University of Minnesota Athletics
Behind The Scenes: Gophers On The Radio
2/18/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Gopher Basketball has been on the radio airwaves throughout the State of Minnesota for many of the 114 years that Gopher Hoops has been in existence. Ray Christensen was the household name in these parts for decades when it comes to Gopher Radio broadcasts. However, current radio voice Mike Grimm, his analyst, former Gopher Spencer Tollackson, and their engineers Dan Rowbotham and Doug Westerman put in many hours of work to make the Gopher Radio Network broadcasts go on without a hitch. The following the timeline of for the Gopher Radio team as they made the trip Evanston, Ill. for the Gophers contest with Northwestern last Sunday.
Friday (4:15 p.m.): Grimm, who is in his fourth season as the radio voice of the Gophers, watches tape of Northwestern at Iowa to get an understanding of how the Wildcats have been playing.
Friday (10:45 p.m.): Grimm joins WCCO’s Steve Thomson for a telephone interview to preview Sunday’s game broadcast.
Saturday (12:45 p.m.): Fellow Lakeville resident and Gopher Radio Network engineer Doug Westerman picks up Mike Grimm at his home. The duo carpools to the airport for every road trip. Westerman shares the engineer duties with Dan Rowbotham.
Saturday (1:15 p.m.): Arrive at Signature Airport and wait for the team’s arrival. While there, Grimm begins work on his play-by-play boards. This is a usually a two-hour endeavor and for road games he maximizes his time by preparing most of his boards while at airport and on the flight. First-year analyst Spencer Tollackson, who was a center for the Gophers from 2004-08, is already at the airport and watching the Duke-Maryland game on the terminal television.
Saturday (2:30 p.m.): Team arrives at Signature, so the radio crew meets them on the tarmac to board the Embraer Regional Express Jet charter. This is 50-seat jet with a row of single seats on the left side of the aisle and a double row of seats to the right of aisle. Team and radio crew and support staff boards the jet. Grimm sits in his usual second-to-last seat on the right side, getting two seats to continue to work on his charts. Tollackson sits in the single seat on the exit row, right across from Coach Smith. Westerman sits on the last seat in the single side. The team sits to the front of the jet, the support staff sits in the back. Lift off at 3:05 p.m.
Saturday (4:15 p.m.): Grimm uses the one-hour flight to continue to prepare his play-by-play boards, again, trying to maximize his time. He finishes both Northwestern and Minnesota boards. These boards contain pertinent information about each team, the head coaches, every player, and a few additional items of info for each program. Grimm compares completing these spotting boards to studying for a college exam. He simply takes 30 or so exams per season (one for each game).
Saturday (4:05 p.m.): Approach Midway Airport in Chicago. As the jet is within 50-feet of touchdown, it gears back up and takes back off, never touching ground. A smaller private jet had landed ahead of the team charter and slowed too much on the runway in front. The team charter circles the airport and makes an uneventful, but successful landing on the second time down. Westerman unloads radio equipment from the plane and moves it to the team bus.
Saturday (4:15 p.m.): Team boards charter bus. On the one-hour commute from the southside airport to the northside airport, Grimm uses his laptop to write and produce the broadcast introduction. Grimm scripts the intro to each broadcast, setting the scene, and offering background on the teams and providing some storylines for the games. He also incorporates a spot for Spencer Tollackson to get some opening remarks into the broadcast open. Grimm also gets ready for the fan Pick ‘Em feature, which is a part of the pregame show, as well.
Saturday (5:15 p.m.): Team arrives at Hilton Garden Inn. Team checks in and immediately goes to a conference room where a team snack is waiting.
Saturday (6:10 p.m.): Grimm joins WCCO’s Eric Nelson for a telephone interview to preview the Gopher basketball game. Grimm and Nelson discuss the game.
Saturday (6:30 p.m.): Grimm and Westerman take advantage of a movie theatre across the street from the hotel and get ready to go to a movie. This is the first time in Grimm’s tenure as Gopher broadcaster that he’s gone to a movie on the road. Based on Gopher football announcer Dave Mona’s recommendation, Grimm and Westerman choose to go to Avatar 3D. They each agree the movie was good, not great. Tubby Smith opts to let his team rest instead of practicing that evening, and several players also go to a movie at the same theatre. They see Wolfman. Devoe Joseph reports he did not like the movie. Damian Johnson and Bryant Allen gave Wolfman good reviews.
Saturday (10 p.m.): Grimm has a high school friend who lives in Chicago meet him after the movie. They go to Buffalo Wild Wings across the street from the hotel. Wild times – Grimm has Diet Coke and his buddy has Mr. Pibb. Doug Westerman saves the day and enjoys an adult beverage on tap.
Saturday (11 p.m.): Grimm calls it a night, returns to the hotel room, watches some Olympics and falls asleep.
