University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Newcomers Begin Arriving On Campus
6/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
With just seven short weeks remaining until the University of Minnesota opens practice in preparation for the 2008 season, some of the newest Golden Gophers began arriving on campus over the weekend. The first wave of newcomers to the Minnesota football program got settled into their residence halls Saturday and Sunday, with a busy week looming on the horizon.
After getting checked in to Centennial Hall, the newest Golden Gophers had an orientation session Sunday night at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. The group will then begin getting acclimated to college life in the coming week. On Monday, the student-athletes were scheduled to finalize their class schedules for the summer session, undergo pre-participation phsyical examinations and get their first photos taken as members of the Minnesota football team. Tuesday signals the beginning of classes and the first workouts with the rest of their Gopher teammates.
For many of the newcomers, excitement was the general theme of the weekend.
"It is pretty exciting," said Shady Salamon, a product of local high school power Cretin-Derham Hall. "I'm looking forward to getting into my own dorm room and getting started with classes."
John Nance, a high school teammate of Salamon, said the reality of being a college student-athlete is beginning to set in.
"Just getting on campus makes it all a lot more real," Nance said. "I'm just really excited to get everything going."
Transfer Simoni Lawrence, was perhaps looking forward to getting to Minnesota as much or more than the rest of his new teammates.
"I'm coming in from Valley Forge Military Academy," Lawrence said, as he checked in at Centennial Hall. "So, it is going to be nice to be in the real world a little bit more. I'm definitely excited about getting here and getting to work for our upcoming season."
Fall practice for all the Golden Gophers begins Aug. 2. Minnesota plays its season-opener Aug. 30, hosting Northern Illinois at the Metrodome.
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