David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Glorious U Win 60 Years Ago Today

Posted on November 5, 2020 by David Shama

It was a game of the century by our standards, a matchup for the ages when 60 years ago today No. 1 ranked Iowa came to Minneapolis to play No. 3 Minnesota at Memorial Stadium. A potential national championship, Rose Bowl invitation and Big Ten title meant the rewards couldn’t be better for the winner on November 5, 1960.

The energy at the stadium was beyond electric. The rivalry to gain possession of Floyd of Rosedale always made Minnesota-Iowa an emotional day for the two teams and states, but never before had there been a Golden Gophers-Hawkeyes matchup like this. There were an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Iowa fans in the stadium and they were loud and sometimes obnoxious. The Gophers fans, though, answered back in the noisy “Brickhouse” that housed a season record crowd of 65,610, with the turnstile count way over capacity and fans sitting in the aisles.

The buildup to the game and demand for tickets was so intense newspaper columnist Sid Hartman pleaded not to bother him anymore for tickets. Scalping prices were reportedly as high as $100—big money in those days. This wasn’t just a local or Big Ten phenomenon, Minnesota-Iowa was a national story that included major coverage by Sports Illustrated.

After a 2-7 record in 1959, Minnesota was 6-0 and the surprise of college football in the fall of 1960. Insiders had seen the success coming. Coach Murray Warmath had expanded his recruiting to far away places like Pennsylvania and North Carolina. He opened a pipeline for Black players that included the likes of quarterback Sandy Stephens and tackle Bobby Bell.

Stephens was a junior, Bell a sophomore in 1960. To this day, they remain two of the most gifted football players in Gopher history. They were impact players on a roster anchored by a heavy dose of players from Minnesota, with none more important than Minneapolis native and nose guard Tom Brown who won the 1960 Outland Trophy recognizing the nation’s best lineman. He finished second in Heisman Trophy voting—a remarkable achievement for a lineman.

Dana Marshall, from Braham, Minnesota, became a Gopher football student manager starting with the 1957 season. That team was a preseason favorite to win the Big Ten and go to the Rose Bowl. Minnesota began 3-0 but collapsed, finishing the season 4-5 overall, 3-5 in Big Ten games. Marshall recalled in a phone interview the Gophers went on to lose 20 of their next 24 games after that 3-0 start.

In 1960 Marshall was the senior student manager. The season would be the last for redemption for seniors like Brown and captain Greg Larson, another Minnesota native and one of the Big Ten’s best centers. Marshall remembered the morning of the Iowa game there was a players-only meeting at the St. Paul Hotel. Larson spoke and so did Stephens whose words are remembered to this day by Marshall, now retired from a Minneapolis business career and living in Las Vegas.

“Everything we’ve hoped for, or dreamed of, is here before us today,” Stephens told his teammates.

Stephens (front seat) with Bell behind him and RB Bill Munsey.

Make no mistake Stephens had big days in mind when he came to Minnesota. He was a prize recruiting catch for Warmath. Woody Hayes wanted him at Ohio State. Ara Parseghian, coaching at Northwestern, badly wanted Stephens who was a high school superstar in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Gopher historians might tell you that never in the history of Minnesota football has the school landed a more sought after recruit than Stephens, who as a dual-threat star made All-American in 1961 and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the Big Ten’s MVP.

But if November 5, 1960 belonged to any single player, it was Brown. The undefeated Hawkeyes had an explosive offense led by a group of running backs who probably were all faster than any of the Gophers. This game, however, was defined by strength, cunning and sheer will as Brown and Company shut down the Hawkeyes. “Players were just in awe watching Brown because he was so strong,” Marshall said.

Brown made his presence known early in the game, rattling Iowa center Bill Van Buren whose bad snap on a first quarter punt led to a short drive for a Minnesota touchdown. Marshall said word was a frustrated Van Buren uttered the following on that Saturday afternoon years ago: “I’ve got a second half to play against that son of a bitch.”

Minnesota had a 7-3 halftime lead and Iowa scored a touchdown in the third quarter to go ahead 10-7 . But the Gophers led 13-7 entering the fourth quarter and added two more scores to make the final 27-10 for the nation’s new No. 1 team. Marshall said the fourth quarter domination was typical of Minnesota’s performance late in games all season.

