Thursday October 22nd, 2009 8:36am

When we say hockey is hitting the road this weekend we mean it!  The team left for Alaska at 5am Wednesday, but it's great to see Fighting Sioux Sports Network pick up the games to show live each night.  Just a quick recap of the weekend, what a great atmosphere for college hockey's best rivalry.  I was at ice level before each game right below the student section and to see the "white out" from that perspective was awesome.  A little surprised I didn't see any dead animals being chucked over my head. 

A tough weekend for Sioux football, but one thing to remember is when South Dakota State was in its 2nd year in transition the Jacks lost to UW-Lacrosse a Division III school.  They are now a top 15 team in FCS football.  I know our coaches will have the kids bounce back this week at a tough Southern Utah team. 

The Fighting Sioux Club member email goes out later today so check your inbox and see you at the volleyball match vs NJIT on Friday night for Dig Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.  Fighting Sioux Club members are invited to join us in the Vaaler Room after the game to hear from Coach Hardee and players about the match....just another exclusive benefit to being a member of the Fighting Sioux Club.

Take care and Go Sioux!

Josh

Tuesday October 13th, 2009 9:53am

It's Sioux-Gopher week on campus and I think playing Minnesota so early in the year has caught a few people by surprise.  The games are sold out, but have had a lot of last minute pleas for tickets.  Thanks to the hearty souls who braved the elements for tailgating last Saturday.  Chef Bob from the Canad Inns cooked up some spaghetti and meatballs in the tent with wind gusts that seemed like about 45 mph...supposed to be the nicest day of the week on Saturday this time so if you're a Fighting Sioux Club member come by the tailgate tent before kickoff vs Sioux Falls. 

The Fargo Sioux Booster / Fan Luncheon is today at the Kelly Inn on Main Avenue so hope to see you there. 

It was great to watch the 2009 WCHA Championship banner being raised last Friday night.  I got to watch it from ice level which was a treat.  While the team was still in the locker room they played the video celebrating last year's accomplishments and it was cool to see Coach Jackson peeking out of the curtain to catch a look. 

Fighting Sioux Club members got an email last week with a letter from Brian Faison...here's what Brian wrote:

Coming off a great Homecoming Weekend for Fighting Sioux Athletics, I wanted to take this opportunity to again thank our Fighting Sioux Club members for their continued generous support of UND Athletics. This Friday night, when the men’s hockey team raises their 2008-09 WCHA Championship banner before the Merrimack contest, I hope that you will take pride in your part in bringing home the MacNaughton Cup.

“Championships Start With Scholarships” and Fighting Sioux Club contributions help provide more than half of the scholarship support for the outstanding young men and women who represent the University of North Dakota, in the classroom and in their sport, with such distinction. So when the banner is raised, please know that your scholarship support helped to make it possible.

Go Sioux!!!

Brian Faison
Director of Athletics

P.S. I hope to see you Saturday at the HEATED Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent sponsored by Canad Inns and Lumber Mart. Doors open Saturday at 11am before the Potato Bowl football game vs Stony Brook. See the list of Fighting Sioux Club events.

Wednesday October 7th, 2009 10:03pm

Midway through Potato Bowl week and looking forward to the french fry feed tomorrow and then, of course, the weekend.  What a great 3 weeks in Grand Forks with Homecoming last weekend, opening of regular season hockey this weekend with Potato Bowl, then the best rivalry in college hockey next weekend with another home football game.  Good for the entire community when you can't get a hotel room in town!   Speaking of which gotta say a huge thank you to Canad Inns Destination Center for donating ALL of the food for the Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent before every home football game.  Last week Chef Bob cooked up some beef brisket...this week a little different kind of tailgate food.  Just a hint you'll need a knife and fork.  We'll be joined in the tent by the Women's Basketball team and the "doors" open at 11am Saturday.

Go Sioux!

Josh

Saturday October 3rd, 2009 9:51am

Gameday!  You can smell the grills being fired up at the Alerus Center this morning.  Some anxious people who've been waiting too long for a home football game.  The Homecoming Parade is about to start down University Avenue...chilly 45 degrees or so but hopefully we'll keep the rain away.

One of my favorite traditions happened again yesterday at football practice.  Every former football player is invited to the Friday practice and afterwards they are asked to address the team.  It was great to see guys who played in the 50's all the way to guys who played last year.  Being part of the Sioux Football Family is special and those days are great proof. 

Not many tickets left for this afternoon, I'm anxious to see how the 4pm kickoff goes.  I think people will really like it and it gives them a chance to get in some serious tailgating.  Gotta go....Go Sioux!

Josh

Monday September 28th, 2009 9:28am

Homecoming Week on campus and here's the link to everything going on so you can Scream Green:  http://www.undalumni.org/Page.aspx?pid=1106

We sent out the Fighting Sioux Club member email late last week and if you didn't see it here's a copy:

Greetings from the Fighting Sioux Club where Championships start with Scholarships! Just a few days until Homecoming 2009, so here’s your chance to Scream Green. We are proud to list all of our Fighting Sioux Club members in the Homecoming Football game program on October 3^rd and the list is now available online.

A few things to share with you this week:

·         Football season tickets are still available and remember your Fighting Sioux Club membership allows you to buy season tickets for all sports. Football season tickets are as low as $40 per seat and if you’re interested call the UND Box Office at 701-777-4689 or simply reply to this email and the Box Office staff will contact you.

·         Sioux Shop discount

o        In order to protect your member benefits we’ve changed our way of administering the 15% discount to the Sioux Shop. Show your member card and a photo ID at the register and the Sioux Shop staff will look up your membership. If your membership is under a business name the contact person is the name that will be listed with the membership and the contact will be eligible for the discount. Any questions please call 701-777-4216 or email joshm@undfoundation.org.

o   As for other FAQ’s visit our page on the website

·         Cold winter nights just got a little easier for Diamond Club members! There is still time to upgrade your membership and get a personalized and guaranteed parking spot. The closest parking at the Ralph! 

·         Upcoming Fighting Sioux Club Events

o   Football Tailgate Tent Sponsored by Lumber Mart & Canad Inns Destination Center 
       Alerus Center Parking Lot
       2 hours before every home football game
       Free food and cash bar

o   Men's Basketball Insiders' Day
      Sunday Nov 1^st 2:30-4:30pm
      Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
      Get an inside view at the new look Men’s Basketball team

Thanks for all you do for UND Athletics and Go Sioux!

Josh Morton
Fighting Sioux Club Director
701-777-4216
joshm@undfoundation.org

P.S. Your gift to the Fighting Sioux Club makes a difference! Just ask Volleyball Senior Britta Hanson.

Wednesday September 23rd, 2009 9:05am

Another great win for Ashley Hardee's volleyball team last night - a five setter over Seattle University.  Impressive start. 

As the football team gets set for another trip to the Southland Conference I thought I'd share some thoughts on some of the venues we've played in over the past few years.  Hope there's a great atmosphere at Stephen F Austin Saturday.

Northwestern State - nice stadium seats about 15,000 and very steep upper deck on the press box side.  Interesting that the Demons home sideline isn't on that side, but on the smaller stands side.  It wasn't packed last week, but would be a great atmosphere when full.  They do a nice job of tailgating....which you expect from a southern school.

Texas Tech - to be honest it's not as imposing as you would think.  They are adding on to it and it will be more impressive looking when complete, but really only the press box side is "big time" BCS conference type stadium.  They do an amazing job with their students though.  Everyone wears black or red and the tailgating is BCS quality.  They have a new commercial development built right by the stadium which adds to the atmosphere....never bad when there's a Starbucks across the street!  Oh, and when the horse runs out with the team it is pretty cool.  That's the great thing about college football, some of the best entrances into stadiums.  I rank the horse up there with South Carolina's 2001 entrance, Clemson touching Howard's Rock, and even Florida State. 

California Davis - they just remodeled a great stadium and it's the perfect size.  They even left the endzones with a grassy hill so kids and families have a great place to watch the game.  The atmosphere is nice and the town of Davis is a great little college town.  Looking forward to going back there in November.

Idaho State - they play in Holt Arena which was one of the first indoor facilities and it certainly shows its age.  They have a nice tailgating atmosphere, but once you get inside the arena it's not that impressive.  Sure helped that we won there last year. 

Gorgeous fall day here in Grand Forks! 

Josh

Monday September 21st, 2009 5:11pm

Back in Grand Forks on a cloudy Monday and I realized on Saturday we had a "first" for UND Athletics when both football and volleyball beat Division I opponents on the same day.  The atmosphere at Northwestern State was decent and they have a nice sized stadium, but it sure didn't seem like 10,000 people were there as listed in attendance.  It's always interesting going to play in a different part of the country and see all of the different traditions.  For instance, they say a prayer over the loudspeaker before the game which is actually common at southern colleges and high schools.  LSU was playing at the same time as our game so I know there were a lot of fans at the game listening to the state's biggest school.  As usual we had a nice crowd of UND fans and our football parents are amazing how far they travel.  That was a big win for the football program going on the road and beating an established Division I program in the Louisiana humidity.  Another tough one this week at Stephen F Austin and I've heard from a lot of Texas UND alums who will make that trip so we should have even more green and white in the stands. 

Gotta get going, but check your inbox on Thursday for another Fighting Sioux Club member email.  In the meantime Go Sioux!

Josh

Friday September 18th, 2009 3:33pm Pineville, Louisiana

It didn't take long to realize we've switched climates as soon as we got off the plane this afternoon in Alexandria, Louisiana we were smacked in the face with humidity.  I'll steal a line from my favorite author Pat Conroy in his book South of Broad... "like you're doing the doggie paddle through a heated pool" although I'm sure it's a nice day for those who are used to it here.  For those of us coming from North Dakota and zero humidity it was a bit worse.  The team went right to Northwestern State for a light practice before they come back to Pineville for the night.  This is an interesting trip because we are actually staying close to an hour away from where the game is so they won't do a walk through tomorrow at the stadium. 

It had to be a good sign on the flight here that our pilot was a UND grad class of 1997... Julianna Haacke gave us a great landing and when they said she was a UND grad over the loudspeaker the plane gave her a nice round of applause.  Any questions about the atmosphere tomorrow shoot me an email at joshm@undfoundation.org .

Go Sioux!

Friday September 18th, 2009 8:59am

About to head to the airport to fly with the football team to Louisiana and just checked the weather forecast.  Chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so we'll see.  What a night for UND Volleyball last night with a record crowd and a great conference win.  Appreciate Coach Hardee and the players taking some time to visit with Fighting Sioux Club members after the match.

Looking forward to seeing what Northwestern State is like on a football gameday.  I've talked to a few football alums who are making the trip from various points in the south.  Hope a few of them are at the Friday practice this afternoon to continue the great tradition of Sioux football where alums are welcome to come to practice and talk to the team afterward. 

Gotta go get on the plane, but hope to provide a few updates this weekend and you can always keep up with us on Facebook by becoming a "Fan" of the Fighting Sioux Club!

Go Sioux.

Josh

 

Wednesday September 16th, 2009 2:05pm

If you haven't checked out our Facebook site please do so - we've got nearly 1,800 "fans" of the Fighting Sioux Club and have added nearly 300 in just a few weeks.

Looking forward to the first volleyball home match of the year tomorrow night and remember Fighting Sioux Club members get in free by showing your membership card at the box office at the Betty.  Stick around after the match for some post match comments from Coach Hardee and players. 

We had a great event for our Coaches, Directors, Emerald, and Diamond Club members on Saturday morning and you can see the pictures on our Facebook page.  We had a Q & A with Coach Hakstol and the three captains...one of the questions was "if you could play another sport right now what would it be?"  Chay Genoway said golf or baseball and that he's become a big Twins fan since coming to UND because Justin Morneau is Canadian.  The guys were great and it was a unique way to get an inside look at the program.  We have Men's Basketball Insiders' Day coming up November 1st and that's open to all Fighting Sioux Club members. 

If you missed it here's a copy of last week's email blast that went out, remember to check your inbox every other Thursday for Fighting Sioux Club news:

Greetings from the Fighting Sioux Club where Championships start with Scholarships! Hope to see you at Sioux Fan Fest this Saturday from 10am-2pm at Ralph Engelstad Arena. You can pick up your season ticket packets starting at noon with a photo id. If you aren’t able to make it to Fan Fest your tickets will be mailed to you next week. A few things to share with you this week:

·         The first Sioux Booster Fan luncheon is being held Friday at noon at the Alerus Center. Speakers include Coach Idalski, Coach Hakstol, and Coach Mussman.

·         Looking for a master calendar for all UND Athletic events?

·         Upcoming events

o   Fighting Sioux Club Volleyball Post Match Social Thursday September 17^th 

§  Join Coach Hardee and players in the Vaaler Room at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center following the first home match of the season vs Houston Baptist. Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members.

o   Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent sponsored by Canad Inns Destination Center and Lumber Mart.

§ Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members 2 hours before kickoff of every home football game in the Alerus Center parking lot. Free food and cash bar. 

o   Fighting Sioux Club Insiders’ Day Men’s Basketball Sunday November 1^st 2:30pm-4:30pm

§ Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members. Join us for practice and a sneak peek at the new look Fighting Sioux at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

·         There’s still time to book your trip to “Fly with the Fighting Sioux Football Team”
Cost is $499 per person and includes airfare, transportation, lodging, and game ticket. Fighting Sioux Club members get a discount ranging from 5-25%. The available trips:

o   September 25-26 @ Stephen F. Austin

o   October 23-24 @ Southern Utah

o   November 13-14 @ California – Davis

o   November 27-28 @ Central Arkansas

·         October is a busy month, but you have a chance to end it with Hall of Fame style. Join UND Athletics for the UND Letterwinners Hall of Fame inductions on October 31st. 

Your gift to the Fighting Sioux Club makes an impact and we saw proof last weekend at Texas Tech. In order to play “guarantee games” a school must reach a minimum scholarship number for football. Thanks to the generous support of Fighting Sioux Club members we reached that minimum in just 2 years! It was a special weekend for UND Athletics – thanks to you. Go Sioux!

Josh Morton
Fighting Sioux Club Director
701-777-4216
joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday September 5th, 2009 4:48pm Lubbock, TX

An hour and 12 minutes to kickoff and it's a beautiful, warm sunny day in Lubbock.  The stands are starting to fill up as the Texas Tech students like to get here early.  Looking forward to hearing some of the things they'll yell at our players as they make their way on the field.  We had a great turnout at our pregame party where Dr. Kelley, Brian Faison, and Chris Mussman spoke to the group. 

This is a great day for UND Athletics and wouldn't have been possible without the support of Fighting Sioux Club members and other participating in our scholarship programs.  The reason?  You can't play "guarantee games" like this unless you offer a certain number of scholarships and for us to be over 57 scholarships for football so fast in our Division I transition is a credit to our supporters.  Thanks!

Enjoy the night and Go Sioux!

Josh

Feel free to send me an email during the game at joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Thursday September 3rd, 2009 3:33pm

Getting ready to head over to Playmakers All American Lounge for the Home Opener Fighting Sioux Club season kick off party from 5-7pm tonight.  Should be a nice way to start things off, Coach Mussman will join us after practice to give us the inside scoop on Texas Tech before the team leaves tomorrow. 

I ran into one of our senior football players on campus today and he is just anxious to play a game.  They've been here on campus for nearly a month so it's about time they see another color helmet.  Gameday atmosphere in Lubbock should be pretty special and I've been in contact with some Texas UND alumni who are welcoming all UND fans to join them for tailgating.  They'll have the pop up Fighting Sioux tent.  It's also been interesting over the past month talking to former players who played in the 60's when they went and played Nebraska.  So this isn't the first time our football team will face a Big 12 caliber team.

Hope for a good trip tomorrow and if you can come out to Canad Inns tonight for the Home Opener....Go Sioux!

 

Josh

Friday August 28th, 2009 9:15am

Looking forward to UND Day at the Dome tomorrow for the Twins vs Rangers.  Well ove 600 tickets have been sold to UND fans so it should be a good mix of green, white, and red, white & blue.  Dr. Kelley is throwing out the first pitch. 

The Sioux Boosters hosted a great event for athletic staff last night at the Stone House on campus.  Great catering from Cowboy Catering and it was a nice chance to get our coaching staffs together before things really start to heat up.  We sent out our 2nd email to our members for 2009-10.  If you didn't receive the email please send me an email at joshm@undfoundation.org

Have a great weekend and Go Sioux!!!

