NCAA – Page 55 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Glen Mason: Marion Barber a ‘Delight’

Posted on June 5, 2022June 5, 2022 by David Shama

Glen Mason remembers the last time he saw Marion Barber III. It was not long after Barber retired following the 2012 NFL season and he was back in town.

Over the years Barber called his former Gopher coach and this time he wanted to have dinner. Barber was thinking of moving back to Minnesota where his parents and siblings lived.

Mason said to come over to his house for dinner. Barber, who didn’t drink alcohol, arrived with an expensive bottle of champagne. He insisted Mason drink the whole bottle, while it was at its bubbly-best that evening.

“I am not a big drinker,” Mason told Sports Headliners Friday. “I got half shit-faced. I mean he was laughing at me. He said, ‘Coach, you’re slurring your words.’ I said, Marion, it’s your fault.”

Police from Frisco, Texas found Barber, age 38, dead in his apartment several days ago. Media reports are police were at the apartment as part of a wellness check but the cause of death hasn’t been publicized.

Barber had been detained by police in Texas in 2014 and given a mental health evaluation. The online Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported recently that a year ago former Dallas Cowboys teammate Dez Bryant tweeted that “he’s down and out bad.”

After leaving the Gophers and Mason following the 2004 season, Barber became a key contributor as a running back for the Cowboys. He played six seasons with Dallas, then finished up his pro career playing for the Chicago Bears.

Mason, who was Minnesota’s head coach from 1997-2006, believes the last time he talked by phone with Barber was about 18 months ago. He wanted to fly down to Texas, show up at Barber’s door and the two could spend time together. Mason didn’t know specifically what Barber’s issues were, but he was aware there were problems.

The coach was aggressive about arranging a visit but Barber pushed back and said he was busy. “Well, after I did that, any time I called him, he didn’t take my call and he didn’t return my call,” Mason remembered.

Most of the world, including in Minnesota, knows Barber’s name as a football player. Mason, who saw Barber almost every day from 2001-2004, will tell you that as good as the former All-Big Ten running back was on the field, he was a better person.

“The kid was a delight. When I thought of Marion Barber I did not think of him as the football player. I thought of him as the kid walking down the hall.

“He was kind of shy. …I wouldn’t say he was a class clown but he was kind of a practical joker. He’d give you a laugh all the time.

“Everybody liked Marion. Over a four-year period, he didn’t give me one minute (of a) problem. He never did anything wrong. I don’t know of a player I liked more than Marion Barber.”

About a month ago Mason was down in Florida and encountered Bill Parcells, Barber’s first head coach with the Cowboys. The Pro Football Hall of Fame coach told Mason that Barber was one of his favorite players. “That guy knew how to play football,” Parcells said.

Barber played high school football at Wayzata before attending Minnesota. Younger brothers Dom and Thomas followed Marion to the Gophers. Their father, Marion Barber Junior, was a great running back for Minnesota in the late 1970s.

It was suggested to Mason the family’s legacy at the University of Minnesota is unique—that the Barbers are the first family of Golden Gophers football. “All contributors, all-stars in their own right. I can’t think of a (comparable college football) program,” Mason said.

Mason revels in telling the story of how Barber came to his program. Although a successful running back and defensive back at Wayzata, there was minimal interest from college coaches. “Really no one was recruiting him, no big schools including us,” Mason recalled.

Mason lived within a short drive of Wayzata High School so he was aware of Marion. Another connection to the Barber family was that in the 1970s Mason was an assistant coach at Illinois when the Illini were recruiting Marion Jr.

As the recruiting period in 2001 was drawing to a close Mason questioned his staff about whether a scholarship should be offered to young Marion as a defensive back. Mason received push back from the staff and one assistant asked what made the boss believe Barber could play defensive back in the Big Ten. Mason answered because Barber was the one defender who intercepted Cretin-Derham Hall quarterback Joe Mauer.

Mason brought Barber to campus and offered him a scholarship—as a defensive back. No, thanks.

Barber insisted he was a runner and declined the offer.

A few weeks later Mason encountered Marion Jr. and inquired if his son had college offers cooking. The answer was no, so the persistent Gopher coach called Marion III and again offered a scholarship as a defensive back. “If you’ve got any sense you’ll take it,” he told Barber.

This time Barber accepted but the teenager soon showed his own persistence to Mason. While still in high school, Barber called and asked for a meeting.