Warmath was a hero and was hoisted on to the players’ shoulders in the delirious moments after the game. In the coach’s biography, The Autumn Warrior, author Mike Wilkinson reported “the crowd went crazy” and fans hoisted up reserve quarterback Joe Salem who had come off the bench to provide key plays in relief of Stephens.

“This is the greatest moment of my life. Nothing comes close,” Larson said in a quote from the Warmath book. A modest Brown said, “I guess I got in my licks.”

Minnesota stumbled at home the next Saturday, when Purdue got out to an early lead and the Boilermakers went on to a 23-14 victory that quickly took the Gophers out of the No. 1 spot in the nation. The Gophers then went to Madison for the season finale and got an impressive 26-7 victory over Wisconsin on November 19.

Marshall recalled that the win over the Badgers had the Gophers wondering if they still could become national champions. No. 1 Missouri was upset by Kansas the same day Minnesota was winning in Madison. In late November when the final polls came out Minnesota was back on top at No. 1 in the country.

Back then the Associated Press and United Press International named their national champions before bowl games and didn’t change rankings afterwards. Minnesota’s record was 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten. Iowa, also with an 8-1 record, finished No. 2 in the UPI poll and No. 3 in the AP.

The Gophers had a better conference record than Iowa’s 5-1 but the two teams were declared co-Big Ten champs. One of Minnesota’s league wins was against an Indiana program on NCAA probation, so the victory wasn’t credited to the Gophers in determining the Big Ten champion. “We precariously got punished for Indiana’s problems,” Marshall said.

The Gophers had won their first league and national titles since 1941. They earned the school’s first ever Rose Bowl invitation. Although Minnesota lost to Washington in Pasadena, the 1960 season was the start of a glorious three-year run where the Gophers compiled a 22-6-1 record. Through it all, no game had higher stakes than November 5, 1960.

1 comment

P.J. Fleck: Gophers Defense ‘Talented’

Posted on November 2, 2020 by David Shama

Enjoy a Monday notes column quoting Mike Zimmer and P.J. Fleck about their inexperienced defenses, and Dave St. Peter on free agents and building next year’s team.

The 0-2 Golden Gophers football team has given up 94 points but in a Zoom call with reporters this afternoon Fleck stressed it is inexperience, not abilities, that is the defense’s problem. “We have a very talented defense,” Fleck said. “…We’ve got a lot of really good players.”

The defense is without seven starters from last year’s 11-2 team, including linebacker Kamal Martin who had some nice plays for the Green Bay Packers Sunday against the Vikings. Fleck used Martin as an example of a young talent with the Gophers who before he left the program had refined his skills including major improvement as a tackler.

Fleck said his inexperienced players are in position to make tackles but not executing. He wants to see more “gang tackling” as the Gophers try to end the explosive plays made by the opposition through two Big Ten losses. Fleck, who said defensive effort is not an issue, referred to a “developmental program” with the Gophers and said, “You’ve got to allow them to fail, to grow. I know it’s hard. …”

This has been the most difficult stretch for Minnesota defensive coordinator Joe Rossi since he took over in that role during the 2018 season. Fleck said Rossi is one of the best at what he does. “I think he is one of the best football coaches I’ve ever been around,” Fleck added.

Minnesota has seven more games on the schedule with a trip to Illinois next. Fleck said the chance for players to learn, gain more experience and improve will only grow. “We’re going to be playing a lot more people, and that’s the investment we’re going to continue to make,” he said.

Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for two more in Maryland’s 45-44 win over the Gophers last Friday, is the Big Ten’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week along with Ohio State QB Justin Fields.

Interestingly, the Vikings played seven rookies on defense yesterday in their 28-22 win over Packers. Zimmer has been the Vikings’ head coach since 2014 and before that spent many years as an NFL assistant, but that seven number made an impression.

“It was interesting, I will say. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that as well,” Zimmer said this afternoon on a media call with reporters.