Josh

Tuesday August 25th, 2009 9:06am

One of the most frequently asked questions these days....when are the calendars coming out?  The answer....very soon!  As for FAQ's for Fighting Sioux Club they are now up on the web.  Check 'em out at http://www.fightingsioux.com/fls/13500/pdf/FSC_FAQs.pdf

The 2nd email of the 2009-10 year is going out on Thursday so check your inbox.  One thing we want to make sure of is that Fighting Sioux Club members know that their membership allows them to buy season tickets in member sections for all sports.  So if you are a hockey season ticket holder and Fighting Sioux Club member your donation allows you to buy football as well.  Any questions?  Call the UND Box Office at 701-777-4689 or simply email me at joshm@undfoundation.org . 

We're up to 1,500 "fans" of the Fighting Sioux Club on Facebook so if you haven't yet joined us please do.  It's another easy way to keep everyone updated of events and other news. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Josh Morton

Friday August 21st, 2009 1:20pm

Organized chaos on campus today!  It's move in weekend for the students and you never know when you'll see a car going the wrong way down a one way or 6 cars double parked outside Smith Hall.  It's great to have the energy of the students back on campus.  A bunch of student-athletes lent a helping hand today during move in so stay tuned for some pictures. 

You can scratch your Fighting Sioux itch this weekend with soccer and volleyball both playing exhibitions.  We are only 15 days away from kickoff of the football season at Texas Tech and I know some have bought their tickets through the UND Box Office already, but if you are going to Lubbock you can sit with Fighting Sioux fans and pick up your tickets at will call at Texas Tech.  Just call the UND Box Office at 701-777-4689 or email tickets@theralph.com $35 gets you in the door!  Stay tuned for pregame party details as well.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'm excited to say we're getting close to 1,500 fans on our Facebook page.  Check us out if you haven't already.

Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Sunday August 16th, 2009 9:00pm

Past the halfway point in August and things are cranking up for UND Athletics.  I stopped by football practice on Friday and saw a few big hits in their "live" period at the end of practice.  You know the football and soccer teams are happy to see some cooler temps in the forecast this week. 

You'll see we've added an FAQ page on our sight.  Please take a minute to look it over and let me know if there's anything that needs to be added.  The bottom line for us is that EVERYTHING we do has to be done for the student-athletes....that's why we're here and why we have so many generous members.  So in the end the answer to most of the questions all comes back to benefitting them in some way. 

If you haven't checked out our Facebook site yet please do.  We've now got over 1,400 fans of the Fighting Sioux Club and it's grown incredibly quickly and is an easy way to get out some quick information. 

Gotta go get ready for a great week and one of the last quiet weeks on campus!  Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday August 13th, 2009 11:01am

Back on central time and just updated the events page for the Fighting Sioux Club.  Here's what we've got scheduled coming up....

Thursday September 3rd, 2009 Fighting Sioux Club Home Opener 5-7pm Playmakers All American Lounge Canad Inns Destination Center.  Kick off the 2009-10 athletic year with the Fighting Sioux Club.  Coach Mussman will join us after practice to talk about the game vs Texas Tech less than a day before the team leaves for Lubbock.  Snacks provided with a cash bar.  Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members

Saturday September 12th, 2009 Fighting Sioux Club Insiders' Day for Men's Hockey Coaches Club, Directors Club, Emerald Club, and Diamond Club members.  9am-10:30am South Club Lounge at Ralph Engelstad Arena.  Get a sneak preview of the 2009-10 Men's Hockey team with a Q & A with coaches and players, pick up your season ticket packets, and stick around for Sioux Fan Fest following.  Open to Coaches, Directors, Emerald, and Diamond Club members.  Please RSVP to carriek@undfoundation.org by September 4th to reserve your spot. 

Thursday September 17th, 2009 Fighting Sioux Club Volleyball post match social after the 7pm match vs Houston Baptist in the Vaaler Room at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.  Postgame access with Coach Hardee and players.  Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members and remember you get in free to all home regular season volleyball and women's hockey contests. 

Sunday November 1st, 2009 Fighting Sioux Club Men's Basketball Insiders' Day 2:30-4:30pm Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.  Get your first look at the new look men's basketball team, tour the Betty, and mingle with coaches and players following practice.  Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members. 

Sunday August 9th, 2009 9:23 am Mtn time

Sitting in the Denver airport waiting for the flight back to North Dakota.  We had a nice turnout at the 2nd Annual Fighting Sioux Alumni & Friends Golf Scramble here in Denver yesterday.  Perfect day for golf and for those of us in from GF it was great to have some heat!  Over 60 golfers teed off at Raccoon Creek including a lot of former letterwinners from hockey and football.  Coach Roebuck came in for the tourney as well with Brian Faison.  Last year this event raised $9,000 for an Impact Scholarship and it was great to tell the group that there will be a student-athlete at UND getting an education because of what THEY did in Denver.  This group is also looking forward to November 20-21st when hockey plays at DU and then February 26 and 27 when we play at Colorado College. 

If you've been around North Dakota you know this story isn't unique, but yesterday one of our golfers realized the group behind was full of guys that he went to grade school with in Larimore.  They all live in the Denver area now, but didn't know it.  That's part of what makes an event like this so special for our alums....they truly get to network with each other.  I know there will be some business deals made because of the tourney which is great for everyone. 

See you back in GF!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org 

Wednesday July 15th, 2009 4:43pm

Had a great turnout last week for the GF Sioux Per Swing and appropriately enough on a links golf course the wind was blowing plenty.  Hard to believe we are already in the middle of July and our fall sports will start practice the first week of August. 

I got a glimpse at the new football helmet stickers today...just a slight tweak to the ND.  Fighting Sioux Club members will get a sneak peek at Fighting Sioux Football in August when we host our Insiders Day and we should have some details to share with you soon about the event. 

If you know anyone in Denver make sure they sign up for the Fighting Sioux Golf Scramble on August 8th in Littleton.  Brian Faison and Coach Roebuck will be there.  Last year was the first year of the tournament and we had a big turnout of alumni and friends.  Here's the link if you need the info:  https://www.undalumni.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1060 

Take care and Go Sioux!  I'm off to the UND Alumni Association and Foundation family summer picnic.

Josh

Thursday July 9th, 2009 8:24am

Getting ready to head to King's Walk for the Grand Forks Sioux Per Swing and hoping the rain stays away.  We've got a big group playing today so should be a good time.  Last year the Sioux Per Swing tour raised enough for an Impact Scholarship.

A couple of summer updates for the Fighting Sioux Club:

                 *Save the date of September 12th for a special event at Ralph Engelstad Arena - details to come soon

                 *We will also be releasing special Diamond Club member parking for the 2009-10 hockey season and it should make cold winter nights a little easier for our $11,000 donors

Have a great Thursday and Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Friday June 12th, 2009 2:03pm

Happy Friday...just sitting here on a quiet campus on a day with the weather being what it is.  Sunny and gorgeous.  Listening to the Twins vs Cubs (Joe Mauer just hit a 2 run homerun).  Had a great start to the Sioux Per Swing Golf Tour Thursday in Park River.  It's always a great place to kick off the summer at Hillcrest Country Club.  We're on to Oxbow for the Fargo SPS on Monday.  If you want to play in Fargo it's not too late or if you want to register for Grand Forks (July 9th) or Detroit Lakes (July 23rd) just click on the following:  http://www.undalumni.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1050

The hockey schedule was released yesterday and it will make for an interesting few weekends in October when we have football / hockey doubleheaders October 10th and 17th.  The 2nd weekend just happens to be Sioux-Gophers so Grand Forks will be rather busy those weeks.  Looking forward to it.

Some UND Alumni news out of Missouri.  UND Grad Jared Bruggeman has been named athletic director at Missouri Southern State University. 

I was with Coach Hakstol this week in Fargo and we paid a visit to the Microsoft Fargo campus for a Q & A with Coach and had about 50 people come and listen to him.  We brought the MacNaughton Cup and it's great to see the reaction people have to it - lots of pictures taken.  We also had lunch that day with a great Sioux supporter from out of state and we brought it in to the restaurant we were at in Fargo so his 87 year old mom could get her picture with it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend...and Go Sioux!

Wednesday June 3rd, 2009 9:43 am

Wow, it's been awhile.  A couple of road trips kept me away from the blog, but I want to share a few things from the past week where we did a quick tour of the state of North Dakota.  No question the nickname/logo was a the number one topic of conversation and it was a good chance to talk with people face to face about it. 

Thursday May 28th - travelled down Highway 2 eventually making our way to Williston.  Me, Coach Mussman, and the Nickel Trophy.  Yes, we brought the Nickel along on the trip and needless to say it was a big hit from Williston to Watford City to Bismarck.  The big question...where is it stored?  Sorry don't know.  Our BBQ with UND Athletics in Williston was a hit on a nice summer night in the west.  The Elks Lodge turned Sioux green for the night and Rick & Lori Lee put it all on.  Rick is a former All American wrestler at UND and has been a great supporter of UND Athletics over the years.  The crowd got to hear from Coach Hakstol, Mussman, and Roebuck.  Coach Jones made the trip, but because of NCAA recruiting rules he couldn't speak at the event.  Good time had by all...

Friday May 29th - the day started with the drive to Watford City to First International Bank & Trust on Main Street.  If you've never been to Watford City or haven't been for a few years it's worth the trip.  The Stenehjem family has done amazing things for the small town and they hosted a meet & greet at the bank for our coaches and Brian Faison.  The Nickel was displayed proudly.  After that we left for Dickinson and what a drive!  I'd never seen Teddy Roosevelt National Park, but it's amazing.  You don't feel like you're in the great plains.  Eventually we made our way to Bismarck for the Sioux Caravan on Saturday morning at the Civic Center.

Saturday May 30th - we greeted about 200 people for the Caravan and Mid Continent did a great job putting on the event.  The MacNaughton Cup and Nickel Trophy were both in the cap city and our student-athletes signed a lot of autographs. 

Tuesday May 12th, 2009 8:23am

Hobbling around campus the last few days after running the half marathon in Fargo on Saturday.  I saw a lot of Sioux flags on the course and plenty of people wearing Sioux gear cheering on the runners.  The sight of the day though was the guy dressed as Elvis singing with a sound system out of his minivan.

Anyway it's renewal deadline week...remember season ticket renewals are due on Friday!  I'm sending out an email blast today so check your inbox soon. 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday May 8th, 2009 9:22am

The first blog in May...too bad it's 8 days in.  Getting ready to run the Fargo half-marathon tomorrow and the good news is that it starts and ends at the Fargodome where as you know UND has had plenty of success.  Makes me feel good about finishing!  Sorry, couldn't resist.

We're one week away from the season ticket and Fighting Sioux Club renewal deadline...we've had a great response so far and our renewal rate is typically sky high.  I'm excited to see the number of MVP gifts we've gotten so far - a reminder the MVP gift is a "tip" to your membership above and beyond the minimum membership level.  For every MVP gift over $100 we'll give you a picture of the men's hockey team on the ice with the MacNaughton Cup trophy signed by Dave Hakstol.  It's never too late to make an MVP gift either...you can do it online, call it in (701-777-4216), or mail in a check. 

Have a great Mother's Day weekend!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday April 28th, 2009 9:56am

What a great weekend for UND Athletics and it started on Friday night with the opening of Playmaker's All American Lounge at the Canad Inns Destination Center.  They had a packed house for grand opening.  The highlight of the weekend was having Jim Kleinsasser, Chris Kuper, and Weston Dressler back for the spring football game.  Jim and Chris came to the Friday afternoon practice at the Alerus Center and one of the great things that the football program does on a Friday afternoon is have any football alums that are at practice address the team.  It was great to listen to those two and a few others talk to the guys.  Jim mentioned a story about Red McCombs when he drafted Jim for the Vikings and told him that the hardest working ranch hand he ever had was from North Dakota so he expected Jim to be the same.  Being a football alum myself I was the last one to speak and I can only set this up by saying I had to follow two NFL starters and a few All Americans including Tim Tibesar.  My career wasn't much of a career, but I'm happy to say I was part of some great teams as a walk on qb.  So I told the team that I once completed a pass in practice to Jim Kleinsasser and once threw an interception in practice to Tim Tibesar...my claims to fame.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday April 23rd, 2009 10:38am

Just went and took a peak at Playmakers All American Lounge at the Canad Inns Destination Center and WOW.  It is truly a celebration of UND Athletic history and they are still putting the finishing touches on.  Pictures from every sport, bleachers from the "old" Ralph, and an entrance that is going to look like Memorial Stadium.  The grand re-opening is Friday at 5:30 so please come by and take a look.  If you can't make it Friday come by the Fighting Sioux Club pregame party at 11am on Saturday.  We'll hear from Coach Mussman about 11:45.

Go Sioux!

Josh

Monday April 20th, 2009 9:45pm

Had a great weekend with some of our student-athletes as they made thank you calls to Fighting Sioux Club members.  Click here to read the story..  http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=3724157

Friday night we had men's hockey, women's basketball, and men's basketball in the calling center at the Strinden Center.  They were a great group and enjoyed making the calls...I told Coach Hakstol we may end up hiring Brad Malone to some calling for the UND Foundation.  The call of the day was by women's basketball player Ashley Privatsky who called one of our members vacationing on the beaches of Hawaii.  He was so impressed with Ashley that he called immediately afterward to say how much he appreciated it.  The entire women's soccer team also came in Friday night after they had practice.  They were admittedly a little nervous at first, but were great! 

On Saturdy we hosted women's hockey and women's volleyball.  We weren't able to talk to every single member, but at least tried to leave a message with as many as possible. 

Don't forget Sioux Booster fan luncheon in Fargo Tuesday at noon at the Kelly Inn on Main Avenue.  We'll be bringing the Macnaughton Cup down 1-29...that particular stretch of road is no stranger to large trophies travelling from Fargo to Grand Forks!!!!  5 cents if you know what I'm talking about.

That's it for now - keep those renewals coming in.  We're off to a great start so far, hope to have an update for you later this week. 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday April 16th, 2009 2:37pm

Happy Thursday...looking forward to the Sugarland concert tonight.  My first real taste of live country music so we'll see how it goes.  Check out this link...too good not to share.  Apparently TJ Oshie has made quite an impression in St. Louis!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Blues-fan-facing-legal-trouble-after-writing-in-?urn=nhl,156798

 

Josh

Monday April 13th, 2009 5:05pm

More good news about the spring football game over the weekend Chad Mustard is now also hoping to be here for the game.  So we've got Jim Kleinsasser, Chris Kuper, Chad Mustard, and Weston Dressler in town for the celebration of UND football.   Should be a great weekend!  The football team is practicing outside this afternoon and (knock on wood) they are now back on schedule for spring practices in the race to get in 15 of them while they can.  They were outdoors Friday and Saturday while the Alerus Center hosted what seemed like a  million kids for the Easter Egg Hunt.  Absolute chaos, but a great event for the city. 

Two days until tax day good day to think about 2009 charitable contributions and remember your Fighting Sioux Club membership is tax deductible.  80% for season ticket holders and 100% for non ticket members....please consult your tax advisor.

Fighting Sioux Club and season ticket renewals went out the door late last week and remember we've extended the deadline for renewal to May 15th because of all of the flooding in our region.  We want to make sure everyone has a full month to get their renewals in. 

Have a great Monday!

Josh

 

Wednesday April 8th, 2009 8:02pm

If you haven't seen it yet check out the Fighting Sioux Club homepage here on fightingsioux.com .... you can see our 2009-10 brochure.  You'll notice a real focus on student-athletes in all of our material and it's great for us that we have student-athletes like Rory Manke to let you know how important a scholarship is.  For those who don't know Rory was an Academic All-American this year for the football team and is graduating in a month with a degree in Biology and I'm not supposed to say our student-athletes GPA's, but let's just say he's close to perfect.  He's going to dental school at Creighton this fall.  He's the third Manke brother to play for the Sioux.

