iramurphy

Don't believe anything other than he may have been smarter than Espegard. He was arrogant and an egomaniac and had no leadership skills or qualities but I don't think he was dumb. Espegard has similar characteristics but I have never found evidence that he was any smarter than a box of rocks. Shirvani was intimidated by those who were smarter or more ethical. I believe that is why he wanted to get rid of the former legal counsel.

Interesting chat with some legal folks and a college official from N. Dak. over 4th. In addition to advising the SBoHE and Shirvani against violating the open meeting laws, the former legal counsel also advised against amending Shirvani's contract. His initial contract had been for only one year. We could have gotten rid of him at no cost based on the original contract. Shirvani insisted he had a 3 yr deal and the former legal counsel showed him it was only for one year. He told Shirvani he could not in good faith recommend a new contract after only a couple of months on the job that had already been controversial. He advised Espegard not to redo the contract for 3 years. Espegard and Shaft constructed a new 3 year deal against the advice of legal counsel resulting in the almost $1 million buyout for Shirvani last month. Likely a factor in Shirvani asking Espegard to buyout legal counsel and replace him with an attorney with no legal education experience. Espegard needs to resign and take repsonsibility for his role in this fiasco. Had I been that dumb, I would feel an obligation to write the check for the over $900,000 the state is paying for Shirvani to move on.

Time to dump this thread. Some may not know I am not an AC fan, and it is always entertaining to see the number of legal issues they have had there over the years. I think putting some dipwads picture with his weird story isn't necessary. The real stuff is enough fodder for laughs without having to embelish. The same folks at the AC respond about the FB or WBB championships they won (as if that has anything to do with the bloggers), and we tend to respond that we don't have legal problems here. We haven't had anywhere near as many problems here, but about the time we claim that, something usually bites us in the ass. One of Minnesota's most successful and respected HS FB coaches said after they won one of their 4 state championships in 4 years: "remember this doesn't mean you are better than anyone else". He recognized the importance of the role players, the backups, the support staff, the parents and the fact that they were blessed with opportunities and talents that some don't have. He reminded them that the hard work they put in would hold them in good stead the rest of their lives and to apply that discipline and hard work to whatever they endeavored to do. That is the essence of why we play these games. Times have changed and too many athletes, coaches and fans think winning a game makes them special or entitled. I hope as UND continues to improve and has future successes our teams and our fans can remember that message, regardless of our success. It might be a good time for some who think small college FB or even big time college hockey is that important, to read the letter Cliff Cushman sent to kids after he failed in his attempt to return to the Olympics to win a gold medal in 1964 after having won a silver in 1960. It was published in Sunday's Forum. Cliff later gave his life serving in Viet Nam as a pilot with the US Air Force.

I would never place Shirvani in the same grouping with a genious. I would agree he has no common sense and he lacks people skills and social awareness. He tried to use his position and education to intimidate and bully people. They got rid of him (sort of) but they paid too much and they didn't escort him out of his office immediately like they should have. Hard for me to understand how the SBoHE can be that dumb unless they are setting this up to destroy the sBoHE.

Hear what? That this guy was a complete idiot??? He has a recurrent pattern of verbal abuse of his staff in Colorado, California and here in N. Dak. He has had votes of no confidence at his job sites. He has been investigated by the Attorney Generals of California and North Dakota. In California they couldn't find enough evidence to prosecute him. He settled an unrelated harassment lawsuit out of court. In North dakota the Attorney General found that what he was told by his previous legal counsel was correct. He and the board were violating the open meeting laws. Which if any of his ideas had any merit? He did not involve North Dakota or area school districts in any type of constructive dialogue nor did he have any meaningful communication with his presidents before he came up with what he dictated the people of North Dakota should do with Higher Ed. This guy isn't just a dumb-ass he is an arrogant dumb-ass. What job at what level would he not have been fired??? Only the SBoHE. No where else in the country would they have bought him out and given him automatic raises each of the remaining years on his contract. No where else in the country would anyone have been dumb enough to have allowed him to stay in his office and create the damage he did this week with his so called evaluations. Anyone who doesn't think this was vindictive is not thinking clearly. The SBoHE needs a thorough cleansing. Any of these clowns who supported Shrivani should resign. They are an embarassment to the board and the State of North Dakota.

Game out east should be Army. Winnable game some years. UND played them tough in the 1930's when Glenn "Red" Jarret was All American RB and Army was always one of top teams in country winning multiple National Championships.. Should be able to give them something in Hockey to get something from them in FB, BB, VB, baseball etc. Would be great trip for our athletes. Stay at the Historic Thayer Hotel and tour campus play at Michie stadium. Schedule early in season and spend a time in New York before school starts.