He had a proposal. Let him play running back for his first season at Minnesota and if it didn’t work out he would be willing to play any position for the Gophers. Mason figured why not accept the deal because Barber wasn’t going to see the field anyway in his first year with the program.

But months later, at the first day of practice, the freshman running back was making an impression. After about 30 minutes running backs coach Vic Adamle told Mason the coaches had misjudged Barber and “this kid is good.”

Mason won’t take credit for how Barber surprised everyone from the start of his college career. “We gave a kid a chance mainly because his dad was a player here. If you can’t take care of your own, then shame on you. He did it all on his own and proved everybody wrong.”

Mason, whose previous head coaching stops also included Kent State and Kansas, can’t say exactly why Barber was misjudged out of high school and was so special immediately in college. He has a theory, though, that for whatever reason many Minnesota prep football players are late developers. He saw this prove out over and over again at the U, including with offensive linemen.

Barber ranks fifth all-time in rushing yards at Minnesota with 3,276. His 35 rushing touchdowns rank second and his 575 career carries are seventh. He made first-team All-Big Ten in 2003.

He and Laurence Maroney were the first pair of NCAA running backs to each produce 1,000 yard seasons in consecutive years on the same team. After Barber ran for 975 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Cowboys in 2007 he was selected for the Pro Bowl.

Barber deserves a place among the best U running backs ever. No one might have run harder, had more determination. Yet he could be shifty with a burst of speed, too. He also excelled as a pass receiver and the Gophers sometimes used him as a slot receiver to put both he and Maroney on the field at the same time. “He was just a tremendous running back,” Mason said.

With a love of contact, ferocious might be the word best describing Barber’s running style. “Strong, bruising runner,” Mason said. “I think it got to the point where people knew if you’re going to play Minnesota you better buckle it on. …”

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Twins Winning But No ‘Cartwheels’ Yet

Posted on May 24, 2022 by David Shama

With a 26-16 record and 4.5 game lead in the American League’s Central Division, the Twins are one of baseball’s surprise teams after completing about 25 percent of the 162-game schedule.

Minnesota has won five straight and is 22-9 since April 21. The Twins, who finished last in the division in 2021, are 14-8 at home and 12-8 on the road. Minnesota is 13-3 against division opponents, 6-5 versus the AL East, 7-6 against the West and 0-2 versus the National League.

Despite early success club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners recently he’s not going overboard. “It’s a long season. Nobody is doing cartwheels or doing victory dances yet.”

The Twins have dominated division opponents and can build on that now. They swept the Royals in a road series last weekend and play only division games thru June 2, including a home-stand against the Tigers that started last night with a ninth inning win, 5-4. Minnesota had an improbable comeback win in Kansas City Sunday, rallying from a 6-0 deficit for a 7-6 victory. It was the kind of win that is often part of a championship season.

Yes, the Twins’ schedule hasn’t been daunting. The Central Division is no powerhouse, although the White Sox were ranked among baseball’s most talented clubs before the season. The Sox, who the Twins swept in their only series so far, are one of four teams on the Minnesota schedule with a winning record currently. The Twins lost all three games to the Astros, went 0-2 against the Dodgers and won two of three versus the Rays.

Probably most impressive has been the consistent defensive performance. The Twins don’t falter much in the field and beat themselves. With regularity Minnesota fielders make pivotal and sometimes spectacular plays. The stellar defense starts with a middle core at catcher, shortstop, second base and center field. Most rivals can’t match Minnesota’s defensive personnel in that group.

The hitting has been spotty and at times the Twins struggle to score but that has been a problem for most MLB clubs. Speculation about a less lively baseball, the impact of a shortened spring training and unfavorable weather are all subjects offered up to explain the production drought in the majors. Still, the Twins have done more than many clubs with timely hitting and their lineup includes Byron Buxton who is among the league leaders in home runs and Luis Arraez is hitting a nifty .349 with a .876 OPS.

The Twins appeared almost desperate for pitching help before the season but overall results from both starters and relievers is exceeding expectations. “Some of our pitchers have had success,” St. Peter said. “Some of our pitchers have had some struggles but we think that there is more depth here.

“And the good news is I think we’re really excited about the young core that we’re developing. Some of those guys are already at the big league level; some are fast approaching the big leagues, whether they be at Double A or St. Paul (Triple A). So we like our chances of having more of a home grown pitching staff. That’s always the goal and I think we’re positioning ourselves for that in 2023 and beyond.”

