D3 College Football’s Best Rivalry: Johnnies vs. Tommies

SPECIAL to sportsfeelgoodstories.com by Gene McGivern, St. Thomas Sports Information Director.

An exception comes with the approach of the annual Tommie-Johnnie football game. This week, with the lead-up to game day, you always know what you’re going to get.

After two consecutive games played on the Johnnies’ campus in Collegeville, the 2011 edition of the St. John’s vs. St. Thomas football series returns to the UST campus and O’Shaughnessy Stadium in St. Paul. Kickoff is 1:10 p.m. this Saturday.

1946 St. Thomas vs. St. John's Program

The annual showdown of two Minnesota Catholic universities was was once called the “So is your mother-of-all Minnesota sports rivalries.”

Four of the last eight games have been decided by three or less points. In all, 32 of the 79 meetings have been decided by seven or less points.

The rivalry has generated memories, winning streaks, streakers, funny moments and even a new word: Rurple. That’s the color you see when you scan the crowd, as red and purple shirts blend together in the same seating areas.

A little media hype and a lot of sunshine could produce enough “Rurple” to make a run at a UST stadium record for atttendance. The record crowd was 8,521 set 29 years ago, also for a Tommie-Johnnie clash. UST officials are bracing for a crowd of 10,000 to show up. Last year’s heavily-anticipated clash at St. John’s drew an announced crowd of more than 16,000, which is believed to be an NCAA Division III attendance record.

If you can’t make it over to St. Thomas, a live video produced by UST can be accessed at www.mnsportsnetwork.com. The game can also be heard live on the radio statewide on WCCO 830 AM, as well as on three affiliates of St. John’s radio network.

If Homecoming games are more about celebration, the Tommie-Johnnie battle is more about preparation. In days leading up to the game, the Division III pace at both schools shifts into a Division I gear. More media requests for interviews and credentials pour in. More administrative meetings are held to plan for extra security, parking needs, ticket sellers and concessions workers. More calls and e-mails come in with questions about tickets, parking and tailgating. More on-campus buzz resonates as students make their game-day plans. More adrenalin flows in practices. There’s an additional degree of focus and planning by the coaches and players for a game that has both tangible and intangible rewards for the winner.

Fans, parents and alumni make plans, and often talk with the enemy. Tommie and Johnnie alums mingle at their workplaces, churches, gyms and restaurants and engage in friendly smack talk. A few have standing wagers on each year’s outcome. Several families have dads and sons or brothers that have attended the opposite school.

There’s no shortage of storylines again in 2011. This marks the 80th all-time meeting in the series, which began with a clash on Thanksgiving Day 1901 at Lexington Park in St. Paul. It also will be the 60th consecutive year the teams have squared off. Several key players on the field Saturday were recruited hard by the opposing school, and ex-high-school teammates regularly find themselves on opposing sidelines in this rivalry.

St. Thomas' Glenn Caruso and St. John's John Gagliardi

And there’s this nugget: Both teams are coached by out-of-state natives of Italian heritage. The Johnnies are led by an 84-year-old gentleman from Colorado named Gagliardi, the son of an auto mechanic. The Tommies are guided by a 37-year-old Connecticut native named Caruso, one of seven children and the son of a lawyer.

After a decade of St. John’s domination in the series from 1998-2007, all three games played since Glenn Caruso became the Tommie head coach have been thrillers. The 2009 and 2010 games in Collegeville each went to overtime after fourth-quarter excitement. St. John’s won 20-17 in 2009, but the Tommies won 27-26 in 2010. In a 12-9 Tommie loss in 2008, UST was denied a chance at victory in the final 50 seconds. A disputed non-call on an apparent touchdown was followed by a lost fumble near the goal line on second down.

Incentive couldn’t be much higher for the 2011 matchup. Beyond school pride, Saturday’s game has immediate implications for both teams.