At Kiwanis in DL yesterday noon one of the former AC All-Americans (who went on to a very successful career in the NFL) stated: "Beck picked a fight with this guy earlier and got his ass kicked. He then came back and kicked this guys ass". I wasn't at that table but I would have wanted to ask if the first fight was the same night as the second fight. Beck has a problem with alcohol. When one misses work, gets in fights, gets multiple DUI's etc those are red flags. He has 2 or 3 and should have a chemical/alcohol dependency eval and appropriate treatment. I would predict the judge will recommend that and anger management. You can't criticize Bohl on this he immediately suspended the kid. I am curious to know if our AC friend at kiwanis has this story correct. It used to be entertaining over the years to read about their repeated offenses because there is indeed a different culture at the AC with regards to athletics. These things do happen at both schools but I believe their lead in these problems are almost as lopsided as UND's lead over them in the FB series). This has become a reflection on their school but also on college athletics. Most people don't give a rats ass if you play for the AC, or UND for that matter. They don't want to be bothered by dumb asses who think they are heroes cuz some media folks or fans make them out to be. They can sit in a bar and some "jock sniffer" will buy them dirnks and remind them of some great play or hit during their storied careers. That makes them feel entitiled and important.They played FB and its a game. They aren't heroes. They didn't face bullets or IED's in the middle east or pull some kid out of a burning building. They act just a stupid as the dumb ass fans who want to hang out with them or be near them. Having said that this kid hasn't been convicted of anything. Give him his day in court. If the other guy picked the fight and attacked him first I would not suspend him from the team. He should be allowed to defend himself. You should avoid fights but if you fight you need to be willing to do whatever it takes to survive and that means putting the opponent down. You don't want to drill someone and start walking away and get knifed in the back. This kid is not a convicted felon he is accused of a felony. Criticize the AC for past issues, but they suspended the kid for what he is accused of and that is what UND would have done. Sometimes we later learn the rest of the story. This did not warrant the splash on the front page either. The administration at the AC and the media in Fargo need to realize that the improtant things in life are bigger than winning or losing college FB games. This kids offenses warranted a small report on the sports page or the city blotter.

Good job by Faison. These are the games we need to have on our schedule on a regualr basis if we are going to continue to recruit and compete at the highest FCS level. These games are attractive to recruits.

Shirvani is out. Long overdue. He leaves claiming he didn't have support and that this has been "hell" for he and his wife. He has shown a lack of integrity (failed to comprehend the importance of adherring to the open meeting laws, and was less than honest when testifying before legislative committtees). He showed poor judgement repeatedly (had he followed the advice of his legal counsel in his forst weeks of office and helped the board comply with the open meeting laws he would then have only had to deal with his abrasive and abusive style of leadership and might have kept his job). He showed lack of leadership ( he was abusive and abrasive and he failed to keep the SBoHE from violating open meeting laws). He brought negative publicity to the SBoHE from virtually the beginning of his tenure. He created a divided SBoHE and he left a legacy of failed communication amoungst the state institutions of higher ed and also has placed in jeopardy the future of the SBoHE as we know it. This debacle became a reflection of the SBoHE and our state government leaders. They are in a damage control mode now, and I am not sure the SBoHE will survive. The future could very well hold a situation where the state legislature and those who happen to be in power in Bismarck will manipulate budgets and programs based on the philospohy of their political parties or regional strategies rather than what is best for the state of North Dakota and our students. They should have fired him but I believe they didn't want to go through a court battle he likely would have initiated. Present board with only a few exceptions should be embarrassed.

Don't forget some are Pharmacists. You may not know this, but that isn't the same as farmers.

