NCAA – Page 140 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Notre Dame Gameday a Special Experience

Posted on October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 by David Shama

Two Minnesotans traveled all the way from Minneapolis to South Bend, Indiana last Saturday to find Torii Hunter.

Well, that’s kind of misleading. Tim Murray and I attended the Notre Dame-Stanford game in search of a classic college football gameday experience. At Notre Dame Stadium we found Torii Hunter, Jr.—the son of the famous Tigers outfielder and former Twins favorite. Torii Jr. is a sophomore wide receiver for Notre Dame and he caught a couple of passes for 24 yards in the Irish’s 17-14 win over Stanford on Saturday.

There were several other players with Minnesota connections at the game including Notre Dame starting sophomore linebacker James Onwualu, the former Cretin-Derham Hall star. Stanford had more Minnesota connections than the Irish but the Cardinal player who really caught our attention with another famous name was Barry Sanders. Like his Hall of Fame football dad, young Sanders is a running back and he gained 14 yards on three rushes Saturday.

But this was no attempt to scour the rosters of Notre Dame and Stanford searching out every name—this was a quest to visit a football shrine and famous university. So our trip to Notre Dame was not a hastily planned affair, although the original intent was to see Alabama play a home game in Tuscaloosa.

Pardon my irreverence, but Tuscaloosa is where “god” once resided and we wanted to see where he did his best work. I am speaking, of course, about former Crimson Tide deity Paul “Bear” Bryant who coached Alabama to six national championships. The Bear passed away a long time ago but his legacy and impact live on. No wonder the stadium video screen at Bryant-Denny Stadium has shown the Bear drawlin’ and growlin’, “I ain’t nothin’ but a winner.”

Tim and I didn’t score seats for a big Bama game this fall so we changed our focus to Notre Dame. The Irish know a thing or two about national titles, too, claiming 13 of them—the most in college football since 1936 when the Associated Press started certifying championships.

Last Saturday we watched two of the better teams in college football as No. 9 and undefeated Notre Dame played No. 14 and one-loss Stanford. With Saturday’s win the Irish moved up to No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and the Cardinal fell to No. 25.

We saw two teams that could push and shove with anyone in the beleaguered Big Ten Conference. The quality of the football certainly made the game special but at Notre Dame there is so much more to the gameday experience including the stadium with its marvelous sightlines and devout fans.

There is a legendary story about Minnesota’s old Memorial Stadium that opened in 1924 and preceded Notre Dame Stadium. Supposedly a group of stadium planners from Notre Dame came to Minneapolis and assessed Memorial Stadium. “Gentlemen, this is how not to build a football stadium,” a group leader reportedly said.

Whatever Memorial Stadium lacked—and that certainly included inferior sightlines—Notre Dame Stadium seems to have. We sat in Section 9, Row 52, Seats 23 and 24 on Saturday. Our location, thanks to a friend with Notre Dame relationships, was on the 50-yard line—probably the best viewing for a football game I have ever experienced and that includes various Minnesota venues, plus the Rose Bowl, Michigan Stadium and Ohio Stadium.

Notre Dame Stadium, with a seating capacity of approximately 80,795, offers amazingly intimate seating. Obviously some seats are much further away from the field than others but most are between the goal lines and there are no “nose bleed locations.”

Last Saturday was a miserable weather day at Notre Dame Stadium but nearly every seat appeared filled at kickoff. The fans were loud and loyal, cheering for the Irish while “bailing” water out of raincoats and wishing they had wiper blades on their eyeglasses.

Prior to kickoff the Notre Dame public address man informed the crowd that local weather conditions included a “31 degree wind chill.” The fans laughed and applauded the announcement. Then he said temps were in the 80s at Stanford’s home in Palo Alto, California. The crowd let loose with boos.

Tim and I chuckled about that, but wished we could have “tweaked” the weather. “I would rather that it had been about eight degrees cooler so it was snowing (not a steady rain),” he said.

I didn’t make Tim feel any better telling him the normal daytime high in South Bend in early October is about 66 degrees—but the weather couldn’t drown our gameday experience. How could it when you step on to campus hours before kickoff and the sound of the famous “Notre Dame Victory March” can be heard from blocks away? Again and again the band played on…”Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame”…and the song never wore out its welcome with us.

There is an extraordinary spiritual and historical feel to the campus, although there is, of course, a touch of commercialization too including $95 tickets. Weeks ago a friend urged me to visit the Hammes Bookstore where Notre Dame clothing, plus foot wear, computers, jewelry and many other items are available for purchase. “They sell everything except books,” he wisecracked.

