Skip to content
David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners
Menu
  • Gophers
  • Vikings
  • Twins
  • Timberwolves
  • Wild
  • United
  • Lynx
  • UST
  • MIAC
  • Preps
Menu
Murray's Restaurant

Dinkytown Athletes

Blaze Credit Union

Meadows at Mystic Lake

B's Chocolates

Gold Country

Iron Horse | Meyer Njus Tanick | NutriSource

Category: Golden Gophers

Breathing Issues Latest Hurdle for Courageous Casey O’Brien

Posted on April 2, 2025April 3, 2025 by David Shama

Updated April 3, 2025

The last several months have been another rough stretch for beloved former Gopher football player and cancer survivor Casey O’Brien who turns 26 on Monday.

His father Dan detailed the story in a recent interview with Sports Headliners. Casey has battled osteosarcoma, a bone disease, since he was a freshman at Cretin-Derham Hall.  Dan said things took a “turn on us” in December and that led to 30 days at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The cancer had moved into Casey’s lungs and impacted their function.  “…It’s his breathing that’s been the biggest challenge (of late),” Dan said. “We spent some time down in Mayo.  We spent some time in Chicago doing some different things—kind of cutting-edge stuff—and happy to say he’s getting a little bit better.  We still have a long, long way to go, but we’re seeing some progress. So that piece is good.”

The cutting-edge procedures are an experiment for Casey who has beaten away cancer many times only to see it return. But he and his father remain upbeat about the outcomes.

“We think so,” Dan said. “You never know for sure what’s hiding in your body somewhere or what (else). …We’re screening…with some spot treatment and also with an overall chemotherapy which will touch his entire body.”

Casey photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Dan resigned from his position as head football coach at Holy Family Catholic High School in January to move into a full-time support role for Casey who works as a financial advisor for RBC in downtown Minneapolis. “He loves it,” Dan said about Casey’s career.

Casey works from home in the mornings and Dan said “we get him downtown” in the afternoon.  He described RBC’s support for his son as “phenomenal.”

There are times when Casey receives oxygen to help him breathe.  Going for a walk is one of those instances.

Most people who face cancer multiple times don’t survive, but Casey battles on.  And then there are all the surgeries he has faced.  More than 40?

“Forty plus,” Dan said. “We couldn’t even tell you.  We stopped counting with all the different procedures.”

If Casey’s cancer story sounds unique that’s because it is, according to his father. “There hasn’t been another case like him ever.  Where they can say, ‘All right this is what we’ve seen and this is what it looks like.’

“He’s had cancer seven times. How many people do you know that have had cancer seven times? I know zero outside of Casey.”

Most of us can’t even imagine the physical and mental strength needed for a saga like Casey’s. “He’s so strong mentally,” Dan said. “So positive.  We’re fortunate that he is wired that way.  But it’s been a long fight.  It’s been 11 years.”

Casey was part of the U football program for four seasons.  He played in two games during his career, including 2019 against Rutgers where he held the football three times on point-after kicks.  The 6-1, 185-pound walk-on earned two letters before retiring from football at Minnesota after the 2020 season.

A Carlson School of Management graduate, Casey’s courageous cancer battles were well-documented at Minnesota, receiving local and national attention.  He was the 2019 keynote speaker on behalf of the league players at the Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon.  Later that year he won the Disney Spirit Award as the most inspirational player in college football.

Casey, who during his career was honored for his academics and sportsmanship by the Big Ten, was embraced at the U by head coach P.J. Fleck and the entire program.  Fleck’s feelings for Casey are through the roof.

“Casey is one of the most special individuals that I have ever met,” Fleck told Sports Headliners via email. “I am not sure that people understand or know how much Casey has overcome and endured in his life. He is a multiple-time cancer survivor and is still battling today.

“His story is one that has impacted a community and a sport. He has inspired countless lives and changed the way people look at cancer survivors.

“He always has a smile on his face and always has a positive attitude. It’s amazing really. Casey is a daily reminder to our team and program that we Get 2 to lift weights, that we Get 2 practice and that we Get 2 coach and play this amazing game.

“You get (in) coaching to positively impact the lives of young people. Rarely do you think that one of your players will impact you in such a meaningful way, but watching Casey play at Rutgers in 2019—and knowing everything he overcame to get there –is the most impactful moment of my career.

