Seasons
SEASON: 38 | YEAR: 1986
HEAD COACH: JERRY BELL
Game 331 | January 20, 1986 | Larry Beckish, Paul Giel
At a time when the option was the preferred offense of most colleges, Beckish was already a published author and frequent speaker on the topic. Recruited by Lou Holtz to be his quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, Beckish stayed on with John Gutekunst through 1978.
Game 332 | February 5, 1986 | Jerry Burns
Bud Grant was happy to hand the Vikings coaching reins over to his long-time friend and assistant, Jerry Burns. With Tommy Kramer at quarterback, Burns put together an offensive plan that emphasized high-percentage short passes. The team improved its record to 9-7 as Kramer passed for 3,000 yards to targets such as Steve Jordan, Darrin Nelson, Anthony Carter and Leo Lewis.
Game 333 | March 3, 1986 | John Guteknust
With Lou Holtz off to Notre Dame, Gutekunst, a long-time defensive coordinator under Holtz, was named the Gophers head coach. In his first game he led the team to a 20-13 victory over Clemson in the Independence Bowl. The team finished third in the Big Ten with a 5-3 record in 1986 and went to its second consecutive bowl, losing 21-14 to Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl.
Game 334 | April 3, 1986 | Verne Gagne
Always a great wrestler, Gagne was maybe more impressive as a promoter. He was back in front of Dunkers, this time to promote his "Wrestlemania" event at the Metrodome.
Game 335 | May 9, 1986 | Frank Viola, Kent Hrbek
After showing improvement in 1985, the 1986 Twins took a major step backward, finishing with a record of 71-91. Ray Miller was fired with 23 games to play. Hrbek continued to show great power with 29 home runs and 91 RBIs. Viola, in his first major league season, won 16 games and struck out 191 batters.
Game 336 | May 29, 1986 | Clem Haskins
Inheriting a team that lost its final eight games and was short on scholarships after a combination of expulsions and defections, Haskins left Western Kentucky to coach Gopher basketball. His first-year team won only two Big Ten games and finished with a record of 9-19. Terence Woods and Kelvin Smith were the leading scorers, but a freshman forward named Willie Burton showed signs of becoming both a strong scorer and a team leader.
Game 337 | June 12, 1986 | Lou Eilken
Canterbury Downs opened to huge crowds in Shakopee as Minnesotans took to horse racing and legalized gambling in a big way. The job of filling the racing cards at the new track fell to veteran Director of Racing Lou Eilken, who shared the tactics used in luring owners and trainers to a brand new track.
Game 338 | July 17, 1986 | Ken Keller
After the resignation of C. Peter McGrath as President of the University of Minnesota in late 1984, Keller was named the acting President. When a search committee failed to find a suitable candidate, Keller was persuaded to take the job. He served for three years and received praise from Gov. Rudy Perpich and the Minnesota Legislature for his bold "Commitment to Focus" program. His tenure was marked by strongly negative media coverage surrounding renovations at the President's official residence and the discovery of a $50 million reserve fund in the University budget.
Game 339 | September 11, 1986 | Tommy Kramer
Jerry Burns' system proved to be good medicine for Kramer. He shared the "Comeback Player of the Year" award in the NFL with Joe Montana that year. Beset with a series of injuries, "Two-Minute Tommy's" final year as the Vikings starting quarterback was 1986. He lost his starting job to Wade Wilson in 1987 and was released after the 1989 season.
Game 340 | October 7, 1986 | Frantisek Musil, Lou Nanne
Scouts at the 1986 World Hockey Championships in Moscow hailed Musil. a four-year veteran of the Czechoslovakian National Team, as the top defenseman in the competition., Shortly after those game, Nanne, the North Star General Manager, bought a ticket to visit Musil, the team's third draft choice in 1983. Musil joined the team in 1986 and played the next five years in Minnesota as part of an NHL career that lasted 15 years.
Game 341 | November 12, 1986 | Marv Wolfenson
After failing in a bid to buy the Twins from Calvin Griffith, local business partners Wolfenson and Ratner thought they had a deal to purchase the Utah Jazz and move the team to Minneapolis. When that fell through they lobbied the NBA for an expansion franchise. That paid off in 1987 when the NBA said it would add two teams, Charlotte and Miami, in 1988-'89, and two more, Orlando and Minnesota, in 1989-'90. Wolfenson and Ratner paid $32.5 million for their expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.