Clemens Stadium, "The Natural Bowl," at St. John's University was the site for last year's game

St. Thomas can end a seven-game home losing streak to the Johnnies, a streak that dates back to 1992. More importantly, UST needs a win to continue to control its destiny in its quest for an NCAA playoff berth and an MIAC title. A loss, though not crippling, would be damaging for the Tommies. St. John’s is coming off a bizarre 32-31 home loss to Augsburg. The Johnnies drove 72 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in the final 90 seconds, and appeared to find the Johnnie magic that’s been missing over the last couple of seasons. Then Augsburg hit SJU with two Hail Mary completions in the last 18 seconds and stole back a victory as time expired. For the Johnnies, what better way to bounce back and salvage their season than to come into St. Paul and and beat their rival?

St. Thomas brings in a 4-0 record, No. 3 national ranking and an 18-game regular-season win streak. Even though St. John’s comes into the 2011 game with an uncharacteristic 2-2 record and has a less experienced team than past SJU juggernauts, longtime followers of this rivalry still expect a close game for four (or even five) quarters. Each of the last three games had a few mistakes and clutch plays swing the outcome. Longtime fans recall the Tommies’ stunning home upset in 1992. And in 2003, a Johnnie team that went on to win the national title trailed at St. Thomas late in the game and needed a field goal in the final seconds to avoid overtime.

One of the fascinating elements to the football rivalry is the incredible legacy of John Gagliardi, whose 63-year college coaching career includes 59 seasons in Collegeville. The guy his players call “John,” just one month shy of his 85th birthday, has 480 all-time wins, the most of any college football head coach. Since losing four games in a row to St. Thomas from 1954-57, Gagliardi has a 42-11 record against the Tommies.

The 2011 Tommies can become the first UST team since 1986-1987 to post back-to-back wins over the coaching legend. If UST stays focused all four quarters, reduces mistakes and makes enough big plays, many feel they will secure a “W” they can savor long after they hang up their helmets.

Tim Fischer is a senior development officer at St. Thomas. His work ethic and leadership as an all-district offensive tackle from 1980-83 led to his induction into the UST Athletics Hall of Fame. He still ranks a win over the Johnnies in his senior season with any of his career highlights.

“As a player, this game means everything,” Fischer said. “And for some alums, this game still means everything. As time passes you gain a perspective on what a great rivalry it is. My coach Mark Dienhart told us this before we took the field: ‘Over the years, you will run into St. John’s guys many times in the business world, in your neighborhoods, or at parties. What you do today will either help you or come back to haunt you. Play hard between the whistles and play with tenacity, but in the end how you perform today will determine whether you get bragging rights.’

“And Mark was exactly right. I’ve met, worked with and coached with a lot of St. John’s grads, and find them to be really good people. I think that’s one of the best things is to see how many successful guys there are today from both schools, guys that benefited greatly from a great college education at both schools.”

It’s fitting that this year’s game is played in O’Shaughnessy Stadium, which is named after Ignatius O’Shaughnessy. Long before he made his fortune in the oil industry and donated millions to Catholic colleges St. Thomas, Notre Dame and St. Catherine, O’Shaughnessy played in the football rivalry — for both teams. He was a Johnnie freshman in the first meeting back in 1901 and rushed for 76 yards in the St. John’s win. After a few classmates and he skipped a vespers service for a gathering in the woods, all were expelled from St. John’s. O’Shaughnessy took a train to St. Paul, admitted his error and threw himself at the mercy of a St. Thomas priest. He was given a second chance and enrolled as a Tommie, and starred in football and in the classroom in St. Paul before graduating in 1907.

O’Shaughnessy isn’t the only guy to suit up for both teams in this rivalry. Brady Beeson was a backup kicker for the Johnnies from 2006-2008. He transferred to St. Thomas in 2009 and was a standout as a senior for the Tommies. He made 7-of-11 field goals and 58-of-63 PAT kicks and helped the Tommies finish 11-2 and reach the NCAA playoff quarterfinals.

“No matter what the teams records are, it seems like the game is played close and is competitive,” Beeson said. “The days leading up to the game are fun. It’s an exciting time. At St. John’s, I know we always respected St. Thomas and didn’t dare take them lightly. It’s the same at St. Thomas, although with Coach Caruso, he always preaches a one-week-at-a-time philosophy. But certainly in this rivalry, it’s a little bit sweeter to take home a win.”

Beeson’s own “rurple” experience suiting up for each school provides the latest funny wrinkle in the rivalry.

