David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Predicting RB Jeff Jones to Gophers

Posted on February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 by David Shama

Neither Jeff Jones nor his Washburn coach, Giovan Jenkins, have told me where Jones plans to attend college but my prediction is Minnesota.

The Rivals.com four-star running back is the state’s No. 1 prospect and he will announce at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Washburn High School whether he will make the Gophers or Iowa State his college choice. Jones values relationships and that’s why I believe the choice will be Minnesota.

The Gophers have been recruiting Jones for a couple of years and offered him a scholarship after his sophomore season. Becoming involved early with Minnesota led to a verbal commitment by Jones about a year ago. Later he opened up the recruiting process, exploring other schools but the Gophers didn’t waver in their commitment to him.

Jones likes Gophers head coach Jerry Kill. He is aware of Kill’s reputation for taking care of his players, looking out for their best interests.

Loyalty is important to Jones who could have left Washburn and not finished his prep football career there. Instead of choosing a state power team, he stayed with Jenkins and Washburn, a Minneapolis City Conference program that doesn’t have the roster depth of long ago when the Millers could play with any school in Minnesota.

Jones liked Kenith Pope, the former Iowa State running backs coach no longer with the program. Pope’s absence probably hurts the Cyclones’ chances of securing Jones who scored 44 touchdowns his senior year.

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Deal in Works to Reward Jerry Kill

Posted on February 3, 2014February 4, 2014 by David Shama

Multiple sources have told Sports Headliners a deal is in the works to increase coach Jerry Kill’s compensation. An increase in salary could be from $1.2 million to $2.2 million annually.

The new agreement is believed to have other elements beyond salary but those details haven’t been identified by sources. An announcement appears likely between recruiting Signing Day on Wednesday and the team’s spring game April 12.

Kill was the lowest paid head coach in the Big Ten Conference last fall, according to a November 7 USA Today article listing the earnings of major college football coaches throughout the country. The story said the average compensation for a Big Ten head football coach was $2.6 million.

Kill has been Minnesota’s coach for three seasons, leading a rebuilding of the program. The 2013 Gophers won eight games, the most since 2003. They also had four conference wins, the most since 2005.

University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler and other decision makers are admirers of Kill and want to see him remain with the Gophers. Athletic director Norwood Teague gave more than a nod of support toward Kill when he recently promoted Dan O’Brien from Kill’s staff to the position of senior associate athletics director. In that role O’Brien, a Kill ally and former college football coach, will oversee Gophers football operations and be very supportive of Kill’s needs for the program.

Because of struggles with epilepsy, Kill coached from the press box and not the sidelines for much of last season. But Kill has made changes in his daily life and appears to be in good spirits as he closes in on announcing his 2014 recruiting class Wednesday. He has let it be known how excited he is about soon driving a car or truck again, another indication of improved health.

In addition to Kill’s change in contract, expect his assistant coaches to receive compensation increases before next season.

Worth Noting

The Signing Day Central blog on Gophersports.com will activate at 6 a.m. Wednesday and announce signees and include their bios. Recruiting coordinator Billy Glasscock, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover will answer questions on the blog about recruits who sign National Letters of Intent to play for the Gophers.

Kill’s 4 p.m. Signing Day news conference from TCF Bank Stadium will be streamed online at Gophersports.com.

The Signing Day Social program for fans begins at 6 p.m. at TCF Bank Stadium. Doors open at 5 p.m. The cost is $25 per person and some Gophers signees are expected to attend. Registration is available at GoalLineClub.com.

Kill was inducted into the Saluki Hall of Fame on Friday night. He revived a collapsing football program at Southern Illinois, going 50-18 in his final five seasons in Carbondale before moving to Northern Illinois and then Minnesota.

Kill said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” yesterday that if the Gophers can hold the verbal commitments they have received from recruits this will be a “very, very good signing class.”

Recognition and honors are coming to Mike Grant, the Eden Prairie High School football coach who has led the Eagles to nine state championships including three consecutive titles. Grant will be inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame March 29 along with several others (more details in Wednesday’s column), and he is also the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award winner. Grant receives $25,000.00 for the national award, with $15,000.00 dedicated to the Eden Prairie program.

Former Gophers quarterback Rickey Foggie, who played for Lou Holtz at Minnesota, is the new head coach at Red Wing High School and takes over a program that was 1-17 during the last two seasons, according to a January 30 online story by the Red Wing Republican Eagle.

Vikings Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton is 74 today.

After losing to Northwestern 55-54 on Saturday, the Gophers are now 1-2 without Andre Hollins, their leading scorer and star guard who has an injured left ankle. When will Hollins return? “Hoping for Purdue (game on Wednesday) but highly doubt it,” Gophers coach Richard Pitino said on Saturday.

The Gophers locker room was filled with disappointed players after the Northwestern game and a loss that left Minnesota 4-5 in the Big Ten. Center Mo Walker sat with his face covered, hiding tears and unwilling to answer questions.

Walker had an opportunity to rebound a shot attempt and score the winning basket as time expired but may have been fouled. Pitino said “no comment” when asked about the play.

Dan Kornbaum, the Augsburg center who after transferring from UMD has become one of the MIAC’s best scorers, rebounders and shot blockers, is the grandson of former Gophers All-American center Ron Johnson. Kornbaum’s mother, Jenni, ranks fifth in total career points for women at South Dakota State. The Timberwolves’ Robbie Hummel is a first cousin of Kornbaum.

The Wild has home games against the Lightning and Predators tomorrow and Thursday evenings. Then the NHL takes a schedule break because of the Winter Olympics with the Wild not playing again until February 27.

