Seasons

SEASON: 30 | YEAR: 1978
HEAD COACH: GUNNAR ROVICK

Game 260 | February 6, 1978 | Sid Hartman
After he set up numerous guests for dozens of Dunkers meetings, this meeting focused on Sid himself and the many athletes he got to know and the many events he had seen over parts of four decades covering sports for The Minneapolis Tribune and WCCO Radio.

(LtoR) Bob Allison (physician), Sid Hartman, Gunnar Rovick

Game 261 | February 21, 1978 | Lou Nanne
The fortunes of the Minnesota North Stars improved significantly after the off-season merger of the North Stars and the Cleveland Barons. The recently retired Nanne was named General Manager, and a number of ex-Barons including Gilles Meloche, Al MacAdam and Mike Fidler, added experience. In addition, the team added first draft choice Bobby Smith, who would go on to win the Calder Trophy as the best rookie in the National Hockey League that season.

Game 262 | May 16, 1978 | Rod Carew
The 1978 baseball season had just started, but memories lingered from 1977 when Carew flirted with a .400 batting average for most of the season before finishing with a league-leading .388, tops in Twins history.

Game 263 | May 29, 1978 | Fran Tarkenton
Dunkers didn't know it at the time, but 1978 was to be the final season for Tarkenton. He tied his Vikings career season-best 25 touchdown passes. Age 38 when the season ended, Tarkenton decided to retire to make room for his backup, Tommy Kramer.

Game 264 | August 22, 1978 | Ray Scott, Paul Giel
Giel was entering his eighth year as athletic director at the University of Minnesota. Among the challenges he discussed was the need to renovate 54-year-old Memorial Stadium, and talk in the 1970s even included the possibility of doming the old facility. Scott, a member of the top CBS football broadcasting crew until 1973, was the first broadcaster named to the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame shortly after his death in 1998.

Game 265 | September 22, 1978 | Gene Mauch, Rod Carew
Carew was to finish the 1978 season with a .333 batting average. In February of 1979 he was involved in one of the biggest trades in Twins' history, going to the Angels for Ken Landreaux, Brad Havens, Paul Hartzell and Dave Engle. Under Mauch's managing the Twins finished fourth in 1978, 19 games out of first place.

Game 266 | September 27, 1978 | George Gund III, Gordon Gund, John Karr
Part of the merger of the Minnesota North Stars with the Cleveland Barons resulted in new ownership of the new North Stars under brothers George and Gordon Gund. Within three seasons the North Stars were in the Stanley Cup finals, thanks in large part to their willingness to invest in the team. Karr was named team president under the Gunds.

Game 267 | November 9, 1978 | Jim Dutcher, Leo Rautins, Darryl Mitchell
Dutcher assembled one of the best recruiting classes in Gopher basketball history in 1978. Mitchell and Rautins were joined by Cookie Holmes, Trent Tucker and Mark Hall on a team that featured Kevin McHale at center. Mitchell went on to star four years for the Gophers while Rautins transferred to Syracuse for his sophomore season. In 2008 Rautins coached the Canadian Olympic basketball team.

Seasons

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