Vikings – Page 8 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Football Start Times Official, Includes Party Time Kickoffs

Posted on May 29, 2025May 29, 2025 by David Shama

Haters of 11 a.m. starts for Golden Gophers home football games received good news today when the Big Ten Conference and its TV partners announced start times for six of the University of Minnesota’s 12 games in 2025.

Dreaded by students and others who like to sleep late on Saturdays, the anti-11 a.m. crowd will have to accept the nonconference Northwestern State home game on September 6 (BTN televising). Otherwise, night owls and party animals can revel in five night games for the Gophers, with three at home and two on the road. The start times for the six remaining Gophers games on the schedule will be announced later.

Minnesota opens the season at home Thursday, August 28 against Buffalo. The 7 p.m. kickoff nonconference game will be televised by FS1.

The final nonconference game will be on Saturday, September 13 at the University of California. Start time is 9:30 p.m. in Minneapolis and local fans can watch on ESPN.

Minnesota’s Homecoming game against Purdue on Saturday, October 11 will start at either 6 or 6:30 p.m. The TV partner will be announced later.

The Gophers host Nebraska at 7 p.m. on October 17, a rare Friday night home game. They play at Oregon on another Friday night, November 14, with an 8 p.m. kickoff. Both games will be televised by Fox.

Gophers-Badgers 2021 game at Huntington Bank Stadium photo by Marshall Tanick

Minnesota’s other six games are Rutgers, September 27 at home; October 4 at Ohio State; October 25 at Iowa; November 1 Michigan State at home; November 22 at Northwestern; November 29 Wisconsin at home. All dates are Saturdays.

Home games at night generally draw better than day games, unless arctic temps prevail. That will be a needed boost for home attendance because the Huntington Bank Stadium schedule of opponents is so-so.

Buffalo and Northwestern State are box office duds. Purdue will draw because it’s Homecoming and a night game. Nebraska, with Husker fans likely descending in droves, could produce the largest crowd of the season (possible sellout of 50,805) at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Michigan State and Wisconsin games will draw if the Gophers are producing a top 25 season. Even if they aren’t, the Wisconsin game may lure a lot of Badgers fans if their favorites have reverted back to winning football.

There’s real sizzle with the road schedule for fans who want to travel. All five destinations are attractive including West Coast trips to the Bay Area (Cal) and Eugene (first time at Oregon), plus border rival Iowa, Northwestern (at Wrigley Field) and defending national champion Ohio State.

Worth Noting

The NFL announced its preseason schedule today including for the Vikings. Minnesota will host the Texans at 3 p.m. Saturday, August 9 and the Patriots at noon on Saturday, August 16. The Vikings will play at the Titans on Friday, August 22 at 7 p.m.

The Vikings are partnering with the Minnesota Star Tribune to promote high school girls flag football throughout the state. The state’s first high school girls flag football league, supported through a $600,000 contribution from the Vikings, enters playoff competition next week.

The Timberwolves lost in five games to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. The prediction here before the series was Minnesota would lose in six, but OKC is even better than many of us thought.

During the last two springs the Wolves have proven they’re one of the better teams in the NBA but not elite enough to make the Finals or rank among the best. Biggest needs? Better defense from more players and clutch scoring (which in playoff games can include producing points in the first quarter).

It appeared during the playoffs that Anthony Edwards was gassed late in at least some games. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising if a revised nutrition and conditioning program materializes in the offseason.

Minneapolis native Chet Holmgren, 23, has emerged as a star for the Thunder. He could become a superstar with his scoring, rebounding and shot blocking, if his rail thin body avoids injuries. Holmgren is listed at 7-1, 208 pounds.

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Twins Legend Tony Oliva Upbeat about Stroke Recovery

Posted on May 18, 2025 by David Shama

It was about a month ago that Tony Oliva had the last of his mini strokes. Reached by telephone at his Minneapolis area home Saturday, the 86-year-old Twins legend talked about his recovery and said he’s never slept so much in his life.

“I stay at home, take a lot of rest,” the National Baseball Hall of Famer said.