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter from the Wild will play for the U.S. Olympic team. Mikael Granlund will represent Finland and Mikko Koivu, too, if he is recovered from right ankle surgery. Nino Niederreiter will play for Switzerland. Parise, who is an alternate captain for the Wild, will be captain of the U.S. team. Suter is an alternate captain for the U.S. team.

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Here’s the Quiz for Super Bowl Party

Posted on January 31, 2014January 31, 2014 by David Shama

Every Vikings fan worthy of wearing horns and a purple jersey knows the franchise is 0-4 Super Bowls. Just wanted to get that out before inviting you to take the Sports Headliners Super Bowl Quiz.

I promise not to ask too many questions that stir memories of the Vikings’ Super Bowl struggles. On a brighter note, I do predict you will be a candidate for “the life of the party” on Sunday if you share this quiz while watching the game with friends and family.

The following questions might not be as fun as those Super Bowl commercials, but for trivia (and useless knowledge) they will do just fine. Let me know if you answer 20 or more correctly. If you can’t answer any questions correctly, don’t bother with watching the Super Bowl on Sunday — tune into Animal Planet’s “Puppy Bowl” instead.

Here are Sports Headliners’ 22 quiz questions:

1. Name the teams and the score of the first Super Bowl.

2. Who did the Broncos and Seahawks defeat in the AFC and NFC title games to reach the 2014 Super Bowl?

3. Who is the Seahawks player who proclaims himself the NFL’s best cornerback?

4. How many Super Bowls have been played outdoors in northern cities?

5. What do David Shama and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have in common? (Okay, so this is the most difficult question of them all. Get over it).

6. Eric Decker is a starting wide receiver for the Broncos but what sport besides football did he play at the University of Minnesota?

7. Decker is the only ex-Gopher playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl but Wisconsin has four alums in the game, more than any Big Ten school. Can you name all four?

8. The 1992 Super Bowl was played in Minneapolis. Name the teams and final score.

9. What future year has prominently been mentioned for a possible Super Bowl to be played in the new Vikings stadium?

10. Who was the Vikings starting quarterback in the 1970 Super Bowl?

11. What years did Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll serve as an assistant Vikings coach?

12. Who is the oldest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl?

13. Who is the last Super Bowl game MVP who wasn’t a quarterback?

14. Name the ex-Vikings receiver who played in only one regular season game for the Seahawks this season but is expected to be available for the Super Bowl.

15. Name the singer whose breast caused a sensation during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.

16. Name the former Twins baseball broadcaster who provided TV play-by-play on CBS during some of the early Super Bowls.

17. In the 2010 NFC title game the Vikings almost won to advance to the Super Bowl, losing in overtime 31-28. Who was the team that defeated the Vikings?

18. Vikings wide receiver Sammy White took a jarring hit in the 1977 Super Bowl loss to the Raiders. Who was the Raider that made this memorable tackle?

19. The Seahawks starting fullback was a quarterback at Penn State. Who is he?

20. In what Super Bowl did the two teams score the fewest points in one half?

21. What’s the name of the annual trophy given to the Super Bowl winning team?

22. The Vikings aren’t the only franchise with four Super Bowl losses. What club is also 0-4?

And the Answers Are….

1. The Packers defeated the Chiefs, 35-17, in Super Bowl I in 1967.

2. The Broncos beat the Patriots and the Seahawks defeated the 49ers (this was a “layup” so hope you scored on this one).

3. Richard Sherman, “Mr. Humble,” who did lead the NFL in interceptions with eight during the regular season.

4. None, but that changes on Sunday when MetLife Stadium in New Jersey becomes the first Super Bowl in a northern climate to host the Super Bowl.

5. Manning and I both have March 24 birthdays. (Point of clarification: we were born in different years).

6. While at Minnesota, Decker was an outfielder for the Gophers baseball team.

7. For head scratching difficult, this might be the second hardest question on the quiz. The four Badgers alums are: Montee Ball, Chris Maragos, O’Brien Schofield and Russell Wilson.

8. Redskins 37, Bills 24 in Minneapolis’ only Super Bowl.

9. Minneapolis is trying to land the 2018 Super Bowl for the new Vikings stadium opening in 2016.

10. Joe Kapp, also known as “Hennepin Joe” for his fun loving ways, was the Vikings Super Bowl quarterback in 1970.

11. Pete Carroll was a Vikings assistant from 1985-89, working first for Bud Grant and then Jerry Burns.

12. John Elway was 38 in 1999 when he led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win over the Falcons.

13. The last non-quarterback MVP in the Super Bowl was wide receiver Santonio Holmes of the Steelers who won the award in 2009.

14. In his only regular season game of the year ex-Viking Percy Harvin played against his old team and caught one pass for 17 yards.

15. It was Janet Jackson who had that revealing moment while on stage with Justin Timberlake during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl.

16. Ray Scott, who was the Twins radio and TV voice in the early 1960s, did play-by-play for CBS on the early Super Bowls.

17. The Saints were the team that defeated the Vikings, a game that is still a painful memory for Purple loyalists.

18. The Raider who made the memorable tackle was safety Jack Tatum, still known as one of the NFL’s hardest hitting players of all-time.

19. Michael Robinson made the unusual but successful transition from college QB to fullback.

20. The Steelers led the Vikings 2-0 at halftime of the 1975 Super Bowl, the fewest points ever scored in one half of the big game.

21. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is annually given to the winning Super Bowl team.

22. The Bills are also 0-4, losing four straight in the 1991-94 Super Bowls.

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