Hartman: Del Rio could be an ideal fit for Vikings

Former Vikings linebacker Jack Del Rio, now defensive coordinator for the Broncos, has been rumored to be one of the Vikings' head coach candidates interviewed by General Manager Rick Spielman.

With the Broncos still involved in the playoffs, Del Rio could not be hired by any other NFL team until after the Broncos either lose or play in the Super Bowl. That might be a negative, because the Vikings might not want to wait that long to name a coach.

However, the former Jaguars head coach and Ravens linebackers coach has all the qualities the Vikings could be looking for.

He served as interim Broncos head coach for four games this year when John Fox had to undergo heart surgery and Denver went 3-1, with the lone loss being in overtime at New England. Del Rio has a great personality and was one of the most popular players to ever play for the Vikings.

He was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker in 1994, playing four seasons here between 1992-1995.

He worked for two years as strength and conditioning coach for the Saints before becoming linebackers coach in 1999 under Brian Billick when he was with the Ravens. When Del Rio left Baltimore to become defensive coordinator for the Panthers in 2002, then-Vikings coach Mike Tice wanted to hire Del Rio as his defensive coordinator. The two had played together with the Vikings for three years in the '90s.

Tice told ESPN reporter John Clayton at the time: "Jack's a student of the game. He's bright and he commands instant respect in the locker room. I played with four guys who I thought would end up being great coaches and probably head coaches. Del Rio was one."

ESPN reported this week that the Vikings had requested to talk to Del Rio and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase, but if they are to hold those interviews, they had to complete them before Sunday's Broncos-Chargers playoff game.

The Gophers basketball team hasn't won a game at Michigan State since 1997. And since 2000, their overall record against Tom Izzo is 5-22.

Richard Pitino has brought national attention to the Gophers with their 13-4 record, especially after beating Penn State on the road Wednesday.

They certainly could have built on that momentum had they not lost their shooting touch in the second half, going nearly 13½ minutes without a basket in the 87-75 overtime loss. The Gophers held a five-point lead heading into halftime (41-36) after shooting a tremendous 7-for-12 from the three-point line and 51.9 percent overall, but after taking a 10-point lead (53-43) with 15:57 remaining, the Gophers offense stalled. Michigan State went on a 15-0 run over the next 7:51 to take a 58-53 lead.

But despite that lack of offense, the Gophers still had a chance to win the ballgame with 51 seconds left in regulation when they brought the ball down the court trailing 67-66. But a turnover by Austin Hollins gave the fifth-ranked Spartans the ball back, and that led to a two-point lead before DeAndre Mathieu's last-second layup sent the game to overtime.

That was another tough part of the game for the Gophers to swallow, as the Spartans attempted 40 free throws on 26 Gophers fouls while Minnesota had only 24 attempts on 17 Michigan State fouls.

The University of Minnesota hasn't yet raised the $190 million needed for new facilities, but an unnamed group or individual has come up with $400,000 to install lights on new Siebert Field. The lights will be installed soon.

The Gophers athletic department not only plans for the lights to be used for Gophers baseball games but also for other evening events, including high school and other college baseball games.

The Gophers football program will continue to recruit walk-ons with the incentive that they could qualify for scholarships if they do well in the classroom and on the football field.

This year's team had five players who originally were walk-ons who earned scholarships. They are fullback Mike Henry, offensive linemen Jon Christenson and Caleb Bak, defensive lineman Cameron Botticelli and wide receiver Derrick Engel. Look for some walk-ons on the 2014 squad to be rewarded with scholarships.