NDSU Football Team to Be Recognized at Target Field Saturday

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State University's national championship football team will be recognized prior to this Saturday afternoon's baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The NDSU players will be introduced before the game and will be represented in a pre-game home run derby and highlight video in the stadium.  NDSU quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Game time is 1:10 p.m. and gates open two hours early.  The first 20,000 fans receive a Twins cap.  For ticket information, visit TwinsBaseball.com.

Fans can also mark their calendars for NDSU Night at Target Field on Thursday, Aug. 16, when the Twins host the Detroit Tigers at 7:10 p.m.  Custom yellow and green NDSU Twins caps will be available for fans with a valid NDSU ticket package with a portion of proceeds supporting the NDSU Alumni Association.

Target Field will be the site of North Dakota State's 2019 football season opener. The Bison will take on Butler University in a non-conference game scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 31, which is the Labor Day weekend that year.

MSHSL To Recognize 37 Athletic Administrators

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn., (November 20, 2017) – The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) announced today that 37 athletic administrators will be recognized for their transformational leadership during halftime of the Prep Bowl Class AAAAA Championship game on Saturday, November 25. The athletic administrators are all part of the Why We Play InsideOut Team Cohort, a professional learning community, which is working to develop transformational, character-based athletic programs in their communities.

Athletic administrators at 64 Minnesota high schools have made a year-long commitment to address the specific needs of today’s youth as part of a collaborative partnership between the Minnesota State High School League, the InSideOut Initiative, the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee Legacy Fund and the Minnesota Vikings. The recognition event and cohort are part of the Minnesota State High School League’s “Why We Play” education program. The purpose of Why We Play is to elevate the student-athlete in a way that gets beyond just playing the game for a win, and instead focuses on the students’ human growth and development, and connects them to caring adults in their learning community.

Charlie Campbell, Activities Director for Brainerd High School is one of the cohort members. When asked about his experience with the cohort, he shared “This cohort has created an opportunity to develop personally and professionally and to reconnect with what is in our hearts.  It provides us with a common language and platform to speak about the issues we are all facing — there’s great power and growth in that. It has revitalized the way I interact with my coaches and how we intentionally impact students.  This experience has been truly transformational.” 

Why We Play, developed by the Minnesota State High School League, is a statewide program created to reclaim the educational purpose of sports. Why We Play was founded on the InSideOut Philosophy contained in Joe Ehrmann’s book InSideOut Coaching; How Sports Transforms Lives. In 2015, a partnership was formed between Ehrmann and Jody Redman, associate director for the Minnesota State High School League, and the InSideOut Initiative was launched with funding from the NFL Foundation, as a way to replicate Minnesota’s Why We Play model to communities across the country.  The InSideOut Initiative is currently functioning in 8 states in partnership with 13 NFL Teams.

“We now find ourselves in a win at all costs youth sports culture, which has grown into a $15 billion per year industry, “ says Redman. “We’re not creating better citizens through sports. We’re not serving communities. We’re not even serving the children who participate. We need to reclaim the transformative power of sports by being aware that there is a greater purpose which is their human growth and development and connecting them to caring adults in their learning community.”

The Minnesota State High School League is one of the largest state high school leagues in the nation. With the expansion of this program, it is now also seen as a leader in incorporating social-emotional learning into interscholastic sports.

Timberwolves Host Military Night on Nov. 19

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves are holding their annual Military Night on Wednesday, Nov. 19 when the team returns to Target Center to host the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. The night is highlighted by a military color guard, on-court presentations and recognition of all branches of the military. The Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation has donated 5,000 tickets to military members and their families to attend the game and participate in the evening’s salute to service.  

