iramurphy

Think this one through a little bit. Some of the Twin Cities (and for that matter other big cities) suburban schools have some of the best teams in the state. Around the country some of the best programs are private schools with tuitions in the $5000 to $20,000 range. Those are not all poor kids on scholarship. I think Vern Muir can turn the program around and I wouldn't classify the RR kids as a bunch of rich kids. If you don't have a great off season and in season speed and strength program you are much less likely to have success. Any school where the head coach of any sport tells his athletes not to do other sports should be corrected. In our school district that can get you fired if you don't respond to corrective counseling. What many coaches suffer from are the parents of any kids who will not support what they need to do to turn the program around. It also takes patience on behalf of the kids parents and school officials. If Vern sets up his program and makes it clear what his expectations are and what the consequences are for failing to participate the kids and parents will eventually buy into it. The so called cake eaters if you have them will either improve their work ethic or move on to other pursuits. That means if you are supposed to be in the weight room 3 days a week in the summer and you can't find time you may not play. That is also a great opportunity for some other kids to show they are willing to make the necessary sacrifice to become successful. The coach needs to be smart enough to hold all of the kids acouuntable so if the school board president's kid who may have potential doesn't participate he suffers the same consequences as the orphan kid who no one cares about. The key is support from the administration and school board to give the coach time to do things right. If he gets support if will bet Vern has a very competitive RR team within the next four years, and hopefully sooner.

Detroit Lakes has a lineman named Zach Fulmer. Great feet, great technique. 6' 2'' 245lbs. Played bb and baseball. Great upside. OT and DT. UND is on him. They have a linebacker named Brent Eidenschink. 6' 1'' 215lbs. 4 yr starter. Also great wrestler. Has been 3 yr All-American (Greco-Roman) and placed in top 3 at Mn. State Wrestling Tourney last two years. Good chance he could be All-State in FB and could be Academic All-State. Only question is average speed but could be a DE in College. Has D1 wrestling offers but doesn't know if he wants to wrestle or play FB. Hard nosed and he will knock your dick stiff. Detroit Lakes should be very tough defensively and will go back to the veer but doesn't have great speed at the skill positions. Inexperience at QB and only average speed at RB. In addition Alexandria is back in AAAA this year and they should be pretty good. Sartell has an excellent RB 5'10'' and about 225lbs but had to sit last year for rules violations. Rumor was it was something similar to what Randy Moss does once in a blue moon.

This past spring he told one of our kids (a gopher fan) who played with him on a select team in the past that he would choose UND if he had to make the decision then. Certainly could have changed his mind since then but I wouldn't think UND is out of it yet.

Advertising hell, how about an article in the herald about this weeks game? There should have been articles about the fall scrimmages and articles about the upcoming game and season. There have been only a couple of articles since the team reported in early August. Couldn't the herald at least get an intern from UND to keep folks posted on basic info if their writers are too busy?

I think you are correct that in the past the previous leadership at the REA was a big problem. I think the new guy has come with a sense of cooperation and would hope there will be a lot of improvement. I believe the biggest problem was the guy from Minot who could have cared less about UND students, UND or the community of Grand Forks. I believe you will find that no matter where you live or go to school affecting change is quite difficult. I don't know about the city lately, but I believe you can still work within the University for change. It takes a long time though and most students don't have the time. I know there are people working within the Athletic Department and with REA officials to improve the situation.

I stand corrected.

I think he would have, but its difficult to to be insulted by a fighter wearing a plaid skirt.

They came on him late and tentative at first. I heard that from Mertens coaches and one of the UND guys. He was that good. We should have been on him early and with a full court press. Anyway we lost that one, so good luck to the kid.

Graham always forgets the part about honoring his elders and the decision they made years ago to allow the U. of N.Dak. to use the Fighting Sioux name. He ignores the fact the UND asked permission and was granted permission by his elders . This was back in the days when one culture respected the other and his elders were intelligent enough to understand what our culture was doing and they accepted the honor graciously. To many Native leaders today seem to forget that fact. Graham also seems to have very little room for discourse on this issue as shown by his bias and insulting remarks to those Native Americans who support the use of the Fighting Sioux name.