THe AC is responsible for taking care of their kids and UND is responsible for taking care of our kids. They do it their way and we do it differently. Who cares what they do? It provides entertainment for the other teams fans to see when the rival's kids are screwing up but at the end of the day, we aren't better because someone else does something wrong. We need to take care of ourselves and ignore what the AC does. As far as whether or not the Notre Dame is better than UND or the AC? I would guess their Pharmacy or Ag programs (if ND has them) are not. UND"s Aviation, Rural Health, Geological Engr, Chemical Engr is probably on par with Notre Dame. When I have worked with Notre Dame grads over the years, I don't see them as superior to UND or even AC grads in Ag, pharmacy, medicine, engineering, law, etc. If you think your education at UND or the AC is inferior to Notre Dame then it probably is. They have higher academic requirements for admission (except their athletes) and their tuition is a lot higher. I have found that often times the schools like Notre Dame, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Sanford etc.tend to excel at the graduate level and the differences are probably that UND and the AC have areas of excellence in some of the undergrad and grad programs tbut hey don't have as many we excel in as these Colleges and Universities. Those schools also tend to have more resources especially for graduate programs and research, although UND and the AC have done quite well recently. Karen Nyberg, a,UND Mech Engr grad, just took a flight to the space station. I doubt her Russian cohorts care whether or not she is a UND grad from Grand Forks or a UND grad from South Bend. She must not have been told her UND Mech Engr degree wasn't so good. Don't sell your UND or AC degrees short. Some short sighted fools may prefer an IVY League or private university but your education from North Dakota's schools will hold you in good standing for a career. The midwestern work ethic is still a big factor.

As an athlete, this is an attractive game on your schedule. You can't be afraid to compete, even when you aren't favored to win. It would be a great experience for UND to play Oregon. I wouldn't expect us to win, but I would expect to compete hard. The kids can walk away knowing they left it all on the field and they will know for the rest of their lives how they stack up against the best. If that would "demoralize them" then they should not be here in the first place. During the course of a season players will need to go up against guys who are better. With Oregon, virtually all of the kids will be facing someone better. You go in with the attitude that you can beat the guy across the line of scrimmage at least once. Then you make sure that is the next play, and then the next and then the next. Pretty soon you have given a good account of yourself. In team sports you need to make sure that you have done that and trust your teammates to do the same. if you and your teammates do that , the score will take care of itself. You can't be afraid to fail or take risks. These games allow for a great trip and game experience. $500,000 is frosting on the cake. I would play 'em for nothing, just the chance to compete. A lot of the kids who play at UND could play elsewhere but may have been overlooked or may have been hurt or an academic risk and think they could have played with the big dogs. This is a great opportunity to measure one's self. There is a satisfaction in competing at the highest level. We need to have a team, staff and administration that is willing to play anyone, anytime and anywhere. When we reach that level, we will compete for the FCS National title and be ready to move up if that opportunity comes along. You can't play worried about getting hurt. Being unwilling to take risks and trying to make sure we can beat anyone we play is what got us behind our competition at the FCS level starting in the 1970's when UNI, Montana, Montana State etc. moved up. I would love to see games against Wyoming, Hawaii, Fresno, Army etc. but playing the FBS powers would be fun too.

This team is young and talented. Came on strong the end of the year and most of talent reurns next year. IPC will help everyone of our sports as well as the University overall. Great recruiting tool and if built right can host winter and spring Soccer, Softball and track. Lots of HS would have loved to have access to this facility this spring. Should be able to have indoor practice for baseball, golf ,soccer, FB, track and softball. Need to get going on this ASAP.

Faison needs to get us games like this. Our kids want to play these games to see how we measure up. It would be fun to see our young QB"s and receivers measure up against bigtime FBS teams in a couple of years. If we are going to be able to win FCS championships we need to be able to play these schools and give them some competition. Also one of these games each year covers new uniforms annually. Yeah I know we need to be able to beat the FCS teams on our schedule first, but these are great games to have on our schedule when we bring recruits in. Our kids have stepped it up against TCU, Fresno and Northern Illinois the last few years. These games are great measuring tools to gauge where we are.

Agreed. That was a talent few have.

He might not be good enough to start here. Our #1 QB is 6'2" and 230lbs. He has a big arm and can make all the throws. He is athletic and can run the ball. Protected the ball well in the spring game. is only a freshman but is avery good freshman. Our #2 guy also has a string arm and can make all the throws. Doesn't move as well but is very capable. Not sure how the Oklahoma State guy woudl compare. He may be good enough to beat these guys out but he may not. Rivals and college coaches make mistakes all of the time. The freshman from Brainerd, who started at tackle for the AC this year wasn't offered a scholarship by Minn, NDSU or UND. He has shown he is a stud and has a great chance at playing in the NFL some day. Someone forgot to watch how well he moved for a 6' 7" kid. He had all of the tools, he just needed a college weight training program. Adam Thielen WR from Detroit Lakes was signed as a free agent by the Vikings this week. He has already turned heads in camp. UND, NDSU and Minn didn't offer him. He played at Mankato where he had a great career. Don't assume that transfers from FBS programs are always better than the kids we have.

