Vikings – Page 265 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Football & Other Notes

Posted on February 3, 2012February 3, 2012 by David Shama

Hired as Gophers coach about 14 months ago, Jerry Kill’s leadership is becoming more evident. How do you measure it?

The classroom attendance and grades by his players are improving. Academics were much more of a problem on the team when Kill and his staff first came here. For fall semester the football team earned an impressive overall 3.1 G.P.A. Expect more positive future news about football G.P.A.’s.

Although no major college football program is bullet proof, the Gophers haven’t been in the news for major off the field behavior problems and scandals. There’s a code of conduct emphasized by the staff and plenty of reminders.

Most of the sports public is still apathetic about Gophers football but Kill has won many admirers among boosters, media and high school coaches since he came here in December of 2010. His straightforward manner has earned him friends and is in contrast to his outspoken predecessor, Tim Brewster.

Kill has shown commitment to making the Gophers much better than a Big Ten bottom feeder with his tireless work on the job. He has also demonstrated courage in dealing with his seizures. Whether it’s coaching in front of a regional TV audience, or talking to a recruit in his home, Kill hasn’t let his history of seizures deter him.

At a Signing Day news conference on Wednesday, Kill said he’s still not driving a car. His wife Rebecca accompanied him on recruiting trips to help out.

Signing Day on Wednesday was another indication that Kill will build his program similar to Wisconsin’s. The Gophers signed 10 players from Minnesota to national letters of intent, compared to five in 2011 and three in 2010. The Badgers roster, including stellar offensive linemen, has for years listed a dominant number of Wisconsin high school products.

Kill and his staff will continue to recruit plenty of players from beyond the Minnesota border but expect higher numbers of Minnesotans than in the past. Kill knows there are good players here, just not enough to completely fill the roster of a contender.

Among the 27 signees are high-profile Hopkins wide receiver Andre McDonald and Mankato West quarterback Phillip Nelson. McDonald, an ESPN four-star recruit, is a “tremendous talent,” Kill said. MaxPreps’ Tom Lemming rates Nelson the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the country and National Sleeper of the Year.

Tim Salem, the former Gophers quarterback, has been hired as running backs and special teams coordinator at Illinois.

Gophers junior player Rodney Williams isn’t included among players projected to be drafted next June by an NBA team, according to nbadraft.net. In 2010 the website predicted Williams would be among the first 10 picks in the 2011 NBA draft.

There’s speculation the Vikings will take USC left tackle Matt Kalil with the No. 3 choice in the first round of the upcoming college draft. He’s listed as the second best player in the draft after Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck by ESPN.com-Scouts Inc.

It was 40 years ago this winter the Vikings re-acquired Fran Tarkenton, pulling off a major trade with the Giants to bring the quarterback back toMinneapolis. Tarkenton led the Vikings to three Super Bowls in the 1970s.

Seven new affiliates have joined the Timberwolves Radio Network, bringing the total to 26, the most since the 2006-07 season. The new affiliate stations in Minnesota are Aitkin/Brainerd, Mankato and Montevideo. New in North Dakota are Carrington, Jamestown, Oakes andValley City.

Former North Stars executive Dean Lombardi, now general manager of the Kings, is earning praise for his decision to replace coach Terry Murray with Darryl Sutter. The Kings are second in the NHL’s Pacific Division.

Herb Brooks, who coached the Gophers to three national championships and America’s “Miracle on Ice” in the 1980 Olympics, is included on the short list of the Big Ten Network Icons series that includes Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and Dan Gable.

St. Olaf hockey seniors Ben Leis, Charlie Raskob and Jeff Warren made the right impressions during summer internships and have full-time employment waiting after graduation. Leis and Warren will be joining Best Buy as Demand Planning Analysts later this year. Raskob will work for Target as a Business Analyst.

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Worth Noting

Posted on February 1, 2012February 1, 2012 by David Shama

Gophers guard Austin Hollins on the Big Ten race: “I think we’re still in it.”

Minnesota, 4-5, has three more losses than conference leader OhioState, 7-2. Gophers coach Tubby Smith regards Ohio State and Michigan State (6-3) as “head of the class” teams. The Buckeyes have the most talent but Michigan State may have the conference Player of the Year in Draymond Green, Smith said last weekend.

The Gophers 2012 football recruiting class will be announced today and the group is ranked last in the Big Ten by Rivals.com. Scout.com ranks Minnesota No. 11 ahead of Illinois. Gophers coach Jerry Kill, interviewed on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle Sunday, said player speed was emphasized in recruiting this class. Several of his recruits are already in school and he said six of them are among the 10 fastest players in the program.

Kill also said 6-5 former quarterback Moses Alipate has been switched to tight end for spring practice.

Kill’s news conference to talk about his 2012 recruiting class will be shown live on Gophersports.com starting at 3 p.m. today.

Don’t be surprised if the Vikings stadium site turns out to be Farmers Market and Hennepin County becomes a major partner in the financing.

Dan Patrick reports in the January 16 issue of Sports Illustrated that Christian Ponder has already been told by the Vikings, who hold the No. 3 pick in the upcoming college draft, that Minnesota won’t select a quarterback. In the same issue Peter King writes the Vikings are “desperate” for help at guard and left tackle “but the biggest trouble by far is at cornerback.”