In 2021 the Twins were coming off a season-shortened 2020 when they won their division. Expectations were high but the Twins finished with a 73-89 record. There was pessimism during the summer the local favorites were headed toward a major rebuild of the roster and could be a losing team in coming seasons.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

St. Peter, front office leaders Derek Falvey, Thad Levine and manager Rocco Baldelli made an assessment. “We talked openly and honestly about the state of our system,” St. Peter said. “Where our major league team was and where our farm system was, and where we were. Ultimately within the construct of that conversation it was pretty clear that ownership, along with Derek, Thad, Rocco and others, felt like we had a path toward competing in 2022.

“And thus the plan was enacted to re-sign Byron, to sign him to an extension, and try to work over the course of the offseason to put this team in a better position to rebound from a really tough 2021. I know there was a narrative that we were going to rebuild, but that was never the focus internally.”

Worth Noting

Injuries have already forced the Twins to use many players not on the opening day roster. Technology has played a role in contributing both to injuries and their prevention in baseball and other sports. Advancements in training push the human body to extremes not known in the past, while medical diagnostics provides accurate analysis regarding injuries. The result is injuries sidelining players today that wouldn’t have done so decades ago.

With an injury comes caution from the player, his agent and team. “Players are not encouraged to play through injury like I think they once were,” St. Peter said.

Mike Grant talking about his father Bud Grant who turned 95 last Friday: “Everything that has gone on in his life, he remembers every one, and he remembers everything. That’s a real blessing to have that, you know.”

Former University of Minnesota regent Michael Hsu, a leading proponent of monetization for college athletes, attended a Washington D.C. symposium last week featuring three panel discussions. The topics: unionization, Name, Image and Likeness, and a college athletes bill of rights.

The Sack Symposium is named after Allen Sack, a national expert in the college sports culture. Sack was a backup tackle at Notre Dame to former Vikings’ great Alan Page. Sack’s college roommate, former U athletic director Joel Maturi, also attended the symposium.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners he is open to retiring Kevin Garnett’s jersey. Garnett has been critical of Taylor but the owner says the organization is open at anytime to honoring the NBA hall of famer and has extended past invitations. “So we’re leaving that up to him,” Taylor said. “But I would be as nice and helpful to him as I would be (to) anybody. It’s kind of on him right now.”

The Gophers, averaging 2,899 per home date, finished No. 7 in attendance among the nation’s Division I wrestling programs this year, according to figures from the National Wrestling Media Association. Minnesota has been top 10 in attendance since 2002.

Iowa led all programs, averaging a capacity 14,905 in its arena. That’s a record for the Hawkeyes who have been national attendance leaders since 2007, per NWMA.

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U Looks on Track with Jaxon Howard

Posted on May 17, 2022May 17, 2022 by David Shama

How are the Golden Gophers doing in pursuit of the state’s No. 1 football prospect in the class of 2023? “I think Minnesota truly is in the thick of it for Jaxon (Howard),” Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners Monday.

Burns is the Gopher Illustrated and 247Sports authority who tracks U football year round. Howard, a potential college tight end or defensive lineman in college, has LSU, Miami and Minnesota among his preferred destinations. The Robbinsdale Cooper star will make official campus visits to all three schools next month, per Burns. And yesterday on Twitter Howard announced those three programs and Michigan comprise his final four list.

Jaxon and his dad Willie Howard, the Cooper coach and a former NFL defensive lineman, have a close relationship so that could be a factor in the college choice. As a hometown prospect, Jaxon has witnessed positive developments with the Gopher program including two of the last three seasons winning nine games or more. Hopkins alum Boye Mafe stayed home to play defensive end for the Gophers and was drafted in the NFL’s second round this spring.

The Gophers also have four verbal commits from Minnesotans in their class of 2023. Jerome Williams, Reese Trip, Greg Johnson and Martin Owusu are the state’s No. 2, 4, 5 and 6^th ranked prep players for 2023, per 247Sports. Knowing the state’s better prep prospects appear Minnesota-bound could influence Howard.

Burns said 2023 commit Darius Taylor, the running back from Walled Lake, Michigan who Iowa and Wisconsin offered, is friends with Howard and has been encouraging him to become a Gopher. The two spent time together at the spring game and Taylor has been pitching on social media for Howard to stay home.

Head coach P.J. Fleck and his assistants are recruiting now. After a short break around Memorial Day, recruiting intensifies for power five schools like Minnesota with the staging of camps during June. The Gophers will host two camps in June, according to Burns, and will attend others out of the state to evaluate talent.

