1/3 A year ago, the young daughter of Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon and his wife, the former Shelley Brown, who is the daughter of former Vikings fullback Bill Brown, was a very sick girl.Danielle Gannon was throwing up frequently, and doctors couldn’t find the problem.And Kay Brown, Gannon’s mother-in-law, was having serious problems with diabetes, and needed a kidney transplant.
And Rich Gannon’s future as an NFL quarterback was in doubt after the 1998 season, when Kansas City let him go.Today, Gannon has a four-year, $16 million contract and is the starting quarterback for the Raiders, who face the Vikings today at the Metrodome.And more importantly, both his daughter and his mother-in-law are healthy.Danielle, 2, has been diagnosed with celiac-sprue and has to be closely monitored.
She can’t have any wheat or gluten. “What it does is essentially destroys the celiac in her intestines,” Kay Brown said. “So when she has gluten or any wheat or flour or anything like that, that sets it off, and she would die if she wasn’t treated.”Kay Brown, who has suffered with diabetes for most of her life, received a kidney transplant a month ago.
“I’m feeling great again,” she said.The man with the problem today is Bill Brown, a big Vikings fan who watched Rich Gannon wear a Vikings uniform from 1987-92 and has to be pulling for his son-in-law today..A man to watchOne person who is concerned about Gannon is Vikings defensive coordinator Foge Fazio.
“I was very impressed with Gannon in the preseason and against Green Bay,” Fazio said. “I thought he had a great game against the Packers. He scrambled well and avoided the rush. He threw one interception but that was behind the guy.
He utilized his wide receivers well because when he scrambled against the Packers, he didn’t cross the line of scrimmage. He threw two nice passes, one was to Tim Brown that set up a touchdown and another one that got them a big first down. He plays smart, has a good strong arm, and he is a talented guy.”Another reason Gannon would like to have a big game today: He lives here in the offseason.
.Reunion for GloverFrom 1991-1996, Andrew Glover played for the Oakland Raiders and was one of their star performers until being released before the 1997 season.Glover thought his career was over, but Cris Carter and his former Grambling teammate Jake Reed convinced Vikings coach Dennis Green to give Glover an opportunity.Last year, Glover became only the fourth Vikings tight end to post a 500-yard receiving season, with 522.
Today he will start against his former teammates, and he would give anything to have a big day.”I played with a lot of them when I was there,” Glover said. “They’re an aggressive bunch of of guys, both defensively and offensively. They definitely have the ability to make big plays.
They have a thirst to win, and they’re going to work hard. I know they’re going to come in here and try to intimidate our ballclub and try to steal one from under our belt.”.Gophers on scheduleThe Gophers could not be in a better position.
They are 3-0 and have a week off to prepare for their first two Big Ten foes – at Northwestern and against Wisconsin at the Dome.The critics will say the Gophers should have played tougher opponents. But look what happened to Wisconsin on Saturday, when they lost at Cincinnati. And Ohio State had a lot more trouble with Ohio University than the Gophers did.
Ohio University scored 16 points against the Buckeyes, zero against the Gophers.The one negative about Saturday’s Gophers-Illinois State game was that Illinois State left with a check for $250,000 of the estimated $400,000 gate. The Gophers needed an opponent after Iowa State pulled out of their schedule, and they had to pay the price.In Saturday’s game, the most impressive statistic belonged to quarterback Billy Cockerham, who bounced back from a bad game against Louisiana-Monroe and rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
The Gophers ran a lot of option offense Saturday, and at times Cockerham performed like Rickey Foggie, the last good Gophers option quarterback.”Cockerham had something to prove [after last week], and we worked on the offense all last week,” coach Glen Mason said.Defensively, the Gophers played well, but Mason wasn’t happy with the nine penalties. Rest assured the players will pay a price in the next two weeks.
.No offer for TwinsIt was reported the Twins had rejected an offer from the Minnesota Wild group but a spokesman for the Pohlad family said there was no offer made to reject.Apparently, there were some minimum requirements that the St. Paul group had to meet before the sale could become final.
Those requirements have not been met.There is still a good chance the deal will come through. Look for Glen Taylor to be a factor in the purchase and for the Pohlads to retain a strong interest if the deal goes through..
JottingsMason rewarded Derek Rackley, the Gophers snapper who came back to school this year even though he graduated and had a full-time job with General Mills, by putting in a play for Rackley that resulted in a long completion leading to a short touchdown run for the Gophers Saturday. “Derek is a heck of an athlete who is big as a tight end and as fast as a wideout,” Mason said. . .
. Jon Michals, who was a starting defensive end for the Gophers last year but who has been sidelined by back problems, dressed Saturday and could be ready for action against Northwestern. . .
. Work will start soon on the building of the Gopher Hall of Fame in the entrance of the Nagurski-Gibson football building.Don Zierden, a longtime continental Basketball Association coach, has joined the Timberwolves as a scout. Zierden coached at DeLaSalle, at the University of Tulsa and in the CBA.
. . . Attending the Wolves training camp will be former DePaul and Orlando Magic guard Kevin Edwards, who sat out last season because of a knee problem.
Trevor Winter, a former Gopher, and Reggie Jordan, a member of the Wolves last year, might also be in training camp.Gavin Hoffman, the former Breck quarterback who started at Northwestern and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, threw for 196 yards and a touchdown, sparking Penn to a 17-6 Ivy League victory over Dartmouth.Former Twins star Rod Carew, who is a batting coach with the Anaheim Angels, has expressed some interest in joining the Twins organization next year . .
. The Twins expect a crowd of 25,000 to 30,000 for Fan Appreciation night on Saturday. . .
. Twins outfielder Marty Cordova said he hasn’t given any thought about next year. The Twins have an option to sign Cordova for $4 million but will not exercise it. “I’m just trying to finish this year, and hopefully somebody will think I can contribute to their team next year,” he said.