Football, by the way was hoping for some more sunshine in Grand Forks today to help melt off the remaining snow off of the field turf.  With the old artificial turf you could pretty much do whatever it took to get snow off of it, but the new stuff is more delicate (thank goodness) so you need a little more help from mother nature.  Stay tuned for exciting news about the spring game coming up April 25th and a few former Sioux players who'll be signing autographs beforehand...two of the guys scheduled to be here are still playing in the NFL....one wears purple and gold and the other has a horse on his helmet.

As always any questions or comments email me   joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Wednesday April 1st, 2009 9:25pm Grand Forks

Some great news coming out of UND Athletics today starting with the football schedule being finalized and season ticket prices being announced.  It has to be one of the most affordable season tickets you can find anywhere for football and the prices didn't go up one bit, in fact many seats are now less expensive than they were.  $40 for five games is incredible and you don't have to look too far away to find prices that aren't even close to our affordability. 

I'm curious to know what people think of the 4pm kickoff for 3 of the home games.  I like it, it gives people a chance to enjoy their Saturday if they have things to do OR you can start tailgating early and have plenty of time to have fun before the game!  Let me know what you think with a quick email:  joshm@undfoundation.org

I stopped by the first day of spring practice today and things seemed to go nice and smooth.  Great to see Delano Saporu back after last year's injury that kept him out the whole season.  Great to have a facility like the Alerus Center so they can get some good work in without worrying about the weather and it must be a sign that spring is on its way if they've started practicing!  Don't forget April 25th the spring game and wait for some exciting events going on around that game at the Alerus Center that day. 

The other good news today...Chay Genoway is coming back for his senior year with the hockey program. 

Take care and Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday March 31st, 2009 2:46pm Grand Forks

Back in the central time zone and I have to remember what my friend told me about this blog..he said I talk about the weather too much. So I'm not going to mention what's going on outside...oh wait I can't really see out my window anyway because of the white stuff! 

A few things to remember as we come up on April 1st.  Season ticket and Fighting Sioux Club renewals for ticket holders are going out on Monday and because of what our region is going through with the flood the deadline for renewals has been pushed back two weeks to May 15th.  Don't forget the Spring Football Game on April 25th at the Alerus Center. 

I've heard from a lot of people in the area how great our student-athletes have been helping out with sandbagging and flood protection.  I know there was a group of football and basketball players out south of Grand Forks the past week most of them doing the work of 2 people. 

Stay safe and dry....

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday March 28th, 2009 8:03am EDT Manchester, NH

Gameday here in the Northeast Regional and the Sioux were scheduled to have a morning skate right about now at the arena.  What a wild night in the NCAA Hockey tournament last night...we sat and watched the Denver-Miami (OH) game last night and with Air Force beating Michigan it's two #1 seeds gone before Saturday. 

We had a tournament reception last night for all the teams at a hotel that has a patio overlooking the New Hampshire FisherCats baseball stadium...wow what a great setting for AA baseball.  It was nice to see some green grass in the outfield.

The headline in the Manchester paper yesterday was "Umile under fire" referring to UNH's head coach Dick Umile...what a way for them to start the regional weekend.  I think the other coaches in this region addressed the report as ridiculous.

You can't put a price on being on national tv again for our program and our university.  See you on ESPN 2 at 1pm central!  Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday March 27th, 2009 2:28pm EDT Manchester, NH

Hello from the east coast...flew in last night with the hockey team for the Regional.  I haven't been in the arena yet, but it looks nice from the outside.  Manchester is about an hour from Boston and Brian Faison and I headed there this morning to visit a few former letterwinners who now call it home.  Drove by Fenway Park and the green monster which was pretty cool. 

Sunny skies and about 60 degrees today and I think that everyone here with the hockey team is thinking about the flooding back home...stay safe and dry and enjoy the game tomorrow as a brief diversion.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday March 21st, 2009 9:52am St. Paul, MN

Tough night for the Sioux last night at the XCel Energy Center.  I still can't get over how many Sioux fans show up for games outside of Grand Forks...pretty amazing.  We had an overflow crowd at our pregame party spot and with the weather being a lot better here today we'll be eable to put the overflow out into the patio area of the restaurant Wild Tymes.  The fun starts at noon.  If you're curious about the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament check out the blog at USCHO.com  http://www.uscho.com/blogs/uscho/bracketology

Remember the best way to request Regional tickets is by emailing tickets@theralph.com and you can watch ESPN2 at 10:30 am Sunday to find out the Regional brackets and where the Sioux will be playing next weekend. 

Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday March 20th, 2009 8:43 am St. Paul, MN

Greetings from the capitol city of Minnesota, less than 12 hours to faceoff with UM Duluth tonight just a few blocks away at the XCel Center.  I've seen plenty of Sioux green walking around St. Paul the past few days and I'm sure we'll pack our pregame party spot at Wild Tymes Bar & Grill.  Had to do some research on the place last night to watch the Gophers vs Bulldogs and the NCAA basketball games.  Gopher fans now have to wait and see if they'll be invited to the big tournament and the Star Tribune offers its opinion this morning you can read the article here http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/41539637.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

A reminder to Fighting Sioux Club members the best way to request NCAA Regional tickets is by sending an email to tickets@theralph.com with the subject Postseason tickets and the email needs to include the following:

Fighting Sioux Club account name and FSC level

All contact info so the ticket office can contact you as soon as possible.

Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday March 12th, 2009 9:51am Bismarck, ND

Hello from Bismarck and as much as I want to talk about the weather I've been told by a good friend and former UND football player that I talk about the weather way too much in this blog.  So here I am in the cap city of North Dakota and Bismarck is a different city when the legislature is in session.  Lots of lobbying going on everywhere I think.  Looking forward to a small luncheon today here with Coach Mussman and Mannausau.  The football coaches are holding a coaching clinic here tonight at the Comfort Inn and so we put a group together for lunch to get an update on the football program.  By the way the Comfort Inn in Bismarck...Fighting Sioux Club member.

Speaking of which if you're ever hungry in Minot stop by the new Buffalo Wild Wings, the local franchisee is a Fighting Sioux Club member and the place is brand new.  Great spot to watch the Sioux this weekend and hopefully for the next month. 

I'm sending out the member email today which explains the best way to request postseason hockey tickets:  simply email tickets@theralph.com with the subject line postseason tickets .  It's the best way to get your request in and can be done 24 hours a day rather than wait for office hours in the box office. 

Have a great Thursday and check your inbox for our email today.  The contest drawing is back as well so make sure you read the whole thing.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday March 2nd, 2009 9:20am

Welcome to the Madness of March - Sioux style.  Great start to the month yesterday with the OT hockey win over CC and the men's and women's basketball road wins at SIU-Edwardsville.  We had a nice turnout at our Fighting Sioux Club member pregame lunch yesterday at the Ralph and thanks to the football players for helping out serving food. We actually had some leftover sandwiches so they went to the student section and handed some free food out to the students so hopefully they made some friends to come and STAY at football games in 2009.  The players were talking about new uniforms for 2009 so it sounds like there may be something interesting on the horizon as far as colors go...stay tuned.  For the record I've never been a fan of the black pants with the green jerseys.  I was a walk on football player here and remember when they first came out as a sample and a couple of guys used to wear them for practice....it's a fashion don't in my book. 

Anyway on to more important things like a chance to wrap up the WCHA regular season title on Friday night in Madison.  I'm sure State Street Brats will be rockin' before the games vs Wisconsin this weekend. 

Wednesday February 25th, 2009 9:49pm

Wow, did you happen to see the front page of fightingsioux.com?  What a great day for the UND swimming and diving teams at the Conference USA swim meet.  They are competing against a few of the best programs in the country in SMU and Rice and sit in 3rd place in that conference.  They let us swim in their conference meet so they could add a team for the event and on the first day our men and women broke all kinds of school records.  I'll have to admit with my wife being a former swimmer I am able to comprehend just how impressive that is....although a funny story from the weekend when we had our female student-athletes signing autographs on the concourse before the women's hockey game.  Our 6 year old son was going through the line and one of the swimmers asked if he liked swimming.  His response?  "No."  I assured her he wasn't really telling the whole truth since mom was a swimmer at UND...she wasn't so happy with him.

We have exciting news coming out tomorrow...stay tuned.  We are announcing a record breaking year in the Fighting Sioux Club for members and for donations.  Thanks for making it happen!  Make sure to check the website on Thursday and Fighting Sioux Club members check your inbox for the biweekly email.

Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday February 24th, 2009 5:20pm

What a great weekend for Sioux hockey and to be honest for UND Athletics.  It's nice to have a couple of extra weeks to sell those playoff tickets and I heard a rumor that the lower bowl student section was sold out rather quickly.  I can neither confirm nor deny that rumor so don't hold me to it.  Should be a great weekend in Grand Forks with State Hockey, Sioux basketball, and Sioux hockey vs CC.  It's a big weekend for the Fighting Sioux Club as well as you will see in a press release later this week.  We had another record breaking year bringing in over $2 million to help student athletes at UND!  Details will come in the press release, but we're happy to say we gained over 100 new members from 2007-08.

One quick note from being over the Ralph yesterday after the hockey team got back from the long trip to Alaska.  Definitely a spring in everyone's step after a weekend sweep and maybe this is one weekend where it's good to have the extra days rest with the long flight back.  I have to say how impressive it is being around the program because if you remember what Coach Hakstol was saying earlier in the season when the team was finding its way that he really liked this team.  He knew what he was talking about and here we are with a chance to win the WCHA.  Should be a fun weekend and a weekend of good hockey with Colorado College in town. 

Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday February 21st, 2009 9:16pm

About 45 minutes away from dropping the puck in Alaska and there may be some people in Grand Forks late for church in the morning with series on locally on channel 23.  A nice turnout this afternoon for the women's hockey game vs UM Duluth as we celebrated National Women & Girls in Sports Day.  All of our women's teams were there to sign autographs and we handed out pink Fighting Sioux Club rally towels to 500 fans.  Tough loss for the women, but it sure got interesting late in the game.  I was trying to figure out how to tell my 2 young sons how 10 people get in the penalty box!  Got a little rough out there. 

Very quietly the baseball program is about to take on one of the top programs in the country for college baseball.  They play at Nebraska next week in a one game series.  I went to the College World Series back in 2002 when Nebraska was playing and I'll never forget the sea of red in Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha when they played Clemson in the first round.  They had students lined up at midnight hundreds deep when tickets went on sale for the general admission to the game.  They take their baseball seriously in Husker land.  By the way if you ever get a chance to go to the College World Series GO.  It's by far the best sporting event I've ever been to.  I was lucky in a previous career to see a lot of great events, but ten days in Omaha were as good as it gets. 

Have a great rest of the weekend.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday February 17th, 2009 8:47pm

Wow, I guess it's been too long since I've been blogging.  Back in central time zone and back on the road - but just to Fargo this afternoon - for Fargo Sioux Boosters.  We had another nice turnout despite having to postpone last week's meeting until today because of the freezing rain a week ago.  Since I last checked in I've sent a Fighting Sioux Club email blast and here's a copy of that email:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 12th, 2009 Happy Friday from the Fighting Sioux Club where Championships start with Scholarships! Congratulations to Cathy Wenzel of Langdon who won our last e-mail drawing. See below for this week’s giveaway and in the meantime here are a few things to pass on to you this week: Come celebrate girls & women in sports day with UND women’s hockey. The Fighting Sioux take on UM Duluth February 21st at 4pm. All youth 8th grade and under get FREE admission and all other tickets are $1. Tickets available at the UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Learn more about National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Want to see a parking map for Ralph Engelstad Arena? Just go to www.theralph.com Join us Sunday, March 1 for a Fighting Sioux Club Pregame Lunch before the final regular season men’s hockey game. 1-2:30 p.m. in the south club lounge at REA. Sandwiches and chips provided with a cash bar. Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members as an exclusive benefit to your membership. Thank you for all you do for UND Athletics. Fighting Sioux Club members will fund half of the total athletic scholarships for UND this year and with the rising cost of tuition and increased need for scholarship in Division I we can’t say THANKS enough.

Sunday February 8th, 2009 10:47 am Pacific time

About to say so long to Seattle, just waiting in the airport for our flight to Minneapolis.  Tough night for the Sioux last night here in the northwest.  The women's game was a real heartbreaker, the kind of game where at the end you wonder how it happened.  We had a great turnout of Sioux fans at our pregame gathering and then even more showed up for the basketball games.  It's been a great part about the move to Division I that we get to take our teams to areas we haven't played before or for a very long time.  Great chance for alumni to get a taste of North Dakota.

Another big week coming up back in GF.  We've got Sioux Boosters in Fargo on Tuesday at noon at the Kelly Inn on main avenue.  Thursday we are having an Evening with UND Athletics at the Minto Community Center in Minto, ND.  Then of course the busy weekend of hockey and basketball.  You can throw in the football banquet as well on Saturday.  Should be a fun week.....just hope I can bring some of these temperatures with me.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

P.S. check out the Fighting Sioux Club on Facebook and become a "fan".

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 9:16 am Pacific time

Sitting in a Starbucks downtown Seattle where I've heard about 3 different languages sitting here this morning, always a cool thing about coming to a big city.  The men and women tip off later today and we've got company in our hotel.  I've seen the following teams so far:  UC Davis gymnastics, Northern Nazarene women's basketball and Oklahome men's tennis....add our two teams on top of that and college athletic teams are keeping the hotel in business.

The women will have a shootaround at Seattle U in about 40 minutes and the men will follow.  Seattle U is in the same boat as us in the Division I transition and their men's program has some great tradition.  Elgin Baylor played there and led them to the National Championship game in 1958. 

I've been somewhat surprised to see and hear what a big deal University of Washington sports are here in Seattle.  You don't always get that in a pro sports town, but there's  been a lot on talk radio and the front page of the newspaper this week about Husky football and men's basketball.  They had a tough loss the other night to Cal and play at Stanford on Sunday.  Their football stadium has an amazing view of Lake Washington (I think that's the lake) on the edge of its campus.  Would be a great place to watch a football game. 

Should be fun to see how many Sioux fans come out later today - you can listen to the games here on fightingsioux.com!  Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday February 6th, 2009 4:44pm Pacific time

Greetings from Seattle!  We've been in the pacific northwest for a few days visiting with alumni in the area and of course the basketball teams play Seattle University tomorrow.  We're expecting a good turnout for our pregame party at Elysian Brewing Company near the Seattle campus. 

Aside from the alumni we've met the highlight of the trip has been a walk to the orginal Starbucks at Pike Place Market.  I'm a coffee junkie and love Starbucks so I have to admit it was worth the trip. 

I'm happy to say we've got great Fighting Sioux Club members here in the state of Washington and it's a great chance to come out here and say thank you.  The Seattle men's team has been on a roll so that will be a good test for our men, the women are supposed to land in Seattle any minute and we are going out to eat with one of their former players tonight.  Laurie Bakke is from Thompson and is a UND Athletics Hall of Famer and she is excited to see the women play in her hometown.

Hope to udpate tomorrow - until then Go Sioux! 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday January 30th, 2009 2:59pm

Greetings from St. Cloud just 4 hours until faceoff with the Huskies.  Just hanging out at a coffee shop a few doors down from the team hotel downtown and anxious to see how many Sioux jerseys I see in the stands tonight.  It amazes me every time I go to an away hockey game how many Sioux fans show up and it'll be nice for our Athletic Director Brian Faison to see as well. 

We've gotten a great response from our email blast sent out yesterday.  We send it out every other Thursday and if you didn't receive it and you are a member please let me know by emailing me at joshm@undfoundation.org .

Here's the email:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 29, 2009 Greetings from the Fighting Sioux Club where Championships start with Scholarships! Thank you to all who replied to the last e-mail and entered our drawing. Congratulations to Dean Stegmiller of Fargo who won the UND golf head covers and to Dawn Seaver who won basketball tickets. A few things to pass on to you this week: We are six days away from Signing Day for football recruits and on Wednesday, February 4 you have a chance to get an exclusive look at the UND signees. Join the Fighting Sioux football coaching staff as they host a social to discuss the class of 2009. The event starts at 5 p.m. on the 2nd floor of Playmakers Gaming Lounge at the CanadInns Destination Center. See video of the recruits and hear from Coach Mussman. Don’t forget the game time has been changed for Sunday’s women’s basketball game vs. Minot State – tip off is now 2 p.m. It gives you plenty of time to watch the Super Bowl pregame show! The women’s hockey team is home this weekend with 2 games vs. Bemidji State. Friday starts at 7 p.m. - Saturday at 2 p.m. and remember all Fighting Sioux Club members receive FREE admission to regular season women’s hockey games. Join us Sunday, March 1 for a Fighting Sioux Club Pregame Lunch before the final regular season men’s hockey game. 1-2:30 p.m. in the south club lounge at REA. Sandwiches and chips provided with a cash bar. Open to all Fighting Sioux Club members as an exclusive benefit to your membership. Thanks and Go Sioux! Josh Morton Fighting Sioux Club Director 701-777-4216 joshm@undfoundation.org fightingsioux.com Fighting Sioux Fact O’ the Day: UND student-athletes have put in more than 1,300 hours of community service this year at 56 different events. Champions in the classroom, in the community, and in competition!