“When I was kicking for St. Thomas in the 2009 game, I played against four of my old roommates — Andrew Gurbada, Steve Fuertsch, Russ Gliadon and Dan Franta,” Beeson said. “They were chirping at me pretty good during the game.”

Unlike that box of chocolates, you know what to expect as the 2011 edition of Tommie-Johnnie approaches. Count on another entertaining game and a fun atmosphere.

There will be some parallels to box of candy, though. You can expect a few nuts to show up, and you can be sure that one group — either the purple or red — will leave with a sweet taste in their mouth.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Gene McGivern has worked as a sports information director in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for 24 years, the last 18 at St. Thomas. An award-winning sportswriter, he authored a book on former Michigan and Iowa State coach Johnny Orr and co-authored a book with then Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green.  Check out Gene’s Blog at TommieSports.com

Photo Credits:

- Clemens Stadium:  Brace Hemmelgarn

- All other photos:  The University of St. Thomas

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Editor’s Note:  Check out coaching legend John Gagliardi’s acceptance speech from a few years back

One Man Volleyball Team Beats the Odds

Bob Holmes’s volleyball career began when he visited his doctor because of back pain.  His doctor told him that he needed to exercise more.  Bob took up volleyball.  He hadn’t played the sport in high school or college but took an immediate liking to the game.

Fast forward several years, Bob was recognized by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, as the athlete who has played the most games in any sport.  He’s played some 17,000 games of volleyball in over 5,500 gymnasiums.  And get this, he’s a one-man team.  He bumps to himself, sets to himself and then spikes on many points.  He has single-handedly taken on volleyball teams at all levels of play.

One Man Volleyball Star Bob Holmes takes on the class

In match-ups against athletes from other sports, he’s beaten 6-man teams representing the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and the Buffalo Bills (3 times!).  As if playing against 6 players isn’t hard enough, he’ll sometimes take on 100 people at a time, and beat them.

“My most memorable victory was against the Baltimore Orioles,” said Holmes, “A lot of their players play a lot of volleyball, and so they were really good.  We were tied 24 – 24 in the final game before I won by 2 points.”

With a winning percentage that rivals the Harlem Globetrotters, Holmes has only lost only a few hundred games. Holmes’ volleyball game is punctuated by some crazy spins on his serves and his uncanny ability to spike from anywhere on the court.  These tools have enabled him to beat some pretty athletic teams — he’s even beaten some club volleyball teams and a first-place beach team.

Motivated by his mission to rescue lives by trying to put an end to bullying, drug and alcohol misuse, and suicide; Bob began putting on one-man vs. entire team volleyball exhibitions as a way of generating interest for his message.  A typical exhibition for him is at a high school assembly where he’ll play 3 games:  one against a team of students, one against teachers and one against a combined teacher/student team.  The games take about 45 minutes to an hour to play and in his remaining time, Bob spreads his message about the importance of standing up for yourself and making good decisions.

“The hardest thing about playing by myself is that I average about 50-70 games a week and it is sure a drain on my electrolytes,” said Holmes.  However, it’s clear that Holmes loves what he’s doing.

Recalling a letter he received from a boy who had bought rope to hang himself, but changed his mind after hearing his presentation, Holmes knows that the volleyball games are just the attention getter for a more important message.  Holmes said, “I just wanted to rescue lives and that is what motivated me to play so many games.”

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Visit Bob’s website  www.beatbob.com for information on how to schedule a volleyball exhibition for your school or company.

One Man Beating the Odds: The Bob Holmes “One Man Volleyball Team” Video

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Among Giants: Minnesota Athlete Overcomes 70-Plus Surgeries To Join State’s Greats

It’s been a year since Thomas Bowlin was nominated for the St. Paul (Minn.) Athlete of the Year. He remembers being onstage at the St. Paul Downtown Lions Club with multi-sport stars like Mark Alt, a state champion quarterback who got a hockey scholarship from the University of Minnesota. Past winners include Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Chris Weinke and Joe Mauer.

Bowlin was 5-foot-4 and 135 pounds. He looked around at the other finalists and thought, “What the heck am I doing here?”

