Golden Gophers – Page 45 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Talking Turkey for Laughs and Wisdom

Posted on November 21, 2023 by David Shama

Everything I ever wanted to tell you about Thanksgiving.

(Ha! But maybe only a little bit.)

Suggestion for Strib columnist Patrick Reusse regarding the selection process for his annual “Turkey of the Year.” Choose a media person. Hint: It’s “low hanging fruit.”

My most memorable Thanksgiving Day sports event was the 1963 Golden Gophers football game at Memorial Stadium when Minnesota defeated Wisconsin 14-0 while earning some payback from a controversially officiated defeat in Madison the year before. The game on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, had been moved from the previous Saturday because President John Kennedy was assassinated November 22, and the nation was in turmoil and mourning.

Gopher 1962 All-American tackle Bobby Bell recalled meeting President Kennedy in the Murray Warmath book, The Autumn Warrior. The president knew of Minnesota’s frustrating fourth quarter 14-9 loss to the Badgers in 1962 and said to him later in the fall: “Bobby Bell! You’re the one who got that really bad roughing call against you a couple of weeks ago in that big game against Wisconsin, right?”

Warmath, the Gophers coach who probably would have won his second Big Ten title in three years if not for the 1962 officiating in Madison, had an eye for talent and a sense of humor: “No mule ever won the Kentucky Derby,” Warmath liked to say.

BTW I am starting a new tradition in advance of Saturday’s Minnesota-Wisconsin game in Minneapolis. Gopher fans are asked to wear lumberjack shirts (no red) this week to ensure good fortune that Paul Bunyan’s Axe remains in Dinkytown for a third consecutive year.

While the Gophers are practically strangers to Thanksgiving football, the Vikings are not, having played nine times on the holiday. Last year the Vikings defeated the Patriots 33-26 in their only home Thanksgiving Day game ever when Kene Nwangwu worked up an appetite with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

All-time on turkey day the Vikes are 3-2 against the Lions, 3-0 against the Cowboys and 1-0 with the Patriots for a 7-2 record. A favorite is the 1998 game in Texas when rookie wide receiver Randy Moss took revenge on the Cowboys who bypassed him in the NFL Draft after reportedly first indicating they would select him. Moss caught three passes in the game for 163 yards and all the receptions resulted in touchdowns during Minnesota’s 46-26 win.

No matter when you eat on Thanksgiving the NFL will be right there with you. The lineup Thursday: Packers at Lions, 11:30 a.m., Commanders at Cowboys; 2:30 p.m., 49ers at Seahawks, 8:20 p.m.

Football and food? The facts are these: it takes something like 15 hours to prepare the Thanksgiving feast and about 15 minutes (the length of halftime) to consume much of it.

And woe to those who don’t show appreciation and lend a hand to the preparers of the extravaganza. Without gratitude and willingness to help, there might be no TV football for you and dirty looks at the table could bring on a bad case of indigestion.

My worst and unexpected Thanksgiving drama? Being part of a pro rasslin’ promotion to raise funds for charity and hearing a cascade of boos rein down from the rafters of the old St. Paul Auditorium. Go figure.

Nobody on TV had more fun with football and Thanksgiving than the late John Madden, the Austin, Minnesota native. See what kind of look you get from a butcher if you ask for a Madden favorite, the six-legged turkey! I know we won’t have to count turkey legs beyond two on our bird.

At our house we spend considerable time talking about where to buy, what size and how to cook the turkey. How many pounds will feed how many people for how many days? Do we cover the bird with tin foil to enhance moisture? Maybe we’re influenced this year by a TV talking head who boasted about finding a Butterball at 99 cents per pound.

Temptation has crept into the process this year. We’ve seen wild turkeys in the yard lately, and I’ve pondered securing one for the Thanksgiving table. I am adept at throwing golf clubs and thought that might be a quiet way to knock off a gobbler. Restraint won out when I thought of cleaning the fowl.

Turkey is not for everyone, though. Vikings offensive guard Dalton Risner grew up on a ranch in Colorado and the family was a fan of another bird. “The fried chicken was just more crunchy, more juicy, just better,” he told Sports Headliners.

One year, Risner and his sibs were each tasked with making various parts of the holiday meal. “Yeah, of course we bombed out. I think mom and dad said it was all good, but you know we did something wrong.”

Risner’s mom made her version of Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert—brownies, layered with marshmallow cream and covered in chocolate frosting. A visitor suggested last week that sounded mouth-watering. “I got a sweet tooth, too, man,” Risner said. “Pumpkin bars, pecan pie. It’s going to be a good week, next week.”

Talk Thanksgiving with Viking defensive back Cam Bynum, and along with the importance of spending time with family comes a memory from Black Friday. He recalls his “sneaker head days” in California when he used to collect shoes. “In high school I’d go camp out (at a store with family) and wait in line for shoes, standing there for 12-plus hours, and that was a lot of fun for me.”

At our table we’ll have family from out of town and nearby. We’ll eat until everyone is high on sugar and then play games. I like the ones for ages 4 to 10.

