Vikings – Page 36 – 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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O’Connell’s Viking Culture Fosters ‘Clear Minded Football’

Posted on November 12, 2023November 16, 2023 by David Shama

Kevin O’Connell and his staff have created a thriving atmosphere for the Vikings. Call it environment, culture, relationships, or what have you, the players are comfortable with their coaches, teammates and themselves.

Prior to O’Connell becoming head coach in February of 2022 there was criticism of the team culture. Linebacker Eric Kendricks talked about a “fear-based” organization under head coach Mike Zimmer. Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins had a contentious relationship per numerous media reports.

But under new leadership the Vikings overachieved last season going 13-4 and winning the NFC North Division. After a 0-3 start this season, they showed resolve by bringing their record to 5-4 after last week’s improbable win over the Falcons when quarterback Joshua Dobbs played hero ball after joining the team mid-week to replace the injured Cousins.

O’Connell could have contributed to a potential panicky environment with the loss of Cousins for the season and a new quarterback who had the most minimal knowledge and familiarity with the plays and personnel. Instead, Dobbs played with poise and success like he was on the school playground with old friends, rallying Minnesota to a 31-28 win despite his situation and having replaced injured starter Jaren Hall in the first quarter.

“…I know K.O. believes that you play your best when you’re enjoying yourself and having a good time and playing free,” offensive tackle Brian O’Neill told Sports Headliners. “The last thing anybody wants is to be afraid to make a mistake, and they’ve cultivated a culture in that we can feel confident that they believe in us, and we believe in ourselves, and just go out and play clear minded football.”

Guard Dalton Risner signed with the Vikings as a free agent after the first two games of the season. He had visited the Vikings in the summer and been impressed with O’Connell when the coach agreed to pray with him. Risner said the gesture was “pretty awesome” and suggested to him the kind of organization he could be joining.

The positivity that Risner found in the locker room was evidenced by how Cousins connected with Dobbs and welcomed him. “…He’s been awesome,” Dobbs said. “The first thing he said was, ‘If you need anything, want to know more about the offense, whatever you need – don’t hesitate to call, text.’ And he’s been in our meetings. So just being able to bounce ideas off him, ask him how he sees different plays that we’re installing, it’s been awesome, and I’ll continue to use him as a resource.”

Kevin O’Connell photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

Success can’t be realized, of course, without preparation and game plans. “I think it’s a credit to both the players and the coaches for being ready to roll and consistently having that standard of preparation that we kind of hang our hat on around here,” O’Connell said. “It’s on us as coaches to have a game plan that our guys can absorb and then go thrive in, whether they get the reps or not, and then players making it come to life by their execution. …”

O’Connell’s savant like work as an offensive strategist, play caller, quarterback developer and team leader have positioned him among the early favorites for NFL Coach of the Year. You can be sure he will have the “vote” of his players.

Worth Noting

NFL media authority Mike Florio, talking on Paul Allen’s KFAN show last week, said Dobbs is faster than elusive Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Fans are often impatient but Gophers’ redshirt sophomore QB Athan Kaliakmanis deserves understanding. Going back to his junior year of high school in Illinois he missed part of the schedule because of injury. COVID dictated a reduced senior season schedule in the spring of 2021. That fall he redshirted with the Gophers before getting five starts in 2022. A starter in 10 games this season, Kaliakmanis is working under his third offensive coordinator in three years.

Recall that Bo Nix was a struggling quarterback for Auburn when the Gophers won the 2020 Outback Bowl. Fast forward to this fall when Nix, now playing for Oregon, has started more college games at QB than any collegian ever and is forecasted as an NFL first round draft choice.

Matt Millen, who was here November 4 to work the Minnesota-Illinois game for the Big Ten Network, waited about 100 days in 2018 to receive a heart from a donor and have a successful transplant.

Joe Mauer is eligible for election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with an announcement coming in January as to who will be inducted in the summer of 2024. It’s certainly possible the former Twins catcher, whose accomplishments include three batting titles and the 2009 American League MVP Award, will not make it on his first try. Famous players who didn’t receive enough votes in their first year of eligibility include Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra and Harmon Killebrew. It’s fair to say, though, that in the present era voters (baseball writers) aren’t as persnickety as they once were.