Other than doctor appointments, Oliva is at home these days with his wife Gordette. Suddenly hit by the strokes, Oliva was surprised by his misfortune. He has endured a troublesome back for years but otherwise stayed healthy with regular workouts at the gym. “These things will happen, you know,” said Oliva whose thousands of fans are wishing him the best in his recovery.

The stroke saga included five days in the hospital. While he can walk okay, and his speech is clear, his vision has been compromised.

Oliva’s days at home have a familiar routine. He gets up and soon engages in activities that include breakfast, taking his medicine, reading the Bible and looking at the newspaper.

Family have been generous with their time by travelling from near and far to support him and Gordette. The presence of relatives has been coupled with an outpouring of well wishes from the public. Oliva is uplifted by the thoughtfulness of those he knows and by strangers.

He has long been an admirer of Minnesotans, choosing to live his post-baseball career in the Twin Cities. Saturday, he referred to the “best fans in the world and the best town in the world.”

There was no sorrow, or “woe is me” in Oliva’s voice during the phone conversation. “Everything could be worse, you know, what I mean.”

A poor teenager who came out of Communist Cuba in the late 1950s, Oliva persevered all the way to Cooperstown in 2022. He was an American League All-Star for eight consecutive seasons from 1964-1971. A .304 lifetime hitter, he was a three-time batting champion with the Twins over 15 seasons.

Worth Noting

Oliva has been delighted by the Twins’ winning ways. The club has won 13 straight including a win over the Brewers in Milwaukee on Saturday night. It’s the longest Twins streak since the 1991 World Series season when the club won 15 in a row.

The success has been remarkable given the team’s slow start to the season and persistent injuries. Regarding club health, MLB.Com/news posted this yesterday morning:

“Of the nine position players who were in the Opening Day lineup for Minnesota, only one – (Ty) France at first base — finished Friday night’s game in the same spot as he was on that March 27 afternoon in St. Louis. Only three players from that lineup were even in the game at the end of Friday night. … Minnesota has taken a remarkable number of hits and just continues winning.”

It’s not even summer, but already you might hear Vikings fans saying all they want for Christmas is to see their favorites playing for the NFC North Division title on December 25. The preseason division favorite Lions are in town that date and it’s about time Santa is nice to the Vikings who are 1-3 on Christmas Day games, with the most recent loss to the Saints in 2020 in New Orleans.

Retired Golden Gophers baseball coach John Anderson turned 70 last Friday. The legendary leader texted a well-wisher that his birthday weekend included a Saturday night dinner with former players (they revere him). Happy Birthday to No. 14!

Paige Bueckers returns to Minnesota for the first time as a pro Wednesday night when her WNBA Dallas Wings play the Lynx at Target Center. The former Hopkins High School icon made her regular season professional debut Friday evening, scoring 10 points in a 99-84 home loss to the Lynx.

The fact the 6-foot guard led the Wings in rebounding with seven didn’t surprise Brian Cosgriff, her prep coach at Hopkins. “Nothing surprises me when it comes to her,” he told Sports Headliners.

Bueckers’ talent and basketball instincts will make her a star in the WNBA, Cosgriff predicted. He remains in touch with the Bueckers family, including texts with Paige. Her father, Bob Bueckers, sends him merchandise like Nike t-shirts and UConn sweatshirts.

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Jerry Kill Praises New Golden Gophers Running Back

Posted on May 14, 2025May 14, 2025 by David Shama

Former Gophers head coach Jerry Kill has praise for running back Johann Cardenas who announced recently he is transferring to Minnesota from Vanderbilt. Kill is a top assistant coach at Vandy and he talked Monday to Sports Headliners about Cardenas.

“If he stays healthy, he’ll be a really good player,” Kill said.

Cardenas battled injuries last fall and this spring. He redshirted in 2024, not playing in any games. Kill said this spring the Kay, Texas native played with the “third or fourth string.”

Cardenas, listed at 6-foot and 223-pounds, has “lots of ability,” per Kill. “He’s a Big Ten (quality) back.”

