Ruegamer played three seasons with the Packers and was a teammate of Longwell. Although he wasn’t recruited by the Gophers out of high school, he does know the area and brought up an unsolicited endorsement of Murray’s Restaurant. “I am familiar with Minneapolis,” he said. “Murray’s steakhouse. That’s a good spot.”
The Vikings’ Adrian Peterson finished the regular season not only as the NFL’s leading rusher, but also was first in fumbles with nine.
Vikings’ fan Steve Gilbertson of Sioux Falls, South Dakota after being asked how happy he will be if his favorite team wins the Super Bowl: “That would be a miracle.”
Although TCF Bank Stadium opens next year, the Prep Bowl is expected to remain at the Metrodome because it’s a weather protected facility.
All eight bowl game experts in the Sporting News magazine of December 22 have the Gophers losing to Kansas in tonight’s Insight Bowl. The publication identifies Minnesota senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg and Kansas junior wide receiver Kerry Meier as the best pro prospects in the game.
Four MIAC players have been named to the 2008 D3football.com All-America team. Augsburg wide receiver Royce Winford and Carleton safety Drew Ziller were both first team selections. St. Thomas center Josh Ostrue was a second team pick while Gustavus safety Joe Welch was named to the third team.
The Wild’s Niklas Backstrom ranks fourth this season among NHL goalies in both wins (16) and shutouts (three) but he’s never beaten either of the next two teams on the schedule. The Wild have home games tonight and Saturday against San Jose and Detroit. Backstrom is 0-4-2 versus the Sharks, 0-2-1 against the Red Wings.
The Board of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards has announced that Concordia’s Maggie McNamara is a candidate for the 2008-09 Division II Athlete of the Year, representing volleyball. The program is in its 34th year and recognizes the top women athletes in 11 sports as nominees for the Athlete of the Year. The Honda-Broderick Cup will be awarded June 22 in New York. McNamara helped the Golden Bears repeat as national champions earlier this year and led the country in assists.