The Brewers would be savvy to consider Paul Molitor as their next manager. His knowledge of baseball is extraordinary, and he has the experience of managing the Twins for four seasons. A former Brewers star, Molitor’s name is legendary in Wisconsin as it is in Minnesota, including from his playing days with the Twins.

Molitor is 67 but older managers can have success. Dusty Baker just retired at 74 and three years ago the White Sox hired Tony La Russa at age 76. Both had storied managerial careers. The Angels hired Ron Washington, 71, as their new manager several days ago.

Jack Wilson, the 6-11, 285-pound grad transfer center, plays hard for the Gophers and with his hulking appearance, effort and limited finesse could become a fan favorite coming off the bench. He may follow in the legacy of past reserves who were fan favorites like Hosea Crittenden, Russ Archambault, Rob Schoenrock, Ryan Saunders and David Grimm.

Kyle Counts, the 6-7 basketball forward from Wilsonville, Oregon who signed with St. Thomas last week as part of the Tommies’ 2024 recruiting class, is the grandson of Mel Counts, the former 7-foot NBA center and 1964 Olympian.

Astute hockey observer and Sports Headliners reader and advertiser (Iron Horse) John Justice points out this state has a history of on-ice tragedies with the most recent being Adam Johnson. The Hibbing native died last month in England while playing hockey and having his throat slit by an opposing player’s blade.

Hockey historians will remember in January of 1968 Bill Masterton, 29 and playing at Met Center for the expansion North Stars, hit his head on the ice during a game and died about 30 hours later. Another North Star from the 1970s, Warroad native Henry Boucha, tragically was poked in the eye by the hockey stick of Dave Forbes from the Bruins and the resulting blurred vision curtailed his promising career.

Duke Pieper was only 15 in 2008 and about to play his first varsity game for Hill-Murray when he suffered a brain bleed and was given about a five percent chance to survive. Surgeries and multiple complications made his life extraordinarily difficult for years, but he earned a college degree at Minnesota and has written an inspiring book called I’m Alive: Courage, Hope and a Miracle.

In 2011 Jack Jablonski, playing on the Benilde-St. Margaret’s junior varsity, suffered a neck injury that left him paralyzed. His spirit for life continues, though, including with his efforts to raise money for spinal cord injury research.

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For Mike Grant a Fall of Football, Hunting & Memories of Bud

Posted on November 7, 2023 by David Shama

It was a timely phone call to Mike Grant last week. Not only was his 9-0 Eden Prairie football team getting ready for its playoff game against Eagan, but the opening Saturday of deer hunting was fast approaching.

Mike and wife Colleen are avid hunters. Mike’s dad Bud Grant, the legendary former Vikings coach who passed away last March at age 96, was known almost as much for his outdoor passions as he was for football. Mike and Bud were close, and the EP head football coach thinks about his famous father every day.

“I talked to him every day in the fall (in past years),” Mike told Sports Headliners. “Yeah, it’s a strange first. You know the first football season without him and then the first hunting season without him, and it’ll be the first Christmas without him.

“It’s what everybody goes through, you know, when you lose a loved one. So…we’re not unique. We’re not special. It’s just we’re going through what everybody else has gone through.”

For the Grants hunting was more about being outside and sharing time with family than shooting wildlife. Last November Bud spent time deer hunting at Mike’s place near Wadena, Minnesota. It would be his last go round in a sport that began for him at 14 years old in rural Wisconsin.

Mike said he doesn’t know if Bud shot “50, 60, 100” deer in his lifetime but his dad liked to tell stories about them. “He could tell you that story of every single deer (he shot). He remembered them all.”

In younger days Bud could sit in a tree all day, ignoring the cold weather, eating a banana, and waiting for a deer. During the autumns of decades ago his dad insisted on minimal noise when deer hunting including no racket like slamming a car door. Later in life when Bud couldn’t walk distances, he told Mike to drive him right up to the deer stand. “It doesn’t matter, the deer don’t care,” Bud said.

In recent falls there was no hurrying Bud to get out into the woods. Everyone else was ready to go before the patriarch. Mike was anxious to get out the door, but Bud would say, “I’ve never shot a deer at sunup.”