“It was a privilege to coach him and it’s an honor to call him a friend. He’s a Minnesota legend, and I have such a tremendous amount of love and admiration for him.”

Fleck’s feelings, and that of so many others, is documented in numerous ways including last year when the family knew insurance wasn’t going to cover six-figure non-traditional medical costs.  In August Casey launched a GoFundMe page and wrote in part: “My family and I have spent over four hundred nights in the hospital and been seen by specialists across the country. I have faced adversity every step of the way in my seven relapses with cancer, but I have always found a way to smile and live life the way I have wanted.”

How did the community respond? His GoFundMe page reports that $394,328 was raised!

Dan said: “The response has been overwhelming. And it was an emotional decision to say, hey, you know what? We need help. We don’t have the finances to pay for some of these things, and we’re running out of options that the insurance will cover.

“But to say…I gotta have some help taking care of my kid, that’s a hard thing for any parent to do and it certainly was for us. But to see the amount of people that wanted to say, hey, we just want to help. What can we do to help?  It was phenomenal.  I get emotional thinking about it.”

Dan photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The outpouring of love and support for Casey has been profound but he has also dramatically given back to others. “As a parent you couldn’t be more proud,” Dan said. “The example he’s been. The role model he’s been for other kids with cancer.  He’s helped so many people.

“He truly is one of the types of people that thinks about other people more than he thinks about himself, and sometimes that’s hard when you don’t feel good.  You feel like crap and you got stuff wrong (with you).  You got tubes hanging out of you and everything else.  And you feel like you’re never getting a break but somehow, he figures out a way to put other people’s needs in front of his own.”

Casey treasures his memories and relationships from the U.  He remains close with the three former Gopher players that he lived with while at Minnesota.  Casey and Joe Russell, Grant Ryerse and Clint Witherspoon got together just the other day.

Their friendship and the support of others close to Casey mean everything. “I think he’d probably tell you he hasn’t had a lot of fun lately,” Dan said.  “He’s got some fantastic friends.  Fantastic support group.

“Both his mother and I come from big families, and they’ve been great about being around to see him and those kind of things. Family and friends are the things that kind of keep him going and keep him motivated.”

Anyone prepared to break bread with Casey will learn he is strict about his diet. “He hasn’t had much of an appetite so that’s been actually one of our challenges because he’s lost some weight,” Dan said.  “He’s trying to get some weight back on but he’s very particular with his diet so he eats incredibly clean.

“If it has more than five ingredients, he doesn’t eat it. He’s eating chicken, he’s eating fish, he’s eating rice, vegetables, fruits.  He kills broccoli, kills it. I’ve never seen anybody eat broccoli like he does.”

Dan assisted Jerry Kill in administration when he headed the Gopher program. The two men remain close friends.  Kill knows so well not only what the difficulties have been for Casey but the challenges for the whole family.

This week Kill responded to a text message asking about his feelings regarding the O’Briens:

“Casey is no doubt the toughest person I have ever met, period! Their family has been through (so) much and they just are the best. They all will get a one-way ticket to heaven. I have never met a mentally tougher family.”

Dan, 60, is a football lifer but wants to be “all in” before he coaches again. That certainly could be on the horizon, and he’s interested in varied roles at different levels of football.  “I just want to be engaged in the game and be around kids. I’ve got a couple different things that are in the hopper that I don’t want to say too much about but hopefully I’ll be on the field somewhere this fall.”

And what about the days ahead for Casey?  “His deal is he’s still going to keep throwing punches,” dad said.

Comments Welcome

Vikings Defense Prepared to give Opponents ‘Hell’ in 2025

Posted on March 31, 2025March 31, 2025 by David Shama

 

The Vikings defense was among the most respected in the NFL last season and in this offseason the front office made headline personnel additions like defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.  Can the 2025 unit be the equal of any in the NFL?

“Absolutely,” said Viking linebacker Blake Cashman.  “You know, I thought that way last year, too. I think you put us up with the best and you know we’re going to give the opponent hell.

“You know, I think by the end of the (2025) year I believe that our numbers, our stats, whatever—all that data—will be up there as a top defense.”

