Golden Gophers – Page 101 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

RB Mo Ibrahim Gets Preseason Love

Posted on July 13, 2021July 13, 2021 by David Shama

Preseason college football authorities are on the Mohamed Ibrahim bandwagon. The fifth-year University of Minnesota running back is receiving All-American and All-Big Ten hype this summer.

Walter Camp Football Foundation has the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Ibrahim on its first-team All-American unit. Athlon Sports made him a second-team All-American and so did Phil Steele Publications. Athlon, College Football News, Lindy’s, Phil Steele and Pro Football Focus are part of the crowd who make Ibrahim an apparent unanimous pick for first-team All-Big Ten. Bleacher Report rated him the No. 3 senior (regardless of playing position) in the nation.

If Ibrahim is named a first-team All-American after the season, he will be the first U running back to achieve the honor since Laurence Maroney in 2005. Ibrahim was an Associated Press third-team All-American last season. He was also named Big Ten Running Back of the Year and, of course, made first team All-Big Ten.

The Baltimore native rushed 201 times for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns during an abbreviated seven-game schedule last season. He led the Big Ten in the following categories: rushing attempts (201), total rushing yards (1,076), rushing yards per game (153.7), rushing touchdowns (15), scoring (90), points per game (12.9) and all-purpose yards per game (168.4). His rushing average of 153.7 yards per game set a school record.

Ibrahim has rushed for 2,840 yards in just 28 games during his U career. With a big season in 2021 he could move past Rodney Smith (4,122 yards) on the all-time career rushing list at Minnesota. Smith is second on the list to Darrell Thompson’s 4,654 career yards.

Ibrahim is a powerful runner, consistently breaking tackles and able to lean forward with defenders on his body. While not having breakaway speed, he is among the best power runners in U history. He doesn’t have Maroney’s speed and explosiveness but his vision and stubborn running style is reminiscent of another former Gopher, Marion Barber III (played with Maroney and is second in career touchdowns with five less than Thompson’s 40).

Gophers Football Notes

Other Gophers are receiving preseason attention for being among the better players in the Big Ten. Guard-tackle Blaise Andries and center John Michael Schmitz are on Athlon’s All-Big Ten second team offense. Quarterback Tanner Morgan and defensive end Boye Mafe are third team selections by Athlon.

Lindy’s has Mafe on its Big Ten second team defense and offensive tackle Daniel Faalele is also a second-teamer. Lindy’s ranks Ibrahim the No. 3 running back in the nation, Mafe the No. 14 defensive end and Morgan the No. 24 quarterback.

Phil Steele is among the most respected of authorities and he went heavy on props for the Gophers. He placed guard-center Connor Olson on his All-Big Ten first team with Ibrahim. Second teamers are Andries and Morgan. Third teamers are wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell, cornerback Coney Durr, defensive tackle Nyles Pinckney, and Faalele and Schmitz.

It was announced yesterday Andries made first team on the 2020-2021 Academic All-America Division I team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The honor recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their performances on the field and in the classroom. Andries is majoring in mathematics and is an aspiring actuary.

Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck received recognition in Seth Galina’s Pro Football Focus story last week ranking the top 20 coaches in college football. Citing Fleck’s successes at Western Michigan and Minnesota, the Gopher leader was ranked No. 20. Among Big Ten West Division coaches, only Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald at No. 6 was ahead of Fleck.

The Gophers sagged in 2020 (3-4 record) after their impressive 2019 performance, 11-2 overall, 7-2 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 10 in the nation in the final Associated Press poll. With Fleck going into his fifth season at the U with an experienced roster, expectations are pretty high.

“This is a big year for P.J. (Fleck); a lot of problems they had last year you could attribute to personnel and coordinator changes; plus some key guys opting out and getting injured,” anonymous opposing coaches said in Athlon. “His brand and style never makes friends in the division; they want to be flashier and louder than the programs that have been successful in their area. …”

Minnesota gave up 30.14 points per game last season and concerns about improvement lessen enthusiasm among media for 2021. The offense generates confidence but doubts about stopping the opposition has predictors thinking Minnesota will finish third or fourth in the seven-team West Division.