If the Medical School can get part of its funding through a loan, then I would think the IPC could get off the ground with a loan. I am not sure why the loan couldn't come from the UND foundation but there are probably restrictions of some sort. Altru has committed $9 million to the project, and last I heard there was an additional $2-6 million committed (depending on whom one talks to). Either way, this is a project that will benefit the entire Univeristy and greater Grand Forks area. The two major disappointments of Tom's tenure are the failure to get the IPC built and his lack of support for Rob Bollinger to get the AD job. For those who keep whining about O'Keefe and his relationship with Hakstol you are losing credibility. Wheather or not you like O'Keefe, the Spirit Campaign alone raised over $300 million under his watch. The Foundation fund has grown considerably and buildings and projects (except for the IPF) haved moved forward. When UND and the athletic dept. couldn't get the Sanford deal for $10,000,000 done, they did get $10,000,000 from Altru. That was a huge accomplishment. O'Keefe doesn't have the authority to hire the hockey coach. If you don't like our hockey coach then there is a separte blog for that. UND hired the guy Dean Blais recommended. Somehow people seem to forget that simple fact. That got him the job more than O' Keefe. As to who may be candidates for the position: Rob Bollinger (doing the same job at Bemidji State) has to be on anyone's short list. Jeff Bowen and Steve Brekke have to be considered but I am not sure Jeff would want to give up his time with his kids right now. Dave Williamson presently on the staff is another good candidate. It will need to be someone who can raise funds and interact with people from all walks of life. Strinden did that so well and Tim did a decent job of it. Whomever takes the job needs to be thinking outside the box and also nudge our AD to pick up the pace a bit so we are postioned to move quickly to take advantage of opportunities with conference changes or if necessary changes to FBS for FB if we need to make that change and even hockey conference changes if that becomes necessary. Whomever takes the job should be well versed with the academic and research needs of the university. They will also need to be politicaly connected to both parties and be in a position to defend the university and the UND president against the tampering and mismanagement of the SBoHE and Shirvani until that fiasco gets corrected. It won't be easy but what makes the job fun and very attractive is the willingness of UND alumni to support the school so generously.

Interesting Summary by the SBoHE legal counsel in Fargo Forum. I believe the lack of leadership and intervention by Espegard and SBoHE is similar to the lack of leadership and timely intervention at Rutgers. Shirvani hasn't physically abused people like those coaches did , but his verbal abuse and intimidation is clear. Depending on the situation, the verbal harassment if applied to certain groups, including women, minorities, and veterans could be a violation of the law. Espegard and the board has failed the people of the State of N. Dak. not having stepped in the first month the guy was here. To enable his behavior and to hold meetings that the former legal counsel with an opinion from the Attorney General's office made clear violate the open meeting law, shows an arrogance and lack of respect for our state's citizens and our students and the intitutions of higher education. The negative comments about our students and the student member of the state board by Shirvani should not stand. Espegard's defence of this guy only exposes his own ignorance and lack of courage. Were I a jounalist, I would do an expose on this guy starting with his problems as Dean of the Denver School of Architecture and his forced resignation and the reasons. I would then expose his reputation as an arrogant abusive dictator at his last school and investigate the harassment lawsuit that was settled out of court and also the reason he was investigated by the Attorney General's office of California. I would also check into the votes of no confidence agaisnt him t both schools. I would then investigate how the SBoHE would hire this guy in the first place and then how Espegard failed to intervene as this guy abused his staff and then ignored sound legal advice from legal counsel and the Attorney General's office. Anyone who thinks this is just fall out from cleaning up an existing mess is a fool. This jerk has also upset many of our states Supts and School District staffs and has demonstrated he is not interested in engaging that group in any type of diologue concerning preparing kids for college and and successful transition to higher ed or jobs. Are Shirvani and the SBoHE the only people in the state who think our insitutions of higher education and our students don't deserve better???

Never once heard anyone say this team didnt' work hard. Hakstol's teams usually work very hard in practice. You can work your butt off and have passion and still get beat. Every year we don't win it all it is the same stuff. Poor coaching, wrong line matchups, no leadership, etc. Sometimes you can have good coaching and hard working kids and, in this game more than almost any other, you can still get beat. Not as likely to happen in FB or BB. Can also happen in baseball. Nature of the game and with one game series. Don't take the loss personally folks you didn't play. Don't always need someone to blame when things don't turn out the way we wish. I will take this team and these coaches again next year. Biggest threat right now is the breakup of the WCHA and making our transition to the new conference a successful one. This coaching staff puts these our team in a postiion to be successful every year and that is what you need from your coaches. Number 8 will come in the next few years.