Sunday January 25th, 2009 8:30pm

Wow, it's been awhile.  Another wild weekend at the Ralph and all of the sudden the Sioux are oh so close to first place.  One of the great things about my job is getting to show alumni Ralph Engelstad Arena and the atmosphere on a game night.  A good friend of mine that I graduate from UND with was here this weekend and was blown away by the game on Friday night.  I also showed a group around the arena this week and there were two people from Australia with us who got a view of the Ralph.  They asked some great questions and since hockey isn't exactly a primary sport at home I know they enjoyed the games this weekend.

Getting down to the nitty gritty in football recruiting with Signing Day just over a week away.  The football program had more recruits in town this weekend and there's no doubt when they see the passion of our fans for basketball and hockey it helps get the best to Grand Forks for football.  There's a reason that one of the biggest recruiting weekends happens during the Gopher hockey series. 

Before I go we had a great response to last week's Fighting Sioux Club email contest.  Dean Stegmiller of Fargo is the proud winner of the golf head covers and Dawn Seaver of Grand Forks won 4 women's basketball tickets.  Our next email comes out Thursday to all Fighting Sioux Club members.  If you're not getting the emails and you are a Fighting Sioux Club member please email me at joshm@undfoundation.org  .   Have a great week and Go Sioux!

Josh Morton

Tuesday January 13th, 2009 3:44pm

The best news we got all day today comes from Lubbock, TX.  The headline reads:  "Crabtree Turning Pro" .  Texas Tech all everything WR Michael Crabtree is leaving school early for the NFL so the Sioux don't have to face him September 5th down in Lubbock when we open the season! 

Just back from a great Fargo Sioux Boosters meeting at the Kelly Inn, we're getting closer to taking over another room so hope to see more people on February 10th.  Coaches from men's basketball and both hockey programs talked about their season.  Dane Jackson talked about the importance of the Minnesota sweep and how they hope to keep that momentum going in Houghton, MI.  The men's hockey team leaves Wednesday for Michigan Tech and they'll stay the night in Duluth before making the rest of the drive to the UP of Michigan.  Long bus trip.

Classes started back up today so there's a lot more activity on University Avenue.  By the way -37 in Grand Forks this morning.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday January 12th, 2009 4:36pm

One word....SWEEP.  Amazing weekend at the Ralph and the sweep of the Gophers is a great way to start the 2nd semester which as of 36 minutes ago is officially underway.  Dane Jackson will fill us in at Fargo Sioux Boosters tomorrow at the Kelly Inn on Main Avenue starting at noon.  Women's hockey and men's basketball coaches will also be there for an update. 

Here's a story on the status of Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia from the Star Tribune:

http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/gophers/2009/01/12/u-mens-hockey-lucia-to-be-back-at-practice-today/

The hockey team has a quick turnaround as they make their way to Houghton, MI for the series with Michigan Tech.  They'll leave on Wednesday with more than 10 hours total on the bus ahead of them.

Have a great week and don't hesitate to email with any questions.

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday January 8th, 2009 9:38am

Around 34 hours and counting till the drop of the puck of the Gopher series and already we get good news in Grand Forks - the latest winter storm is now expected to miss us!  Not to make light since I"m sure plenty of you will get hit by the storm BUT it is nice to be off that list.  I hope it stays that way and doesn't keep any of you away from the Ralph. 

Quick reminder to our Fargo fans the monthly Sioux Boosters meeting is on Tuesday at the Kelly Inn on Main Ave at noon.  Dave Hakstol, Cary Eades, or Dane Jackson will be there to represent hockey and we're still awaiting word from our other coaches.  Speaking of Fargo - Brian Faison had a great response today in the Fargo Forum.  It wasn't picked up by the Herald yet so if you haven't seen it you can catch in online.  The story is written by Jeff Kolpack.

http://www.in-forum.com/Sports/articles/227147

Happy Thursday!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday January 6th, 2009 11:10am

Nothing against the students (I was one once) but it is kind of nice to have a quiet campus with littel activity for a few more days.  Easy to park at least!  A quiet week on campus will change on Friday night for game one with the Gophers.  Looking forward to that atmosphere this weekend white out and all.  I listened to the men's basketball game from Texas A&M last night and what an effort for Brian Jones' team - down by 6 at the half and didn't go away in the 2nd half as most underdogs usually do.  They are expected back late this afternoon. 

If you want the latest on the weekend rivalry from the Gophers perspective here's the link to the Star Tribune's story about Don Lucia's illness and why he won't be with his team this weekend in Grand Forks:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/37049774.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUjc8LDyiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiU

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Thursday January 1st, 2009 10:12pm

Winding down after the football watching holiday, but had to take a break to watch some outdoor hockey as well.  The Winter Classic at Wrigley Field was as my 3 year old described "baseball hockey".  Some great pictures available - Jonathon Toews and the Blackhawks lost to the Red Wings - at www.chicagosports.com

Happy New Year - see you at the Betty tomorrow night.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Wednesday December 31st, 2008 9:15am

The final blog of 2008!  Back on the computer after a little break and I know we've got the Gopher white out coming up in a few weeks, but unfortunately the Morton family got our own white out for real on I-29 yesterday driving back from Sioux Falls, SD.  Nasty day to drive...

Anyway, enjoying the college football bowl season so far and looking forward to tomorrow's holiday of football watching.  Should be a great weekend in Grand Forks starting with the men's basketball game vs Minot State - their last game before they head to Texas A&M.  Men's hockey has the unique home and home with Bemidji State Friday-Saturday.  In our last email blast to Fighting Sioux Club members we gave away tickets to last night's men's basketball game - keep your eyes open for more drawings through our email.  Just making sure everyone reads 'em!

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday December 22nd, 2008 3:57pm

Tough loss for women's basketball, but another great comeback on the road.  Sioux lose by 2, but the game wasn't sealed at Northwestern until 4.5 seconds left when the Wildcats hit a pair of free throws.  The road warriors get a few days off before heading to the Iowa State tournament after Christmas.

Certainly a slow day on campus as finals are over and winter commencement was on Friday.  Little easier to find a parking spot though.  In our last Fighting Sioux Club email we had a way for our members to get entered into a drawing for 4 basketball tickets and we'll do that drawing tomorrow morning.  Thanks to all of you who replied with the special subject line  GO NORTH DAKOTA.  I'll let you know who the winner is tomorrow.

Stay warm wherever you are!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday December 16th, 2008 8:32 am

Good news - bad news.....good news for us in Grand Forks the high tomorrow is above zero.  The bad news for us in Grand Forks that's the first time in about 5 days and it's going to be below zero again by Friday.  Such is life in the Red River Valley.  Had the quote of the weekend from my 6 year old son after I told him we wouldn't be able to go to the basketball game on Saturday vs Jamestown because they cancelled because of the weather.  He said, "don't they play inside?"  Excellent point, but Jamestown didn't want to risk the trip back after the game.

Brian Faison and I are headed to Fargo tomorrow so he can speak to the downtown Rotary Club and it's a reminder that if anyone needs a service club speaker please contact us and we can get a coach or staff member to come and speak.  It's a great way for us to reach different communities. 

Stay warm and don't hesitate to call or e-mail with any questions.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday December 11th, 2008 10:28am

Last time I blogged there was no snow in Grand Forks....what a difference a week makes.  Great finish last night in men's basketball, just the way the coaches drew it up with the banked 3 at the buzzer.  The men are back home Saturday afternoon at 2pm.  Been an interesting week for the women's basketball program,  I saw their bus pull up to the Betty yesterday afternoon getting home from the road trip of Toledo and Arkansas.  They hung with the SEC's Razorbacks, but I know they have to be anxious to play some home games!

In our last Fighting Sioux Club member email we gave away basketball tickets, look for more drawings in our next email scheduled for next Thursday. 

We had a great turnout at Fargo Sioux Boosters on Tuesday which is great during the holiday season.  Coach Hakstol, Mannausau, Moody, Idalski, and Sampaio spoke to the group.  Coach Hakstol has found the secret to his team's success.  He told the group that he told his team before the Harvard series that if they got a sweep they didn't have to see his face until Tuesday...giving them a full 2 days off.  Must have worked, no word whether that will continue this weekend! 

The football coaches are busy on the road recruiting and have a big weekend coming up with some prospects and their families in town.  The weather the past week has made it a little more difficult on the road.

See you at the Ralph and the Betty this weekend - feel free to comment on anything related to the Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday  December 4th, 2008 10:13am Bismarck

Greetings from Bismarck where it's going to be a white Christmas for sure.  The locals were blaming those of us from Grand  Forks for bringing this wintry weather with us.  We had a great UND Alumni event here last night at the Bank of  North Dakota.  It's amazing how much support we have for UND Athletics here in this part of the state so many make the trip to Grand Forks for sporting events and they are great supporters of the Fighting Sioux Club.

Looking forward to the weekend of women's hockey vs Minnesota.  Remember Fighting Sioux Club members get into all regular season women's games for free by showing your membership card at the box office window.  It's a great place to bring young kids ( I speak from experience) because they can sit close to the action. 

Have a great Thursday and I'm hoping to keep the snow away from the Red River Valley.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday December 1st, 2008 8:18pm

Had a great experience over the weekend taking my in laws to the Ralph for a hockey game for the first time.  They weren't quite sure what to expect, but they do have Chicago Bulls season tickets (they live outside Chicago).  Don and Marlene had a ball and were blown away by the facility and atmosphere.  It's fun to see the reaction from people when they experience a Sioux hockey game on a Friday night.  Didn't hurt that the Sioux scored 7 goals!

This afternoon I went to speak to our baseball team about the importance of private support from alumni and friends.  I came during the middle of a running test they've been doing in the Hylsop.  They have to crack a certain time running a mile and they've made great improvements over the last few months - but of course there are always a few guys who have a little trouble with the run.  The poor trash cans in the Hylsop got more than they bargained for tonight!  Coach Jeff Dodson has been a great addition to UND.  He is on the go all the time and you can tell it's rubbing off on his players....the guy expects to be great.  Too bad he's an Auburn fan and the Tigers had a rough rivalry game Saturday vs Alabama.

Making my way to Bismarck this week for our alumni event "Green Engagement" at the State Bank of North Dakota....have a great Tuesday!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday November 24th, 2008 9:54am

Not sure how it happened, but the temperature seemed to just drop about 10 degrees in 10 minutes.  Those of you who went to UND will remember days like this:  I walked across campus, went inside the Hyslop then walked back to my office at the Stone House and the wind had picked up and it was COLD.  Nothing like GF in November.

Had a great trip to Vermillion on Saturday in one of the most entertaining football games to watch as a fan.  What a way for the football program to end its first year in Division I.  This season was full of challenges because of the strange schedule - ask any coach whether having 2 weeks off in the middle of the season is good - it says a lot about the coaching staff and seniors that they came out ready to play and snapped a 3 game losing streak after another week off.  It was great to have the band and cheerleaders along for the trip as well and not to knock USD's band, but the Pride of the North was incredible on Saturday.  It was even more evident because they were sitting side by side with USD's band.

The Women's Hockey program continues to make its mark on the WCHA - to beat UMD on Sunday 4-0 after getting beat by the national champs the day before 6-2 was incredible. 

I'll be sending out an email tomorrow, in the meantime......Go Sioux!

 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Friday November 21st, 2008 9:11 am

Good news from Fargo this morning - UND supporters outbid supporters of NDSU at the Oxbow Country Club auction last night so the UND flag will get to fly on the flagpole at the golf course.  And we thought that competition was dead between the two schools?

Getting ready to head south for the USD football game tomorrow, a reminder that it's on TV on MidContinent cable starting at noon.  Thank goodness they play indoors.....3 degrees this morning in GF and it's only November! 

Men's hockey vs MN Duluth is on tv tonight and tomorrow as well and Saturday afternoon the men's basketball team hosts Bemidji State.

Have a great weekend and Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday November 18th, 2008 8:50am

Good morning....it's been awhile.  It's a great week for UND Athletics when we've got both hockey programs playing, both basketball programs on the court and the football team finishes up its season.  The only home games come from the men's basketball program starting tonight against SW State, but what a great win for Brian Jones' program on Friday night vs UMKC.  Remember, the Kangaroos are in the Summit League and were playing at home in our first game as a Division I program.  Must have made the 10+ hour bus trip a little easier to take on the way home.  I passed coach Jones driving home around 10:30am on Saturday so they drove through the night to get back to GF. 

Friday night was a fun doubleheader - women's basketball win over Eastern Michigan then the men's hockey game vs UAA.  It was fun to see so many people go from one event to the other and I saw a couple of Fighting Sioux Club members change into their hockey jerseys before leaving the Betty! 

As always any questions or comments please call or email.....GO SIOUX!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

701-777-4216

Friday November 7th, 2008 9:57am

I  keep telling myself that the weather we're getting now is just payback from those great days we had at the beginning of the week.  This is one time where Grand Forks is lucky to be so far north....we're missing so much of the snow.  It'll still be a great day to tailgate tomorrow - don't forget the Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent sponsored by Lumber Mart and Canad Inns will be HEATED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hot chili and warm drinks are also served.  Here's a copy of the email I sent out to our members yesterday - if you are a member and didn't get the email please let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good afternoon. I just wanted to pass on a reminder about our exclusive Fighting Sioux Club events coming up this weekend. Go Sioux! Saturday 2 p.m. UND Volleyball vs South Dakota $1 hot dogs, player autographs and Fighting Sioux Club members get free admission! Saturday 5 p.m. Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent Sponsored by Canad Inns & Lumber Mart Enjoy a HEATED tent, some chili and warm drinks before kickoff vs Southern Utah Sunday 4-6 p.m. Fighting Sioux Club Insiders Day with Men’s Basketball Watch practice, tour the Betty and hear from Coach Jones and players. Popcorn and pop provided at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. Josh Morton Fighting Sioux Club Director 701-777-4216 joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Monday November 3rd, 2008 4:10pm

I don't think we can stress enough just how far the women's hockey program has come in 2 years under Brian Idalski (he and his wife Nicole are new Fighting Sioux Club members).  Today the women's program is ranked in the top ten for the first time ever!  What a great step for the program after the sweep of Ohio State this past weekend.  It's another good chance to remind our Fighting Sioux Club members that they get in free just for showing your Fighting Sioux Club membership card at the box office.  The women's team is off this weekend before hosting #1 Wisconsin in two weeks. 

Looks like global warming has finally hit Grand Forks...at least for two days.  I told my wife on the way out of the hockey game on Saturday night that we better enjoy not freezing when walking out of the Ralph because it's likely the last time it'll happen this hockey season.  After the game Saturday we wrapped up Hockey Alumni weekend with a great night of socializing at Sanders 1907 - thanks to Kim Holmes for all he does for the Fighting Sioux. 

Tough loss for football on Saturday, but we need to remember two things:  #1. SIU is ranked 11th in the country and have some great athletes and have been a FSC power for a few years now.   #2  We still technically have a "Division II" roster and will add those same kind of football players over the next five years.  This will be just the first FULL recruiting season that our coaches have around 60 scholarships to work with compared to the 36 in Division II.  It would be great to see another big crowd in the Alerus Center on Saturday night.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Saturday November 1st, 2008 1:33pm

Sitting here listening to the pregame show from Southern Illinois getting excited for the football game coming up.  What a huge win it would be for Coach Mussman and staff. 