Most likely Wisconsin but maybe Iowa to win the West, is a trend seen this summer by crystal ball specialists. The Gophers and Northwestern draw support as the next best teams in the division.

Typical prediction on wins and losses has Minnesota at 7-5. Included in that camp is Cbssports.com’s Tom Fornelli who predicts one of the wins will be over border rival Wisconsin in the last game of the season. Athlon projects Minnesota playing Toledo in Detroit’s Quick Lane Bowl.

Ugh.

Among anticipated dates on the Minnesota schedule is the September 18 nonconference game against Colorado in Boulder. The Buffs aren’t a Pac-12 power but the Denver-Boulder area offers a lot to see and do. Steve Erban’s Creative Charters has filled two planes for the trip and is working on a third.

Steve and wife Dorothy are part of the 2021 Canterbury Park Hall of Fame class. The Stillwater couple will be recognized at Canterbury Saturday for their role in the state’s horse racing industry. Steve was an important advocate for Canterbury Park before it opened in 1985. He and Dorothy have owned and bred stakes winning horses, developed a national horseracing event and formed partnerships introducing new owners to the sport.

Other inductees in the class of 2021 are Mary Green of Eden Prairie, who is another pioneer in the development of Canterbury Park and long involved with the Minnesota Thoroughbred Association, and also two thoroughbreds, A P Is Loose and Honey’s Sox Appeal, that are among the all-time leaders in purse earnings at the Shakopee racetrack.

Former Gophers football and basketball public address announcer Dick Jonckowski will do standup comedy Friday at the Alpine Inn in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The appearance was facilitated by Jonckowski’s friendship with Jay Buckley, the La Crosse-based operator of Jay Buckley’s Baseball Tours.

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Historic July for Local Pro Franchises

Posted on July 11, 2021July 11, 2021 by David Shama

Welcome to a Sunday notes column:

Because of the pandemic and disruption of schedules, MLB, the NHL and NBA hold player drafts this month. It’s unprecedented for fans of the Twins, Wild and Timberwolves to be following all three drafts in July.

The 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft starts today in Denver and continues through Tuesday. The Twins have the No. 26 selection in the first round and may take a college pitcher. This is the first time the MLB Draft has been part of events built around the All-Star Game (Tuesday night).

The Twins, with a 38-50 record, may earn a .500 record by season’s end. Regardless, they won’t finish with MLB’s worst record in 2021 and thereby qualify for the first pick in the 2022 draft. Twins draftniks have joked about a “tank for Elijah” campaign, referring to super prospect outfielder Elijah Green who is a favorite to go No. 1 in 2022.

The NHL Draft will be July 23-24 at the NHL Network Studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Wild draft position is late in the first round but Minnesota does have two picks at No. 21 and 25. The organization needs scoring and playmaking including at center, with that priority likely addressed on July 23.

The Wild will also target the center position in the offseason by looking for a veteran center. Buffalo Sabre Jack Eichel could be on the shopping list.

The NBA Draft will be July 29 in New York and the Timberwolves don’t have a selection in either of the league’s two rounds. Put the odds, though, at 50-50 this will change between now and July 29, with basketball boss Gersson Rosas making a trade with another club for a choice or two in the draft.

The Golden State Warriors have the Wolves first round pick because of the 2020 trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to California and brought D’Angelo Russell to Minneapolis. Wiggins exceeded expectations for the Warriors last season, while an injured Russell missed 26 games because of knee surgery. The defensive limitations of Russell, the performance of Wiggins at both ends of the court in 2021, and having the Wolves’ No. 7 first round draft spot, prompted this opinion last month from NBCsports.com about Golden State executive Bob Myers:

“Myers robbed Gersson Rosas blind and simply left Russell in his office with a thank you card attached.”

Former Gophers star Max Meyer, now in the Miami Marlins organization, is scheduled to pitch in today’s Futures All-Star game in Denver. Meyer is among minor league baseball’s most promising prospects. Josh Winder, a right-hander like Meyer, will represent the Twins via the St. Paul Saints. Winder is 4-0 with a 2.17 ERA in two minor league stops this year.