The answer to that starts in an Arizona hospital bed, where Bowlin lay three years ago, receiving the Catholic Anointing of the Sick sacrament delivered to those near death. Bowlin was only a teenager, but he had been through 70 surgeries already. This one, his parents feared, would be the last.

“This one was different,” remembers Tom, Bowlin’s dad. “Other doctors thought it was far too dangerous of a procedure to even attempt — the smallest of mistakes could end his life.”

Thomas Bowlin was born with a form of spina bifida, a disorder in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close before birth. He had a shunt surgically placed to drain fluid from his brain. Eventually, as a small child, Bowlin was fitted with leg braces below his knees and with the help of crutches, was able to move around.

Somehow, a love of sports developed and thrived.

Propping himself up with one crutch, Bowlin learned to play basketball and baseball from his dad. “He had a great arm, and with the bat in one arm and the crutch in the other, he could hit,” says Tom. “We even looked into him playing football as the field goal kicker’s holder, but thought better of it.”

Thomas wanted to be a part of a team – any team. “I wanted to be like everyone else,” he says.

As he grew older, more medical problems developed. A surgical error when he was 12 years old resulted in Thomas needing to use a wheelchair full-time. When the shunt didn’t work as it was designed, Bowlin endured intense headaches, nausea and fatigue. As the result of scar tissue build-up from his surgeries, Bowlin’s symptoms became more constant when he turned 13.

And still it didn’t stop Thomas from pursuing his love of sports. He joined a local wheelchair basketball team and adapted his shot to a sitting position. “With all of his suffering, Thomas never complained,” says Tom. “He’d play a basketball tournament, come home, and within a couple of days, we’d have to take him to the doctor or emergency room; but his teammates never knew. He didn’t let on.”

Living in Minnesota, a leader in providing adapted athletic opportunities, Thomas had opportunities to play adapted floor hockey, adapted softball, adapted soccer and wheelchair basketball. He played them all, despite his pain. “He would never give up,” says Tom, “and there were lots of opportunities when he could have.”

His parents sought the best care for Thomas from top medical institutions, but nothing worked. The headaches became constant. In his first two years of high school, Thomas could only summon to attend 90 days of classes.

Then, finally, in 2008, the last-ditch surgery in Arizona worked.

After a three-week recovery period, Thomas’ symptoms were gone. “I’d still get an occasional headache,” he says, “but they’re like the ones that everyone has.”

Thomas went right back to the field of play. And his achievements piled up: 14 times he lettered for a varsity sports team; nine times he was selected as captain of his teams; eight times he won all-conference awards; six times he was selected as defensive player of the year.

And his wheelchair basketball team won a national championship.

“I ask myself what goal or image do I have for myself in sports — do I want to just sit back and enjoy myself or try to be a leader?” says Thomas. “And then, I set about identifying the steps I need to take to improve myself and my teammates. For me, sports have been about fitting in.”

He did just that on stage a year ago. He did more than that, actually.

Thomas Bowlin became the first adaptive athlete to win St. Paul Athlete of the Year.

He graduated last June and now, at age 18, he’s planning to attend Southwest Minnesota State and play wheelchair basketball there.

“Being in a wheelchair,” he says, “you don’t think about being on a sports team — having that opportunity. I never thought I’d be able to do some of the things I did playing on a team. I felt very honored to be on a list that included Joe Mauer and Dave Winfield.”

No doubt Mauer and Winfield are just as honored to be on a list that includes Thomas Bowlin.

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This article is also featured at Yahoo Sports’ online magazine The Post Game:  Among Giants: Minnesota Athlete Overcomes 70-Plus Surgeries To Join State’s Greats

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Two of the Coolest Jobs at Lambeau Field

Let’s say you watch an NFL game with a buddy. Happens every fall Sunday, right? Now let’s say you and your friend actually go to the game, at Lambeau Field. Cool, yes, but not incredible. Now let’s say you and your friend are paid to do this. Paying attention? Now let’s say you and your friend are paid to go to Lambeau Field and watch every single game there from the Packers sideline.

Meet Paul Ihlenfeldt and Tom Rizzo, holders of two of the coolest jobs in pro sports.

