Golden Gophers – Page 375 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

One Quality to Define New A.D. Legacy

Posted on April 23, 2012April 23, 2012 by David Shama

Norwood Teague is the only finalist for the Gophers athletic director position and is meeting with the search committee this morning. During the interview process he’s encountered many questions but the truth is his effectiveness as Minnesota’s athletic director will come down to this:

How effective will Teague be in hiring and firing coaches?

The best coaches build winning programs. Winning sells tickets, private suites, signage and increases donations. It also builds brand awareness and a sparkling image.

As with any skill, some individuals are better at identifying the right hires than others. For decades now the Gophers have often tripped up trying to hire the right athletic directors, and also the best coaches in the high visibility sports of football and basketball. Minnesota fans have only to look across the border to see where spot-on hires in Wisconsin Badgers athletics have made a night and day difference.

Teague, who has been the athletic director at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2006, has a strong background in business including marketing. Those skills no doubt attracted University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler and so, too, did VCU’s basketball reputation.

Teague hired Shaka Smart and he’s turned VCU into a national basketball success story. If Teague can consistently show hiring expertise at Minnesota he will ensure a legacy that will place him at the top among the school’s athletic directors since World War II.

Kaler had told Sports Headliners on Saturday the announcement of the new athletic director could come within days. Yesterday the University released a statement saying Teague was the only finalist. It seems likely a news conference will be held soon confirming the official hiring of Teague whose name has been associated with other athletic director openings around the country.

A search to find a new athletic director was announced on February 21. The Parker Executive Search firm from Atlanta has been working with Kaler and University search committee volunteers. “It’s a good pool (of candidates) and I think we’ll get a great athletic director,” Kaler said on Saturday.

Kaler said he’s been committed to receiving input regarding the athletic director position. “We’ve spent a lot of time listening to the community about the features they want in the next A.D. and I think the person we hire will match those qualities,” he said. “I expect the community will reach out and embrace that person. I think people want success in Gopher athletics as much as we do and we’re gonna work together to make that happen.”

The president confirmed on Saturday that talks are ongoing regarding a contract extension for basketball coach Tubby Smith but no deal will be finalized without communications involving the new athletic director. “I am not going to do anything with Tubby and then hand it to the new A.D. They’ll (the athletic director) have input on it.”

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Worth Noting

Posted on April 23, 2012April 24, 2012 by David Shama

The Twins open a three-game series tonight at home against Boston. The Twins haven’t won the season series between the two teams since 2006 when Minnesota won five of six games.

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano has pitched a total of 16.1 innings in four starts this season for the Twins, never going beyond five innings. He is 0-3 with a 11.02 ERA and has walked 13 batters. After yesterday’s game against Tampa Bay, Liriano might be headed to the bullpen or minor leagues.

Former Twins infielder Tim Teufel is in his first season as the Mets’ third base coach.

Congratulations to Sean Gothier, Todd Fultz and other organizers of last night’s sold out awards dinner for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation held at the University of St. Thomas. Among the many awards presented was the Courage Award to Derek Klinkner who had his football career ended at Southwest Minnesota State because of a farm accident.

The Gophers paid tribute to the late Gary Tinsley with a video rememberance before the spring game on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Among the players who have impressed coach Jerry Kill is sophomore defensive back Derrick Wells who has added about 20 pounds since last year. “He looks like what you’re supposed to look like,” Kill said.

Ex-Gophers in attendance at the spring game included Bobby Bell, Judge Dickson, Jim Brunzell, George Adzick, Matt Spaeth and Eric Decker.

Junior Tim Cornett, who led UNLV in rushing the last two seasons, ran for touchdowns of 57 and 17 yards in the Rebels spring game last Friday. The Gophers open on the road against UNLV, 2-11 last season, on August 28.

Former Star Tribune journalist Jay Weiner is a speech writer for University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler.

Former Gophers point guard and Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders speaks to the C.O.R.E.S. group on Thursday, May 10 in Bloomington. C.O.R.E.S. members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth.

It will be Fan Appreciation Night on Thursday when the Wolves play their last game of the season at Target Center. Upper level tickets are available for $5. A free pregame party headlined by the Urban Myth Band will be held on the Target Plaza from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Is Target Center trying to secure the annual National Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament starting in 2015?

The Big Ten Men’s Hockey Tournament will be played at Xcel Energy Center in 2014 and 2016. Big Ten Conference men’s hockey begins with the 2013-14 season and participating teams are Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

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Big Ten Analyst: U Progress Best

Posted on April 20, 2012April 20, 2012 by David Shama

Gerry DiNardo had high praise for the Gophers football program this week.

The Big Ten Network’s in-studio analyst, and former head football coach at Indiana and LSU, came to Minnesota’s campus earlier this spring and Tuesday night voiced this opinion on the Big Ten Football Report show:

“Big picture is this. A year ago I thought if you ranked the teams 1 thru 12 in spring practice, Minnesota would be 12^th. I don’t see it that way right now. I think Minnesota has made the most progress of any of the teams that we’ve seen from one spring to the next. …”

DiNardo said the Gophers are a different program under Jerry Kill who was hired in December of 2010 to replace Tim Brewster. “…The offense, the defense has changed, but more important I think the reason it has been such a good and tough transition is—and this word is overused—Jerry Kill has changed the culture. The way they do things. That was culture shock a year ago—man, have they come a long way in one year.”

Fans can make their own judgments tomorrow starting at 11 a.m. in TCF Bank Stadium when Minnesota plays its annual spring game. Most observers who have watched the program in recent weeks believe the Gophers are bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic and sure of themselves than the group that practiced last spring.

What does that mean for next fall? Probably a better team and more wins than in 2011 when Minnesota was 3-9. The 2012 schedule looks less formidable than last fall and anything less than a 4-0 nonconference start against UNLV, New Hampshire, Western Michigan and Syracuse will be a mild disappointment. If the Gophers can find two wins in an eight-game league schedule then Minnesota would have a 6-6 overall record and bowl eligibility.

Not only are Kill and his staff more settled in with themselves and the players, but the Gophers have a talented senior starter at quarterback. A year ago MarQueis Gray was trying to win the job but now he’s in the conversation about the Big Ten’s better quarterbacks.

Gray will need to be healthy and extremely productive for the Gophers to have a .500 season or better. A lot of teammates will have to step up, too, because despite the program’s progress there are many more questions than answers about this team.

Offense? Defense? Special teams? The Gophers have to improve all three units in the next 12 months if DiNardo is going to consider making the same pronouncement in 2013 he did this week.

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