David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

40 Years but Super Bowl Memories Linger

Posted on January 22, 2014January 23, 2014 by David Shama

About four decades ago the Vikings split two games with the Dolphins within a period of five months. Unfortunately for the Vikings, their win came in the preseason of 1973. The loss was in the 1974 Super Bowl.

The Vikings defeated Miami 20-17 in a preseason game at Met Stadium during August of 1973. At Super Bowl VIII the Dolphins scored on their first two possessions and dominated the game in a 24-7 victory.

Forty years ago this month the Vikings were in Houston preparing for the Super Bowl and making news long before kickoff. The AFC Dolphins were allowed to use the Houston Oilers practice facilities but the NFC Vikings were assigned to a high school stadium.

Patrick Reusse recalled the high school facility in the 2008 book Minnesota Vikings, The Complete Illustrated History. “The Vikings were left with the locker room at James M. Delmar Stadium, a high school facility without lockers and only nails in the wall for hanging clothes,” Reusse wrote. He described the room as small, with barely enough space for the coaches, and outside there were no tackling dummies or blocking sleds. But the Dolphins were given superior facilities because both Miami and the Oilers were AFC teams.

The practice setup was so bad Vikings coach Bud Grant criticized NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. Doug Kingsriter, a tight end on that Vikings Super Bowl team, said Grant was justified in his criticism even though the commissioner later fined him.

“There were birds not only in the shower but they were up in the corners in the locker room,” Kingsriter recalled. “It’s like you’ve gotta be kidding me. I don’t recollect there was even a door going from the workout facility to the outside. It just felt really rinky-dink. And, of course, it got Bud into trouble with Pete Rozelle. He fined him $5,000.”

Kingsriter told Sports Headliners he considered the fine on Grant “very unprofessional” given the status of the Super Bowl and the contrasting practice facilities. A year later the Vikings were back in the Super Bowl, this time in New Orleans and the NFL office did the Purple no favors again.

The Steelers stayed at the upscale Fontainebleau while the Vikings were assigned to a lesser hotel. “It was like a motel in a way,” Kingsriter said. “It was a two-story with a courtyard right under a runway at New Orleans International. We had planes going off all night long. We thought this is Pete Rozelle again. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s gonna play it out with us.”

Kingsriter was married the week before the Super Bowl. He received permission from Grant to join the team late for Super Bowl preparations but couldn’t convince the coach to allow his buddy and teammate, linebacker Jeff Siemon, to attend the wedding in West Texas.

Kingsriter, the former Gophers All-American tight end from Richfield, recalls throwing a block in the game and injuring his nose. “So I was going on my honeymoon after the game with a broken nose,” he said laughing.

Worth Noting

Dave Osborn played on the first three Vikings Super Bowl teams including the club that faced the Dolphins. His opinion is the Dolphins were clearly superior to the Vikings and might have defeated Minnesota seven of 10 times. “Now the other Super Bowls we played, I think we were the better team,” he said. “We should have won some of those games.”

Include Osborn among many former Vikings who praise Grant. Earlier this month, when the Vikings were searching for a new head coach, Osborn suggested Grant should return to the team.

Osborn described the franchise as needing leadership and facing “turmoil” with challenges that include winning over the public and selling high price tickets in the new stadium opening in 2016. “I would do whatever possible to hire Bud Grant as an interim coach, whether it was for one year, or two max,” Osborn told Sports Headliners in early January.

“…Let Bud sit in the front office. Bud doesn’t have to go on the field. Just let Bud be in control. Let him hire some good assistants. I guarantee you this team would be better ready to move into that new stadium when the time came. I mean Bud is 86 but he could do it. That’s the confidence I got in Bud. Great leadership.”

Osborn said Grant used to review film to see if his players were lined up the way he wanted for the National Anthem.

Mike Tice owns a 2014 Kentucky Derby contender along with Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville. Midnight Hawk won the Sham Stakes earlier this month at Santa Anita. Tice, the former Vikings coach, led him into the winner’s circle. The Sham is the first in a series of 3-year-old races at Santa Anita serving as Derby qualifiers. The colt is trained by Bob Baffert.

Sophomore Philip Nelson played inconsistently during two years of trying to win the Gophers quarterback job but his announcement last week to leave the program means Mitch Leidner is the only QB on the roster with game experience. The situation is similar to about a year ago when Max Shortell left the Gophers after the 2012 season and Nelson was the only QB with game experience.

Could Nelson’s next school be either North Dakota State, San Diego State, Texas Tech or Wyoming?

Gophers coach Jerry Kill will be among the speakers at the MFCA Clinic March 27-29 at the DoubleTree in St. Louis Park. Last year’s annual clinic drew 1,200 attendees and 50 exhibitors. More details including registration are available at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Website.

Gophers junior center Elliott Eliason averaged 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game as a sophomore. He’s improved those figures this season to 8.7 and 2.6, ranking second in both categories among Big Ten players. Big Ten Network analyst Shon Morris said on Sunday’s Minnesota-Iowa game telecast that Eliason is the most improved player in the conference.

