The depth of a person’s influence on sport is not immediately apparent. The accomplishments of athletes and the philosophies of coaches seemed small and personal, but they took root and blossomed into something completely different. There are cases.
Ten freshmen inducted into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame, whose passions changed the trajectory of sports across the state and across the country.
The new class will take place at the Mall of America on March 1, coinciding with the Big Ten Conference kicking off with the women’s basketball tournament in Minneapolis. In honor of the tournament being held in Minnesota for the first time, her members of staff at the Star Tribune Hall of Fame owner decided to recognize this year’s class of Big Ten graduates. Voting took place late last year, and here are her 10 Legends of Minnesota Sports that make up the 2022 class:
Plans to become a physical education teacher after graduating from the University of Minnesota Gene Freeman In 1973, for $50, she was asked to remain and coach the Gophers Women’s Swim Team, which she swam from 1968 to 1972. To earn the Outstanding Service Award, the highest coaching honor in collegiate swimming. To. Freeman told her star Tribune when she retired in 2004: Jean K. Freeman of the U Her Aquatics Center was named after her in 2014, four years after she died of colon cancer.
No coach has a name synonymous with the sport of hockey “Badger” Bob JohnsonHis positive spirit saw him start coaching Warlord High School in 1956 before making historic runs for Wisconsin from 1966 to 1982, leading USA hockey before moving to the NHL in Calgary and Pittsburgh. , radiated throughout the game. The Minneapolis native played for the Gophers and won the Stanley Cup in 1991 with the Penguins, minutes from home, and the Met won the North Stars at the stadium. Shockingly, Johnson died of a brain tumor six months after him, but his legacy was endless and his words, “It’s a great day for hockey,” have become the sport’s de facto motto. I’m here.
That’s not all Paul Krause Changed the parameters of what defensive backs do in the NFL. The NFL’s all-time leading interceptions, his 81 are from 1968 to 1979. He played for the Vikings’ famous purples, reached four Super Bowls, and roved It was an instinctive free safety. When the former Iowa Hawkeye was inducted into his Football Hall of Fame as a pro in 1998, after a long waiting period of 13 years, the star told his Tribune about his interception record: Even if records are made to be broken. ” So far, no one has come close.
If this is the state of hockey, Lou Nanne Ambassador. He came to Minnesota from Sault Ste. Held in Murray, Ontario in 1960, it was a national standout for John his Mariuccis and Gophers. After that, he played 11 his seasons with the North Stars, the NHL and he served as general manager for over 10 years while holding leadership roles in USA Hockey. In recent years, he has helped his U of M with a major fundraising campaign, opened a steakhouse in Edina, and watched his grandchildren continue to play and work in the game. For 58 years, he has been calling Minnesota boys’ high school hockey his tournaments. None of these are his day job. In 1980, he told The Star Tribune:
Linda Roberts Minnesota’s basketball accomplishments are multifaceted. She is a pioneer, the first African-American woman to play for the Gophers, and the only black woman to wear a retired Williams jersey in her arena. She was the team’s starting star in scoring and rebounding, a ferocious center in U’s career where she graduated as a leader, and her rebounding total remains at her 1,413. And she’s been a friend and mentor to Twin Cities kids and teenagers for decades, connecting them with the U’s players and continuing to work long after she’s played. As she was raised to the rafters in 2006, Roberts understated the star’s tribune.
no one scored the same carol ann shadrickA native of Apple Valley, she joined the Gophers in 1990, set fire to basketball courts, made the program more relevant, and was named NCAA National Player of the Year in 1994. Her 2,097 points in her career became the benchmark for the program until Lindsey came out. Ten years later, Whalen broke it. But while Whalen was on her way to WNBA stardom, Shudlick didn’t have it. “I’ve been playing basketball since her fifth grade and have benefited a lot,” she told her Tribune in 1993 when she starred. …so I may have to find a job once the season is over. “
During the period from 2000 to 2001, Katie Smith Nothing could stop us from making basketball history. She won a gold medal for the United States at the Sydney Games. She became the first woman in the sport to retire her number in Ohio.During her 2001 season with the Lynx, she went on to break her WNBA records such as rice field. points per season (739); points per game (23.1) and minutes played (1,234). But the team struggled, and “I want to win,” she told The Star Tribune at the end of the year. and retired as the league’s second-leading all-time scorer. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in her 2018. She will return to the Lynx in 2020, where she works under Cheryl Sherrill Reeve, Associate Her Head, and is her coach.
No one in Viking history has executed the core defensive element of football — go get the tackle — Scott Studwell. The former Illini star remains the franchise leader in tackles in a career (1,981), one season (230) and games (24). However, it was his 14+ seasons experience at the linebacker that tied him to the franchise. That was also his 28 years as a scout, and as a foundational element of the organization he amassed over 40 years. In 1990, the last play of his season, he told The Stars His Tribune: .” He handled it with ease.
The gopher didn’t wait long to retire Michael Thompson’s jersey. They did it in 1978 at halftime of his senior’s final game of the season. The 6-10 center from Nassau, Bahamas, was just months away from being selected No. 1 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Draft. It was an easy decision. Thompson made the Gophers the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorers (1,992 points, he had 20.8 points per game) and his United’s all-time leading rebounders (956). Before the final game of his career in Minnesota, he told the Star Tribune, “I want people to remember that I was a nice guy and nothing special. Played for 12 years, won two titles with the Lakers, and worked as a radio color commentator for the Lakers for 20 years.
Mick Tingelhoff I came to Vikings with little fanfare. Center graduated from Nebraska and played in the Senior Bowl, but was not selected in the 20th round and 280 picks of the 1962 NFL Draft. Named the season’s starting center. He did not relinquish that position for 17 years. During that time, he appeared in 240 consecutive games, four Super Bowl appearances, and seven he made the NFL All-Pro on his team. After a long wait, he was inducted into his Football Hall of Fame Pro in 2015. Tingelhoff said he died in 2021 from Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Announcing his retirement in 1979, he told The Star His Tribune: The new center, “Tingelhoff did it this way, so why don’t you try it this way. But you’ll be forgotten in a few days.” was one of