Directed by second-year defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings last season utilized a blitzing and confusion causing scheme that excelled on the field and in NFL statistics.  The defense gave up a fifth lowest 19.5 points per game and second lowest 93.4 yards rushing. Minnesota allowed a passer rating by opponents of 82.4, second best in the NFL to the Lions.

Those stats were pointed out by Rob Kleifield at Vikings.com earlier this year.  He also wrote the defense was outstanding on fourth downs allowing a league-best conversion percentage of 37.1. The defense was clutch on third down conversions, too, allowing a 35.6 percentage, fourth best in the NFL.

Asked about his anticipation of the 2025 defense, Cashman said, “I am really excited about it. We’ve made really great decisions and we’re going to be a loaded team with a lot of talent.  So now the question is: Can we put it all together and have success? Which I think we will do… .We have the right people in the building.”

Cashman, the Eden Prairie and Golden Gopher alum, was outstanding for the Vikings last season after signing as a free agent in the offseason.  The 6-1, 235-pound Cashman had career highs in tackles (102), sacks (4.5) and passes defended (7).  Two of the team’s three regular season losses came when Cashman couldn’t play because of his turf toe injury.

Cashman’s career was slow to develop with the Jets from 2019-2021, but he earned considerably more playing time in two seasons with the Texans in 2022 and 2023.  After the 2023 season Pro Football Focus labeled him as a “secret super star” and because of his speed and explosive play referred to him as “a bat out of hell.” PFF gave him a grade of 83.7, fifth best among NFL linebackers.

Cashman, who should have been chosen as a Pro Bowl player after the 2024 season, turns 29 in May and wants to both improve and maintain his standard of performance in Flores’ intense pressure defense.

“…A focus for me is working on my hands and my pass rush moves.  That’s something that is an art, honestly. You ask guys that rush the passer like (linebacker teammate) Jonathan Greenard, (and) they talk about it being an art. So, that’s going to be…a big focus for me.

“Honestly, just continuing to stay very fast and explosive. Obviously, as you continue to get older those things can diminish. But I still feel like I am at a really great spot and that’s just something you need to work (on) really hard and maintain every year because I feel like, for me and how I play, that’s one of my advantages.”

Blake Cashman

Cashman played on state championship teams at Eden Prairie including a 13-0 club his senior year.  He was a walk-on safety at Minnesota under former head coach Jerry Kill.  Then one day at practice Kill approached him and said: “Son, I am going to make you a linebacker.”

Later awarded a scholarship by head coach P.J. Fleck, Cashman was named second team All-Big Ten by the media his senior season of 2018.  He was drafted by the Jets in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in 2019.

Asked what player over his six-year pro career was most frustrating to play against, Cashman didn’t hesitate in naming quarterback immortal Tom Brady.  He said Brady stood over the line of scrimmage and not only knew what kind of blitz was coming but also from where.

Cashman remembers a Jets coach telling him in jest that Brady’s preparation and knowledge of an opponent was so thorough he knew on Tuesday what kind of “underwear” you wore.

Worth Noting

Figure the Minneapolis-St. Paul TV market will have higher ratings than a lot of big city areas tonight when Hopkins native Paige Bueckers leads her Connecticut team against USC in an Elite Eight matchup from Spokane starting about 8 p.m. on ESPN.  Bueckers, the 23-year-old Hopkins alum, is closing out a college career that ranks with the best in history for women’s basketball.  The do-it-all 6-foot guard scored a career high 40 points in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament win over Oklahoma.

A Big Ten men’s basketball team hasn’t won the NCAA title since 2000. This year’s teams are all from the South: Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston.  Even with an expanded league to 18 members, the Big Ten is shut out.

Ron Stolski said the Minnesota Football Coaches Association’s Tackle Cancer initiative has raised about $4.1 million over 13 years in support of the state’s cancer efforts.  The executive director of the MFCA also said various communities have success stories in raising funds including Randolph, Minnesota, with a population of about 500, generating $70,000 last year.

Steve Hamilton

Steve Hamilton of Elk River has been named the MFCA’s 2024 Coach of the Year. The Elks had a 12-1 record and won the Class 5A State championship last fall. The 2024 Class 5A State championship was his third as a head coach.

The MFCA held its annual clinic last week with registrations at about 1,500 and 58 vendors participating.  Speakers came from not only Minnesota but places like Detroit, Georgia and Texas.

