Minnesota

P.J. Fleck to UCLA? He will be much better off in Minnesota

Published

2 years ago

February 12, 2024

P.J. Fleck to UCLA? He will be much better off in Minnesota

Barring an unforeseen turnaround, the Gophers football program’s best years are several decades in the past.

Their seven national titles — five of them between 1934 and 1941, and the most recent in 1960 — sometimes seem to serve as an anchor for the modern-day reality of the program.

It’s not realistic to think the Gophers will compete for seven more national titles. A modern day dream might be to have a team every five years that’s good enough to chase a spot in the expanded 12-team college football playoff.

That reality tends to obscure, though, the relatively solid footing the program has found in recent decades. If we can forget about most of the Tim Brewster Era — a memory trick most of us would enjoy — we find a program that has been downright decent for most of the last quarter-century.

That includes the recent run for head coach P.J. Fleck, who produced 29 total wins in the three full seasons between 2019 and 2022. The program has been pretty good. The facilities are, dare we say, elite?

There are better jobs Fleck could realistically leave for, but not more than a handful.

But yes, old habits die hard. And every job opening that produces a list of potential candidates with Fleck’s name on it becomes a source of worry to some fans — as Patrick Reusse and I talked about on Monday’s Daily Delivery podcast.

The latest proof was a 24-hour tempest in a teapot: On Friday, we learned UCLA coach Chip Kelly was bolting to become Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Fleck was listed as a top potential replacement at UCLA by several outlets.

The Gophers coach let it simmer for a bit, but by Saturday evening Fleck took time out from vacation to post this on Twitter/X: “Honored to be the Head Football Coach at Minnesota!! Ready for an ELITE 2024 season!! Now, back to our wedding anniversary trip!!”

Fleck shutting down those rumblings wasn’t surprising, and we might never know how serious any of it was anyway. What might be a revelation to some is this: Minnesota is a much better job than UCLA, and Fleck leaving would have been bad for both the Gophers and the coach.

UCLA’s finances are a mess. Their name, image and likeness money is seemingly nonexistent. Their home stadium (the Rose Bowl) is 26.6 miles from their campus and was half-full on average last year. Whatever glory days existed are several decades old.

And now they are making a jump into the Big Ten. They have sunshine to sell, and not much else. Fleck has it better now than he would there, and the Gophers will benefit from continuity and stability.

Feel free to worry that Fleck might someday leave for a better job. Just make sure it’s one that’s actually worth it.

Here are four more things to know today:

Reusse and I of course also talked about the Super Bowl, and he also had some good perspectives on the Twins after arriving early in Florida ahead of spring training.
What’s next for the 49ers after coming up short Sunday?
The Gophers men’s basketball team’s loss to Iowa on Sunday after leading by 20 points is one that hurts. It might hurt even more on Selection Sunday.
Star Tribune Vikings writer Ben Goessling will join Tuesday’s podcast to talk through all sorts of Vikings offseason scenarios. The new league year starts in a month, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is on the clock with a lot of big decisions.

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Minnesota

Colder, windier Saturday in Twin Cities; warmup set for Christmas week

Published

9 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Colder, windier Saturday in Twin Cities; warmup set for Christmas week

Updated on: December 20, 2025 / 10:57 AM CST
/ CBS Minnesota

After some light morning snow, temperatures will gradually fall Saturday in the Twin Cities amid powerful wind gusts.

Expect daytime highs in the upper teens to low 20s, with gusts of up to 40 mph.

The metro could see another small round of snow Sunday night into Monday.

Next week’s highs will be in the 30s, with temps pushing into the 40s on Christmas Day Thursday.

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Minnesota

Finland picks up where it left off in Minnesota, beats Germany

Published

21 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Finland picks up where it left off in Minnesota, beats Germany

DULUTH — Finland was a force this summer at the University of Minnesota’s Ridder Arena in Minneapolis during the

World Junior Summer Showcase,

beating the United States, Canada and Sweden by a combined score of 15-7.

The Finnish national junior team continued its domination at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Amsoil Arena on Friday night, beating Germany 7-3 in a 2026 World Junior Championship pre-tournament game played before a modest crowd of 650.

Finland also won the bonus 3-on-3 simulated overtime period after the game, scoring with 46.4 seconds left in the five-minute period.

The seven Finnish goals in regulation came from seven different players, with winger Max Westergard, a 2025 fifth-round NHL draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, getting the 3-on-3 goal after scoring an unassisted goal in the third period.

Elias Schneider (24) of Germany scores a goal against Kim Saarinen (1) of Finland during a World Junior Championship pre-tournament game on Friday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group

Centers Heikki Ruohonen, Oliver Suvanto and Jasper Kuhta, wingers Joona Saarelainen and Matias Vanhanen and seventh defenseman Lasse Boelius were among the other goalscorers for Finland.

Lenny Boos, Dustin Willhoft and Elias Schneider scored for Germany, which was outshot 29-17. The Germans had just one power play, in the third, compared to Finland’s four.

German goaltender Linus Vieillard made 22 saves while Finland goalie Kim Saarinen, a 2024 third-round pick of the Seattle Kraken, stopped 14 shots.

men play ice hockey — Daniel Nieminen (7) of Finland skates with the puck against Finland during a World Junior Championship pre-tournament game on Friday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.