The Joyce Center adjacent to the stadium is open hours before the game and provides interactive games. The place is a theme park of Fighting Irish football, and part of the on-campus reminder about the school’s football glory and the men who made Notre Dame one of the most famous sports brands in American history.

Tim Murray, David Shama at Knute Rockne Memorial. — Tim Murray, David Shama at a Knute Rockne memorial.

We stopped at a Knute Rockne memorial in a campus building and listened to a pep talk on film from the legendary coach…”Rock’em, sock’em.” Outside the stadium is a Rockne statue along with statues of other famous Fighting Irish coaches including Lou Holtz. It was Holtz who won Notre Dame’s last national title in 1988 and just three seasons after he coached the Gophers.

Someone wrapped two neckties around Holtz’s statue on Saturday, giving the old coach a livelier look and perhaps trying to make a connection with him. And why not because Notre Dame is a spirited and sacred place where a visitor can stop and pray at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, gaze up at the statue of the Virgin Mary atop the Golden Dome and admire the Word of Life Mural of Jesus on the exterior of the Hesburgh Library. “Touchdown Jesus” as it’s known can be seen at a distance by fans inside the stadium.

From stadium personnel to students to alums to other fans, everyone we encountered at Notre Dame Stadium and on campus was courteous and helpful. They were happy as the hours approached before the game, and after a rain-soaked, windy and cold Saturday they were no doubt even happier. The Fighting Irish, now among the highest ranked teams in the land, will perhaps soon be in the conversation for an invite to college football’s first playoff next January.

As Tim and I discussed our Notre Dame experience on Sunday we knew it would be long remembered. “It was really fascinating, and makes me want to have even gone to school there,” he said.

I knew he meant that. He might have even uttered those words right after we left the stadium last Saturday—sloshing in our shoes and walking nearly a mile back to our rental car.

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Iowa Safety Rogers to Visit Gophers

Posted on August 4, 2014August 4, 2014 by David Shama

Former Iowa State defensive back Charlie Rogers, now at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, may become a Gopher, according to Scott Strohmeier.

Strohmeier, the Iowa Western head coach, told Sports Headliners his safety’s top two Division I college choices are Minnesota and Illinois. He also said Rogers is making plans to visit the University of Minnesota.

Rogers chose Iowa State over the Gophers as a high school player at Iowa City West where he was better known as a quarterback than defensive player. He was a Rivals.com three-star prospect and considered one of Iowa’s best prep recruits in the class of 2012.

As a redshirt freshman last year at Iowa State, Rogers was one of seven freshmen to play for the Cyclones. He participated in 12 games, starting two at cornerback and nickelback. He was second team All-Big 12 academic.

Rogers, 6-1, 195 pounds, wouldn’t be the first Iowa Western alum to play for the Gophers. Mike Henry, a senior fullback on last year’s Gophers, first attended Iowa Western after graduating from Mahtomedi High School. Linebacker Cody Poock, from Spirit Lake, Iowa, transferred to Minnesota after playing for Strohmeier last fall.

Strohmeier is from Watkins, Minnesota. He has been head coach of the Reivers since 2008 and won the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.

Strohmeier’s relationship with the Gophers is enhanced by his friendship with Gophers associate athletic director Dan O’Brien who oversees the U football program and is a former head coach at Concordia of St. Paul. “Dan gave me my first coaching job at Concordia,” Strohmeier said. “He got me in the profession.”

Iowa Western is a possible destination for former Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones, the Rivals.com four-star recruit who is trying to become NCAA eligible this summer so he can join the Gophers who started practice last Friday in preparation for their season opener on August 28 at home against Eastern Illinois. “I would love to have a guy like Jeff but he deserves to play Division I,” Strohmeier said. “We’re here if he needs to be.”

If Jones were to become a Reiver, he would play in the same backfield with Eden Prairie High School alum Anthony Anderson, a power back who will have major college recruiters watching him in Council Bluffs. Strohmeier lost his top two tailbacks from last year’s No. 2 nationally ranked team and he expects Anderson to help fill the void.

What would it be like to have a backfield with the elusive Jones and powerful Anderson? “I could sleep a lot better at night. I can tell you that much,” Strohmeier said.

Worth Noting

After reporting on Jones for months and following his story, I will be surprised if he isn’t admitted to the University of Minnesota soon, even if he isn’t NCAA eligible to play for the Gophers this season.

Among the Gophers’ best chances for a road upset this season could be September 27 at Michigan. The Gophers have only won twice in Ann Arbor since 1986 and have lost five consecutive games to Michigan, but the Wolverines have been faltering the last two years with a 15-11 record.