Bud had a lot of mounted deer antlers at his Bloomington house. It was part of his makeup to collect things and that habit enabled him to have his well-publicized annual garage sales when he was in his 90s.

“He was very proud of his three-legged buffalo nickel,” Mike said. “In the end he’d forget that he showed you something and he’d get out his coin collection and say, ‘I got the three-legged Buffalo nickel.’ …”

Mike saw changes with his dad over the years, including a more talkative and outgoing Bud. A stranger might tell Mike how approachable Bud was, taking time to visit someone he had never met. “When he got into his 80s, he was very outgoing, very gregarious. Talked to people.”

As Bud aged, he lost more and more of his pals, with his kids (six children) filling the role of best friends. “He didn’t have many friends at the end,” Mike said. “Think about it. You’re 96.”

A difficult loss was when Minneapolis media icon Sid Hartman passed away in 2020. “You gotta figure Sid was a rock for him since (back when) he was in college. As cantankerous as Sid could be, he was my dad’s best friend,” Mike said about the relationship that formed when newspaper man Sid befriended Bud at the University of Minnesota.

The two didn’t get outdoors a lot and when they did Sid was out of his element. There is a famous story about the two having car trouble at night in the middle of nowhere. Sid started to walk for help and noticed what he thought was a spotlight from a nearby town. No, Bud corrected, that was the moon Sid spotted.

Mike brushed off the question if he dedicated this season to his Hall of Fame father who coached the Vikings to four Super Bowls. “I don’t know. I don’t even know what that means.

“No, I think about him every day. Miss him every day. My dad would say the same thing, ‘What does that mean (dedicating the season)?’…I don’t think that way I guess.”

Does Mike wear something that reminds him of Bud? A cap, shirt, or watch? Maybe use an old whistle of Bud’s on the football field. Nope.

Mike said he is sentimental but wearing things like that doesn’t resonate. “…I am not doing something for show. …I don’t need a thing to remember him every day.”

Bud coached his last Vikings team in 1985 but he remained interested in football and other sports. His analytical mind made him an interesting companion to watch a football or baseball game with.

“He was our biggest fan,” Mike said. “He watched our games closely. …For years he came to every game except when the ducks were flying, then he’d be gone.”

Bud Grant (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings.)

Bud was interested in Eden Prairie’s personnel and asked for scouting reports on the opposition, but he didn’t tell Mike how to handle the Eagles. “He was interested, but he did not tell me how to coach in any way, shape or form,” Mike said while referring to his dad more as a cheerleader than an advisor.

At age 66 Mike has far more coaching experience than his father who retired at 58. Mike has won 11 large school state championships at Eden Prairie. The 2023 Eagles are another powerhouse with a 10-0 record. The closest final scores for the Eagles were with Prior Lake and Minnetonka, who both lost by 14 points. The Eagles have been dominant, but Mike will tell you his teams don’t run up the score and they don’t “pad” statistics for individuals.

The Eagles play a 6A quarterfinal game this Friday against Lakeville North. Mike said there is a “standard for greatness” at Eden Prairie and in that sense the team has much to accomplish on their march to another possible 6A state tournament title. He praises the Eagles, though, for getting through a demanding regular season schedule against the bigger enrollment schools in the state.

The Eagles have talent, size (loaded with behemoths of 240 pounds or more) and experience with Grant saying, “it’s hard to win with juniors.” The roster includes defensive tackle Mo Saine, a Gopher recruit with lots of upside since he didn’t start playing football until 10^th grade. Other standouts on defense include tackle Dennis Rahouski and under recruited defensive back Terae Dunn who Grant refers to “as good as any player in the state.”

Elijah Rumph, son of Vikings defensive line coach Chris Rumph, has been a leading rusher. Major contributors on offense also include quarterback David Ivey, tackle Ethan Sims who just committed to St. Thomas and Princeton-bound center Will Sather.

Mike is still passionate about coaching and plans to continue next season as head coach of the Eagles. He loves being around the players all year, whether it’s in the weight room, at practice or on gameday. And he just might get another state championship in his first fall without his dad.

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