What a great weekend it's been so far the hockey program.  We had the Legends brunch this morning honoring some of the greats that have come through the program and have been extremely successful after their playing careers.  The program also honored Bill LeCaine last night with the ceremonial puck drop and this morning.  Bill and his wife Pat were at center ice last night and what a great ovation they got from the fans, he's believed to be the first native Sioux to play for the Sioux when he was a freshman in 1958-59.  The whole family has been here for a few days and they are a special group.  My wife was watching on tv last night and was wondering what Bill gave to the two captains after the faceoff...here's the answer and it's pretty special.  He gave each an arrowhead blessed by Red Thunder a Lakota Sioux Holy Man.  The arrowhead is blessed for safe travel and Bill gave one to each member of the UND hockey team later.  Neat to see.

Gotta get going - Go Sioux! 

Josh

Thursday October 30th, 2008 1:30pm 

Inside at a desk is not the best place to be in Grand Forks today....wow what a nice fall day.  The hockey alumni that are coming back this weekend will be shocked to pull into town greeted by great weather.  We've got a busy weekend coming up as we honor our Legends of Sioux Hockey, the 1958-59 National Championship team, and 50 year letterwinners of the hockey program.  The 1958-59 team was the first UND team to win a national title in ANY sport. 

We're trying to get the football game from SIU on webcast during the Fighting Sioux Club pregame party on Saturday afternoon.  The party starts at 4:30pm in the club lounge at the Ralph.  Free food and cash bar until 6pm when the bar opens to the public.  Fighting Sioux Club members just enter through the VIP entrance near the box office and they'll lead the way up to the party.  We hope to get a visit from one of the coaches about an hour and a half before they drop the puck.  At noon Saturday and Sunday the women's hockey team hosts Ohio State and as I tend to tell you......Fighting SIoux Club members get in free when you show your membership card at the box office window.  It's a great place to take a young family....especially when it's FREE!

Another great place for kids?  Halloween Hoops with our basketball programs tonight at the Betty.  It was a great event last year and I'm sure they'll be plenty more kids tonight.  Things get going at 6pm.

Monday October 27th, 2008 4:24pm Central Time

Back in GF, but maybe wishing we had California weather.  When we pulled out of Sacramento it was a cool 60 degrees or so and when we landed in GF at 4:15 we had 30mph winds temps around 35 and the snow was just starting.  Back to reality I guess.  We had a great turnout of Sioux fans at the football game and Davis has a very nice facility....and an awfully good football team.  Just to give you a clue how hard the coaching world is I left Memorial Stadium at 5am after landing on the charter and the coaches were waiting for the game dvd to get done so they could get to work grading the film from the Davis game....after flying through the night to get home.  They likely didn't leave the office again until around 10pm Sunday.  Should be an interesting week going down to face SIU.

Big weekend in town as we get ready for the first home men's hockey series.  I can usually judge how big a game it is by the number of ticket requests so apparently this is a big one!  Nothing like starting your home series against the Badgers.  Don't forget the Fighting Sioux Club pregame party Saturday in the Club Lounge at the Arena.  Doors open for FSC members at 4:30 and we'll have free food and a cash bar.  Hope to see you all there.  Feel free to drop me an email if you have any comments.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday October 25th, 2008 10:56 am Pacific Time

Good morning from the West Coast another sunny warm day in northern California.  The football team just hopped the bus to the stadium for a morning walk through.  They're getting used to these night games, but it's tough for the players to sit around all day waiting to play.  The fan bus that came with the charter is taking a trip to wine country.  We'll head to downtown Davis in a few hours for the pregame party. 

Gotta go - Go Sioux!

Josh

Friday October 24th, 2008 4:31pm Pacific Time

Greetings from Sacramento, California!  The football team charter flew in about 1pm Pacific time today and they'll be headed to their Friday practice at Cal Davis in an hour or so.  The weather is beautiful here and supposed to be tomorrow.  We are staying in Sacramento right downtown so I got a chance to take a jog around today and saw the state capitol....no Arnold though.

I have to say the beauty of this time zone is realized on Saturdays when we'll be able to watch college football starting at 9am tomorrow!  Bad news we won't fly into Grand Forks until 6am Sunday...oh well.  I'm so impressed with how our football team has handled itself all season long and now the schedule gets really interesting.  Davis is a good football team so it will be a tough one tomorrow on their home field.  Looking forward to seeing their "new" stadium which I think was built in 2002.  Have a great Friday night and I hope to check in tomorrow - we're having our pregame party at 3:30 in downtown Davis at Bistro 33 so if you're around come on by.  Should have a nice sized group there ready for the game.  As always feel free to comment:   joshm@undfoundation.org    

Josh

Thursday October 23rd, 2008 2:29pm

Getting set to head to California with the football team tomorrow morning and we've taken a lot of calls and emails from alumni out west who are going to the game.  We've got our gathering spot:  Bistro 33 in Davis, they are giving us the patio so those of us from ND can soak up the 82 degrees and sunshine.  The team is staying in old Sacramento so those of us not playing or coaching should have plenty to do!

Since Davis is just outside of Sacramento I haven't seen much in the way of newspaper coverage, but here is a recap of their last game:  http://www.sacbee.com/395/story/1325862.html  .  Most of the attention in that part of the world goes to the NBA's Kings, but I'm looking forward to seeing Davis' new football stadium.  They've also got something on campus called the Robert Mondavi Institute of Food and Wine Science........could be a fun Friday night spot.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Monday October 20th, 2008 8:57am

A chilly start to the post-Homecoming weekend here in Grand Forks.  What a great weekend capped off by the Sioux-Per Gala and Auction.  The Alumni Association team did a great job of turing the Betty into a first class gala facility and we made a lot of money for scholarships for UND Athletics.  Our student athletes were well represented and they were in charge of valet parking. 

Looking forward to the football trip to California Davis this weekend and  I know we'll see a lot of our alums at the game, it's part of the beauty of going Division I.  Our teams are going to so many new places where alumni from around the country get a chance to see the Sioux. 

 

 

Wednesday October 15th, 2008 11:08 am

It's been a busy start to Homecoming week - hoping the weather stays decent for the weekend.  Had a great turnout at the volleyball match last night for the win over Jamestown.  Good chance to remind Fighting Sioux Club members we get in free to Volleyball and Women's Hockey.  Great place to bring young kids and for those of us with young families nothing beats free stuff.

Can't wait to see the football team again after a few weeks.  We'll have a good group of football alums in town going to practice on Friday.  The coaches started a really cool tradition of football alumni talking to the team after the Friday practice.  It's a great way to connect the current players to the past tradition. 

Happy Homecoming!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday October 11th, 2008 12:27 pm

It's the next best thing to having a Sioux home football game today....an amazing day of college football on TV.  Jumping back and forth between Texas-Oklahoma Minnesota-Illinois and South Carolina vs Kentucky.   Also getting ready to take the family to the women's hockey game at 4pm.  I took our two boys last night and for any of you with young families who are Fighting Sioux Club members it's a great place for entertainment.  Fighting Sioux Club members get in free to all regular season games and the kids will love sitting close to the glass.  If you're a Fighting Sioux Club member all you have to do is show your membership card at the box office window and tell them you'd like a ticket.  Easy as that.  

We'll have to listen to the men's game on the way to the Ralph. 

Oops....OU just threw an interception.  Texas has the momentum....gotta go.  If you have any comments that you'd like addressed on this site please email me:   joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday October 7th, 2008 11:38am

I just remembered I never passed on this great story from the Kingsville, TX newspaper after our football win over the Javelinas.  Says a lot about our fans and the football program.  Enjoy!

KINGSVILLE -- One wouldn't necessarily say that Texas A&M-Kingsville was doomed before the Javelinas missed their initial flight out of San Antonio for last Thursday's season-opening football game against North Dakota -- it merely created another hurdle.

But getting past the 11,000-plus vocal and fervent faithful packed into the Alerus Center in Grand Forks for the game proved to be too much.

"You couldn't hear anything, and they knew your names. It's something we should be used to, but some guys weren't used to it at all," said receiver Clavens Charles, whose 56-yard pass to Damian Couthren on a flea flicker set up A&M-Kingsville's first score. "It kind of got to the point where we couldn't understand what was going on, we couldn't get the signals to get the plays in. It was just a lot of mental errors and a lot of penalties that cost us."

The 40-14 count was just that -- a result of a lot of mental miscues, 14 penalties totaling 165 yards and a sea of North Dakota green that verbally hounded the Javs on every snap. The 11,434 on hand -- the most to see a season-opener at the facility -- roared. That made it difficult for Javs quarterbacks Billy Garza, Logan Morris and Daniel Ramirez to receive plays from the sidelines and relay those plays and any adjustments to the other players.

"The noise ... I mean, I've been to outdoor pretty big-time Division I football games that weren't that loud. Over 11,000 people in a confined area is pretty loud," Javs coach Bo Atterberry said. "I think our guys, their eyes were opened up. They got to see a whole new respect for that type of atmosphere.

"Also, it was a team that has all their individuals committed to doing it right, no matter how big or small their role is," said Atterberry, whose Javs travel to East Central (Okla.) for Saturday's Lone Star Conference crossover game. "They have some guys that just played special teams or whatever, and they beat everyone. It was like they were the most privileged person in the world just to be running down on a kickoff."

Missing the flight last Tuesday merely delayed A&M-Kingsville's arrival in North Dakota. Atterberry said the Javs worked out in San Antonio, something they had planned to do later Tuesday in Fargo. The schedule was essentially pushed back a day.

"Travel is travel. Everyone has to travel," Atterberry said. "It takes a toll on you to a certain extent. But we were up there in plenty of time to get settled in. It was more about the 11,000 fans and a team that was extremely disciplined and made fewer mistakes than we did."

Hindsight being what it is, Atterberry thinks the Javs would handle the hostile environment better the next time, and that the Sioux aren't necessarily 26 points better than the Javs.

"(If) we play at their place again, I don't see it being that way; they come down here, I wouldn't see it that way. We just would've handled the environment a lot better, "Atterberry said. "I don't even think as coaches or fans or anybody we had on the bus with us had any idea what kind of environment that would be. They sang 'Home of the Brave' in the National Anthem, and (instead) they all said, 'Home of the Sioux,' and it was like thunder went off in there. It was coming out of the rafters throughout the whole room."

Monday October 6th, 2008 9:40am

A dreary Monday in GF, at least it's not snowing. 

 Great start to the hockey season last night and it's amazing to me that their first official day of practice was Saturday then turned around and scored 6 goals against Manitoba last night.  Now they get to play for real on Friday in Boston!

Good win Saturday for the Women's Hockey team in Maine and don't forget Fighting Sioux Club members get in free to the regular season home games.  The women are at home this weekend so come check out Brian Idalski's club.

The football coaches are all back in town after most of them hit the road the last 5 days.  Sounds like they had some successful trips - never hurts to start recruiting with a 4-1 record. 

Let's hope for some sunshine...have a great Monday!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org 

Thursday October 2nd, 2008 4:26 pm

I sent out the email to our members today so please let me know if you didn't receive it and would like to be on our email list.  We send it out every 2 weeks on Thursdays. 

A gorgeous fall day in Grand Forks let's hope it stays this way for Homecoming week in a few weeks.  Here's a link to the events going on on campus for Homecoming:

http://www.undalumni.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=934

As always call or email anytime.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

701-777-4216

Monday September 29th, 2008 9:05 am

Like most of you I spent Saturday night listening to the football game....sounded like a great effort in the comeback.  Think about this, the football team is 4-1 after five games with a new head coach and in the first year of a Division I transition.  Pretty nice start.  Don't think that Western Washington won't be a tough game for Homecoming, either.  They are a Division II school, but gave Eastern Washington all they could handle a few weeks ago.  Eastern is picked to finish behind Montana in the Big Sky. 

Big week for Sioux Hockey as well.  The exhibition game Sunday vs Manitoba then a quick turnaround for the real thing in Boston next week.  Fighting Sioux Club members I'll send out the bi-weekly email on Thursday....

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday September 25th, 2008 10:44am

I'll start today with a non UND athletic topic and it struck me as I was driving home on University Ave last night.  As most of you know on campus pedestrians can walk across the street whenever they wish and cars are supposed to stop for the students.  So last night I stopped for two female students - one crossing going south the other north - one was on her cell phone the other was texting on her phone while she crossed.  Apparently they hadn't seen each other in awhile so they met in the middle and gave each other a hug.  So my question is do I really have to wait for them to cross if they are texting and hugging while they cross?  Take a walk around campus sometimes and it's funny...you'll see a lot of students walking and texting as they go.

As for athletics stuff.....last real practice for the football team this afternoon before heading to Louisiana tomorrow morning.  The team is staying in Baton Rouge - home of LSU - before driving to Hammond for the game with SE Louisiana.  Now if anyone knows about LSU and football games I'm guessing that the town will be nuts on Friday since LSU is also at home Saturday night.  SE LA lost 42-26 at Div IA La Tech last week and La Tech had 2 special teams touchdowns so this is a good football team the Sioux will face Saturday. 

Fighting Sioux Club members it's a great chance to check out the women's hockey team Saturday when they play their exhibition game on the Olympic sheet of ice at REA.  Have a great Thursday!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

 

Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 9:22 am

Well it took about 3 minutes Saturday for the Gopher hockey series to sell out single game tickets!  Hard to believe we're only a week and a half away from the exhibition with Manitoba. I haven't had a chance to blog since the football game on Thursday so here's a few thoughts from Pocatello:

*what a huge win for our program and our coaches who had to turn around on a short week while Idaho State had the Saturday before off

*we pulled back into GF about 4am and the players had to be back at 2:30 for a team meeting....I"m guessing they had a nice weekend recovering from the win

*we are in the "receiving votes" category in the Sports Network FCS Poll

so who knows what would happen if we could get to 5-0 this week

*It's off to SE Louisiana Saturday and the team will be staying in Baton Rouge....LSU also plays at home Saturday night so that town will be nuts the night before the game

Don't forget about the FSC Member Challenge - have a great Tuesday.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday September 18th, 2008 8:14 am Mountain time

Gameday in Pocatello and I've been impressed this morning by the local businesses supporting Idaho State on gameday.  The Perkins waitresses were decked out in the orange and black and didn't seem offended by my Sioux hat.  We got our first look at the arena last night and it's an interesting venue.  It was built around 1970 so it has a 70's feel to it with the color of the seats.  It's a little bit like the Dakota Dome for those of you who have been to Vermillion.  The one thing the players noticed quickly is the astroturf....it's gonna hurt to fall on it.  The team has a short walk through this morning with some meetings sprinkled in today and a long wait for the 6:35 local time kickoff tonight.  Happy Thursday and Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Wednesday September 17th, 2008 2:42 pm Mountain time

On the blog in Pocatello, Idaho.  The team charter just landed about an hour ago here in Idaho and it's a beautiful day here as it was in GF when we left.  A little hotter here, but Idaho State plays in a dome so it won't be a factor tomorrow night.  Looking forward to the first FCS test of the year for Sioux football.  The beauty of flying the charter was being able to watch DirecTV the whole way so a lot of people were catching up on the Southern Cal vs Ohio State being replayed from last Saturday.  There are a good number of parents of our players on the trip as well and we're expecting a good turnout of Sioux fans from this region tomorrow.  I'll be sending out the email to members from Pocatello tomorrow....getting ready to head to practice shortly.  I'm interested to see what their arena is like.  Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

\Friday September 12th, 2008 8:58 am

Let's hope we get this weather tomorrow for tailgating.  A perfect fall day here in Grand Forks for President Kelley's inauguration this afternoon.  The start of a big weekend with Potato Bowl and Hall of Fame as well.  I know if the weather is like this I'll hear plenty of comments from FSC members in the Tailgate Tent (brought to you by Canad Inns and Lumber Mart) that we should still play outdoor football.  I have to disagree, I think we get the best of both worlds being able to enjoy nice days for tailgating and then going inside for no wind and 70 degrees.  Let's talk November 8th!

The Women's Basketball team will be our guests in the tent tomorrow and they're usually the most vocal group of students at the football games so we should have a good time.  This has been another great week for the Fighting Sioux with the volleyball team going to 10-0 to start the season and hosting a record crowd on Wednesday night.  It was great to see Dr. Kelley and his wife Marcia in the stands for the 2nd straight volleyball match.  Have a great Friday and enjoy the game tomorrow!