If the Gophers can defeat Wisconsin at home tonight it will be their second consecutive win in Williams Arena against the Badgers. The Gophers won 58-53 in overtime last year and earlier in the 2013 season lost by one point in Madison. A win also means the Gophers will be 2-3 in five January games against Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin, all teams that either are or have been top 25 ranked this season.

Dan Kornbaum, who led a trio of wins last week by Augsburg when he averaged 23.3 and 10.3 rebounds, will be a player St. Thomas has to watch tonight when the Tommies (9-1) host the Auggies (7-3). Kornbaum also had 25 points and five rebounds in a 97-60 Augsburg win over Saint Mary’s on Monday night.

Comments Welcome

Finding Paradise During Winter from Hell

Posted on January 20, 2014January 20, 2014 by David Shama

My wife and I are regular January refugees from Siberapolis. For warm temps, tropical breezes, sunny skies and gorgeous beaches, we’re ready to place St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands near the top of our early winter destinations.

Today’s Sports Headliners doesn’t have much to do with sports except I am a sportswriter and you probably visit my website expecting to read something about the Gophers or the pro teams in town. In case you want to exit from the site now, just know this column is about our trip to St. John and not only offers no sports scoops but also may send those who have spent recent weeks in frigid-snowy Minnesota into a permanent funk.

St. John was a getaway recommendation by a former local sports executive who may consider a Minnesota winter more distressing than a last place team. We occasionally console each other about winters here. This one probably has half of the state’s population popping Prozac or drinking gallons of Jack Daniel’s.

Is spectacular weather a technical term used by meteorologists? We found the tropical climate in St. John superior to experiences in the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Cayman Islands (all three) and Mexico. We’re still trying to decide whether to give St. John a tie with Hawaii, or just a close second.

We enjoyed five beaches in six days while walking, sunbathing and snorkeling. Google the famous Trunk Bay beach and then click on images. The beach is just as advertised, among the most beautiful in the world.

Keep it quiet but seldom used Reef Bay offered us a rare private beach experience. With no road access, we could only access the beach on foot. After a steep, rugged downhill trek, the reward is a gorgeous isolated beach, and you might have it all to yourself.

A dose of adventurous spirit is required for visiting the island. St. John consists of hilly terrain everywhere. There might be more Jeeps and other four-wheel drive vehicles per capita than any place in the Caribbean.

The night we arrived gave us a quick introduction as to why this is Jeep Country. In our vehicle we followed our host toward the house we had rented for the week. We were soon trailing her vehicle up and down steep hills and around sharp (blind) curves—all by the light of our headlights and a full moon. (Historical note: apparently a shipment of streetlights never has arrived at the docks of St. John.)

After awhile our host stopped in the middle of the road and walked back to announce something that startled us. “The turn ahead requires a leap of faith,” she said.

We soon realized this was code for a sharp turn into a narrow driveway that plunged down like a world-class roller coaster. After a flight delay in Minneapolis, a five to six hour airplane ride to St. John’s sister island of St. Thomas, a 40 minute taxi ride across that island to a ferry dock and a 20 minute boat ride to St. John, this was not an announcement we appreciated.

Making our test of faith more challenging was a first time experience driving a larger model of Jeep. We couldn’t see much of the road ahead and the expanse of the hood seemed about the size of an aircraft carrier flight deck.

We said to hell with faith and let our host drive the beast first down and then up the narrow driveway to our vacation home located on a hill overlooking a postcard pretty bay. The next morning we traded in the beast for a Wrangler that was much more driver-friendly.

Along with our daily experiences at the beach, driving provided us with some of our best entertainment on the trip. In Cruz Bay, the island’s hub, we were prepared to stop any second for a driver coming to a halt on a narrow two way street to visit with an island neighbor. “Don’t rush, mon.”

The first time buying gas on St. John we noticed a long line of cars at one entrance to the station. Vehicles were lined up out into the street. It never occurred to me drivers were in a one-way queue to fill the tanks of their vehicles.

We pulled into the other entrance of the gas station and proceeded to the one available pump. I soon figured out the situation after hearing a car horn, and being redirected by a man in charge of the lineup.

Idiot driver from Minnesota!

I felt a bit uncomfortable about the gas station incident for about 30 minutes until we were dining on Caribbean lobster. Or was it mahi-mahi? Or grilled shrimp or pulled pork?

All I know for sure about St. John food is it was mostly superb and all good. There are lots of places to eat on the island, making you forget there’s just one gas station that sometimes has long lines and even runs out of fuel.

There is also (I repeat) plenty of sunshine and warm tropical temps and breezes.

Not all is perfect in paradise. There are mosquitoes to be found in January. The troublesome insects located us soon after our arrival. Today I have less than fond memories of them when looking at the red bumps on my limbs.

The other night we headed back to Minneapolis. After a long flight from St. Thomas (included refueling in Puerto Rico) the flight attendant welcomed us to MSP. She didn’t bother to announce the temperature or this week’s weather forecast.

We already know. Figured it out back in November.