Sunday (3:57 a.m.): Hotel fire alarm goes off. Grimm takes the elevator to the lobby. Lobby is full of people. Firefighters arrive and determine the alarm is false. Lobby fireplace triggered the alarm. Star Tribune writer Myron Medcalf is in the lobby in his pajamas. Westerman and Tollackson never leave their room, figuring it was a false alarm.
Sunday (9:15 a.m.): The radio crew goes to the team’s morning practice at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Westerman sets up the radio equipment for the broadcast later in the day. Tollackson watches practice, garnering tidbits for the broadcast later in the day. Grimm finishes his preparation, finalizing his spotting boards, the pre-game open script, and the Pick ‘Em pre-game feature. All is set for the game.
Sunday (noon): Grimm records his pre-game interview with Coach Tubby Smith just before the team eats its pregame meal. The pre-recorded interview is part of the pre-game show. Tubby wishes his wife a Happy Valentine’s Day and they discuss the game. Tubby wants more of his players to draw charges and dive for loose balls.
Sunday (2:10 p.m.): Team bus leaves hotel en route to Welsh Ryan Arena. We arrive at 2:25 p.m.
Sunday (2:40 p.m.): Grimm goes to the Northwestern basketball offices and records his pre-game interview with Wildcat coach Bill Carmody and discuss the game in the interview. When it is complete they talk about the two-attempt landing the Gopher team made the day before at Midway Airport. Grimm says Carmody is one of the most cooperative coaches in the Big Ten and enjoys visiting with him.
Sunday (3:30 p.m.): Gopher Radio Network pre-game show starts. The 30-minute show ends just as the starting lineups are introduced.
Sunday (4 p.m.): Opening tipoff. Gophers build a 14-4 lead early. Lead it by as many as 11 in the first half and go into the locker room up by eight points. Minnesota builds a 13-point lead in the 2nd half with nine minutes left in the game. The Gophers go on a field goal drought of about six minutes and Northwestern takes a lead with three minutes left. The Gophers lose in overtime 77-74.
Sunday (6:15 p.m.): Tollackson and Grimm interview a disappointed head coach Tubby Smith in the postgame show.
Sunday (6:45 p.m.): Postgame show signs off, Westerman quickly tears down the radio equipment and everyone boards the bus.
Sunday (7 p.m.): Bus departs Welsh Ryan Arena for Midway Airport. Traffic is bad for a Sunday.
Sunday (8 p.m.): Bus arrives at Midway. Team and support staff board the team charter.
Sunday (9:30 p.m.): Team charter arrives at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.
Sunday (10 p.m.): Westerman and Grimm depart Signature Air terminal for Lakeville.
Sunday (10:30 p.m.): Grimm arrives home. Game prep for Thursday’s contest at home against Wisconsin begins.
Friday (4:15 p.m.): Grimm, who is in his fourth season as the radio voice of the Gophers, watches tape of Northwestern at Iowa to get an understanding of how the Wildcats have been playing.
Friday (10:45 p.m.): Grimm joins WCCO’s Steve Thomson for a telephone interview to preview Sunday’s game broadcast.
Saturday (12:45 p.m.): Fellow Lakeville resident and Gopher Radio Network engineer Doug Westerman picks up Mike Grimm at his home. The duo carpools to the airport for every road trip. Westerman shares the engineer duties with Dan Rowbotham.
Saturday (1:15 p.m.): Arrive at Signature Airport and wait for the team’s arrival. While there, Grimm begins work on his play-by-play boards. This is a usually a two-hour endeavor and for road games he maximizes his time by preparing most of his boards while at airport and on the flight. First-year analyst Spencer Tollackson, who was a center for the Gophers from 2004-08, is already at the airport and watching the Duke-Maryland game on the terminal television.
Saturday (2:30 p.m.): Team arrives at Signature, so the radio crew meets them on the tarmac to board the Embraer Regional Express Jet charter. This is 50-seat jet with a row of single seats on the left side of the aisle and a double row of seats to the right of aisle. Team and radio crew and support staff boards the jet. Grimm sits in his usual second-to-last seat on the right side, getting two seats to continue to work on his charts. Tollackson sits in the single seat on the exit row, right across from Coach Smith. Westerman sits on the last seat in the single side. The team sits to the front of the jet, the support staff sits in the back. Lift off at 3:05 p.m.
Saturday (4:15 p.m.): Grimm uses the one-hour flight to continue to prepare his play-by-play boards, again, trying to maximize his time. He finishes both Northwestern and Minnesota boards. These boards contain pertinent information about each team, the head coaches, every player, and a few additional items of info for each program. Grimm compares completing these spotting boards to studying for a college exam. He simply takes 30 or so exams per season (one for each game).
Saturday (4:05 p.m.): Approach Midway Airport in Chicago. As the jet is within 50-feet of touchdown, it gears back up and takes back off, never touching ground. A smaller private jet had landed ahead of the team charter and slowed too much on the runway in front. The team charter circles the airport and makes an uneventful, but successful landing on the second time down. Westerman unloads radio equipment from the plane and moves it to the team bus.