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE FIGHTING SIOUX CLUB MEMBER CHALLENGE - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS:   http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1578181

Monday September 8th, 2008 9:44am

Life is good at UND....a 2-0 football team...an 8-0 volleyball team.  Fighting Sioux Club members don't forget your membership card gets you in free to all volleyball matches.  They've got 2 at home this week.  Wednesday they'll go for a school record 9-0 start vs Mayville State and Thursday they host UM Crookston both starting at 7pm. 

Another great turnout in the Fighting Sioux Club Tailgate Tent sponsored by Canad Inns and Lumber Mart.  We should have a packed tent again on Saturday with Potato Bowl and Hall of Fame weekend.  The Women's Basketball team will join us for autographs this week.  For those of you in Fargo the Sioux Booster luncheons start tomorrow - hope to see you there. 

Any questions please call or email.

joshm@undfoundation.org

701-777-4216

Thursday September 4th, 2008 1:59pm

It's starting to feel like fall in GF today...not quite ready for that.  Hopefully, we get the weather out of the way for tailgating on Saturday.  We had such a great turnout at the Fighting Sioux Club tent last week so I'm looking forward to another great pregame get together.  I sent out an email blast to members today so if you did not receive it please email me so we get your email correct. 

We're starting a new campaign called the Fighting Sioux Club Member Challenge, it's a way for our members to help recruit new members.  Our move to Division I means we need to grow the Fighting Sioux Club so we're counting on our passionate and loyal group of Fighting Sioux Club members to help.  For every new member that a current member recruits you are entered into a drawing for prizes including 4 tickets in the Alumni Suite for the Colorado College hockey game Feb 28th.  If a current member recruits 5 or more new members they are entered for a chance to win a trip for 2 to the Texas Tech football game in September of 2009.  More details to come, but please call if you have any questions.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

701-777-4216

Friday August 29th, 2008 9:32 am

What a great start to Division I football last night.  Looked like a typical first game with a little bit of a slow start, but you've gotta be happy putting up 40 points.  The tailgate tent was also a huge success, thanks to those with patience to wait in line, I know it's tough having a weeknight game when everyone gets there at the same time after work.  Hope you were able to pick up a calendar and get some autographs from the men's basketball team, we'll be joined by women's hockey next Saturday.  So after the largest opening day crowd in Alerus Center history I hope we can put 11,000 more in the stands next Saturday against St. Cloud State. 

Make sure to check the Fighting Sioux Club events page on this site since I've updated through November.  We're still working on a few basketball events and will let you know as soon as possible.  Have a great holiday weekend....I'm not sure if I'll move off the couch watching college football tomorrow.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Wednesday August 27th, 2008 1:32 pm

The tent is up!  The Fighting Sioux Club tailgate tent provided by Lumber Mart went up this morning at the Alerus Center.  We open our doors at 5pm for all FSC members tomorrow - join us for free food and a cash bar courtesy of the Canad Inns. 

I had a great time this morning filling as host on the Tim and Swyg Show on 1440 AM the Fan.  Both of them are out of town so I'll be filling in from 7-9am again Thursday.  Tune in to hear former head coach Roger Thomas talk about the last time Texas A&M Kingsville paid a visit to Grand Forks. 

I'm working on the email to send out to members tomorrow so keep an eye on your inbox.  Just 29 hours and 27 minutes till kickoff of Division I football!!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday August 19th, 2008

Back in GF and ready for some football.  If you want to check out the pictures from our Denver Golf Tournament click on the following link: 

http://undalumni.shutterfly.com/2453

A couple of things coming up over the next few days to take advantage of:

Tuesday (today) Women's Soccer Meet and Beat at Bronson Field 6:30-8pm

Wednesday football scrimmage at East Grand Forks HS 7:30pm

Thursday Fighting Sioux Club Home Opener preseason party at Playmakers Gaming Lounge at Canad Inns Destination Center 5-7pm - here's the invite   http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1551096&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=13500&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=

Have a great Tuesday and if you have kids starting school tomorrow in GF enjoy!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Monday August 11th, 2008 Denver, CO

About to head to the airport to head back to GFK after a successful weekend here in the Rocky Mountains.  A great turnout at the golf outing on Saturday and Mark Johnson mc'ed the program afterwards.  He's the Sports Director at KOA Radio here in Denver and is the voice of the Colorado Buffaloes.  He has also been filling in this week as the voice of the Colorado Rockies.....he's a native of Grand Forks.

It was nice to take advantage of being in Denver for a few days so Brian Faison and I took in the Rockies/Padres game on Saturday night.  We went with Bryan and Barry Fagerholt from Hoople.  The twins have lived out here for awhile and are part of the volunteer committee that put the golf event on and made it so successful.  Since I had nothing better to do on Sunday I went back to Coors Field for the Sunday afternoon game.  I bought a $15 ticket outside and wandered the stadium for 9 innings sitting wherever I could.  There's something special about sitting and watching a baseball game with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

August is going to fly by and the first football game will be here before we know it.  FSC members and season ticket holders your packets will be mailed out shortly. 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday August 8th, 2008 Denver, CO

On the blog in beautiful Denver getting ready for a Green Scene social downtown tonight and the Alumni Golf Scramble tomorrow morning.  We've got nearly 90 golfers registered to play and all proceeds from this event are going to scholarships for Fighting Sioux Athletics.  We've got a great alumni base out here.

Anyway, another day another trip to Texas announced.  Our men's basketball program is playing at Texas A&M in January - what a great job Brian Jones and staff did putting together this schedule in the first year of Division I. 

Fighting Sioux Club members I hope you can join us for the Fighting Sioux Club Home Opener on Thursday August 21st from 5-7pm for a preseason party.  Just click on Fighting Sioux Club Events for more details.  Have a great weekend!

Josh Morton

Fighting Sioux Club Director

joshm@undfoundation.org 

Thursday August 7th, 2008

Get ready to book your trip to Lubbock, Texas!  Great news for UND Football opening the season in 2009 at Texas Tech.  Playing a Big 12 school in just our second transition year is terrific, especially as the football program expands its recruiting base.  To have a presence in the state of Texas will be huge.....stay tuned for more exciting schedule news from another program soon.

We're off to Denver today for the first annual Denver Alumni Chapter golf tournament.  We've got about 90 golfers signed up for Saturday morning.  All thanks to a volunteer alumni group in Denver that has wanted to put this tournament on for awhile.  They are determined to raise money for UND Athletics. 

By the way the countdown to kickoff is now at 4 weeks!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday August 1st, 2008 10:44 am

Had a great finish to our Sioux-Per Swings last Thursday in Detroit Lakes.  Check out the pictures at http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1545754

So we're now less than four weeks to kickoff of Division I football and the players report for camp on Sunday.  Practice starts on Monday at Memorial Stadium for Chris Mussman.  Amazing how fast the summer goes and it's now essentially over for our football coaches. 

Fighting Sioux Club members save the date - Thursday August 21st 5-7pm - we're calling it the Fighting Sioux Club Home Opener at Playmaker's Gaming Lounge at the Canad Inns.  It's a preseason party open to all FSC members.  If we have your email address you'll get an invitation in your inbox next week.  Have a great weekend!

Josh

Joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday July 22nd, 2008 10:13am

Another great summer day in Grand Forks, but the weather forecast looks a little scary for our last SiouxPer Swing event in  Detroit Lakes Thursday.  As mentioned below we've had some great golf tournaments so far:

Fargo Oxbow CC - Over 115 golfers and sunny skies.  The highlight of the day may have been the Alumni Association's Amanda Hvidsten winning the long drive contest. 

Grand Forks GFCC - Huge turnout at the Country Club on a hot day July 10th.  WDAZ provided the burgers before tee off and Clear Channel cooked the brats on the course.  Had a great time and had some good help from our student athletes throughout the day.  Nobody won the hole in one prizes, a new car from Rydell and a new set of clubs from the Golf Center.

Bismarck Hawktree GC - What a gorgeous golf course and we were lucky the wind wasn't blowing hard.  Had a good number of golfers in an area where honestly, we need to do a better job of getting out. 

Thursday July 17th, 2008 11:48 am

Wow, it's been awhile!  It was nice to get an email last night from an OLD teammate (Erik Swenson in the Twin Cities) who mentioned he wasn't fond of my picture on the web site so now I get to call him out.  Anyway, it's been a great month around here.  We'll finish up our Sioux-Per Swing tour a week from today in Detroit Lakes.  I'll give a quick recap of the tournaments so far later on....

Thursday June 12th, 2008 2:28pm Park River, ND

Blogging from Park River today, site of the first SiouxPer Swing of the year.  After the last few days we're feeling lucky about the weather.  Another great turnout in the North Valley 100 golfers teed it up at 11:30 this morning.  Here's a list of head coaches who are here:  Dave Hakstol, Gene Roebuck, Brian Jones, Chris Mussman, and AD Brian Faison is on his way to the course as I write.  The Golf gods are smiling on Park River - then it's on to Fargo on Monday for another big turnout....stay tuned.

Josh

 

Thursday June 5th,  2008 2:40pm

Have you checked out the Women's Basketball schedule for 08-09?  Wow, it's impressive what Coach Roebuck and his staff have put together.  We're at such a disadvantage in the first year of the transition to Division I because we're a noncounter so a lot of Division I teams don't want to play us because we don't help their RPI.  The schedule isn't just impressive because of the teams that are on it, but we've got 2 Division I schools coming to play at the Betty.  You can check out the printable schedule here:

http://www.fightingsioux.com/downloads1/42591.pdf?ATCLID=1477838&SPSID=58572&SPID=6389&DB_OEM_ID=13500

Only one week until the first Siouxper Swing of the year in Park River, if you don't golf we'd still love to have you join us for dinner.  Dave Hakstol, Brian Jones, Gene Roebuck, and Chris Mussman will all be golfing and speaking at the dinner.  For more info go to www.undalumni.org

Have a great Thursday.

Josh

Wednesday May 21st, 2008 2:22pm

Good news on the academic front for our student athletes today.  Here are a few stats from the '07-'08 academic year for Fighting Sioux Athletics:

*all 18 teams had a team GPA above a 2.7

*63% of our student athletes had a GPA above a 3.0

*47 student athletes had a 4.0 in the spring semester

*the overall student athlete GPA for spring semester was 3.170

*average women's team GPA was 3.330

Impressive numbers as we make the move to Division I!

Questions or comments?  Call or email  Josh Morton 701-777-4216   joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday May 13th 2008, 1:30pm

You probably saw it on the front page, but we're having a special Sioux Booster lunch in Fargo tomorrow at noon at the Kelly Inn.  Brian Faison, Dave Hakstol, Chris Mussman, and Brian Jones are all heading south for the meeting. 

We're less than a month from the first Sioux-per Swing Golf Tournament in Park River, ND.  Click here for more info:

http://www.undalumni.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=745&srcid=183

We've set a goal this year to raise enough $$ through the 5 tournaments for 2 Impact Scholarships, or roughly $30,000.  It's a big goal, but with hole sponsorships available and playing spots open we're confident it can be reached.  We're trying to get everyone to "chip in" for the move to Division I.  Have a great Tuesday!

Josh

777-4216 joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday May 9th, 2008 8:50am

Fighting Sioux Club and season ticket renewals continue to come in and many of you continue to give generously to the MVP program.  We've got over $6,300 dollars so far in extra donations above the minimum membership level.  Greatly appreciated and as we make the move to Division I greatly needed.  Only 110 days until the football opener vs Texas A&M Kingsville!  Hope it won't snow that day.

Monday May 5th, 2008 3:36pm

Happy Cinqo de Mayo....feels more like the 5th of March but at least it's not snowing.  The deadline to renew your season tickets was Friday BUT you can still renew online or through the mail.  Any questions about tickets call the UND Box Office at 701-777-4689.  We've already gotten over $6,000 in MVP gifts from the renewals that have come in so far.  An MVP gift is a gift to the Fighting Sioux Club that's over and above the mimimum membership level and any gift to MVP is 100% tax deductible.  Don't worry if you already sent in your invoice because you can give an MVP gift throughout the year....if our members had "tipped" 15% on their membership last year with an MVP gift we would have raised another $250,000 for scholarships and other program needs for UND Athletics. 

Call or email with any questions - joshm@undfoundation.org    701-777-4216

Thursday May 1st, 2008 8:43am

Let the Brian Faison era begin!  Our new A.D. pulled into Grand Forks on Tuesday night after a long drive from Las Cruces, NM with his wife Donna.  His official start day is today, but he and Donna were at the Athletic Awards Banquet last night at the Union.  Another big night for Weston Dressler who took home 2 of the major awards.  You probably saw the headline on the front page of the website, but here's a link:  http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1455204

Today is also the deadline for season ticket renewals.....get your invoices in!  Any questions about tickets please call the ticket office at 777-4689 and questions about your Fighting Sioux Club membership call me at 777-4216.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday April 25th, 2008 9:09am

Gotta love it when winter comes back the last week of April.  I went to lunch yesterday at Eagle's Crest Grill at King's Walk Golf Course and there was one brave soul teeing off in the wind and cold.  That being said, the weather should be quite a bit nicer for our Sioux Per Swings listed below.  We're also going to do a golf tournament in Denver on August 9th.  Details to come soon, but if you live in the Denver area mark your calendars. 

Take a look at the Fighting Sioux Club section here on fightingsioux.com it's been updated with a photo album from the last few months and we've got more member profiles coming soon.  Less than a week until season ticket renewals are due - don't forget!  Fighting Sioux Club members who are non season ticket holders your renewal will go out next week. 

Have a great weekend!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday April 24th, 2008 9:29am

One week until the Brian Faison era begins for UND Athletics, our new A.D. starts next Thursday.  We're putting the finishing touches on the Sioux per Swing golf events for the summer.  Here are the dates and places:

June 12th - Park River (Hillcrest GC)

June 16th - Fargo (Oxbow CC)

July 10th -  Grand Forks (Grand Forks CC)

July 14th - Bismarck (Hawktree GC)

July 24th - Detroit Lakes (Detroit CC)

You can sign up online at:  http://www.undalumni.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=745&srcid=183

Friday April 18th, 2008 3:19pm

It is too nice of a day in Grand Forks to be inside and I'll bet Brian Faison was happy to fly in and see all the snow melted from the last time he was here in March.  Had the press conference this morning for our new A.D. and it went extremely well.  Brian doesn't just bring experience to the job here, he brings GOOD experience and handled the press conference with ease.  He's got a lot of fundraising experience so it will be great to sit down with him and see how we can do things better and see what ideas he's picked up over the years.  He'll be at the Spring Football Game Saturday at the Alerus Center starting at 11:15 in the concourse area so come by and say hi.  Have a great weekend and hope to see you all at the football game.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Thursday 2:04pm

Good news travels fast!  Brian Faison named the Athletic Director at UND today here is his bio:

Exciting news this afternoon from UND Athletics.  Brian Faison has been named our Athletic Director and comes to us from New Mexico State University.  He was the first candidate on campus last month.  Brian will be at the Spring Football Game on Saturday at the Alerus Center.  We’re having a meet and greet at the Alerus from 11:15 to 11:45 and the game starts at noon.

 

BRIAN FAISON BIO

 

Brian Faison brings more than 30 years of experience in athletic administration, fundraising, marketing and media relations to UND.  For the past 10 months, Faison has served as Special Assistant to the President and Major Gifts Officer for New Mexico State University.

 

Faison's experience in Division I administration was gained while serving as Director of Athletics at New Mexico State University (1999-2004), Director of Athletics for Indiana State University (1988-1995), Assistant Athletics Director at the University of Louisville (1984-1988) and Assistant Athletics Director for Illinois State University (1979-1984).

 

During his most recent tenure at New Mexico State, student-athletes set semester and academic year grade-point average records, 12 student-athletes earned Academic All-America honors, athletic teams won

16 outright and/or divisional championships, 10 head coaches were named conference coach of the year, and one coach was named national coach of the year.  In addition, annual giving, ticket and advertising revenues all set records.

 

Relative to UND̓s move to NCAA Division I status, Faison led the NMSU athletics program from the Big West Conference to the Sun Belt Conference and to NMSU's current conference home, the Western Athletic Conference.