“It was a low energy program a year ago,” said Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo last Monday on BTN’s coverage of the conference’s Media Day.

The Wolverines’ problems include having lost five of their last six games against Michigan State. Spartans’ coach Mike Dantonio was asked at Media Day how MSU can keep up the intensity for the in-state rivalry. “I continue to live in (the state of) Michigan,” he answered. “That ought to do it.”

Eighteen attendees paid $2,000 each for the “Boys of Fall Elite Camp” that coincided with the opening of Gophers training camp last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Participants received an inside look at the Gophers program, attending team and position meetings and eating with players. The camp raised money for the football program.

Senior redshirt wide receiver Devon Wright is now on the Gophers’ 105-man roster, after replacing injured redshirt sophomore tight end Duke Anyanwu. Wright is a former Tim Brewster recruit as a running back from Florida. He played on special teams last year.

Former Gophers linebacker Jon Leverenz is teaching science at Bloomington Jefferson High School and is the head boys track coach. His 162 tackles in 1987 ranks second for a single Gophers season behind linebacker Bill Light’s 172 in 1970.

Former Gophers basketball captain Al Nuness will be part of the inaugural hall of fame class at his old Chicago area high school, Proviso East, on August 30.

It might be a matter of when—not whether—U.S. Bank is announced as the naming rights choice for the new Vikings stadium.

Wasn’t that Tom Lehman looking at the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course last week with the possibility of helping with renovations?

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Next Stadium Could Be for MLS Soccer

Posted on July 2, 2014July 2, 2014 by David Shama

The future of pro soccer in Minnesota might be more a question of who will own the franchise and where the team will play, rather than whether this area will be granted membership in North America’s best league.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has said MLS will expand by four teams within six years and Minneapolis is on a short list of potential new franchises. Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire wouldn’t confirm to Sports Headliners he will pursue an MLS franchise but it’s believed he is open to doing so—and leaving the North American Soccer League where the United play. A Minneapolis MLS team, if owned by McGuire, would likely play in a new soccer-specific stadium in Hennepin County.

The Wilf family, owners of the Vikings, have made it known they are interested in owning a Minneapolis MLS franchise. The Vikings have exclusive five-year rights to pursue an MLS team in their new downtown multipurpose stadium once it opens in 2016.

A source told Sports Headliners McGuire has interest in potential stadium sites near Mall of America and downtown. At either location an open air stadium seating about 20,000 would most closely approximate the facility model favored by the MLS, where playing in a domed facility isn’t the norm. The new Vikings domed stadium will have a capacity of about 65,000 for football but seats could be covered to create a more intimate setting for soccer. A partially transparent roof and facades will allow natural light into the Vikings stadium and create an outdoor viewing feel for spectators.

At first consideration it might seem doubtful there would be much public support for a soccer-specific stadium. But perhaps Mall of America interests would join McGuire in financing a stadium near the mega shopping center in Bloomington. A privately financed stadium at that location would provide a major outdoor venue that could be used for soccer, concerts and other attractions.

Before the MOA was built, Met Stadium in Bloomington hosted the Minnesota Kicks, a popular NASL team that drew large crowds because of the party environment fueled by tailgating. Combining the marketing power of the MOA with the lure of a new stadium and revived tailgating could create a lot of awareness about a new soccer product in Bloomington.

At least two sites near the Farmers Market downtown are being talked about for a soccer stadium. Proponents of the Farmers Market area fought to have the Vikings stadium there, arguing the location could be a financial stimulus to the neighborhood and even boost the city’s north side economy. It’s also said that a soccer stadium in that area—near Target Field and Target Center—further enhances the city’s entertainment district. The greater area is a transit hub that includes light rail and train service.

Hennepin County, the public partner in financing Target Field, might be a supporter of a Farmers Market soccer stadium. The county, unlike the city, is in a better financial position to help back a stadium and both public entities would profit from taxes and increased business activities.

Could the Twins also be a partner with McGuire in the team and facility? McGuire was in Kansas City, Kansas last December with a group that included Twins president Dave St. Peter. The purpose was to look at the local MLS’s stadium—Sporting Park, a facility that seats 18,467 for soccer and 25,000 for concerts. The outdoor stadium opened in 2011 and cost $200 million.

A soccer-specific stadium either at Mall of America or downtown would be expected to create event revenues beyond those generated by an MLS team. Whether the stadium is a public-private partnership, or privately owned, a 20,000 seat open air facility fills a void in the Twin Cities market and might interest various investors including the Twins who have staged concerts at Target Field.

