Page is not the first Black grand marshal: Archie Givens, Jr. (2015), Clara Adams-Ender (2016), and Bobby Bell (twice chosen, 2001 and 2009) served in the past 25 years, U of M Alumni Association President/CEO Lisa Lewis pointed out. “Choosing Page was pretty easy,” she explained.
Sports: a space for local and national sports news, with emphasis on stories pertaining to African Americans.
‘Fantastic Four’ prep photos of the week
Gabrielle McCaa, Maddy McIntosh, Kendall Coley and Raegan Alexander — who led St. Louis Park past Park Center 3-2 in a Metro West Conference showdown. The Oriels defeated Richfield 3-0 last week as well. Check out the pics and captions
Adjustments required for college soccer newcomer
After nearly a half-calendar year on the Twin Cities campus, the team’s only Black player said she hasn’t experienced homesickness as most out-state freshmen typically face, but she wasn’t able to avoid the usual first-year athletic adjustments from high school to college ball. “The soccer is crazy different from playing in high school. A big surprise,” she quickly learned.
Suspended in the limbo between college play and the pros
Not many athletes seamlessly go from a mid-major to a Power Five conference, but the 5’-10” guard did when she went from the MAC to the Big Ten. “The transition going from the MAC to the Big Ten was a huge one,” Morton admitted.
Another BIG school in big trouble
Athletes, remember, have from the beginning generated millions of dollars for NCAA member schools’ athletic programs annually under the guise of amateurism. NCAA men’s basketball and the tournament are very popular and generates billions of dollars each year in revenue.
Gopher frosh pitcher gaining his groove
There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the 2017-18 school and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players This week: Gopher freshman baseball pitcher Joshua Culliver Joshua Culliver is one of eight first-year hurlers […]
Being on both sides of the whistle
A seasoned Coach Staley advises new Coach Whalen New Gopher Women’s Basketball Coach Lindsay Whalen said in last week’s “View” that she soon would “reach out” to South Carolina and U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Coach Dawn Staley. Staley in 2000 became the first WNBA player to take a Division I head coaching job (at Temple) […]
‘If they made it, so can I!’
Black hockey players see themselves as role models Two conferences were represented earlier this month in this year’s NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul. Eventual champion Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) and Notre Dame (Big Ten) played for the 2018 title. This was the first time since 2005 that three schools in the same conference – Notre […]
Whalen named new Gopher coach after ‘whirlwind’ search
Will she be more successful recruiting local Black athletes? I love Lindsay Whalen. I’ve known her since her freshman year at Minnesota and throughout her stellar WNBA career. “You saw this coming?” a local reporter asked yours truly, the longest-tenured Gopher women’s basketball beat reporter, of my thoughts on perhaps the quickest coaching search since […]
Celebrating Black Gopher student-athletes
In recognition of Black History Month this year, the University of Minnesota is “Celebrating Those Who Made Us Great” by interviewing (via surveys) former Black student-athletes. In this month’s “Sports Odds and Ends” we will publish as many of these interviews as space allows. This week: Ibrahim Kabia, Lea B. Olsen, Alena Brooks […]