 

Faison has helped to raise millions of dollars for the institutions and organizations he has served. His experience in fundraising and development comes via serving his most recent stint as Special Assistant to the President and Major Gifts Officer for NMSU as well as Assistant Vice President for Athletics Advancement (2004-2007).  Faison successfully lobbied the state legislature, securing $21.85 million in capital funding for athletic facility renovations and additions and he secured the largest single gift in the history of Aggie Athletics, $3 million. 

 

Prior to moving to Las Cruces, Fison served as Director of Development for the National Children's Cancer Society (1995-1999), Assistant Athletics Director for Development (and Executive Director of the Cardinal Athletic Fund) for the University of Louisville, Assistant Athletics Director for Promotions and Fund Raising (and Executive Director of the Redbird Club) for Illinois State University, Assistant Manager for Athletic Public Relations for the University of Missouri (1978-1979), and Assistant Director for Alumni Activities for the University of Missouri (1974-1978).

 

He received his bachelor's degree in 1972 from the Universityof Missouri and is a 1997 graduate of the National Planned Giving Institute.

 

Faison and his wife, Donna, have three sons: Jonathan, Matthew and Bradley.

 

UND's All-Time Athletic Directors

(Source: UND athletics records and "A Century of U.N.D. Sports, An Athletic History of the University of North Dakota")

* Walter Hempel, Jan. 1-June 30, 1903

* Dr. George J. Sweetland Jr., 1904-08

* Dr. David L. Dunlap, 1908-12

* Charles E. Armstrong, 1912-13

* Fred L. Thompson, 1913-18

* Paul Jones Davis, 1919-28

* Charles A. "Jack" West, 1928-46

* Glenn L. "Red" Jarrett, 1946-58

* Leonard R. "Len" Marti, 1958-76

* Dr. Carl R. Miller, 1976-85

* John F. "Gino" Gasparini, Oct. 4, 1985-June 30, 1990

* Dr. Terry Wanless, Nov. 1, 1990-June 30, 1999

* Roger Thomas, July 1, 1999-Feb. 18, 2005

* Tom Buning, July 1, 2005-2007.

 

Note: UND has had three interim athletic directors: Dr. M. Helen Smiley (May 15, 1988-Oct. 4, 1988), David C. Gunther (June 30, 1990-Oct. 31, 1990), and Phil Harmeson (Feb. 18, 2005-July 2005). Also, Lt. Charles S.

Farnsworth, 1894-1897, and Dr. Melvin A. Brannon, 1896-1903, both carried out administrative duties of an athletic director, but neither carried that title.

 

 

Thursday April 17th, 2008 9:47 am

Back in GF and hard to believe it's been a week since Sioux fans packed the place at Brooklyn's by the Pepsi Center in Denver.  Want to remind everyone about the spring football game Saturday at Noon at the Alerus Center, the first chance to see the Chris Mussman led Fighting Sioux. 

Hope to update soon on the AD search.  Stay tuned.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday April 12th, 2008 8:38 am MTN time

Hi from Denver where I'm hoping Sioux fans don't forget how hard it is to get to the Frozen Four.....let alone do it four years in a row.  Sometimes tough to remember that after such a tough loss on Thursday, but consider that Notre Dame had NEVER been here before. 

Our charter group will leave early tomorrow morning and we had a nice day around Denver yesterday.  It's been interesting to see how many fans from schools not in the Frozen Four are here in Denver.  Wisconsin seems to have the most people here, but you'll see Maine, UMD, Gopher, and other schools gear all over the place.  The green and white is very noticeable, too.  Our pregame party on Thursday was absolutely amazing.  I would guess we had 1,200 people packed into Brooklyn's Bar across from the Pepsi Center.  From students to older alums it was a sight to behold.  Our group will go to the championship game this afternoon, most seem to be pulling for Notre Dame.  They have the ND, they are Fighting Irish, and they play BC!  Have a great Saturday.....and don't forget a week from today the football spring game at the Alerus Center.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Thursday April 10th, 2008 7:59am

Gameday starts in Grand Forks.  We're sitting at the Grand Forks Airport waiting to board the charter to Denver, we had all passengers checked in.  We're ready to roll to the Frozen Four just hoping for no snow trouble in Denver.  So far so good on our end, I'll try to check in from Brooklyn's.

 

Josh

Wednesday April 9th, 2008 11:13am

Word is Denver is expecting a snow storm tomorrow and a high in the 30's....that's if you can believe Steve Brekke our Co-acting AD who flew to Denver with the team yesterday.  We'll see if he's a good weatherman.  Here's a link to the Boston Globe's coverage of the Frozen Four:

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_hockey/articles/2008/04/09/after_some_rough_patches_eagles_are_gliding_along/

Here's coverage of Michigan from the Detroit Free Press:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080406/SPORTS06/804060575/1054

Coverage of Notre Dame from the South Bend Tribune

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/SPORTS13/804080352/1021/Sports

Tuesday April 8th, 2008 1:54 pm

The hockey team should have arrived in Denver safe and sound by now, they'll get a practice in this afternoon in the Mile High City.  We figured out yesterday there are about 3,600 UND alums in the state of Colorado so we will have a huge turnout at our pregame party at Brooklyn's.  I had a nice conversation with a reporter from the Denver Post yesterday about what Fighting Sioux hockey means to our state, he's doing a story for Thursday's paper. 

For those of you on the fan charter Thursday see below for travel details.  We will have your game tickets on the charter with us.  For those of you planning on going to the pregame gathering on Thursday in Denver, we plan on having Dr. Kupchella and Dr. Kelley (incoming President) speak to the crowd. 

Back on the blog soon.....

Josh

Saturday April 5th, 2008 9:27 am

Here's the latest info for those on our charter to Denver on Thursday:

Check in at Grand Forks Airport at 6:30am

Depart GFK 8:25 am

Normal flight rules apply - 2 checked bags per person and one carry-on and we'll go through the same security line as flying commercial.  Make sure you have picture ID at check in.  Any questions call me at 777-4216 or Nancy Nelson at 777-3678, I'm also available by email at joshm@undfoundation.org

Josh

Thursday April 3rd, 2008 11:52 am

About 29 hours away from the BC game!  We're hoping to have the itinerary for the charter finalized this afternoon so I can get that out to those of you who are on the airplane.  If you're not on the charter, but are going to Denver and want to stay in the same hotel we are at the Sheraton Four Points on East Hampden Ave.  303-758-7000.  Just checked the forecast for Denver and National Championship Saturday is supposed to be 61 degrees and sunny!

Had a great email conversation last week with a Fighting Sioux Club member serving in Iraq - check it out at:

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1431493

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Wednesday April 2nd, 2008 4:18pm

8 days until the National Semifinal with BC!  We have our charter filled up and ready to go thanks to all of you who put your request in on the list.  I wish we had seats and enough game tickets for everyone.  If you didn't get on the charter or have questions about game tickets please call me, we had a very limited number to sell to Fighting Sioux Club members. 

Josh

Monday March 31st, 2008 2:41 pm

The phones have died down a bit, but still time to call to get on the request list for the charter. Remember if you want Frozen Four game tickets call the ticket office at 777-4689 to get on that list, but if you'd like to get on the list for the Fighting Sioux Club fan charter call me at 777-4216.  Getting on the list is NO GUARANTEE that you'll get tickets or get a seat on the charter.  We are compiling both request lists and will know Tuesday afternoon what our availibility is.  We are prioritizing by Fighting Sioux Club level, athletic giving history, and other criteria. 

We've had a great response so far.....

Josh

777-4216 joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Monday March 31st, 2008 10:53 am

The sweet sound of a telephone ring all through the office today - if you need charter and ticket info for the Frozen Four go to http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=1424636

Not much time to blog today, but we're trying to fill up our charter plane!

Josh

Sunday March 30th, 2008 9:16am

It's a quiet Sunday morning in downtown Madison, just sitting at the Fair Trade Coffeehouse reading the stories from the Regional yesterday.  No doubt Wisconsin fans are excited about hockey again, especially after the basketball teams upset on Friday night.  It's an overcast day so far, seems little warmer than yesterday. 

We'll be back at State Street Brats before the game tonight and we'll get going as soon as the Sioux fans start arriving which could be pretty soon!  As for those of you watching on TV - ESPNU is the only channel that will have the game.  Any sports bar will have it or if you have DirecTV you can watch as well. 

Madison's a great city to host a Regional from a fans perspective.  You can walk everywhere and there is plenty to do with a bar on every corner.  Only trouble is finding a downtown restaurant open early on Sunday for breakfast....apparently most of the students sleep in. 

Have a great Sunday.

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Saturday March 29th, 2008 10:07 pm

I know it's a little early on a Saturday night to be in the hotel downtown Madison, but I just left State Street to get ready for tomorrow.  What an interesting day in the Midwest Regional and it is sure to be an interesting Sunday.  After watching Wisconsin fans watch their basketball team get bounced from the NCAA Tournament they've now turned their attention to hockey and the upset over Denver tonight.  We had a great turnout today for our pregame gathering at State Street Brats, they had to go get some extra help to handle the number of UND fans who packed the place.  We'll be back there Sunday afternoon.

Overall it was a strange atmosphere in the Kohl Center today since there weren't a lot of people at the early game.  Sioux fans made their presence known, but in a building that seats 14,000 it seemed fairly empty.  Luckily, the Princeton band was there to add some "collegiate" atmosphere to a sterile, neutral environment.  That will change tomorrow night with Wisconsin fans filling up most of the seats.  Should be a fun night - Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Friday March 28th, 2008 9:39 am

Blogging from Madison, WI after a chilly walk around State Street this morning.  I have to admit we had a tough job last night checking out our pregame gathering spot to see if it was suitable for all the Fighting Sioux fans who will be here for the Regional.  I'm happy to report that State Street Brats will be a fine place to get together on Saturday before the 2pm game vs Princeton.  It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it last night.  State Street is a unique environment when the sun goes down!

Also pretty unique that both us and Princeton are staying in the same downtown hotel.  We're within walking distance of the Kohl Center.  All the attention here is on the Badger basketball team playing in the Sweet 16 tonight in Detroit against Davidson. 

I'll try to check in later today, looking forward to visiting some UND Alums who live in the area today.

Josh

Thursday March 27th, 2008 3:15pm

About to leave for the airport for the trip to Madison, it's looking like there will be a lot of UND fans in the Kohl Center.  Madison should be an interesting place this weekend with the Badgers playing in the Sweet 16 basketball and the hockey regionals. 

Keep your eyes on fightingsioux.com for a really cool interview with a Fighting Sioux Club member from Seattle who is serving our country in Iraq.  Pete Klokstad still keeps tabs on the hockey team, we'll have that story up on the web soon. 

I'll try to update from Madison - in the meantime feel free to call or email anytime:  joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Josh

 

Tuesday March 25th, 2008 4:16pm

We have found our gathering spot for Madison this weekend!  State Street Brats is only a few blocks from the Kohl Center and Sioux fans can hang together on the 2nd floor before and after the Regional game vs Princeton Saturday.  Here's the link to their website:

www.statestreetbrats.com

Those who are going to the games in Madison can pick up your tickets at the Ralph starting Wednesday at 10am and have until 6pm Wednesday.  After that they will be available on Saturday at the Kohl Center in the lobby under the North Dakota table.  Any questions please call me 701-777-4216 or email joshm@undfoundation.org

Josh

 

 

Sunday March 23rd, 2008 11:03 am

Happy Easter and see ya in Madison!  UND gets the #1 seed in the Midwest region and the Fighting Sioux will face Princeton in the NCAA Regional Semifinal Saturday at 3pm in Madison.  A clash of two Ivy League type schools, I like to think of UND as the Harvard of the Great Plains....anyway if you're interested in tickets for the Madison regional either call or email tickets@theralph.com or call 701-777-4689.  We're looking for a place to have Sioux fans gather that's close to the Kohl Center so if anyone has any suggestions please email me.  joshm@undfoundation.org

If you'd like to know more about Princeton here's a link to their website:

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/

Go Sioux - enjoy the rest of Easter Sunday.

 

Josh

Friday March 21st, 2008 9:21 am

On the blog from the Twin Cities where the snow continues to fall. Had a slippery walk to Starbucks this morning, but looking forward to the pregame party at noon.  We stopped by one St. Paul hotel yesterday afternoon and things were already getting revved up with Sioux flags hanging in windows....kind of glad I wasn't staying there since it appeared things may get a little rowdy.

Gotta get going to set up for the pregame party - Go Sioux!

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

Tuesday March 18th, 2008 9:36am

Had a busy day yesterday getting Final Five tickets squared away, the ticket office started calling those who get them last night.  If you don't get tickets through us don't worry, you can always find tickets in St. Paul. 

Our 2nd AD candidate finishes up his interview today, Tom Sadler and his wife Shellie are in Grand Forks from Phoenix.  Here's the Grand Forks Herald story about Tom from today's paper:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=70945§ion=Sports

It would be great to see more of the public at the public forums each candidate is having.  The next will be Tuesday at 5:30 at the Alerus Center. 

Josh

joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Monday March 17th, 2008 8:41 am

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Last night at the Ralph was a nice way to start the week, the win over Michigan Tech gave us some of the most intense, exciting last 10 minutes of hockey we've seen in awhile.  Great to see the students weren't too busy studying on a Sunday night to make their presence known against the Huskies.  We've been getting Final Five ticket requests for the last month now we can finally talk about it....here's the deal for tickets:

Starting today the ticket office will begin calling those who get tickets (Fighting Sioux Club members get first priority depending on their membership level starting with Diamond Club members).  The tickets available through UND are for all sessions, not just single game tickets.  Feel free to call or email with any questions, but the clock is ticking!

If you do go to the games make sure to come to the UND Pregame Party sponsored by the Fighting Sioux Club, the UND Alumni Assoc., and Sioux Crew.  The party Friday starts at Noon at the Historic Hamm Building next door to Great Waters Brewing Co.

408 St. Peter Street, St. Paul (just look for the green and white balloons!)

Cost:  $10 general admission includes food

          $ 5 for Sioux Crew members

         No RSVP necessary, payment taken at door cash bar available

We have our 2nd AD candidate in town today for his interview.  Tom Sadler is in private business in Phoenix, I'm anxious to listen to him in a meeting here shortly. 

Josh   joshm@undfoundation.org

 

Thursday March 13th, 2008 11:36 am

Gotta love the hockey tradition of growing facial hair for the playoffs.  Cool story by Brad Schlossman of the Herald today about the Sioux players going with the 'stache.  Check it out here:

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=70434§ion=sports

Thursday March 13th, 2008

Day 1 of the process starts today, the first candidate for the Athletic Director job is in town.  Brian Faison has meetings set up all day today and most of the day tomorrow on campus.  His public forum starts at 5:30 at the Oriole Room at the Alerus Center today.  Looking forward to seeing the five candidates in person the next few weeks.  Mr. Faison is in from New Mexico State where he's a major gift officer in the President's Office at NMSU.  He's a former AD at NMSU and Indiana State University. 

An update on the charitable gaming at Playmaker's Lounge at the CanadInn.  Don't forget that proceeds benefit the Fighting Sioux Club.  Playmakers is the lounge area at the rear of the hotel when you walk in the front doors just head straight back.  Don't forget to double down for scholarships!!!!

Josh

Monday March 10th, 2008

Parking on campus just got back to reality.  The students are back after spring break and now it's all postseason all the time for Men's Hockey and Women's Bsketball.  Amazing to think how long the college hockey season lasts....starting in October and for four teams lasting until April 12th. 

Not all about the winter sports though...the Women's Golf team just got back from Arizona where they had some practice rounds under the sun.  The Football team wasn't so lucky this morning they started off their post spring break week with the first morning run this morning at the Hyslop.  Would have been a rough way to start the week,  but spring practice is only 3 weeks away......assuming spring eventually comes. 

Current Fighting Sioux Club members watch your mailbox in the next week as renewals for tickets and for your membership go out very soon.  You'll notice some changes designed in order to make your membership experience better.  I'm happy to report there WON'T be a change in dollar amounts for the membership levels.  As we make the move to Division I in all sports we need to grow our Fighting Sioux Club membership so if you know of anyone who'd like to join please call or email.   joshm@undfoundation.org

701-777-4216 

Josh

Have a great Monday!