Injuries and off-season departures have resulted in new players and the mistakes they inevitably make. “Defensively we started out a little slow (yesterday),” Zimmer said. “Some of the young guys, I think they just wanted to watch the Hall of Fame quarterback (Aaron Rodgers), instead of watching their guy, but we played better in the second half. …”

Cornerback Jeff Gladney got beat in the first quarter yesterday on a touchdown pass to Green Bay’s Davante Adams. Gladney should have been positioned to the outside of Adams, not the inside. When he headed toward the sideline coach Zimmer barked at him but the rookie appeared to pay little attention and just kept running.

Zimmer said Gladney started out on the outside and then got out of position. “That’s where (outside) he should have been all the way.”

Rookie cornerback Cameron Dantzler had to be carried off the field with a neck injury yesterday. “He’s doing well,” Zimmer reported. “Got a chance to play this week.”

The Vikings, 2-5, play the Detroit Lions, 3-4, at US Bank Stadium Sunday, and have four of their next five games at home. No predictions from Zimmer, but he expressed optimism about Sunday if the effort and execution of yesterday continues on both offense and defense.

This fall the Minnesota Twins have eight free agents: Ehire Adrianza, Alex Avila, Tyler Clippard, Nelson Cruz, Marwin Gonzalez, Rich Hill, Trevor May and Jake Odorizzi. St. Peter, the club president, told Sports Headliners he is uncertain whether the Twins will negotiate with all eight and it’s “probably unlikely” all the free agents will be on the 2021 spring training roster.

St. Peter declined to talk about specific Twins free agents but acknowledged there are big decisions ahead (presumably at the top of the list are Cruz, Odorizzi and Gonzalez). He didn’t commit his organization to signing free agents from other teams, although he said that is certainly a possibility—along with possible trades and promoting players from within the system as ways to improve his club.

Perhaps the Twins indirectly showed their interest in Chaska native Brad Hand when they recently declined the option on the contract of key Minnesota reliever Sergio Romo. The Cleveland Indians have also declined an option on Hand who last season was 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA and an American League-leading 16 saves.

Because of the pandemic this will be an offseason like no other as the 30 MLB franchises show how much, or little, they are willing to pay players, starting with free agents. Sportico interviewed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred who said in a recent story teams amassed $8.3 billion in debt from financial lenders and lost $2.8 to $3 billion in operational expenses this year. Manfred is cautious about what baseball will look like in 2021.

St. Peter referred to the “economic carnage” of 2020 but didn’t offer details about Twins finances. “We’re no different,” he said.

The Twins won the AL Central for a second consecutive season. “We really like our club,” St. Peter said. “You’re always looking for ways to improve, and that’s what the offseason will be about.”

The 2020 Twins often impressed with their pitching and defense. “Our offense was average, which I think was surprising,” St. Peter said. “We expected our offense to be better than that. But pitching and defense is what wins championships at the end of the day. …”

The goal of management is to head out of spring training with an improved team capable of reaching the World Series, St. Peter said.

The NHL’s 2021 Winter Classic scheduled for January 1 at Target Field has been postponed, but St. Peter is hopeful his venue will eventually host the game that was to be played between the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He also said college football at Target Field remains of interest with St. Thomas being among possibilities to participate in a game.

Comments Welcome

All Options on Table for the Wilfs?

Posted on October 28, 2020October 28, 2020 by David Shama

NFL insiders might be speculating on whether the Minnesota Vikings ownership group is interested in selling the franchise. Zygi Wilf led a group that purchased the club in 2005 for a reported $600 million and earlier this year Forbes valued the franchise at $2.7 billion.

Even adjusted for inflation, the difference in those two figures represents a nifty gain. Other numbers the Wilf family and their partners are looking at today aren’t so rosy. With COVID-19 blocking ticket sales and other in-stadium revenues, this is a fiscal year unlike any other for NFL owners. Just lost ticket revenue at US Bank Stadium is likely north of $750 million for the Vikings this season, and there is no guarantee fans will be admitted for home games in 2021.

There is also disgruntlement from season ticket and single game purchasers. A 1-5 start to the season is a shock for a fan base more accustomed to double digit wins each year. Those fans have quickly found perceived villains in both the front office and on the field (players and coaches).