Before the trade deadline it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Twins move shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Cincinnati Reds for prospects. The Reds are trying to win the NL Central and have a need at short. The Twins could call up MLB veteran JT Riddle from the St. Paul Saints and finish the season with him. Top prospect Royce Lewis is likely to be Minnesota’s long-term answer at shortstop.

The Twins rotate analysts on TV telecasts but no one compares with 82-year-old Jim Kaat who in recent weeks has been working the booth with play-by-play man Dick Bremer. Listening to Kaat’s insights and storytelling can be better than the game. Within moments his infallible baseball mind might be recalling the first game he ever saw (1946 Briggs Stadium, Tigers and Red Sox), and then advising Twins hitters to focus less on launch angles and more on “situational hitting.”

Word is now retired Mikko Koivu could become a coach with the Finnish national team, and an ambassador for the Minnesota Wild.

In members-only meetings (no guests) the Twin Cities Dunkers will hear from Gophers basketball coach Ben Johnson Tuesday and Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck August 3.

It’s been more than two months since Dave Lee signed off as host of WCCO Radio’s early morning show, with no replacement announced yet. Did a broadcaster from public radio turn down the job? The station should promote news reporter Adam Carter to fill the vacancy. The nephew of former Gophers football captain Jim Carter, Adam is smart, articulate, interesting and personable.

Baseball fan and Murray’s owner Tim Murray will visit Globe Life Field in early August to watch the Texas Rangers. The club’s new home is the only MLB stadium Murray hasn’t experienced.

Bill Robertson’s first day as president and commissioner of the United States Hockey League is Monday. He will headquarter in the same Bloomington office he used as commissioner of the men’s WCHA.

Former Viking Matt Birk will be master of ceremonies of the Taste Fore The Tour fundraiser at Interlachen Country Club July 19. The celebrity attended event and related activities raise funds for Volunteers Enlisted to Help People, the large Twin Cities food panty. A Taste Fore The Tour celebrity recipe collection booklet features 25 recipes, including from Birk, Lou Nanne, Mark Parrish and top local chefs. Each booklet costs $30 and is enough for VEAP to feed one person for a month. More at TasteForeTheTour.com, or HungerRelatedEvents.org.

The Minute Men Amateur Athletic Foundation 2021 scholarship was awarded to Henry Sibley scholar-athlete Brandon Morris.

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Critics Speak Up on U Stadium Branding

Posted on July 7, 2021 by David Shama

The rebranding of the University of Minnesota’s on-campus football stadium has prompted strong criticism from Golden Gophers fans and former players. The announcement last week that TCF Bank Stadium will now be Huntington Bank Stadium included the news Huntington’s green and white logo will be displayed at the facility. That doesn’t sit well with some M men and fans accustomed to the maroon and gold look of the TCF logo.

University officials have been working with Huntington for awhile on the transition, and the renaming was officially approved by the school’s Board of Regents last week. A couple of days later a trail of emails was sent to Sports Headliners including this from former Minnesota governor Arne Carlson:

“…If our leaders love green and white so much, they can go to Michigan State or North Dakota for their paychecks. I would be perfectly willing to kick in a contribution toward some billboards advertising this appalling lack of loyalty. This would also deeply concern Huntington in that it harms their brand.”

Former Gophers football captain Jim Carter started the email trail sent to many former U players and others like Carlson who are passionate about Minnesota football. Carter, a critic over the years of U leadership in both athletics and school administration, wrote the following:

“The Board of Regents had the authority to ask Huntington to follow what TCF did and use the traditional maroon and gold colors in the signage and branding of the stadium. There was a motion made at a recent…meeting to negotiate with Huntington to NOT use green and white, but to continue our proud tradition of using maroon and gold. The board defeated the motion 8-3. …”

In a telephone interview Carter said he understands the importance of corporate sponsorship to U athletic revenues (the original $35 million long-term deal with TCF Bank is still in place) but he’s an ongoing critic of the Board of Regents who he believes “rubber stamp” agenda items offered by school leaders. To Carter, the U and Gophers athletics are symbolized by maroon and gold, and he didn’t see the passion by regents or other school leadership to fight for the school colors.