Point well taken but I didn't sugar coat it. I said I had no issue with those who criticize Hakstol but the claims Eades should be the coach or Bais would come back doesn't make much sense. Don't forget Blais recommended Hakstol. As a former athlete I would hope my coaches can put us in a position to win. Our hockey teams have been in a position to win. At some point in time you need to step up and make plays. I am not sure we were the better team. The WCHA teams had it handed to us. I don't think we had the depth nor the consistent goaltending to win it all this year. I realize who the head coach is and he is ultimately responsible. Over the 40 plus years I have been going to UND hockey games the teams who tend to have the best overall success are those who have proven coaches who get their teams to the playoffs year after year and Hakstol has done that. I just don't think because we didn't win this year, and because he hasn't won a title yet, he should be gone. IF UND makes the change I understand and we move on. We still need to get better either way. I didn't think I made alibis, I just thought we were close to blowing these guys out earlier and it would have made a difference. I have no doubt O' Keefe as head of the Alumni Assn. can have influence but he didn't hire the coach, and he can't fire him. The issue here is whether or not we need a change in our hockey staff. OKeefe will not be able to save Hakstol's job. I am not yet convinced it is in the best interest of the program yet. I understand the frustration. I was starting to figure out how I would get to Pittsburgh from San Deigo for the Frozen 4.

He hurt his knee. I am not clear as to whether he dislocated his kneecap or his knee. Dislocated kneecap can be fixed and he would be ready this fall. Dislocated knee usually causes major damage possibly involving the ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL and cartilage. Not sure which he did but he did hurt his knee.

O'Keefe is with the Alumni association. The UND Alumni assn. doesn't hire nor fire coaches. Gino wasn't fired cuz he had a few losing seasons. Both Gino and Blais failed to win Championships when they had the talent. It seems the the majority of NHL and College hockey coaches disagree with those of you who think Hakstol isn't a good coach. The responsibility for the hockey program is the Athletic Director and ultimately the UND president not Tim OKeefe. I would assume they won't be influenced by rubes like us who aren't in a position to make a decision on hiring a firing. I have no issue with those who are critical of Hakstol. That will happen when our season ends without a National Championship. There were teams out there with more talent. Give back the first goal the refs disallowed and give us two of the pipes and we win. That isn't the coaches fault. Yale is a talented team. They are quick. We had a hot gaolie and still got beat. The coach had the kids ready, we came out and played well in the first. At some point in time the kids need to step up and deliver. Frankly if you are honest we all need to be held responsible: Administation, coaches, players and we as fans. As Charles Barkley told one of his collegues after one of the BB games. Sometimes you just need to shake the other guys hand and move on. Looking for someone to blame is senseless and futile. Hope it makes you folks feel better cuz it will not influence who our coach is. What it can do is be read by the potential recruits who see how quickly we throw people under the bus.

Gothberg I believe was ill.

Had knee injury playing BB end of Dec. 2011. Came back from ACL repair faster than Adrian Peterson did for Vikings. Played RB , LB as a Soph and QB, SS last year as a Jr . Would be a RB maybe OLB or possibly SS in college. Can play at some level. Could be QB for smaller college. UND coaches asked about him when they were scouting Labatt and Mollberg when he was a Soph. RB. . If you watch the film what he does really well is set up his blocking, read blocks and find seams. He makes quick cuts and accelerates quickly off of his cuts. Tough to bring down and you need to hit him to stop him. . He also protects his legs and breaks tackles. He is an excellent athlete, He is also one of the best golfers in the State. Helped lead Detroit Lakes to State Golf Championship as a Soph. DL will be favored to win again this year. He will likely have Golf Scholarship offers from D1 golf programs. He led DL to an undefeated regular season in FB last year. Will need to attend UND's camp so they can get a close look at him. Good student, great leader and great character. DL will also have 2 linemen to watch. Weber is 6'2" and 275lbs. Siewert is 6' 1" and 245lbs with good feet. Soph kid Huwe is 6'1" 285lbs is another kid to watch but is 3 years away. Has great feet. Went to state wrestling meet as Fr. Heavyweight.

I believe this young man now plans to attend UND. I think he can play and if he is as good as I think he looks on these films, he could be a real find. After a redshirt year and/or his first year on the field, I believe he will earn a scholarship. I also believe he has a great attitude and work ethic. Keep an eye out for this guy.