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Jerry Kill Headed Back to Sidelines

Posted on January 10, 2014January 10, 2014 by David Shama

Will Jerry Kill coach from the sidelines next season?

“I may coach from a helicopter,” Kill told Sports Headliners this week. “I get so tired of answering that question.”

The Gophers football boss has also joked about coaching from a stadium “Jumbotron” during games. Because of struggles with epilepsy, Kill coached from a press box for much of the 2013 season and not from the sidelines.

Kill has made adjustments to his lifestyle including easing back on his almost 24-7 schedule. Coaching from the press box rather than the sidelines was part of the change but next fall he expects to be on the field with the team during games. “I certainly plan on doing everything the way I‘ve always done it,” he said.

During the second half of the Texas Bowl last month Kill was on the sidelines. The move down from the press box was another indication of Kill’s improved health and avoidance of seizures during games.

“I proved everybody wrong my whole life,” Kill said. “I believe I’ll be driving by March, maybe even sooner. I am doing well. I look forward to getting behind the wheel and driving to work.

“All the people that have put my situation (down), and a lot of other people down, all that does is motivate me. I’ll be doing everything like I’ve done my whole life and I am gonna do it better.”

Ignorant fans have disparaged Kill because of the seizures but he is revered by thousands of Minnesotans who admire his courage, values and coaching. Kill has battled his way to success first as an undersized football player and later as a coach who not only had to rebuild college football programs but deal with cancer and epilepsy.

Last season was Kill’s third at Minnesota and the team had a breakout year with an 8-5 record. The 8 wins were the most since the 2003 team won 10 games. The 4-4 Big Ten record was the best since 2005. Among the wins was the program’s first over Nebraska since 1960.

The improvement from 3-9 to 6-7 to 8-5 indicates the program is turning around after decades of inconsistency and periods of dismal results. “It’s happened faster than I thought it would because I still think we need a couple more recruiting classes,” Kill said. “Certainly one (more class).”

Wide receiver Derrick Engel, tackle Ed Olson and H-back Mike Henry won’t return on offense because they are seniors. Key seniors from the defense are tackle Ra’Shede Hageman, linebacker Aaron Hill and cornerback Brock Vereen. Placekicker Chris Hawthorne will be gone, too.

Kill praised the seniors but is optimistic about the future. “I think we got some kids who are ready to step in and play,” he said.

The Gophers will return most of their regulars and Kill expects his best Minnesota team yet in 2014. “I think we should be better in all phases of the game,” he said. “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not. I think our kids understand that. We’ll know in the offseason. We’ll see how hungry they are and how hard they work.”

The Gophers lost the Texas Bowl when Syracuse’s Brisly Estime returned a punt 70 yards to set up the winning touchdown in the game’s closing minutes. “We had three or four guys that didn’t make plays (on the return),” Kill said. “We had our chances to bring the ball (carrier) down where he gets a 10 yard return, or something of that nature.”

The Gophers didn’t lose the 21-17 game just because of the punt return. Kill blamed problems with “execution” during the disappointing game. Minnesota had been favored to win over a team that came to Texas with a 6-6 record.

“You can’t define the whole season by one game,” Kill said. “Am I disappointed and are my kids disappointed about the bowl game? Certainly. You’re always disappointed when you end the season with a loss.

“But we’re also a very young team, and they (the Gophers) should be starving when they come back into school because now they know what they can do and what they didn’t do well. It will be pointed out. We’ll move forward and we’ll get better. …”

Kill is quick to praise his assistant coaches. He said the group has been together longer than any major college football coaching staff in the country. The assistants are loyal but that doesn’t mean changes can’t happen including at this time of year when other programs are reorganizing their football staffs.

“Most of the coaching positions (in college football) open up over the next two months,” Kill said. “Time will tell on that.”

At some programs offensive and defensive coordinators earn between $500,000 and $1 million. Other assistants also earn salaries deep into six figures. “It’s different than it was five or 10 years ago,” Kill said. “You can’t blame anybody if they go work for $100,000 more, $200,000 more or whatever it may be. You just can’t. There’s nothing you can do about it.

“We’ve had guys together for a long time. We’re going to do everything we can to keep them together but I also understand that some of them may want to be a head coach if that opportunity arises. Maybe not at Division I. Maybe it’s 1-AA.”

Kill is the lowest paid head football coach in the Big Ten at a reported $1.2 million annually. That is likely to change soon since he is highly valued by the University of Minnesota leadership including president Eric Kaler.

Kill said no one has “sat down” with him yet regarding compensation. “I really haven’t focused on all that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot more to deal with than those things. I figure if those things happen, hell, that’s great. All I can do is worry about what I can control. My job is to keep getting our program better.”

Kill prefers to emphasize the need to better compensate his assistant coaches and have a football complex comparable to most other programs in the Big Ten. “I think everybody knows what we need to do. We just gotta get it done and I am sure our administration will.

“The sooner we can break ground on a facility the better. That helps in recruiting. Everything I’ve been told we’re making progress so that’s the most important thing. The most important thing is the coaches and that new facility.”

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