The in-game Military Night elements include the following:

-       Pregame – Color Guard, moment of silence and Gold Star Family recognition. A Gold Star Family is one that has lost a loved one while in active duty in the Armed Forces

-       1^st quarter, 2^nd timeout – Recognition of all military branches represented at the game

-       2^nd quarter, 3^rd timeout – Heroes of the Pack honored

-       3^rd quarter, 1^st timeout – Heroes in the Making recognized

The game’s Heroes in the Making include the father-son combo of WWII veteran Joe Kovar and his son Vietnam veteran Dr. Joe Kovar. During WWII, Joe Kovar served in the 26^th Yankee Division under General George Patton. He served on D-Day in 1944, landing on Omaha Beach. He went on to fight in the Battle of Cherbourg and the Battle of the Bulge. His tour of duty took him across Germany and into Austria where he assisted in the liberation of four concentration camps. He is a Purple Heart recipient and belongs to the Military Order of the Purple Heart. His son, Chief Warrant Officer Dr. Kovar served as a combat helicopter pilot in Thu Li, Vietnam, where he was shot down twice. Dr. Kovar is also a recipient of the prestigious Purple Heart, in addition to his many other honors including the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.

The featured deal of the game is a slouch camo Wolves hat from adidas, discounted to $15. The deal of the game will be available for purchase in the Wolves Pro Shop and merchandise stands in Target Center.

Military Night marks the Wolves’ first true home game since November 1. Every November the Timberwolves FastBreak Foundation holds Operation Minnesota Heroes Month, presented by the Roger and Nancy McCabe Foundation and POPP Communications. Throughout the month the Timberwolves focus on honoring Minnesota’s military members through a variety of in-game elements, special events and grants.

Timberwolves tickets with no fees are available at Timberwolves.com/wolvestix. Tickets are also available by calling 1-800-4-NBA-TIX or visiting the Target Center Box Office.

Erv Inniger to be Recognized Prior to NDSU-UND Men's Basketball Game

FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State University will recognize the contributions of longtime coach and administrator Erv Inniger prior to Saturday's 7 p.m. NDSU-UND men's basketball game at the Fargodome.

Inniger, in his 33rd year at the university, will retire Jan. 18. He has been an associate and senior associate athletic director since 1992 after spending 14 seasons as the head men's basketball coach.

Over the past 18 years, Inniger has raised scholarship endowments from $356,000 to over $10.5 million, and Bison Athletics currently has 120 scholarship endowments.

He served two terms on the Fargo City Commission and played a major role in developing facilities such as the Ellig Sports Complex and Newman Outdoor Field on the NDSU campus that have benefited both the university and the community. He is currently working toward the Bison Sports Arena renovation project estimated at $32 million.

Inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, Inniger is the winningest men's basketball coach in school history. He guided NDSU to a 244-150 record from 1978 to 1992 including one North Central Conference title in 1981.

He coached two 20-win teams and racked up 13 consecutive winning seasons from 1978 to 1991, including runner-up finishes in 1980, 1985 and 1987. The 1981 team finished third at the NCAA Division II regional, and the 1983 team advanced to the NCAA regional title game.

Inniger recruited and/or coached eight Bison Athletic Hall of Famers - Jeff Askew, Lance Berwald, Mike Driscoll, Brady Lipp, Joe Regnier, David Ryles, Dr. Paul Shogren, and Dan Wilberscheid.

A native of Berne, Ind., Inniger was a standout performer in high school, where his teams went 67-12 over three regular seasons. He was a member of the 1988 Indiana silver anniversary All-Star Team as selected by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

He played at Indiana University in the mid-1960s, where he was captain of the Hoosier team that won the 1967 Big Ten championship and was also a standout pitcher on the baseball diamond.

He went on to play two years in the American Basketball Association with the Minnesota Muskies and Miami Floridians before joining the coaching ranks. He spent four seasons at Golden Valley Lutheran Junior College and five seasons at Augsburg College before coming to NDSU. He had a career record of 409-224.

Erv and his wife Linda have two sons and five grandsons. One son, Bart, was captain of the 1991-92 Bison basketball team, and the other, Brett, played college ball at Concordia in Moorhead.

A formal event in recognition of Inniger's accomplishments is being planned for Friday, April 15.