“The maroon and gold is a tradition that I think should be protected at the U,” Carter said. “…The folks that are now serving on the Board of Regents and the administration don’t think of it the way many of us care about it.”

TCF Bank entered into a naming rights agreement for the stadium before the facility opened in 2009. This year TCF merged with Huntington which will operate 80 branches in the Twin Cities area. The Columbus, Ohio based-bank will introduce its branding at the U stadium before it’s unveiled at Minnesota banks in October, according to Danny Olsen, a communications executive with Huntington.

Olsen, who is based here and formerly worked for TCF, told Sports Headliners that TCF’s logo colors of red and yellow were “tweaked” to look more maroon and gold at the stadium, creating “perfect colors” to match Minnesota’s. In the minds of critics, including those who have voiced their feelings on fan forum GopherHole, the green and white will be a startling look to what they have seen in the past.

The Huntington logo will be on the front and back of the large scoreboard at the stadium’s open end. The logo will also be on the field in two places, just like the TCF logo was between the 10 and 20 yard lines. Olsen said field logos weren’t in the original naming rights deal but were added more recently when TCF agreed to help with funding for the Athletes Village project.

The Huntington green and white will be displayed on ATM machines in the stadium’s interior. The logo will also be seen in the interior in any previous places where major sponsors like TCF, Coke and Dairy Queen had visibility. The words Huntington Bank Stadium (not the logo) will be in prominent lettering on the outside of the stadium in the blend-with-brick style TCF Bank Stadium used.

Olsen didn’t acknowledge any criticism he has received about Huntington and the stadium. He pointed out Coke and Dairy Queen, both of whom use red and white in their logos, have been displayed for years on the scoreboard. He said Huntington’s green and white colors are “not unlike having your normal logo if you’re a sponsor at a stadium.”

Huntington Bank plans a marketing effort at Minnesota’s opening game against Ohio State September 2 at the stadium. In attendance will be executives from Columbus. Huntington isn’t involved with sponsorship of the Buckeyes or other Big Ten programs.

Worth Noting

Before becoming a college athletic director Joel Maturi was a high school coach. The now retired U AD told Sports Headliners teams he coached had an extra focus when the opening game was against a prominent opponent. Highly ranked Ohio State will certainly deserve the attention of Minnesota players this summer.

“I think…every Gopher in that locker room knows who they are playing,” Maturi said. “They’re going to be playing the No. 1, 2, 3 ranked team in the country in Huntington Bank Stadium for the first game and they’re going to be prepared as such.”

Dick Jonckowski, the Gophers former public address announcer for basketball and baseball, is booking emcee and speaking engagements as the pandemic eases. Sometimes he does both at events and pronounces: “Here is a guy who needs no introduction.”

Jonckowski recovered from lymphoma cancer earlier this year and is feeling fine.

The Collegiate Preferred Seating Exemption provision in the Tax Bill that passed that passed in the state legislature last week will benefit the budgets of Minnesota universities and colleges. Included is the University of Minnesota with predicted savings of more than $1 million per year to help fund scholarships and other programs for athletes, according to the Maroon and Gold Rising nonprofit that advocated for the exemption. Legislative leadership came from Representative Mohamud Noor and Senator Greg Clausen.

Former Gophers administrators Beth Goetz, now AD at Ball State, and John Cunningham, AD at Cincinnati, might draw interest to fill the Nebraska athletic director opening.

Football great Herschel Walker, whose career stops included with the Vikings, may run for U.S. Senate in his native Georgia.

Best guess is everyone on the disappointing Minnesota Twins roster is subject to possible trade this summer. Put an asterisk before the name of No. 1 starter Jose Berrios, with the disclaimer it will take what team brass considers a mega return for the right hander.

The club’s pitching is underwhelming, but the American League All-Star Game roster includes former Twins pitchers Kyle Gibson, Liam Hendriks, Lance Lynn and Ryan Pressly. That’s one-third of the 12-man pitching crew for the July 13 game against the National League in Denver.

KARE 11 sportscaster Eric Perkins announced on Twitter this morning he is leaving the station after 25 years. He didn’t detail future plans but mentioned he is looking forward to more time with family.

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