Finland’s lineup Friday featured 12 NHL draft picks — Germany had three — including Dallas Stars 2024 first-rounder Emil Hemming, Minnesota Wild 2024 fourth-rounder Aron Kiviharju and Montreal Canadiens 2024 third-rounder Aatos Koivu — the son of former NHLer Saku Koivu. Mikko Koivu, the former Wild captain, is Aatos’ uncle.

Ruohonen, a 2024 fourth-rounder of the Flyers, is the lone player on Finland’s roster from the NCAA. He’s a freshman at Harvard.

Finland will play one more pre-tournament game in Duluth at 6 p.m. Tuesday against the United States at Amsoil Arena. The Americans host Germany at 4 p.m. Sunday at Amsoil Arena.

Full tournament coverage

Click on the image above to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.

Click on image to read comprehensive coverage of the 2026 World Junior Championship tournament.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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Minnesota

‘Best Christmas Ever’ delivered to rural Minnesota family

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

‘Best Christmas Ever’ delivered to rural Minnesota family

BREWSTER, Minn. — Lots of hugs were shared, tears were shed and utter shock was witnessed as a rural Minnesota family was surprised with the Best Christmas Ever early Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14.

More than two dozen people caravaned behind a Brewster Fire Truck to deliver gifts to Austin and Stephanie VandeKamp and their 6-year-old daughter, Callee, in Brewster, Minnesota, in Nobles County.

Friends and family join Best Christmas Ever committee members for a group photo before leaving the Brewster Fire Hall to deliver gifts to the Austin and Stephanie Vande Kamp family Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2025.

Julie Buntjer / The Globe

“We just came to bring some joy to your life,” said Sue Hagen, one of the local coordinators for the nationwide nonprofit

Best Christmas Ever organization,

which surprises families who have experienced hard times. “Last year, with the loss of Jaelee, none of these gifts we’re bringing to you will ever replace her, but we just thought that your family deserved a little joy this Christmas.”

The Vande Kamps gave birth to their daughter, Jaelee, on Feb. 4, 2024. Shortly thereafter, Jaelee was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, TAPVR (Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return). She spent her first eight months in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she had 10 surgeries and ultimately required continuous dialysis.

Stephanie didn’t get to hold Jaelee until she was 50 days old, and stayed with Jaelee for much of her hospitalization. When she did come home, Austin would go to the hospital to stay with their youngest daughter.

They were finally able to bring Jaelee home on Sept. 23, 2024. Because she was dependent on respiratory support, someone had to be awake with her 24/7, so Stephanie got very little sleep, family friend Ashley Prins detailed in the nomination letter she sent to Best Christmas Ever.

121725.N.DG.BCE CHRISTMAS DELIVERY — People wait in line bearing gifts to deliver to the Austin and Stephanie Vande Kamp family Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2025, in rural Brewster.

Jaelee died unexpectedly on Dec. 9, 2024, while attending regular follow-up appointments in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jaelee’s death compounded the loss the family was still feeling from the sudden death of Stephanie’s dad from a heart attack on Easter morning 2022.

“The community just rallies around a family and they don’t even know who it will be,” Hagen said, noting that Bedford Industries, Sanford Worthington and District 518 were among employers who stepped up alongside community members to “help uplift a family.”

Locally, the Best Christmas Ever program is sponsored by the Astrup Family Foundation, owner of Sterling Pharmacy stores, which provides $5,000 toward a life-changing gift for a local family who has fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. Business partners included Worthington Federal Savings Bank and Runnings who, along with Sterling Pharmacy, had giving trees set up at their businesses in recent weeks to accept gifts and monetary donations for the recipients.

The VandeKamps were nominated for the Best Christmas Ever program by family friend Ashley Prins.

“I would love to make this year a joyous season again for them in regards to holidays and I would love to see the three of them be able to get away on a vacation and enjoy their time together as they missed out on so much of that during this life struggle,” Prins wrote in her letter.

121725.N.DG.BCE VANDEKAMPS — Stephanie, left, and Austin VandeKamp share a look as daughter, Callee, stands between them as they listen to Sue Hagen talk about the Best Christmas Ever program Sunday afternoon, Dec. 14, 2025.

In addition to a mound of neatly wrapped gifts — most of which were for Callee — the family was presented with a monetary gift of $7,403.07. The local Best Christmas Ever committee will work with the family on how the gift may be used.

“I don’t know what to say,” Austin said after accepting the money.

“Merry Christmas,” replied Chad Nixon, representing Worthington Federal Savings Bank.

Callee opened her largest box, which contained a child-sized recliner just for her, as well as two stuffed animals to match the chair. Stephanie and Austin received Minnesota Twins jerseys reflecting their favorite current Twins players.

Among the people on hand Sunday were last year’s recipients, the Adrian and Melissa Gonzalez family, of Worthington. The Gonzalezes lost their son, Emmitt, to cancer in September 2023.

Hagen also presented the family with over $1,000 in gift cards to local businesses, and noted that donations are still coming in. The Best Christmas Ever committee will meet again with the Vande Kamps after Christmas, she said.

The VandeKamps were completely surprised by the gesture — after admitting a bit of fear as to why a fire truck with lights on and siren blaring pulled into their rural Brewster farmyard.

“I thought right away my barn was on fire, my lambs were running everywhere, then I saw a big wad of cars and I thought, ‘what’?” Austin said.

Julie Buntjer became editor of The Globe in July 2021, after working as a beat reporter at the Worthington newspaper since December 2003. She has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture journalism from South Dakota State University.

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