Part of the emphasis in the Gophers football program is serving and giving to the community. Not just Thanksgiving week but other parts of the year, too. So, I asked Gophers’ football coach P.J. Fleck about gratitude yesterday.

He made the point that there are people who only want to be grateful for the good things in their lives. “A lot of things that you’re grateful for are the hardest things you’ve been through in your life because they teach you the biggest lessons—some of the most tragic, some of the hardest things you get through,” he said. “You do as you get older…find the gratitude in that and find out what it teaches you.”

Thank you for reading this space today and throughout the year!

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U Men’s & Women’s Hoops Ticket Sales Trend Differently

Posted on November 19, 2023November 19, 2023 by David Shama

Ticket sales for men’s and women’s basketball at the University of Minnesota are in contrast with one another. After consecutive last place finishes in the Big Ten, the men’s program has declined in non-student season tickets sold, while the women’s team has increased interest and sales because of new coach Dawn Plitzuweit.

Sports Headliners requested ticket totals from the University through the discovery process. As of early last week, the U had sold 4,780 men’s non-student season tickets, representing 1,534 accounts. This contrasted with totals of 5,704 and 1,887 for the 2022-2023 season.

The U cited three reasons for decline in sales and accounts. “Changes in life circumstances (including relocating, home/city), general disinterest and poor team performance.”

Ben Johnson was hired as men’s coach in March of 2021 and his first two seasons have been rocky. His overall record is 25-40 and the consecutive last place conference finishes are the first in program history dating back to 1898. Minnesota is a popular media choice to finish at the bottom in 2024 after having a 2-17 league record last season.

Pricing of non-student season tickets is unchanged from 2022-2023, so presumably that wasn’t a deterrent for most past buyers. Fan dissatisfaction is evident, though, and there was preseason fan interest in the amount of the coach’s buyout after the coming season. Sports Headliners has confirmed with the U that if notice was given March 15, 2024 the buyout amount is $6,519,340.

The public can also purchase mini-plans or partial season tickets. That total as of last week was 289 versus 574 for 2022-2023. Mini-plan sales are expected to increase (as they normally do) in the early weeks of the season that began November 6 with a win over Bethune-Cookman.

Student season tickets have declined from 2,699 to 2,033. There’s been no pricing change since last season.

Excluding season tickets and mini-plan tickets, the U reported 7,305 single game tickets sold for the 21-game home schedule. The most interest is in the January 23 Wisconsin game. Projected attendance is 7,054 for the Big Ten home opener December 6 against Nebraska. Williams Arena seating capacity is 14,625.

Attendance generally has been in decline for years. The Gophers averaged 9,451 fans per game last season. That was the lowest since 1970-1971 (8,395). Fewer fans mean less revenue for the self-supporting athletic department that has only three money making sports—football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey.

Johnson has several key returnees from last season’s team who, along with a few newcomers, could lead to an improved season. Junior forward Dawson Garcia was named Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of November 5 when he averaged 22.5 points per game in two games. Freshman guard Cam Christie, a four-star recruit from Illinois, scored 18 points in his college debut game against UTSA on November 10. He was entrusted to take the last shot to tie up or win Thursday night’s home game against Missouri but was unsuccessful as the Gophers lost 70-68 after blowing a 20-point second half lead.

The Gophers are 3-1 after yesterday’s 67-53 win over USC Update.

Athletic director Mark Coyle hired Plitzuweit last March to replace Minnesota basketball legend Lindsay Whalen as Gopher women’s head coach. The move drew criticism from those who thought Whalen should have been given one more season to turn around her struggling program but the reception to Plitzuweit has mostly been positive from the public and fans.

Plitzuweit has 28 years of coaching experience, with 16 as a head coach. She has been the head coach of winning teams at (most recently) West Virginia, South Dakota, Northern Kentucky and Grand Valley State. As a head coach she has 15 winning seasons including nine 20-win seasons and two 30-win years.

The 3-0 Gophers play national title contender Connecticut at 4 p.m. today in Williams Arena. The blue-blood Huskies feature Minnesota legend Paige Bueckers, who won national player of the year honors in 2021, and the expected attendance of over 9,000 could be the largest home crowd of the season.

As of last week, 2,469 non-student season tickets, with 899 accounts, had been sold. This contrasted with totals of 1,876 and 704 last season. The U reported “no significant” pricing changes to season tickets from last season.

The mini-plans or partial season tickets total was 244 versus 157 for 2022-2023. There are no student season ticket sales, with students admitted free.

The single game tickets total (excludes season and mini-plan sales) for all 18 home games was 14,902.

Reasons for increased ticket sales include optimism regarding the new coach, excitement about women’s college basketball, an attractive home schedule and a roster that features local talent “playing well.” There are eight Minnesota natives and two Wisconsinites on the roster.

Sophomore guard Mara Braun, from Wayzata, was the Big Ten Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 5. She averaged 25 points, 5 assists and 3.5 steals in opening season wins over LIU and Chicago State.

The closest win for the Gophers was a 22-point victory over North Dakota State.