Saturday (4:15 p.m.): Team boards charter bus. On the one-hour commute from the southside airport to the northside airport, Grimm uses his laptop to write and produce the broadcast introduction. Grimm scripts the intro to each broadcast, setting the scene, and offering background on the teams and providing some storylines for the games. He also incorporates a spot for Spencer Tollackson to get some opening remarks into the broadcast open. Grimm also gets ready for the fan Pick ‘Em feature, which is a part of the pregame show, as well.
Saturday (5:15 p.m.): Team arrives at Hilton Garden Inn. Team checks in and immediately goes to a conference room where a team snack is waiting.
Saturday (6:10 p.m.): Grimm joins WCCO’s Eric Nelson for a telephone interview to preview the Gopher basketball game. Grimm and Nelson discuss the game.
Saturday (6:30 p.m.): Grimm and Westerman take advantage of a movie theatre across the street from the hotel and get ready to go to a movie. This is the first time in Grimm’s tenure as Gopher broadcaster that he’s gone to a movie on the road. Based on Gopher football announcer Dave Mona’s recommendation, Grimm and Westerman choose to go to Avatar 3D. They each agree the movie was good, not great. Tubby Smith opts to let his team rest instead of practicing that evening, and several players also go to a movie at the same theatre. They see Wolfman. Devoe Joseph reports he did not like the movie. Damian Johnson and Bryant Allen gave Wolfman good reviews.
Saturday (10 p.m.): Grimm has a high school friend who lives in Chicago meet him after the movie. They go to Buffalo Wild Wings across the street from the hotel. Wild times – Grimm has Diet Coke and his buddy has Mr. Pibb. Doug Westerman saves the day and enjoys an adult beverage on tap.
Saturday (11 p.m.): Grimm calls it a night, returns to the hotel room, watches some Olympics and falls asleep.
Sunday (3:57 a.m.): Hotel fire alarm goes off. Grimm takes the elevator to the lobby. Lobby is full of people. Firefighters arrive and determine the alarm is false. Lobby fireplace triggered the alarm. Star Tribune writer Myron Medcalf is in the lobby in his pajamas. Westerman and Tollackson never leave their room, figuring it was a false alarm.
Sunday (9:15 a.m.): The radio crew goes to the team’s morning practice at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Westerman sets up the radio equipment for the broadcast later in the day. Tollackson watches practice, garnering tidbits for the broadcast later in the day. Grimm finishes his preparation, finalizing his spotting boards, the pre-game open script, and the Pick ‘Em pre-game feature. All is set for the game.
Sunday (noon): Grimm records his pre-game interview with Coach Tubby Smith just before the team eats its pregame meal. The pre-recorded interview is part of the pre-game show. Tubby wishes his wife a Happy Valentine’s Day and they discuss the game. Tubby wants more of his players to draw charges and dive for loose balls.
Sunday (2:10 p.m.): Team bus leaves hotel en route to Welsh Ryan Arena. We arrive at 2:25 p.m.
Sunday (2:40 p.m.): Grimm goes to the Northwestern basketball offices and records his pre-game interview with Wildcat coach Bill Carmody and discuss the game in the interview. When it is complete they talk about the two-attempt landing the Gopher team made the day before at Midway Airport. Grimm says Carmody is one of the most cooperative coaches in the Big Ten and enjoys visiting with him.
Sunday (3:30 p.m.): Gopher Radio Network pre-game show starts. The 30-minute show ends just as the starting lineups are introduced.
Sunday (4 p.m.): Opening tipoff. Gophers build a 14-4 lead early. Lead it by as many as 11 in the first half and go into the locker room up by eight points. Minnesota builds a 13-point lead in the 2nd half with nine minutes left in the game. The Gophers go on a field goal drought of about six minutes and Northwestern takes a lead with three minutes left. The Gophers lose in overtime 77-74.
Sunday (6:15 p.m.): Tollackson and Grimm interview a disappointed head coach Tubby Smith in the postgame show.
Sunday (6:45 p.m.): Postgame show signs off, Westerman quickly tears down the radio equipment and everyone boards the bus.
Sunday (7 p.m.): Bus departs Welsh Ryan Arena for Midway Airport. Traffic is bad for a Sunday.
Sunday (8 p.m.): Bus arrives at Midway. Team and support staff board the team charter.
Sunday (9:30 p.m.): Team charter arrives at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.
Sunday (10 p.m.): Westerman and Grimm depart Signature Air terminal for Lakeville.
Sunday (10:30 p.m.): Grimm arrives home. Game prep for Thursday’s contest at home against Wisconsin begins.
Players Mentioned
Best of Cade Tyson
Thursday, April 02
Coach Medved Previews the Crown
Monday, March 30
Highlights: Gophers 67, Rutgers 72
Wednesday, March 11
Play in Focus: Cade Tyson
Tuesday, March 10