Ticket buyers may also be struggling with their own financial challenges, leaving them with less discretionary income for now and the foreseeable future. There are customers, too, that dislike the prominence of social justice and politics by NFL ownership, management and players. Regardless of who is right or wrong, the perspective of critics is that they want to watch football without other commentary.

NFL TV viewership is down this fall, consistent with a decline of other televised sports—led by surprising and disappointing numbers from NBA games and historically low World Series ratings. Going forward, if NFL TV viewership doesn’t improve, that will hamper financial negotiations by the league with the networks as both sides contemplate new contracts.

The Wilfs are diversified in their financial holdings but much of their wealth has been made in real estate, including New York and New Jersey. Commercial real estate has its issues with movie theatres and shopping malls closing and more companies allowing employees to work at home rather than occupying office buildings. Residents are moving out of New York City and other locales they consider undesirable. How the Wilfs are impacted is unknown but it’s fair to speculate they are crunching numbers to keep up with developments and anticipate the future.

There is a cost savings direction for their football team with the unloading of pricey stars Stefon Diggs and Yannick Ngakoue. Rumors this week, if true, indicate a possible “fire sale,” with team leaders and impact players Harrison Smith, Kyle Rudolph and Adam Thielen possibly being shopped in advance of the league trade deadline November 3.

The Wilfs love football and have been committed in spending money on salaries, facilities and philanthropy in Minnesota. Their long stated goal is to produce a Super Bowl team for the city and state. But the team’s 1-5 record this fall, and priority in collecting draft choices with the Diggs and Ngakoue trades, more than hints this team is rebuilding and further from a Super Bowl now than in several years.

In these times of health, economic and political challenges for the country, do the Wilfs want to go through an on-the-field rebuild? If they do, will ownership continue to be satisfied with longtime GM Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, the head coach since 2014? The Wilfs are known for their loyalty to employees and they don’t make knee-jerk moves, but they are also successful business operators.

They know this is a turbulent period both literally and figuratively, including because the club’s passionate fan base is dissatisfied. But it’s also true NFL franchises can turn around pretty quick (see the Tampa Bay Bucs)—with on-field performances able to flip within a couple of seasons. And until 2020, no major American sport has been so consistently profitable for owners as the NFL.

What are the Wilfs thinking? In their view, is the Gjallarhorn half full, or half empty?

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see what kind of money MLB free agents can negotiate during this offseason. Sportico interviewed MLB commissioner Rob Manfred who said in a story Monday his 30 teams amassed $8.3 billion in debt from financial lenders and lost $2.8 to $3 billion in operational expenses this year. Manfred is cautious about what baseball will look like in 2021.

The COVID-impacted and shortened 2020 season dictated no fans in attendance at stadiums. Franchises like the Twins lost hundreds of millions in missing ticket and other ballpark revenues.

With Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan out long term with an injury, and backups Graham Mertz and Chase Wolf rumored to be sidelined with COVID for three weeks, the Gophers, despite their opening loss to Michigan, could soon be labeled as favorites to win the Big Ten’s West Division. Sleeper pick (favored here) is Nebraska.

Ticket King owner Mike Nowakowski told Sports Headliners yesterday his company has sold a couple dozen tickets for the September 4, 2021 Gopher football opener against Ohio State in Minneapolis. “We’re seeing some action on the game already,” he said.

Ticket King prices range from $125 to $300 for the game that will be Ohio State’s first appearance in Minneapolis since 2014. The Buckeyes could be defending NCAA champions when they come to town.

Nowakowski has sold about three dozen tickets for the April 8 Twins opener at Target Field against the Seattle Mariners. Ticket King pricing ranges from $70 to $800 (Champions Club).

Big Ten men’s hockey teams will each play four nonconference games against Arizona State. The Sun Devils AD is Ray Anderson, former agent to Vikings coach Denny Green and a friend of new Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren who was Chief Operating Officer of the Vikings.

Arizona State is ranked No. 15 in the USCHO.com national preseason poll, with Minnesota No. 14. Top ranked Big Ten schools are No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Ohio State.

Comments Welcome