Mags Buoy a Soggy Outlook

Posted on June 26, 2013June 26, 2013 by David Shama

If we’re to have a stretch of wonderful weather this year it’s going to be from now until sometime into September. A sci-fi like soggy spring has sometimes put me in a foul mood but the anticipation of summer and activities associated with cheery days has brought relief (I think). Today I offer details about pleasurable pastimes that have made summers obliterate memories of ugly winters and springs.

For openers, I’ve always been excited about perusing summer newsstands looking for college football magazines. Who would think a lifelong Gophers fan could find comfort this month looking at magazine covers featuring Iowa’s Mark Weisman or Wisconsin’s Chris Borland? Unexpected therapy to be sure! But ever since I was a kid the arrival of college football magazines at the local drugstore was an event not to be missed.

Honestly, working my way through 150 magazine pages covering every college program from Arizona to Yale has always been as exciting to me as eyeballing large packages under a Christmas tree. I can’t even explain the enthusiasm—not even to this day when my passion to read the predictions about the Big Ten and the rest of the country jump-start my adrenaline in anticipation of another college football season.

Unlike the days of my youth, there’s no waiting until August for the magazines to arrive in stores. I purchased and read a couple of the football annuals a few weeks ago—devouring them both in one night, not only reading predictions but articles on All-Americans, coaches on the hot seat and high school news.

Your average Minnesotan couldn’t even tell you who the likely starters are for the Gophers this fall. I can plug you in on why Mississippi is one of the hottest programs in the country. If you can’t talk Ole Miss football, better get down to the drugstore.

The neighborhood pharmacy was where I bought my baseball cards years ago. I remember going to the drugstore three or four times per week hoping to buy a packet with cards I didn’t already own. The excitement of finding a Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays was a rush, and so too was popping a slab of ultra sugary bubble gum in my mouth. Wow. Sucking up all that flavor was the best 30 seconds of the day.

I still have most of my baseball cards. Yeah, some were lost and others sort of foolishly destroyed by clipping them between the spokes of my bicycle tires to make noise that for some reason we thought was cool. But I have an album filled with old cards and even a few in a bank safe deposit box. To this day I never sort through those cards without enjoying them and the memories associated with the players.

Baseball had much to do with making my summers magical. I often joined friends on a school playground where we played “Tennis League.” All we needed were three players, a bat and tennis ball. The object of the game was to see who could hit the most home runs over a not too distant chain-link fence. As one ball after another disappeared over the fence, we placed another notch on the brick exterior of the schoolhouse.

If not playing “Tennis League,” I might be in the backyard with a golf driver, tee and wiffleball. This wasn’t the start of my golf career but instead a fantasy exercise where a ball that travelled over the house was a home run, or a ball that hit high up on the stucco was a double or triple.

At night the Twins were on TV and I also followed other major league games on the radio. Listening to games from the West Coast had a special appeal. A game between the Giants and Braves from San Francisco meant you were up late, perhaps later than allowed but it was sweet hearing the midnight action on the radio while crickets chirped outside the house and the warm breeze of a summer night filled my bedroom.

The All-Star Game was never to be missed, not with a chance to see all my heroes in one setting. There was even a stretch when MLB played two All-Star Games each summer and the parade of stars was another occasion for my Dad and I to argue over who was baseball’s best player.

Dad couldn’t have liked Ted Williams more if Teddy Ballgame had been a relative. Dad said Teddy was the greatest hitter of all-time and I also know my argumentative father liked the combative demeanor of Williams. Dad insisted that not only were Williams’ numbers among the best ever but he also never failed to mention that the Boston Red Sox legend missed several seasons to serve his country during World War II and the Korean War. “He didn’t play for five years when he would have been in his prime years,” Dad said.

I didn’t care. At the time I had other heroes, but years later my suppressed affection for Williams came bubbling to the top. It was 1999 and a debilitated Williams was in a wheelchair at Fenway Park for the All-Star game. Tears came to my eyes, the only time I ever cried over a ballplayer.

You won’t be surprised to know I no longer play “Tennis League” or hit wiffleballs off the exterior of the house. But summer would never be the same to me without a tennis racquet in hand or a golf club.

The many joys of summer have long included a visit from my buddy Myron. We started playing tennis together during our college years and although he’s lived in Michigan for decades, many summers we competed on the court. There’s a trophy that was established years ago as a reward to the winner of our (sometimes) annual rivalry. Funny how he initiated the trophy just about the time he started defeating me all the time.

Got to give Myron credit, though, for a few years ago coming up with a new trophy to acknowledge our golf rivalry. That one is mine so far but I would rather not detail how infrequently we’ve played together and how little time Myron has invested in improving his game.

Long ago I recognized Myron was a better athlete than me. That’s one reason I wanted him on my side when we played two-on-two summer basketball games on campus at the U where there was this small outdoor court with an eight-foot basket at one end and a seven-foot basket at the other. Those days were the only times I ever dunked, although the best part of my game was jump shots coming off screens set by Myron. On defense we might win a close game because of Myron’s shot blocking. I called him the “white Bill Russell.” I dreamed he might label me a “young Jerry West.”

Didn’t happen.

That’s one of only a handful of disappointing summer memories from an otherwise abundant collection of awesome moments. Let’s get some sunshine and make memories.

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Morneau Faces Improbable Twins Future

Posted on June 5, 2013June 5, 2013 by David Shama

Even if Justin Morneau reverts to becoming a superstar slugger in the next four months it seems unlikely he will finish his career with the Twins. The club could even reach agreement with Morneau and another team to send the 32-year-old first baseman elsewhere this summer before the major league trading deadline.