Burns thinks Anthony Brown, the four-star wide receiver from Ohio who was a prize verbal commit before backing off his pledge, will be interested in earning an offer from Ohio State in June when he attends a Buckeyes’ camp. Brown’s brother Michael Brown–Stephens plays wide receiver for the Gophers and Anthony was wooed at the U spring game, but Burns isn’t wagering he will take up residence in Dinkytown. “They’re in the mix. (But) I don’t anticipate a reunion between the two parties. …”

The Gophers passed the football less than any other power five school last season and that was a red flag to Brown. If he doesn’t commit elsewhere before Signing Day in December, Brown could be watching the Gophers this fall to see if they revive their passing attack.

Perhaps the Gophers will end up with high three-star wide receiver recruit Tamarcus Cooley from North Carolina. “Minnesota has been pushing for him tremendously hard,” Burns said.

Gopher assistants Greg Harbaugh Jr. (he has North Carolina ties) and Matt Simon are in pursuit of Cooley who is expected to visit campus next month. “I think the offer list (for Cooley) would be just as comparable to someone like Anthony Brown,” Burns said. “I think it will be very interesting to see how much of an impact they can make on that June official visit with…Tamarcus Cooley.”

Burns also said Simons watched Georgia WR Jarvis Hayes work out recently and the Gophers have offered a scholarship. Hayes has shown his athleticism with a high jump of 6-feet four-inches, per Burns, and the Gophers “pretty badly” want him.

Hayes and West Fargo defensive lineman Karter Menz are two names Burns mentioned when asked who may make verbal commitments to Minnesota during the summer. Nebraska has also offered a scholarship to Menz.

247Sports ranks Elinneus Davis from Moorhead as the state’s No. 3 prospect and the defensive lineman’s college offers include the Gophers and Washington. He could project as a 300-plus nose tackle on the next level. “Academics are going to be important to him,” Burns said. “I know Minnesota wants him tremendously bad. I think they’ve got a pretty legitimate shot at him.”

The Gophers’ on-campus camps will be June 5 and 15, with official visit weekends for recruits June 10 and 17. Burns doesn’t expect any verbal commits during the busy month of June, but that will change in the summer and fall.

Worth Noting

What was the biggest positive Burns took from watching spring practice? “The passing game looks like they know what they want to be,” he said.

Burns’ evaluation is that under 2021 offensive coordinator Mike Sanford the Gophers continually tried something different in the passing game. With the return of previous coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca the expectation of Burns is a return to the RPO passing game “that was so prolific in 2019.”

Major concern? Burns wants to see the emergence of playmaker receivers beyond senior Chris Autman-Bell now in his sixth season with the program. The candidates are Dylan Wright, Michael Brown-Stephens, Daniel Jackson and Brevyn Spann–Ford. “I just want to see with my own two eyes that when the lights come on Saturdays that those four guys are ready to help Tanner (QB Morgan) and his passing game take a step forward.”

Worth watching too in fall camp and early games will be the status of veteran running backs Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts. Both were injured and missed most of last season, and then had no risky contact in the spring while they recovered.

Ibrahim is recovering from an Achilles tear and that’s serious business for a college running back, although he always relied more on his strength, toughness and savvy in finding holes than he did speed. He does need to be able to make decisive cuts as he did in the past as a 2020 All-American. “I am hopeful we see him at least 90 percent,” Burns said. “I think that’s realistic.”

Potts’ injury was never publicly disclosed but Burns said it didn’t involve soft tissue. He predicts a “100 percent” likelihood of Potts being able to perform as in the past.

Wishing the best for former Minnesota Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien in his convalescence following 10-plus days in the hospital.

The postseason results for men’s pro sports franchises in Minneapolis-St. Paul has been discouraging for years and the first round exits by the Wild and Timberwolves this spring add to the woes. Check the records back to October 1, 2004 and the combined postseason winning percentage of the Timberwolves, Twins, Vikings and Wild is 28 percent—32 wins, 71 losses.

In Game One of the AL Division Series on October 5, 2004 the Twins defeated the Yankees in New York 2-0. Since then the Twins haven’t won a postseason game, compiling 18 consecutive losses and a 1-19 record.

The Timberwolves are 3-8 during the period referenced, with two playoff appearances. The Vikings 4-7 and the Wild 24-48.

The Vikings announced Monday they have released a player with one of the best football names I recall: linebacker Tuf Borland. He played in two games last season for the Purple.

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