David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Notes Plus

Posted on October 28, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Gophers redshirt defensive end Ben Perry, who is 6-foot-5, said he considered attending the Air Force Academy but there were concerns about his eyesight meeting the standards needed for flying and also whether he was too big for a cockpit. His father attended West Point and both parents were career military people.

Kill praised senior tight end Collin McGarry earlier this week. “If I said someone who is playing the most consistent football on our offensive team, Collin McGarry. Never says a word, just goes and plays.”

Ed Rauen, Rochester broadcaster and Gophers historian, said Kill’s roster includes 23 redshirt freshmen. That’s a credit to coach Tim Brewster and his staff for holding back most of the 2010 class to gain maturity last fall.

Iowa athletic director Gary Barta oversees a 24-sport program that has exceeded the Academic Progress Rate for three consecutive years in each sport. He was born in Minneapolis and was a quarterback for North Dakota State.

Congratulations to prep football coaches Dwight Lundeen (Becker), Leo Pohlkamp (Pierz) and Jeff Williams (Owatonna) who respectively won their 299^th, 200^th and 100^th career games this week.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that Champlin native Kyle Washington, a junior at Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut, has been offered a scholarship by Florida.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is No. 14 among 271 cities ranked by Sporting News Magazine in its annual listing of America’s best sports towns. Dallas-Fort Worth, Boston and Philadelphia ranked first, second and third respectively in the magazine’s October 10 issue.

Former Gopher Phil Kessel, now with Toronto, is tied for the NHL lead in goals (9) and is tops in points (16). Another former Gopher, Thomas Vanek, is off to a productive start with Buffalo and is second in the league in goals (7) and points (14).

The MIAC Men’s Hockey Showcase will have all nine conference teams playing games starting tonight, Saturday and Sunday at Fogerty Arena in Blaine. Admission is $5 per person with children five and under admitted free.

Condolences to former Gophers fullback Jim Carter on the death of his mother, and also to the family of St. Paul community sports leader Kwame McDonald who passed away this week.

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Ryan Longwell: Ponder Debut Best

Posted on October 26, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell is playing in his 15^th NFL season and he told Sports Headliners that Christian Ponder’s first game for the Vikings was the most outstanding rookie quarterback debut he’s seen. Ponder threw for two touchdowns last Sunday and almost rallied the Vikings to a win over the undefeated Green Bay Packers.

“That’s the best I’ve seen, honestly,” Longwell said. “You’re short the win, but everything else ─ the poise, the decision making, the throws ─ just the command was awesome to watch. He’s got a bright future.”

Ponder’s performance not only was superior to anything shown this season by Donovan McNabb ─ the man he replaced ─ but the rookie brought an energy that certainly lifted the crowd at Mall of America Field and maybe most of his teammates, too.

An NFL quarterback who can make big plays is that important. “No doubt,” Longwell said. “You’re never out of it. I’ve had the blessing of being with a great quarterback (Brett Favre) through most of my years, and you’re just never out of it. I think we saw that today.”

Former Vikings defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema said he was “totally excited” about the switch from McNabb to Ponder. Ponder’s down the field throws helped loosen up the Packers’ defense and enable Adrian Peterson to rush for 175 yards.

Ponder’s play in the 33-27 loss wasn’t perfect. He seemed confused at times by the Packers pass coverage and timing with his receivers needs to improve.

Ponder threw two interceptions, both to veteran Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson. “He realizes now that the defensive backs in the National Football League close a lot quicker than they do in college,” Lurtsema said.

The Vikings, 1-6, have nine games remaining on the schedule including Sunday at Carolina. All but two of the remaining opponents are playing at .500 or better but Lurtsema believes the Vikings can win about half of their games with their rookie quarterback now in charge.

“When the players believe in the quarterback, that’s the big difference,” Lurtsema said.

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Notes Including U Football Valued at $125.5 Million

Posted on October 26, 2011December 27, 2011 by David Shama

The Indianapolis Business Journal reported earlier this month that Indiana University professor Ryan Brewer developed a methodology to determine the financial worth of major college football teams representing public institutions. Brewer’s study ranked the Gophers No. 26 in the country with a valuation of $126.5 million. Only Indiana and Purdue ranked lower than the Gophers among Big Ten schools, according to the Journal.

The Journal reported that Texas, a school that boasts the Longhorns TV network, was No. 1 on the list with a valuation of $848.3 million. That was almost double No. 2 Georgia at $483.6. The SEC had six teams in the top and the Big Ten placed five in the first 15.

Jerry Kill’s contract announced yesterday pays him $1.2 million, according to Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi who acknowledged the compensation is among the lowest for Big Ten head football coaches. The median salary of conference head coaches is $1,781,759, according to a September 30 article by the dailynebraskan.com.

The seven year deal pays Kill $1.2 million annually unless the University approves increases. The compensation is more than three times Kill’s salary at Northern Illinois.

Maturi said Kill’s top assistants, defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, have salaries in the $300,000 to $325,000 range.

Kill said on WCCO Radio Sunday that among Gophers football redshirts who have potential is 6-5, 275-pound offensive tackle Foster Bush from Menasha, Wisconsin.

Gophers fan Dave Henry emailed with news about his in-laws, Bob and Till Kraay of Owatonna who were married on October 29, 1951. They plan to celebrate their 60^th wedding anniversary with family and friends on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium when Minnesota plays Iowa. Not only will it be 60 years to the day that the two were married, but the Kraays went to Iowa City on November 3, 1951 after returning from their honeymoon and watched the Gophers and Hawkeyes play to a 20-20 tie. “They sound like fans of the day to me!” Henry wrote in his email.

Speculation about NFL franchises that might relocate to Los Angeles includes not only the Vikings but two organizations that years ago moved from southern California, the Raiders and Rams.

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