WCCO Radio’s Eric Nelson is covering his 19^th Super Bowl this week. He said about 5,000 media are expected in Indianapolis for the New England and New York Giants game on Sunday.

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman on the strike-shortened and compacted NBA season. “Even if you’re young (like the Wolves), you get tired.”

Wolves guard Wes Johnson, who has been recovering from pneumonia, said he’s been in the worst shooting slump he can remember. He’s only made 7 of his last 20 field goals and his percentage for the season is .368.

Speculation is Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Love wasn’t happy about not receiving the maximum contract offer for five years and about $80 million but his performance since signing a four year, $61 million deal has been impressive. Love is averaging 27.7 points in games since last Wednesday.

Rookie point guard Ricky Rubio plays flashy but on the court and off he consistently tries to defer to his teammates. Rubio doesn’t seek news media publicity.

Former Gopher Joel Przybilla, who has played 10 seasons in the NBA, is without a club now but his name has been linked with the Celtics and Bulls.

NBA legend Jerry West recalls in his new book, West by West, he was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers but soon thereafter the franchise moved to Los Angeles. In the book West writes about a dream NBA game involving him and other NBA greats representing East and West teams. The scroe is tied at 105 with five seconds remaining when Mr. Clutch, despite the presence in the huddle of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, demands the ball. How does the tale end? Read the book.

To help celebrate the 26th National Girls and Women in Sports Day the Lynx will participate in a ceremony at the State Capitol today from noon to 1 p.m. National Girls and Women in Sports Day was first chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1986 and honors female athletic achievement and recognizes the positive influence of sports participation for girls and women.

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Worth Noting

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

It will be a “who’s who” of players at TwinsFest this weekend but long travel distances will keep pitcher Francisco Liriano (Dominican Republic) and infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka (Japan) away. The three-day event at the Metrodome begins today and continues through Sunday.

The Twins will issue wristbands in various colors to fans seeking autographs from catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau. Fans with the “winning color” will be able to obtain autographs from the popular twosome. Patrick Klinger, Twins marketing vice president, said the system will eliminate the long autograph lines for the two stars seen at past TwinsFest events.

Klinger said although single game tickets for next season go on sale February 25, the April 9 home opener against Albert Pujlos and the Angels won’t be included. Season ticket holders will be able to purchase extra tickets for the home opener and have priority for that game. Some tickets for purchase by the general public will be available through a random drawing, Klinger said. Details will be available at TwinsFest and the team website.

Mauer, Morneau, pitcher Carl Pavano and broadcaster Bert Blyleven will make TV commercials today. Klinger didn’t disclose details but said the commercials will be “typical Twins humor, offbeat and fun.”

Twins pitcher Glen Perkins will be on the Pro-Alumni & Legends team playing the Gophers starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 4 at the Metrodome. Third baseman Jack Hannahan from the Indians will also play in the game. Hall of Famer Paul Molitor will manage the alumni team.

Matt Birk recently told media outlets he’s undecided about retiring from the Ravens. The former Vikings center just finished his 14th season of pro football.

Birk is one of three finalists for the 2011 Walter Payton Man of the Year award. The others are Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers and Bears cornerback Charles Tillman. The award recognizes an NFL player for outstanding community service activities and onfield excellence.

Rich Kallok, Birk’s coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, said the St. Paul native did volunteer work even when he was in high school. “All of our kids do community service of some sort,” Kallok said.

He said Birk played soccer as a ninth grader at St. Thomas Academy. Friends influenced Birk’s decision to transfer to Cretin-Derham Hall and Birk played defensive end and offensive tackle on the football team.

Progress on the football field has characterized Birk’s career in high school, at Harvard and in the NFL. “He’s improved a lot all the way through,” said Kallok. “He’s intelligent and a good athlete. There are no shortcuts with Matt.”

It was 20 years ago yesterday that Minneapolis hosted its only Super Bowl. Washington defeated Buffalo 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI on January 26, 1992.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association chose Mike Grant from Eden Prairie as Class 5A Coach of the Year. The other coach of the year winners are: Mike Rowe, ROCORI, Class 4A; Carl Lemke, St. Croix Lutheran, Class 3A; Brent Schroeder, Caledonia, Class 2A; Cory Larson, Dawson-Boyd, Class 1A; Andrew Fleischman, Edgerton/Ellsworth, Class 9M.

At the request of Sports Headliners, Mr. Basketball chair Ken Lien yesterday provided his rankings of the best prep boys teams in 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A. His top five in big school 4A are Eastview, Hopkins, Wayzata, Osseo and Lakeville North. Benilde-St. Margaret’s is No. 1 in 3A followed by Minneapolis Washburn, SpringLakePark, DeLaSalle and Blake. The top five in 2A are Perham, Braham, Redwood Valley, St. Peter and Watertown-Mayer. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa is No. 1 in 1A followed byBattle Lake, MACCRAY, Southwest Christian and Dawson-Boyd.

The 17-9-1 Gophers hockey team has lost seven of its games by one goal. Gophers sophomore Nick Bjugstad has 20 goals and 32 assists. He’s the first Minnesota player to have 20 or more goals and 30 or more assists since the 2008-09 season. The Gophers play at home against St. Cloud State (10-12-4) tonight and in St. Cloud tomorrow night.

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