Golden Gophers – Page 401 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-Gopher Expects ‘Big Things’ in Football

Posted on April 27, 2012April 27, 2012 by David Shama

Matt Spaeth played for the Gophers from 2003-2006. The tight end from St. Michael, Minnesota was on the 2003 team that finished 10-3 and fourth in the Big Ten. The 2006 season was his last at Minnesota and it was also the final year for head coach Glen Mason.

The program went backward under coach Tim Brewster with his 2007-2010 teams finishing 11^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th. Spaeth was disappointed. “I am a Gopher fan forever. It was frustrating to watch them for awhile to see where that program went, and the things that happened on the field. It was tough for awhile.”

At the end of spring practice last week Spaeth, who now plays for the NFL’s Bears, told Sports Headliners the Minnesota program isn’t back to the level it was under Mason. “…I think they’ll be there soon. When I played with coach Mason he had some really tough teams. We had a team there the one year (2003), (if) we don’t blow a fourth quarter lead against Michigan, we probably go to the Rose Bowl. …”

How long before the Gophers return to a level of winning season records and at least approach .500 in the Big Ten Conference? “They’re headed there and they’re headed there fast,” Spaeth said. “I really think so. I expect big things in the next couple of years.”

Spaeth believes some day the Gophers can compete for a Big Ten championship under coach Jerry Kill, now in his second season at Minnesota. “You gotta hope to be a team that wins eight, nine games every year, and then every once in awhile you get a good team and compete for a Big Ten championship,” Spaeth said. “I hope people have patience because Big Ten championships just don’t happen in a conference like this.”

Kill has impressed many former Gophers who believe the former Northern Illinois coach is the person to revive the program and make it better than it has been in decades. “…I think he’s a great football coach, but he’s a better person,” Spaeth said. “I think it’s really important to have a guy like that as the head of your program to be a good person.

“It makes a difference when parents are thinking about sending their kids off to school and they’ve got a guy like coach Kill you can trust. He’s a good guy and I am very excited about where they’re going.”

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Worth Noting

Posted on April 25, 2012April 25, 2012 by David Shama

The Vikings Draft Party tomorrow night at Mall of America Field opens at 4 p.m. Admission is free to season ticket holders. For others the cost is $10.

The Vikings are viewed as the fourth place team in the NFC North, although Bears tight end Matt Spaeth wouldn’t say that. He said with injuries and other variables it’s difficult to predict where teams will finish. “They’ve (the Vikings) got a lot of good players so they could be good,” the former Gopher told Sports Headliners.

Former Vikings head coach Mike Tice is the new Bears offensive coordinator. “Coach Tice’s offense is going to be a tight end friendly offense so I am excited about this year,” Spaeth said.

Spaeth, who has been a part-time starter during five previous NFL seasons, likes the improvement the Bears have made during the offseason. “We’re going to definitely contend (in the NFC North),” he said. “The Packers are tough. It’s going to be a tough deal for us, but we’re going to be good.”

Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters undergoes right shoulder replacement surgery tomorrow. “Too many fastballs,” the former Twins pitcher said. He won’t be writing again until May 7.

Nick Blackburn, the Twins losing pitcher last night, is 0-6 in his last nine starts dating back to July 25, 2011.

Twins starters now have a combined ERA of 6.73.

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague signed a five-year contract in 2011 with a base pay of $240,000 at Virginia Commonwealth University, according to a story posted Monday by the Richmond Times-Dispatch website. Teague, according to Minnesota media reports, will earn $400,000 in base salary, plus incentives, at the University of Minnesota.

Former Gophers running back Darrell Thompson, who runs the Minneapolis-based Bolder Options program, will hold his organization’s annual dinner at TCF Bank Stadium on May 17. WCCO Radio’s Dave Lee will be master of ceremonies with the keynote speech given by Terry Hitchcock, who at age 57 in 1996 ran the equivalent of 75 marathons in 75 days. More information on the dinner is available at the Bolder Options website.

St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso notes that he, Vikings center John Sullivan and former Twins infielder Tim Teufel (now the Mets third base coach) are all from Greenwich, Connecticut.

Long range TV calendar planning: The summer Olympics begin on NBC July 27, and CBS will televise the Notre Dame-Navy football game from Dublin, Ireland on September 1.

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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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