Ihlenfeldt, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, has been working as an “Orange Sleeves” at Lambeau Field for the past 12 years. The name comes from the two orange mitts worn by the network television coordinator that go elbow high and make it easy for NFL officials to spot them on the sidelines.

Tom Rizzo and Paul Ihlenfeldt, a.k.a "Green Hat" and "Orange Sleeves"

For Packers’ home games, networks like Fox and CBS hire Ihlenfeldt to coordinate television timeouts for officials on the field.

“I’ve watched countless Brett Favre comebacks,” says Ihlendfeldt, “I’ve walked alongside Eli Manning coming through the tunnel to the field, and Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy jokes around with me on occasion.”

Ihlenfeldt, who played linebacker at Division III University of St. Thomas, works as a ShopKo Stores manager in his full-time job. He was trained in the Orange Sleeves position by his dad, Len Ihlendfeldt, who pioneered the position in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a sidelines engineer for the Packers and TV Director at the Green Bay ABC affiliate.

To prepare for a Sunday game with a noon kickoff, Ihlenfeldt leaves at 8:45 a.m. to make the 10-minute drive to Lambeau Field’s locker room from his house in suburban Green Bay.

By the time Ihlenfeldt has left his house, his friend, Tom Rizzo, has already been on the road for three hours. Rizzo commutes from his home in Kenosha, a 150-mile drive. A production association for Johnson Wax Corporation, makers of Windex, Rizzo works as a “Green Hat” sideline coordinator at Packers’ home games for the NFL.

As a “Green Hat,” the only person allowed to wear a lime green hat on NFL sidelines during games, Rizzo monitors TV breaks, controls the officials’ microphones and is connected by headset to the NFL Observer in the press box.

“If there’s anything out of the ordinary, the NFL Observer will contact me immediately and I’ll get ahold of the nearest official, who will pass it on to the head referee,” Rizzo says.

Rizzo works closely with Ihlenfeldt and the NFL officials on the field to coordinate and track TV timeouts. Usually about five times each quarter — 20 times a game — Ihlendfeldt communicates with the production crew in the truck by headset for the best times in the game to fit in the 1-minute-and-50-second TV timeouts.

“You want to make sure you’re taking the timeouts at the right time,” says Ihlenfeldt. “The games are live on TV and there’s no room for errors.”

The signal to officials that a TV timeout is needed

Ihlenfeldt crosses his arms to signal the head official that a TV break is needed. He then walks onto the field of play until the TV timeout is over. Lambeau Field’s JumboTron operators and the radio station covering Packers’ games also depend on Ihlenfeldt’s signals. While Ihlenfeldt is signaling on the field, Rizzo works with the back judge to monitor the TV breaks.

Rizzo, who worked for more than 30 years as a football and basketball official at the high school and college levels, has empathy for his officiating brethren. “I know what referees go through on game day,” he says.

Just like his pal, Rizzo inherited his gig. His uncle, John Rizzo, created the job description for Green Hats. Tom still has his original manual. “Paul’s dad and my uncle worked Packers’ games before us,” Rizzo says, “and Paul and I are carrying on the tradition. We have such a camaraderie together. We both live and breathe football.”

There are 32 Orange Sleeves positions and 32 Green Hat positions — one each at every NFL stadium. The Super Bowl Orange Sleeves and Green Hat duties will be handled by the Cowboys Stadium’s duo. Additional help may be brought in from Houston’s Reliant Stadium. Rizzo and Ihlenfeldt will have to watch the Packers from home.

“My job is like a little kid’s dream,” Rizzo says. “Walter Payton, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice are some of the superstars of the game I’ve seen play.  Having grown up in the Lombardi era, my favorite memories are meeting Willie Davis, my favorite Packer, and seeing Bart Starr every year.  How many people have had treasures like that?”

Just as they inherited their jobs from family members, both Ihlenfeldt and Rizzo hope to pass on their positions to their sons.  But, don’t expect that to be anytime soon. Rizzo says, “I’m going to do this until they bury me.”

Michael O’Halloran is Founder and Editor of Sports Feel Good Stories

Photo credits:  John Ihlenfeldt

This story can also be seen at The Post Game, Yahoo Sports new online magazine