Cardenas, whose style Kill described as that of a “downhill runner,” came out of high school ranked among the top 50 prep running backs nationally by Rivals (29th), On3 (33rd), ESPN (42nd) and 247Sports (49th). He accepted Vandy’s offer over those from Kentucky, Texas Tech, Colorado, Missouri, Oregon and others.

With four seasons of eligibility ahead at Minnesota, Cardenas joins a talented running back roster that includes 2025 transfers Cam Davis from Washington and A.J. Turner of Marshall. They will back up one of the Big Ten’s best running backs in junior Darius Taylor who the last two seasons was a conference honorable mention selection.

Cardenas was recruited to Vandy by Jayden Everett, now the Minnesota running backs coach. Kill and Everett were together briefly in Nashville. He described Everett as a “good person” and passionate coach.

Kill, whose coaching stops have been plagued by epilepsy, is healthier now than when he had to step down at Minnesota in 2025. He’s happy coaching for head coach Clark Lea, likes Nashville and is only about two hours away by car from southern Illinois where his two daughters live.

In Kill’s first season with the Commodores last fall, they were one of the surprises of college football when they pulled off an historic 40-35 upset of Alabama. The Commodores had a 7-6 record while playing competitively in the vaunted SEC against teams like Texas and Missouri.

Back for a final season is quarterback Diego Pavia who as a transfer in 2024 established himself as one of the best at his position in America. He finished the season 177-for-298 passing for 2,293 yards with 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He ran for 801 yards and scored eight times.

Pavia played two seasons for Kill at New Mexico State (historically a college football graveyard) including a 10-win 2023 season highlighted by a road upset of SEC bully Auburn. Pavia, an Albuquerque native, was a way under the radar player coming out of high school and New Mexico Military Institute. He chose Kill and the Aggies over offers from Jackson State and Saint Francis.

This fall Kill’s discovery and protege will be a Heisman Trophy candidate in his last season of college football. Asked if years ago he saw that coming, Kill quickly said, “No.”

Worth Noting

The Timberwolves, who figure to close out the Warriors tonight and then move on to the Western Conference Finals, are +600 to win the NBA title, per FanDuel SportsBook. The website lists only the Thunder at -140, and the Knicks, +490, as bigger favorites.

The drama between a potential matchup against the Knicks will be off the charts locally and nationally because of the preseason trade that sent Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Talk about bragging rights on the line for the players, franchises and fanbases!

And then there would be the “reunion” with Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. He was fired by the Wolves in January of 2019 and was widely criticized by Minnesota fans for the lengthy minutes he demanded of his top players during his time with the team.

The NFL wasn’t going to take a home game away from the Vikings and their fans when they scheduled the team twice in 2025 international games. The Vikings played a home game in London last year and so they only had eight games in Minneapolis. That’s the same total for U.S. Bank Stadium in 2025, with the Vikings playing in Dublin (Steelers home game) on September 28 and London (Browns home game) on October 5. The NFL 17-game schedule dictates alternate years in which teams have nine or eight home games.

The Vikings, who this writer expected to extend GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s contract before the April 24-26 NFL Draft, still seem certain to come to terms with their GM soon. He was hired in January of 2022 with a four-year deal and has been instrumental in the team’s progress including free agent acquisitions.

Another expected offseason contract announcement is likely a new deal for versatile defensive standout Josh Metellus. The 27-year-old defensive back has also been an outstanding team leader.

As of Monday, the Vikings offseason roster, BTW, was at 91 players including “international player pathway/practice squad exemption” punter Oscar Chapman, an Australian who played at Auburn.

Luke Ryerse, the baseball-football star from East Ridge High School who enrolled at Minnesota in January, has struggled this spring pitching for the Gophers. He is 0-4 with a 11:22 ERA but he has struck out 23 batters in 21.2 innings.

The true freshman was rated as a five-star football prospect in high school by Chris Sailer Kicking, which ranked him as the No. 4 punter in the nation and as the No. 26 kicker.

The LaunchPad Golf The Meadows entertainment venue in Prior Lake will open this fall. The year-round facility will be nestled near Mystic Lake Casino and The Meadows at Mystic Lake.

LaunchPad Golf is a Canadian Company that announced last year the Prior Lake venue would be its first in the United States.

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