Connor Wilkie is the new head football coach at Holy Family replacing Dan O’Brien, the former Gopher assistant coach who resigned in January for personal reasons.  Hall of Fame coaches Jeff Ferguson and Dave Nelson will continue on staff to assist Wilkie who comes from Augsburg where he was an assistant.

Among the biggest names in Wild history until the arrival of Kirill Kaprizov was Marian Gaborik. Wild fans have to hope history doesn’t repeat itself with Kaprizov leaving the team like Gaborik did in 2009.

Gaborik, a star right wing, turned down a long term Wild contract before the 2008-2009 season.  Known as injury prone, Gaborik was rolling the dice on his financial security and sure enough he was only able to play in 17 games that season because of lower body injuries.  The Wild’s interest cooled and in the 2009 offseason Gaborik, then 27, moved on to the Rangers.

Kaprizov, Minnesota’s star left wing, hasn’t played in a game since January 26 since surgery for a lower body injury.  He probably won’t be back on the ice until close to playoff time.  This summer Kaprizov will be eligible for a contract extension, although he has a five-year deal that runs through 2025-2026.

Kaprizov, 27, could be smart to sign a lucrative deal rather than risking lower market value if his 2025-2026 season goes haywire.  Otherwise, Kaprizov and his representatives might be savvy to investigate a Lloyd’s of London policy protecting him financially if he decides to turn down the Wild this summer.

Comments Welcome

Gophers Don’t Need Game Now Against Crosstown Tommies

Posted on March 29, 2025March 29, 2025 by David Shama

 

New University of Minnesota basketball coach Niko Medved should ignore suggestions he schedule a game with St. Thomas.  There is no upside for his program in scheduling the St. Paul school that is only a few miles from Dinkytown.

Asked about the Tommies at his presser earlier this week, Medved was gracious about the suggestion and said it’s a possibility without giving a time commitment.  Good response but behind closed doors Niko and his boss Mark Coyle should develop amnesia about St. Thomas.

The Tommies, only four seasons into Division I competition, play in the mid-major Summit League.  Members are certainly not marquee names in college hoops with the likes of schools from the Dakotas and those pesky Kangaroos from Kansas City.

The Tommies, though, are already a Summit League power and a terrific mid-level program under coaching guru Johnny Tauer.  They would walk through a snowstorm to play the role of “David” at Williams Arena against the Gophers.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Gopher basketball brand is so tarnished right now it would be foolish to play “Goliath” by giving the Tommies the opportunity to take down a team from the mighty Big Ten on its home floor. In that match up, Medved and company are in a no-win drama for them.

A blow-out Minnesota win? The public response is, “What do you expect from a Big Ten team playing at home?”

A close Gopher victory?  The chorus says, “See the Tommies could have won.  They’re just as good as Minnesota.”

A Tommies triumph? Critics crow: “The Gophers can’t even defeat a good mid-major program.”

The Tommies played road games last season at Oklahoma State and Arizona State, two teams from the Big 12 Conference.  The scrappy Tommies lost both games by a combined 24 points.

Ask the marketers at those Power Four schools if the games against the Tommies did anything to boost their brand and credibility with fans, donors and potential recruits.

Avoiding the Tommies shouldn’t prompt a “game of chicken” mentality from fans who follow either program.  It’s just savvy business for the Gophers to take awhile to build up their product and continue their tradition of cushy non-conference scheduling against the likes of “Hopscotch State” and “Gulf of America University.”

There is speculation that the prestigious Big East, drawn to the TV size of the Twin Cities market, may one day ask the Tommies to join that powerhouse league. That would surely be the time to schedule the Minneapolis versus St. Paul matchup—our version of Marquette against Wisconsin.

In the meantime, the Gophers need to be aware the Tommies are their competition even if the two teams don’t play on the court against one another.  As the two Division I programs in the state, there is a budding rivalry for high school recruits, media attention and fans.

BTW both programs have lots of potential to build fan followings and home attendances.  The Tommies, 24-10 overall last season, attracted only 20,117 total fans for 14 home games at Schoenecker Arena.  The Tommies averaged 1,437 fans per game, playing to 65 percent of capacity, per stats.ncaa.org. St. Thomas will play in the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena next fall with a basketball capacity of about 5,500.

