Souhan: Looking back at my favorite Minnesota sports figures of 2025 as a new year begins

The older I get, the more I value everyday decency in the sports figures I encounter, so I’d like to begin 2026 with a remembrance of some of my favorite sports figures of 2025. Not necessarily the biggest winners, but the most endearing people.

Disclaimer: Being left off this list will not negatively affect your credit score. This is not meant to be all-encompassing or even fair.

My favorite local sports figures of 2025, in no particular order:

However his career turns out, McCarthy has made an impression by refusing to make excuses or lash out when times are tough. His positive attitude allowed him to survive some horrific performances and look like a winner in December.

Her arrival not only led to two excellent seasons for the Lynx but provided a reminder that big-time sports can be fun. She’s a blast: funny, honest, blunt without being confrontational.

Before a Lynx playoff game, I was standing at the end of the court where players conduct pregame interviews. I was waiting for one player when colleague Patrick Reusse asked to speak to Williams.

Williams started talking. Reusse started laughing and pulled out his notepad. Williams said: “Oh, so you’re old-school. Don’t you use your phone like everybody else?”

He’s one of the finest people I’ve covered, and I’m not surprised that the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers hired him shortly after he became available.

A world-class player and repeat champion with the personality of the neighbor who organizes block parties.

Classy, philanthropic, easygoing and a savvy, passionate player. What more do you want from a professional athlete?

How do you not pull for someone who contests every inch of hardwood, who hustles and plays exceptional defense and might be the funniest guy in the locker room?

The Aurora remain easy to root for because they stand for all the right things. Larrick fits perfectly. She’s an excellent soccer coach who knows that the Aurora are about more than winning. Also: They are desperate to win a title.

I was at the Arena Formerly Known as The X to write about Alex Ovechkin’s goals record. The two most gracious interviewees that day were forward Matt Boldy and now-retired goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who didn’t play that day and wasn’t scheduled to do interviews, but emerged from a back room at the request of the Wild media relations director Aaron Sickman to praise Ovechkin.

Hockey players are typically accessible. It’s nice when they’re also thoughtful and interesting like Boldy and Fleury.

She’s an excellent and unselfish point guard and owns one of the best personalities on the Twin Cities sports scene. You would be lucky to meet her.

I first met “Hawk” when he was a 20-year-old pitching prospect at Class A Fort Wayne in the Twins organization. Just 33 years later, the veteran of 21 major league seasons is the Twins bullpen coach. The team could not have done better.

She played at Caitlin Clark’s high school in Iowa before getting her foot in the door with the Lynx and beginning the rise that would lead to her helping run the Unrivaled League as its general manager and executive vice president.

In May, I spoke with prominent Minnesota sports figures about the effect of George Floyd’s murder on our community. Thanks to all who contributed, including Napheesa Collier, Tony Adams, Rebekkah Brunson and Sankara Frazier.

Page, a Vikings great and former Minnesota Supreme Court judge, was the first person I reached out to and the first I quoted. He remains a trove of wisdom and perspective.

His irrepressible enthusiasm is matched by his expertise. His team is fun to watch. He’s fun to be around. And he has helped St. Thomas thrive in Division I.

Trust me, there is nothing more difficult in the media world than talking into a mic and receiving no reaction or feedback. Longtime Wolves radio announcer Horton mastered the one-man broadcast and has been rewarded with the opportunity to work with the Wolves’ TV crew, alongside Jim Petersen.

Michael Grady is spending more time on national broadcasts, and now Wolves fans have it good. Grady is excellent. Horton is excellent and knows the organization as well as anyone. Add in Petersen’s expertise, Brunson’s insights and the addition of Tom Crean and you will learn a lot about basketball when you watch this team play.

She’s also an excellent emcee and public speaker. She runs Rethink The Win, which emphasizes what youth sports should be about. The former Gophers basketball player is a contributor to TalkNorth.com (as I am), works on Wolves broadcasts and is the color analyst on Lynx broadcasts. She has earned her ubiquity.