Proponents of playing in the Vikings stadium will insist that with $150 million invested by the city and $348 million from the state, the only place that makes sense for a local MLS franchise is the new multipurpose venue being constructed on the old Metrodome site. The Vikings are paying the balance of the cost for the near $1 billion stadium and they will argue the facility was built to house as many events as possible, including soccer, and provide the best return on investment for all concerned.

The Wilfs or McGuire would likely pay $100 million or more as an expansion fee. The fee for the New York FC team that begins play in 2015 was $100 million. “Major League Soccer franchise fees have increased twenty fold from the league’s ten charter clubs in 1996 to introduction of the twentieth franchise in 2013,” according to a June 11 story last year by Christopher Savino for Businessofsoccer.com.

But paying around $100 million could be a bargain and a smart business move. While expansion fees have increased, so has the value of franchises. Chris Smith, reporting for Forbes.com in a story November 20, 2013, wrote that cities are lining up for expansion teams and that should not be a surprise. “In 2011, average MLS attendance hit 17,872 to surpass both the NBA and NHL, and it has since increased to 18,611 fans per game. More impressively, the average franchise is now worth $103 million, up more than 175% over the last five years.”

Those numbers have to catch the attention of McGuire and the Wilfs. If trends continue, the value of the Minneapolis team will escalate—perhaps dramatically—and even prompt interest in eventually selling the franchise for a big profit.

After decades of promise, soccer in America seems to finally be fulfilling the popularity forecast for the sport decades ago. The World Cup that started last month and continues until July 13 has been a reminder to Americans that the sport most popular in so many countries stirs interest in North America, too.

Downtown Minneapolis crowds have waited outside Brit’s Pub to watch the World Cup, and Minnesota kids are playing soccer in large numbers. With more ethnic groups who love the sport moving into the state, the interest in Minnesota soccer will grow. It’s that kind of following here and in other parts of the country that is pushing the MLS into a richer and more promising future.

With a potential 24-team league by 2020, it doesn’t make sense for the MLS to pass on Minneapolis-St. Paul, the 15th largest TV market. The question is who will own the franchise and where will the team play.

Worth Noting

Jeff Jones and those close to the Washburn all-state running back aren’t giving up on him enrolling at the University of Minnesota later this summer. His latest ACT score wasn’t high enough to meet NCAA eligibility requirements.

“They are bound and determined to get him on campus,” Washburn coach Giovan Jenkins told Sports Headliners. “They don’t want him to go to junior college.”

Jones is taking two online summer classes and will know the results by July 10. There is a possibility his grades from those classes will improve his high school GPA enough—combined with his ACT score—to meet NCAA requirements.

There are potential ways for Jones to attend Minnesota this year even if he isn’t eligible to play in games for the Gophers. Among those avenues is for Jones to be admitted by the University without a scholarship but train and practice with the team during the 2014 season.

Jashon Cornell, the Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end who announced this morning he will play for Ohio State, is likely to excel as a pass rusher for the Buckeyes. Cornell, who will be a high school senior next season, likely would have started for the Gophers in 2015.

Condolences to the family and friends of Paul Najarian who lost his struggle with ALS on June 23. Paul, 52, is survived by his wife Julie and three children. He is the son of Dr. John Najarian and wife Mignette. A football loving family, Paul played at California, where his dad also played for the Golden Bears. Brother Peter played for the Gophers. Paul was the longtime and original owner of Popeye’s Chicken on Lake Street. A visitation, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and celebration of his life, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., will be held tomorrow at Mendakota Country Club.

The Wild has sold the building where the NHL team offices, according to a Sports Headliners source. A real estate developer has purchased 317 on Rice Park but the Wild will continue to office in the building and the Minnesota Swarm will, too.

Daktronics will provide a major technology upgrade to Xcel Energy Center including a new custom HD LED center-hung video board nearly six times larger than the current one, stretching from blue line to blue line.

Additional upgrades will include replacement of outdoor marquees and ribbon displays that encircle the interior arena fascia. The new elements will be installed over the summer, with the official unveiling planned for the Wild’s first home preseason game on September 27 against the Jets.

The Wild were able to sign free agent Thomas Vanek and fill a goal scoring need because he was a pro sports exception—a player willing to make less money than he earned with his old deal. Vanek reportedly will earn $6.5 million after playing last season for $7.1 million.

The June 30 issue of Sports Illustrated includes a six-page story on Darren Sharper, the former Vikings safety, who faces multiple rape charges. “Cumulatively, the accusations are overwhelming, but individually they may be difficult to prove,” the magazine speculated.

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