What a load of bull. I doubt you were around when the so called Indian wars took place. Some people respected your ancestors, some feared them, and some hated them. Some even tried to help them. Your ancestors were treated just like anyone else during that time period by their enemies. Not very well. Have you and the tribal leaders tried to get reparations form those tribes who defeated your ancestors and took their land or do you just want to go after the "deep pockets". If you review history, your ancestors were treated much worse by some of the Native Tribes who invaded your ancestors land and took it away from them. They stole their livestock, kidnapped women and children and enslaved some of them. The white guys did much the same except then tried to assimilate them to our culture. There were crooked government agents and corupt military and government officials who did whatever awful things they did but at the end of the day, the United States provides billions of dollars for housing, health care, and education. The United States government also tried to allow the Native Tribes to maintain their Sovereign Nations within the reservations. Obviously that hasn't been working so great, but find another country like the United States who has tried to do what it has done for the armies they have defeated and that includes your ancestors. I don't know whether or not the NCAA ruling will cause a change in the UND Fighting Sioux name or not. If that occurs, you will lose the support of thousands of UND Alumni around the country who have tried to help Native Americans and supported Native American issues in our communites and state because of the Sioux Name. Many of them will never set foot in an Indian casino again nor attend a Native American pow-wow. It would have been a lot smarter to have approached the issue with an open mind and tried to work with our culture the use the Fighting Sioux issue as a tool to help your people especially the kids on the reservations. The NCAA crowd may win this battle for you but you will again lose the war. How can you not see this as discrimination against an entire culture? Have you not noticed that Native Americans are the only cultural group included in this ban? You guys just got hoodwinked by the crooked Indian agent (the NCAA) again.

Those are the two O-linemen who are hurt.

Agree. But if one isn't getting the job done the other is good enough to get the chance. Either way they both need quality PT. I would also try and get Freund and Carney game reps when possible. The defense should be one of the best ever and if the O-line is healthy (two guys are hurt before camp starts) and develops and Christianson develops as a FB we should be better on O. Strouth looked good in the spring and hopefully the transfer, Beatty and the rookie from Wisc. will step up.

I would guess a couple of things. One is you either haven't seen any of them play or if you have you have no knowledge of football. Belmore will start. He is a nice guy and he at times looks very good. Manke is a winner and has succeeded at every level. Freund isn't even close to those two yet. Don't get your info from the HS stats.

Well written. The other thing I noticed about McFly was that he seems to turn rumors about how Ralph dealt with the issue and how UND has dealt with the issue into accepted facts. He refers to Ralph's "lackeys" yet if he isn't a lackey for our friends from the AC there is no such thing. It is hard for him to see the facts when he has his nose that far up the bison backsides.

Doesn't matter who wins the job on the field. Belmore will start. Manke will finish. Manke had a much better spring game. I think Mussman makes the decision and Dale doen't feel strongly he should override it. Last year Manke came into fall camp ahead of Belmore and did nothing to loose that spot. When Bowenkamp was hurt they played Belmore. I hope whoever starts gets the job done. QB is one of the keys to the season. The play, no matter who is there, must be much better than last year. Whomever they start, they need to get the other guy quality playing time. One of Roger's mistakes when he coached was not getting his backup QB playing time. Dale leaves his starter in longer than he needs to especially with these two guys being so close as far as ability. They should get the backup guy a series once or twice in the first half with the first team still in and get him in as soon as the game is decided in the second half.

We got beat by the Gophers 42-14 in 1973 and almost beat them in 1974. They came from behind and scored with about two minutes left to win. They had more size, speed and depth but a lot of UND guys could have played for them. They were bigger and faster. They also had more depth. We think we could have beat them in 1972 with the Camelia Bowl team because we were a lot better than 1973-74 and they were not as good as their 73-74 teams. The good AC teams in the late 60's might also have fared well because the Gophers were down.

Even if they beat every east team they played during the year including Central, Red River, and Grafton? <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From the Archives: One of the best ever was in 1975 when UND blew away the AC at Dakotah Field. Dale Kasowski scored on about an 80 (or maybe it was 180yd) TD run. John Kuklenski (the wide receiver who ran about a 5.1 40) cracked back on the AC DB Krebsbach and hit him so hard he knocked himself out and Krebsbach was taken to the hospital with a lacerated liver. Some of the AC fans thought he was dead. Kasowski ran over the CB Rogers at about the 5 yd line and knocked his helmet off, and broke his nose. I can't remember if he was also knocked out but there was blood everywhere and I think he was knocked out temporarily but I can't remember for sure. There were three guys laying out on the field but Kuklenski was the first up. The AC trainer, Dennis Isrow checked JK out by asking him if he was OK while he drove his fist into JK's gut. In 1972 The Sioux beat the AC at Dakota Field ending their 35 game unbeaten streak. It was in the rain the day after the SAE house burned and two kids were killed in the fire. I think the AC had minus 86 total yds for the game and were down to their third string QB by the end of the game. Jim LeClair our middle LB filled the hole on what looked like a big play for them and hit Dave Nelson the AC RB so hard you could hear the hit throughout the stadium even in the rain. He didn't get up and frankly, was never the same RB. He later transferred to Concordia where he finished his career as a Cobber.