Average home attendance last season was 3,353. Fans will turn out when given an exciting and winning team as evidenced about 20 years ago with consecutive seasons averaging more than 9,000 in attendance.

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Voices Need to Speak up for College Football Parity

Posted on November 14, 2023November 14, 2023 by David Shama

College football is out of whack and has been for a long time. The competitive balance between the elites of college football like the Alabamas, Georgias, LSUs, Michigans, Ohio States and Oklahomas versus the Minnesotas, Arizonas, Californias, Indianas, South Carolinas, Syracuses and all the rest is unfair and goes against the spirit of competition. Coaches, administrators, fans and media need to speak out about the issue.

The Gophers are headed to Ohio State this week for a Big Ten mismatch against the Buckeyes. Nothing new about that. All-time Minnesota is 7-46 against the Bucks. The Gophers are 4-23 in Minneapolis; 3 -23 in Columbus. Minnesota has lost 12 straight in the series.

The Gophers are 25-77-3 against Michigan and have won four times since 1967 when Lyndon Johnson was president. That was also the year Minnesota claimed its last Big Ten title.

Most of the Big Ten Conference has been looking up at Ohio State and Michigan for decades. As of late, the last six league titles have been won by the Buckeyes or Wolverines. Ryan Day has lost two Big Ten games since he became the Buckeyes head coach in 2019, both to Michigan.

Georgia is in pursuit of a third national championship, taking over in recent years from Alabama as the No. 1 “bully’ in college football. For more than 25 years it’s pretty much the “same old crowd” in the hunt for No. 1. The last time a school won a first-ever national football championship came in 1996 when Florida accomplished the rare feat.

The arrival of Name, Image and Likeness compensation has only made the rich richer. Long established with booster money, big brand programs can now benefit from the transfer of resources to NIL. With that have come allegations many programs are offering NIL money during the recruitment process, which is illegal by NCAA policy.

Recruits want to play for the so-called “helmet schools” because those programs have been so successful. That success includes playing for conference titles, participating in the college football playoffs and experiencing prestigious bowl games. Success also means being groomed at places that turn out NFL draft choices in assembly line like style.

Tyler Nubin photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The Michigan team that humiliated the Gophers on October 7 by a score of 52-10 has annihilated others as well. In league games Michigan is averaging 42 points per game, while giving up 8.4 (Ohio State is 31.1 and 9.7). The Wolverines may have 20 or more future NFL draft choices, according to their head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Gophers might have three or four, including senior safety Tyler Nubin.

What needs to be done to create a more competitive landscape? For starters, college football needs a new authority to replace the NCAA, one that is looking out for all the major college programs and the welfare of the sport. This means determination to put in place policies that will create enough parity across the country to at least close some of the gaps between the haves and have nots.

A significant change should be placing a financial cap on the amount of money available for NIL. Closing the money gap could prompt prospects to turn down a “helmet school” for a less prestigious program because more NIL rewards are available at the latter.

Cutting the number of scholarships from 85 to 75 or 70 would reduce the number of quality players the “bullies” can have on their rosters. As with closing the NIL gap, this move could steer more quality players to Minnesota and similar programs.

Those are just two innovations that could be considered. The point is that with strong leadership and consensus from the have nots—who outnumber the voting block of the haves—rules changes can be developed and implemented to improve the competitiveness of college football.

A move toward creating more parity will not only improve the game on the field, but also enhance revenues. More teams playing quality football translates into more box office sales, merchandising profits, and TV viewership commanding higher ad prices. TV ratings are successful now but are not reaching their potential in major markets like Minneapolis, Chicago, New York and Phoenix.

How big could the TV revenue pot grow if teams such as Minnesota, Illinois, Rutgers and Arizona State were fighting for college football playoff berths in November, and even before the season were nationally ranked? Remember, college football not only pays its own bills, but covers extensively for all the non-revenue sports in athletic departments across America.

The Big Ten expands to 18 schools next year and will eliminate the East and West Divisions for football. Gopher fans may already be feeling sorry for themselves when thinking how far down in the 18-team standings their favorites could be after adding four West Coast programs—USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. As things stand now, it’s not that realistic to think the Minnesotas, Northwesterns, Purdues, Wisconsins and other West Division schools will chase the top three or four spots in the standings.

The hope here is the Big Ten will soon expand to 20 teams, prompting the conference to create four divisions of five teams each. Adding Notre Dame and Florida State (gives the league a first-time presence in the Sunshine State) would put the “cherry” on a prestigious super conference.

The move to small divisions would emulate the successful NFL model and create “November Madness” at many conference schools as their favorites compete for a division crown and possible entry into the Big Ten championship game and college football playoffs.

On the wish list, too, is an expanded College Football Playoff format. The CFP goes from four to 12 teams after this season but 16 is more desirable. At that number it’s not difficult to see a half dozen teams from the Big Ten able to earn a playoff spot.

It would create a microcosm of “March Madness” and a huge morale boost to the fanbases in many places around the country including at Huntington Bank Stadium where the maroon and gold faithful are sometimes frustrated in November.

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