Bruininks firmly believes U football on right track

Speaking to a Twin Cities business group on Thursday morning, University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks made it clear he doesn't subscribe to the theory that it is unrealistic to have high expectations for the Gophers football program in the Big Ten.

With great emphasis, Bruininks said he believes it is possible for the team to achieve at the top levels, and anyone who thought otherwise was wrong.

Bruininks supported coach Tim Brewster and said he inherited a tough situation when he was hired to replace Glen Mason last season.

"Hey, that 1-11 season hurt me as much as it hurt you," Bruininks said. "But I think it is absolutely remarkable that he was able to bring in such a highly recruited class despite the record."

This year's class has been ranked in the top 20 nationally and in the top three in the Big Ten. Bruininks called it the best class he has seen here.

"People ask me all of the time what I think about Tim and his constant optimism," he said. "I want my football coach to be optimistic. I want him to have high aspirations. Most of the good things that get done in this world are done by people who have vision and are optimistic."

Wants baseball stadium Bruininks also stated that a new Gophers baseball stadium is a priority, with Seibert Field in bad shape. He said he has told coach John Anderson "to test the waters and see what he thinks he can raise toward the cost of building the stadium. We should be able to find another $2 to $3 million on top of that." Bruininks also said he is interested in improving the recreational facilities at the school.

Bruininks joined the NCAA Division I board of directors last year. "We have formed a special task force on looking at basketball academics," he said. "We've made some significant strides in getting our athletes to perform up to above the rates for the general student body. There is some exciting research that should have us recognize our at-risk students as early as midpoint of their first semester, and we think we will be able to get them the help they need to succeed."

He said that the graduation rate of university athletes is currently at 63 percent, about the same as the rest of the campus. But he said the 40 percent graduation rate in football was a concern.

He made it clear that there isn't any reason that Minnesota can't both be a top academic institution and have a winning athletic program too. Bruininks added that athletics are important for the university, saying, "Fifty percent of the people who ask questions about the University of Minnesota ask about sports."

You have to give the guy credit. Not many university presidents in this day and age would go to the Legislature and campaign for funding to build a new on-campus football stadium the way Bruininks did.

Like Bruininks said on Thursday, he is convinced that having the stadium on campus will do wonders in may ways for the school.

"I'm sure when Frerotte decides what he wants to do, we will have as good a chance to sign him as anybody else," Brzezinski said.

Steve LaCroix, Vikings vice president of sales and marketing, said that more than 80 percent of last year's season ticket holders have renewed their tickets for 2008. LaCroix said the poor economy is one factor hurting sales.

Jottings Former Gophers infielder Jack Hannahan had a great opening series playing third base for the Oakland Athletics against the Boston Red Sox in Tokyo. Hannahan went 3-for-8 with a home run, two RBI, a run scored and a highlight-reel catch to rob David Ortiz in foul territory. Hannahan is playing third base for Oakland while A's veteran Eric Chavez recovers from offseason back surgery. Hannahan's brother, Buzz, is a former St. Thomas athlete who was in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system from 1998 to 2005 but only advanced as far as Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Hamline football strength and conditioning coach Chris Hartman, who was on the Gophers staff from 1995 to 2001 before joining the Pipers, will be Hamline's interim athletic director, serving in place of Dan O'Brien, who left to become director of football operations for the Gophers. Incidentally, O'Brien played his college football at St. Thomas when former Gophers athletics director Mark Dienhart was Tommies coach. ... Bob DeBesse, the Gophers offensive coordinator under Jim Wacker, was a candidate for the job O'Brien got. DeBesse was at Texas A&M as receivers coach the past two years. ... Because of class conflicts, the Gophers won't conduct fall practice at St. John's this year like they did last year.

Gophers running back Jay Thomas, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last October, will miss spring practice but should be healthy when fall practice opens. ... Gophers football players were working out on their own before spring practice started Thursday, and senior linebacker Deon Hightower has been very impressed by some of his new teammates in junior college transfers Tramaine Brock and Rex Sharpe, both of whom are already in school. Brock is a safety and Sharpe a linebacker. Speaking of the need to improve on defense, Hightower said: "Oh, I think it can happen, with guys like Tramaine Brock and Rex Sharpe working out with us, and just seeing what they can do, like in the weight room and the agility drills that we do. I can see us having a great D."