The Gophers, whose public season ticket sales have dipped under 5,000, continued their trend of poor attendance in 2025.  Minnesota averaged 8,923 fans, playing to 61 percent capacity in 14,625 seat Williams Arena.

Worth Noting

Is there anyone on the planet who doesn’t agree the No. 1 thing that will determine the Twins fate for 2025 is collective health.  The Twins announced the following Injured List on Thursday, opening day.

Position players Brooks Lee (10-days, retroactive to March 24; lumbar strain) and Royce Lewis (10-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain), and right-handed pitchers Brock Stewart (15-days, retroactive to March 24; left hamstring strain) and Michael Tonkin (15-days, retroactive to March 24; right shoulder strain).

How much has the Twins Opening Day roster changed in four years?  There are four players on the 2025 roster who were Twins in 2021: pitchers Jorge Alcala and Randy Dobnak, catcher Ryan Jeffers and outfielder Byron Buxton.

The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Twins who in Forbes annual evaluation of MLB franchises posted a few days ago values the club at $1.5 billion, a three percent increase over last year.  Carl Pohlad purchased the team for a reported $44 million in 1984.

The average MLB club is now worth an average of $2.6 billion, per Forbes who ranked the Twins No. 23 among the 30 franchises in value.  The Yankees are No. 1 at $8.1 billion valuation, while the Marlins are last at $1.05 billion.

While the Twins are up for sale, Sports Headliners has no reason to believe longtime Timberwolves-Lynx owner Glen Taylor, or Wild owner Craig Leipold, have interest in buying the local baseball franchise.

Word is the Wolves Tim Connelly, president of basketball operations, is not expected to exercise his contract opt out after this season and will stay with the franchise.

Cheryl Reeve, head coach and president of basketball operations for the Lynx, speaks to the Twin Cities Dunkers April 8 at Norway House in Minneapolis.  Winner of four WNBA titles with the Lynx, Reeve has been a headliner three previous times at Dunkers.

Storyteller extraordinaire Jay Pivec is the latest guest on “Behind the Game” which can be viewed on YouTube and is co-hosted by Patrick Klinger and Dave Boden.  A Minneapolis native, Pivec is a basketball lifer whose coaching stops over the decades include in his home state and beyond where he forged relationships and memories that entertain in his new book. The Book of Piv, available through Amazon, is his memoir from 40 years of coaching and is billed: “All stories as true as they need to be.” https://youtu.be/6jzxnB10Src

The Football Film Federation is promoting a two-day coaches technology convention at the Mall of America on April 26 and 27. The event is for those from high schools and colleges interested in film knowledge and excellence.  Top vendors and key speakers will be present.

Two schools will receive the Bob Marcus Film Excellence Award which is named after the successful former Gopher and Viking video expert.  More including information is available at footballfilmconference@gmail.com.

5 comments

Posts pagination

  • Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 419
  • Next
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Search Shama

Archives

  Meyer Law   NutriSource   Iron Horse  

Recent Posts

  • Wolves-Thunder Playoff Intrigue Includes Officiating
  • Twins Legend Tony Oliva Upbeat about Stroke Recovery
  • Jerry Kill Praises New Golden Gophers Running Back
  • National Voice Not on Board with QB J.J. McCarthy Outlook
  • Twins Prolific Statue Builders, But Where’s Everybody Else?
  • Ryan Tannehill May Still Wait in Wings for Vikings QB Job
  • Sam Howell Acquisition Likely Ends Vikings QB Room Drama
  • Does Anthony (‘Ant’) Edwards Have a New Nickname?
  • Vikings Remain on Clear Path to Build Support for J.J.
  • Medved Making a Difference with Golden Gophers NIL

Newsmakers

  • KEVIN O’CONNELL
  • BYRON BUXTON
  • P.J. FLECK
  • KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
  • KIRILL KAPRIZOV
  • BEN JOHNSON
  • LINDSAY WHALEN

Archives

Read More…

  • STADIUMS
  • MEDIA
  • NCAA
  • RECRUITING
  • SPORTS DRAFTS

Get in Touch

  • Home
  • Biography
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Murray's Restaurant

Dinkytown Athletes

Blaze Credit Union

Meadows at Mystic Lake

B's Chocolates

Gold Country

Iron Horse | Meyer Njus Tanick | NutriSource
© 2025 David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners | Powered by Superbs Personal Blog theme