Morneau, who reportedly can’t be traded without his approval, hit .324 with 31 home runs and 130 RBI in 2006 when he was the American League’s MVP. Since 2010 his rough times have included a concussion, troublesome back and wrist surgery. In 2010 he played in 81 games and then 69 the next season. After hitting .227 with four home runs in 2011, Morneau had a comeback performance last season although his numbers —.267 average, 19 home runs and 77 RBI — weren’t like his best years.

This season Morneau is hitting .291 but has only two home runs. His decline in power isn’t acceptable for a player who is finishing an $80 million deal this season, signed in 2008. Neither is his frequent absence from the lineup during the course of his six-year contract.

Morneau is a terrific teammate. He bleeds Twins colors and no doubt wants to play his entire big league career with this organization. Despite the loyalty, it’s rational to wonder whether Morneau really would accept a huge slash in compensation on his next contract with the Twins. Another big league club might offer more than what the Twins are willing to pay — whatever that figure is — and if the rival team just happens to have World Series potential that could entice Morneau elsewhere.

The Twins aren’t going to the World Series anytime soon and Morneau would like to be a world champion. The Twins also aren’t growing their payroll, reducing it about $18 million in 2013 and $13 million in 2012, according to the website Baseballprospectus.com that also lists individual compensation for players.

The Twins ownership wants a winning team but also is interested in the financial bottom line. Average home attendance in 2013 could be down for a fourth consecutive season. The organization’s marketing approach now is to emphasize entertainment more than winning. The front office knows the club performance has to be much better than the two consecutive last place Central Division finishes of 2011 and 2012 but is counting on rebuilding with minor league hotshots, not aging veterans like Morneau.

Among those hot prospects is 6-3, 220-pound Miguel Sano who struggles as a third baseman. He could be the Twins’ first baseman within a couple of seasons. And the truth is the organization is deep in potential first basemen including Chris Parmelee who mostly plays right field now.

Joe Mauer, 30, can play first base and is going to be catching fewer games in the future while needing some place else to play other than designated hitter. Ryan Doumit can also play first base and is a versatile player. Doumit is also a catcher and outfielder, and at 32 the same age as Morneau. He reportedly earns $3.5 million per season and has a contract that goes through next year.

Doumit is a better value to the Twins than Morneau. So too is 34-year-old outfielder Josh Willingham who reportedly earns $7 million per season through next year. On a power-poor roster, Willingham is a savior for the Twins, a real slugger who led the team in home runs with 35 last season and is tops this season with 10. He is another player with better value than Morneau.

Right now Morneau doesn’t have much negotiating leverage when it comes to a future contract with any team. Even if he soon shows the plate production of the old Morneau he’s probably too expensive for the Twins and their vision for the future. If Morneau approaches his production of last season, the Twins might offer $7 million for two years but that is a big cut in compensation — especially if another club is willing to boost his wallet and ego by offering more. Don’t count on the Twins sending a lot of money his way.

Worth Noting

The Twins will see their former center fielder, Denard Span, starting on Friday in Washington. Traded during the last off-season, Span is hitting .264 with no home runs and 15 RBI. Pitching prospect Alex Meyer who the Twins acquired in the trade is 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA for Double-A New Britain. He has struck out 73 batters in 61 innings.

The Twins won’t see Washington’s 21-year-old outfielder and phenom Bryce Harper who is on the 15-day disabled list. The second-year slugger has 12 home runs in 44 games.

Span’s successor in center field for the Twins, Aaron Hicks, leads American League rookies in runs (24), home runs (six) and RBI (19) despite having only a .175 batting average. He has sometimes been spectacular in the field.

Not only is Bud Grant on ESPN’s list of the 20 greatest NFL coaches of all-time but three others with Minnesota connections are included. At No. 20 is Tony Dungy who played quarterback for the Gophers and later was the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. Mike Shanahan, a former Gophers offensive coordinator, is No. 19 while Minneapolis North High School alum Sid Gillman is No. 18. Grant is No. 15 on a list that is still counting down the final seven names. A group of voters including Chris Berman, John Clayton, Mike Ditka, Herm Edwards, Mike Golic, Bill Polian and Rick Reilly cast ballots to determine the top 20 coaches in recognition of the late Vince Lombardi’s 100^th birthday.

Vikings wide receivers coach George Stewart on whether the team’s offense changes now that game-breaker Percy Harvin plays for the Seahawks: “I don’t think we change at all. Percy (was) a great talent here. We have guys. …We have a bigger athlete (than Percy) in Cordarrelle Patterson that can do the same kind of things. So I think we’ll be the same. We have some different wrinkles that we had a chance to evaluate during the course of the offseason so we’re not going to change much. We’re going to be a good football team, running the football obviously, and when it comes to the passing game I think we have a chance to excel in that area as well.”

The 2013 Sporting News College Football Preview, on newsstands now, predicts the Gophers will finish fifth in the Legends Division, one spot ahead of Iowa. The magazine projects the Gophers playing in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Former Gophers defensive coordinators now at other schools are David Gibbs at Houston, Greg Hudson at Purdue, Ted Roof at Georgia Tech and Everett Withers at Ohio State.

Rodney Williams, unlikely to make an NBA roster this fall, should consider the Harlem Globetrotters among his future options. The former Gopher not only has the athleticism and dunking ability to entertain crowds but also a pleasing personality and engaging smile.

Don Berry, who has won the Tapemark Charity Pro-Am a record six times, tees off at 1:10 p.m. Friday and 7:50 a.m. on Saturday at Southview Country Club. The men’s event begins Friday while the women’s event started yesterday. More at www.tapemarkgolf.org.

Radio personality Dark Star, who died June 1 of last year, has a race named after him now—the $50,000 Dark Star Cup at Canterbury Park this Saturday. Star was a former horse racing handicapper for the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. He was a major promoter of Canterbury Park and is a member of the track’s Hall of Fame.

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