Gophers football coach Jerry Kill is in Arizona fundraising for the Athletic Department and the master facilities plan to raise $150 million. Kill is in the Phoenix area with his wife Rebecca, athletic director Norwood Teague and other department leaders. The athletics facilities fundraising effort is being assisted by longtime Gophers booster and Minnesota native Dick Ames, who has a ranch in the Phoenix area.
Kill is popular with Gophers donors and has become the face of the department since taking over as coach for the 2011 season. He is adamant about having a new football complex that will include much improved practice facilities—a key piece to the master plan that will include other buildings and resources benefitting various sports at the University of Minnesota.
The department hopes to break ground on facilities this year but won’t do so in piecemeal fashion. That means the football facility won’t begin as a single endeavor. Fundraising for the master facilities plan has reached $70 million but $120 million is needed to break ground—meaning 80 percent of the $150 million is in place. That $150 million figure will eventually be replaced with an additional $40 million, raising the total to be privately fundraised to $190 million. The $150 million will fund an initial phase of assessed needs such as new football and basketball practice facilities, and an academic and nutrition “Excellence Center” benefitting all Gophers athletes.
Kill’s impact on fundraising can’t be understated. He had a close relationship with the late Dave Larson, the former Cargill executive and member of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents. Larson’s widow Janis told Sports Headliners awhile ago she is making a $15 million donation toward the new football complex. She said the facility will be named the David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center.
The Gophers’ practice facilities, including for football where there is an “arms race” among schools to have state-of-the-art buildings and amenities, are among the most outdated in the Big Ten Conference. Gophers associate head football coach Tracy Claeys acknowledged that high school recruits select colleges based on multiple factors including winning reputations and relationships, but modern facilities make a difference, too.
“It has a huge impact of being able to get more selective in recruiting at this level,” Claeys said. “We don’t look at it as an expense; we look at it as an investment. Right now the popularity of the sport of football is (that) it’s making a lot of money.”
Worth Noting
Claeys said true freshman linebacker Julian Huff from Bolingbrook, Illinois has impressed him during spring practices. Huff enrolled in school earlier this year. “That kid loves football,” Claeys said. “He’ll get after it. I’ve been really pleased with him. He’s got a lot to learn, but the one thing is you don’t have to tell him is to go sic’em.”
The Gophers had one of the best defensive secondaries in the Big Ten last season and despite losing seniors Cedric Thompson and Derrick Wells, junior defensive back Antonio Johnson thinks he will be part of another outstanding unit because Minnesota has “some of the best guys in the country.” Among the talented defensive backs is junior Eric Murray, a physical and tight coverage cornerback. Johnson and Murray were freshmen roommates. Johnson was amused while recalling Murray’s TV viewing preferences. “He likes…Japanese cartoons like Pokémon and stuff like that. I just think that’s kind of weird. You wouldn’t expect that from him.”
Jim Dutcher, who coached the Gophers in the 1980s and remains a passionate student of college basketball, is (like everyone else) predicting 34-0 Kentucky to win the NCAA title. “You have to shoot the lights out to beat Kentucky,” he told Sports Headliners. “I am not going to bet against them going 40-0.”
Dutcher’s other Final Four teams are Iowa State, Michigan State and Wisconsin. MSU is only the No. 7 seed in the East Region and Dutcher admitted his Big Ten bias shows through in favoring the Spartans. But he likes how the Spartans are playing at season’s end and isn’t that impressed with the region’s higher seeds.
Duke is the No. 1 seed in the South Region but Dutcher likes Iowa State, a No. 3 seed coached by former Timbewolves player and executive Fred Hoiberg. He likes Iowa State’s depth, three-point shooting and comeback style. “Duke can have those (scoring) droughts,” Dutcher said.
The WCHA Final Five this Friday and Saturday could have an economic impact on downtown St. Paul of $1.4 million, according to Visit Saint Paul—the city’s convention and visitors bureau. Matchups at Xcel Energy Center on Friday are (first game) No. 2 seed Michigan Tech against No. 3 Bowling Green, followed by No. 1 seed Minnesota State playing No. 4 Ferris State. The championship game is Saturday night. The WCHA has two of the four top ranked teams in college hockey with No. 2 ranked Minnesota State and No. 4 Michigan Tech.
New WCHA commissioner Bill Robertson is using his sports marketing background to promote the tournament and increase league revenues from sponsorships and ticket sales. There will be a Mall of America celebration event in the Rotunda from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday that will include school bands, interactive hockey games and the Broadmoor (championship) Trophy. The games will be televised on Fox Sports North with play-by-play announcer Doug McLeod and analyst Kevin Gorg. A ticket package for the Final Five offers all three games and costs $69. Single session tickets are $35 each.
The WCHA plans to meet with Arizona State representatives in April regarding the Sun Devils possibly joining the league. ASU is also talking to the Big Ten and NCHC. ASU is playing several WCHA schools next season in non-conference play.
“They would be an excellent addition to our conference and we would love to have them join the WCHA,” Robertson said. “They could help us in many areas, with the thought of other southwest and west coast schools (eventually) joining our league. It would be wonderful, but we’re just starting down the road with Arizona State University.”
The Twins have optioned left-handed pitchers Logan Darnell and Jeff Wheeler, and right-handed pitcher Lester Oliveros, to Triple-A Rochester, and outfielder Max Kepler, and infielders Jorge Polanco and Miguel Sano, to Double-A Chattanooga. They have reassigned 10 players to minor league camp: left-handed pitchers Ryan O’Rourke and Taylor Rogers; right-handed pitchers Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey and Adrian Salcedo; catchers Mitch Garver and Stuart Turner; infielders Argenis Diaz and Heiker Meneses, and outfielder Byron Buxton. As of this morning the Twins had 45 players in spring training camp: 21 pitchers, six catchers, 10 infielders and eight outfielders.
The 2015 Mr. Basketball Award winner will be announced tonight on WCCO Radio at 5:30 p.m. Candidates are: Sacar Anim, DeLaSalle; Bjorn Broman, Lakeview Christian Academy; J.T. Gibson, Champlin Park; Jarvis Johnson, DeLaSalle; Marshawn Wilson, Hill-Murray. The award goes annually to a high school senior.