 

Tuesday March 4th, 2008

Did you catch USA Today today?  Good story about Michigan's hockey arena and their coach has an interesting quote about the Ralph.  Here's the link:  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/hockey/2008-03-03-yost-focus_N.htm

Make sure to check out the Fighting Sioux Club members page here on fightingsioux.com it's finally been updated for the 2007-08 membership year.  Apologies for taking so long, but we wanted to make sure it was right.  Hope to see you at the NCC basketball tournament game Wednesday night.  By the way keep an eye on the Men's team down at USD, hopefully they can take their momentum down I-29 against the Coyotes.

Josh

joshm@undalumni.net

701-777-4216

Friday February 29th, 2008

Why do we have an extra day in February?  I'm open to an extra day in June or July, but when it's 15 degrees with blowing snow - why prolong winter?  Just a thought as we get ready for the final regular season basketball games tomorrow.  Fighting Sioux Club members don't forget our pregame party open to all members at 1pm in the Betty.  Subs and chips and we won't run out of food!  Good day to be at Sioux Boosters today as both basketball programs had their seniors speak.  You can check it out for yourself on the fightingsioux.com homepage.  It was great to see a different side of Gene Roebuck, you can tell how much he cares about his players when he talks about them.  He's fired up for the postseason.....which will run through Vermillion, SD.  Brian Jones has 5 seniors playing their final game on Friday and for the first time in their careers Ervin Youmans and Emmanuel Little will have their families in the stands in Grand Forks.  Both transferred into UND and have family in town from Chicago and New Mexico.

FSC members check your inbox next week for your Fighting Sioux Club email update, until then see you Saturday at 1pm!

Josh

joshm@undalumni.net

701-777-4216

 

Wednesday February 27th, 2008

I wonder who was blogging back in 1883 - Happy 125th birthday UND!  5 bucks to anyone who can spell or even pronounce the 125th celebration....some sort of centennial that starts with a Q.  Here's a link to the special website set up by UND regarding the birthday.  http://www.cmuchippewas.com/pdf3/108414.pdf?ATCLID=1384686&SPSID=46397&SPID=4203&DB_OEM_ID=10500

As for a group of 20 somethings and younger, what an afternoon on Tuesday celebrating the scholar athletes at UND.  It was a chance Tuesday to recognize those who have been classroom champions.  141 student athletes had a GPA from 3.0 - 3.99 during the spring or fall semester of 2007.  18 had a perfect 4.0 during that same time.  When we talk about Championships start with Scholarships we're talking about these numbers.  I've been around a lot of different athletic programs and these numbers are truly impressive. 

Please call or email with any questions or comments - joshm@undalumni.net   701-777-4216 and you can check us out on Facebook and become a "fan" of the Fighting Sioux Club. 

 

Tuesday February 26th, 2008

Back from Arizona and ready for postseason sports.  Not to think too far ahead BUT with only 2 regular season Men's Hockey series left and one basketball regular season game, it's fun to think about the excitement of March.  Women's hockey gets things going this weekend in the WCHA Playoffs.  You've gotta feel for the Women's Swim Team who finished in 2nd place at the NCC Swim and Diving Meet by 1.5 points.  The men did win the NCC.....again. 

We're having our final pregame party for basketball this Saturday starting at 1pm before the MN Duluth games.  It's open to all levels of the Fighting Sioux Club.  We had a great turnout for our hockey pregame party on February 16th and next year we'd like to do more for our hockey members.  Pictures of that event can be found on our Facebook page later today....

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand-Forks-ND/Fighting-Sioux-Club/6768309957

I have to share a story that I told to the group during that event on Feb 16th.  The night before I took a group of kids down to the lockerroom to meet the players.  The kids were in awe of the whole setting and the team, but got every player to autograph what they had.  Or at least they thought they got everybody until we were about ready to leave when Ryan Duncan came into the lockerroom.  The kids stared at him, afraid to say anything to him.  They hadn't gotten his autograph yet and as they stood there speechless Ryan came over introduced himself and asked if he could add his signature.  Impressive for a college aged student athlete to realize how much that meant to the kids.  It goes right along with our slogan of the Fighting Sioux Club Championships start with Scholarships and we're talking about championships on the field of play, in the classroom, and proof that night in the community as well.

Tuesday February 19th, 2008

Not to complain, but it's a little warm today.  I mean 75 degrees and sunny is nice, but I prefer 70.  Didn't mean to rub it in, but Steve Brekke and I are in Arizona this week.  I talked to my wife this morning who informed me Grand Forks may get record lows and as the group we had lunch with today said, "when they are setting record cold temps in Grand Forks, it's really cold."  That group was 5 former student athletes at UND who are retired and living down here and try to stay as close as they can with UND.  It's always nice to keep everyone informed with everything going on with UND athletics.  In fact this afternoon we're going to see a Dr. who flies to most Sioux hockey games home and away, he's as passionate about UND hockey as anyone.  Lucky for him he gets to come back to the sunshine every week. 

Oh, back to the weather.  You know it's supposed to rain here tomorrow?  What a bummer since it's our golf day here in the desert....and the worst part about our Monday?  We only got 7 holes in before we had to leave Tucson.  Have a great Tuesday!

As always call or email anytime  701-777-4216  joshm@undalumni.net

Monday February 11th, 2008

Monday of Valentine's week time to think about gifts for your significant other....what better place to shop than the Sioux Shop.  Yes, they do have jewelry!  Also a good week to think about what we LOVE about Fighting Sioux athletics.  Easy to love 2 winter sports teams ranked as some of the best in the country.  Men's Hockey was in the top 3 in the polls last week, Women's Basketball always near the top as well.  This may be a stretch but you've also got to love the signs of spring on campus - baseball and softball have started practice and the softball team has already played games!  Not outside and not in North Dakota.  Keeping with the weather theme (sorry I'm still getting used to the cold again) it was ironic to watch the PGA Tour over the weekend in northern California at Pebble Beach and as they kept showing the beautiful weather and scenery on the coast and talking about how great the weather had been......the blizzard warning - wind chill advisory icon kept popping up in the corner of the tv screen.  Ouch.

Looking forward to Sioux Boosters in Fargo on Tuesday.  Don't forget our big Hockey Pregame Party Saturday night at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center starts at 5pm.  It's open to all members of the Fighting Sioux Club.  As always call or email anytime joshm@undalumni.net  701-777-4216.

Friday February 8th, 2008

Been a busy week around here and it was capped off Thursday when Dr. Robert O. Kelley accepted the President's job.  Very much looking forward to working with him (more in a minute).  We also had football Signing Day on Wednesday and I capitalize it for a reason, it was a good day for the future of Fighting Sioux Football. 

Back to Dr. Kelley and one point sticks out from his public forum on campus in January.  He was asked about a symphony orchestra on campus and his answer was something to the effect that he'd like to be excellent in everything we do at UND whether it's getting a standing ovation for a great orchestral performance or beating North Dakota State as a Division I football program.  He'll be a great leader in our move to Division I.  Not sure how many of you got to see his public forum, but he was awfully impressive.  He'll be active in our search for an Athletic Director, too.

Don't forget Fighting Sioux Club is on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand-Forks-ND/Fighting-Sioux-Club/6768309957?ref=s

 

Tuesday February 5th, 2008

What an interesting weekend for Sioux sports, huh?  I was at the Gopher hockey game on Friday night and that game winning goal was amazing to see in person.  The bad part about being there is you don't get to see the replay so while it was great to see it live, you were kind of left wondering how it happened.  It was my first time in Mariucci Arena and it was enjoyable.  We tried to find a place to get something to eat before the game, but everywhere around the arena was packed with Sioux, Gopher, and Iowa fans.  Minnesota was wrestling Iowa at Williams Arena on Friday night and I have to say that Iowa wrestling fans travel pretty well.  We ended up at Stub and Herb's wall to wall with people.  Watched the game on TV Saturday night, but I have to admit I didn't see the obscene gesture.  I think Coach Hakstol and the university have said all that can be said on the subject, but if you know Dave Hakstol I think it's safe to say it was very out of character for him. 

I've gotten a few emails regarding our social last Thursday night between the basketball games.  We ran out of pizza rather quickly and for that I apologize.  It was my fault for not ordering enough food.  As we evaluate our events we have to remember the purpose of the Fighting Sioux Club....Championships start with Scholarships.....and we need to find the right balance between making sure our members feel like they get appropriate benefits and making sure we give our student athletes everything they need to win championships.

As always feel free to call or email and don't forget you can find us on Facebook.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand-Forks-ND/Fighting-Sioux-Club/6768309957?ref=s

777-4216  joshm@undalumni.net

Monday January 28th, 2008

A downright balmy day today in Grand Forks, but if you believe the weather folks trouble is brewing for tonight.  Interesting story in the Fargo Forum today http://www.in-forum.com/Sports/articles/178780 shows that the UND Football Coaches Show is the most watched coaches show in the Fargo Moorhead TV market.  An average of 28,000 viewers tuned in during the sweeps month of November.  The NDSU basketball coaches show got 17,000 viewers on average last February.   No word on the NDSU football coaches show, but it certainly shows the interest in the Fighting Sioux!  The truth is I was in the tv business for 11 years and still can't really explain the Nielsen Ratings to you.

Tuesday January 22nd, 2008

Back on campus after the MLK holiday and it's a shame when -1 degree feels rather nice compared to last week.  Had a great turnout on Saturday for our pregame party at the Betty.  Great to see all the members who came out to support the basketball teams.  Our next basketball social will be Thursday January 31st between the men's and women's games vs Mankato. 

Just got word from the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame that they'll add 2 UND grads to the Hall this summer.  Jim Kleinsasser and Dewey King will be inducted June 21st in Jamestown.  Kleinsasser, of course, still plays for the Minnesota Vikings and King graduated in 1950.  He played football for the Sioux before going on to a distinguished coaching career at Michigan State, Rutgers, and San Jose State among others. 

It's been a good week for UND alums - Phil Jackson passed his college coach Bill Fitch for 6th on the all time wins list in NBA history. 

Don't forget the Fighting Sioux Club is now on Facebook.  Just follow the link:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand-Forks-ND/Fighting-Sioux-Club/6768309957

 

Friday January 18th, 2008

What a beautiful day outside.  I'm sitting at my desk trying to figure out how to use a space heater without setting the Stone House on fire.  In the meantime I'd like to remind all Fighting Sioux Club members about our first pregame party before the basketball games tomorrow.  Doors open at 1pm gametime is 2:30 so come enjoy complimentary food and a cash bar.  All levels of the Fighting Sioux Club are invited, just bring your card.

There's a fan bus going to Duluth for the Men's Hockey series.  The Sioux-Per Fans are heading to Duluth on Saturday morning March 1st and come back Sunday March 2nd after the game.  Rooms have been reserved at the Holiday Inn at $76.00 plus tax for Saturday night.  The cost for the bus trip is $102.00 per person this includes bus fare and game tickets.  If you're interested call Gerri Solberg at 218-791-9123.

If you happen to drive by the Stone House on University Avenue this weekend, just make sure my space heater is unplugged.

 

Tuesday January 15th, 2008

Had a chance to speak to the North Dakota Society of CPA's this afternoon, always makes me a little scared to be in front of that many accountants.  I was a communications major so there wasn't a lot of math involved in my years at UND.  While most of us were sleeping last night it was quite a night for UND basketball.  Phil Jackson passed his college coach at UND, Bill Fitch, for 6th on the all time wins list in NBA history.  Here's a recap of the win over the Sonics -

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280114025

Stay warm and don't forget our first Fighting Sioux Club basketball pregame social is this Saturday at 1pm at the Betty - members only get free food and a cash bar.

As always feel free to call or email anytime:  joshm@undalumni.net   777-4216

Monday January 14th, 2008

Still extremely cheerful today even though my reign as Marilyn Hagerty's Cheerful Person of the Week (see below) is over. 

Found an interesting story in USA Today about the changing face and now changing geography of Division II.  Here's the link: 

 http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-01-14-ncaa-notes-division-II_N.htm?csp=34

Friday January 11th, 2008

I hate to tell you that there are a lot of jealous people in the UND Alumni Association and Foundation today.  Happy to report I took home the highest honor given on Friday's in Grand Forks.......Marilyn Hagerty's Cheerful Person of the Week!

http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=63387§ion=homepage

I look forward to Sioux Boosters today so I can take some shots from those not so lucky. 

 

Tuesday January 8th, 2008

On the blog in Fargo today.  Had our monthly Fargo Sioux Boosters meeting at the Kelly Inn and had another great turnout.  Coach Mussman brought assistant football coaches Mannaussau (sorry Mike if I spelled your last name wrong, I"m sure I did) and Jason Wagner.  He had a great message and did a great job in front of the Fargo fans.  Dane Jackson also spoke on behalf of Men's Hockey, Brian Jones for Men's Basketball, and Maria Lewis for Women's Hockey.  The question of the day for Coach Mussman was about growing a mustache ala Coach Lennon.  The answer.....an emphatic no.  He also shared the story about Coach Lennon getting the phone call of the job offer on Christmas Eve while Dale was at Coach Mussman's house.  The coaches just got back from a long recruiting trip tying up the commitments they already had, sounds like things are rolling right along. 

Don't forget to check out the Fighting Sioux Club on Facebook.   As always please give me a call or shoot me an email if you have any questions or comments.  701-777-4216   joshm@undalumni.net

Monday January 7th, 2008

7 days into the new year and I still wrote 2007 before correcting myself.  Pretty exciting start to 2008 for Sioux athletics with Friday's announcement of Chris Mussman as Head Football Coach.  I know the coaches are feeling great about recruiting so far and no doubt this will help keep the ball rolling.  As far as recruiting goes I know a lot of people were probably wondering if the 5 year transition would hurt since we aren't eligible for the postseason until the 5 years are up.  What they're finding on the recruiting trail is that there are a lot of student athletes who want to play Division I football and want to be a part of something special.  We'll see the list of signees in about a month. 

Speaking of signing day....in my "previous life" as a tv sportscaster Football Signing Day was one of my favorite days of the year when I was working in Charleston, SC.  College football is a religion down south and signing day is a huge deal at all the high schools.  There's nothing better than seeing the faces of proud moms and dads whose sons are going to college - expenses paid.  I know there'll be some happy parent in the upper midwest come February.

Just a reminder the Fighting Sioux Club Facebook page is up and running.....if you have a page on Facebook make sure you follow this link to become a "fan" of the Fighting Sioux Club.  http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6768309957&ref=ts

Monday December 31st, 2007

The last time to write for 2007....just put a Fighting Sioux Club page on Facebook.com follow the link and become a "fan"

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=6768309957

Have a safe and Happy New Year's Eve and remember 2008 is the year of the Fighting Sioux!

Friday December 28th, 2007

At least he gets to play the Bison again.  Dale Lennon makes it official today, resigning as UND Head Football Coach.  I think Sioux fans should feel lucky he stuck around this long.  The mark of a good coach or any other profession really is to leave something better than how you found it and Coach Lennon certainly did.  He was the defensive coordinator at UND when I played here in the mid 90's and you can't find a player who didn't have the utmost respect for him as a coach and as a person.  It's part of the coaching profession that coaches move on, we're just lucky it hasn't happened around here as much as other places. 

The public is welcome to a reception for the Lennon's hosted by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation Saturday from 2-4pm at Ralph Engelstad Arena. 

As for the Bison thing.....the school where Lennon is about to be introduced as head coach opens their conference season in Fargo against NDSU. 

As always feel free to call or email  joshm@undalumni.net    701-777-4216

Thursday December 20th, 2007

A college campus is a quiet place 5 days before Christmas, certainly easier to find a parking space these days.  Here is a link to the story in the Fargo Forum today about the charitable gaming.

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=186654§ion=news

 

Monday December 17th, 2007

A New Way to Give to the Fighting Sioux Club! 

It's a rather unique way to donate to the FSC, starting Wednesday at the Canad Inns Playmaker's Gaming Lounge.  The Plains Art Museum of Fargo will start charitable gaming operations there December 19th and a portion of the proceeds will go to scholarships for UND student athletes.  This is an exciting new venture for us and will lead to new scholarship opportunities which are essential in our move to Divison I. 

Plains Art Museum has been doing charitable gaming for more than 25 years and is committed to gaming with the highest standards.  We're excited about the possibilities for the Fighting Sioux Club. 

Monday December 3rd, 2007

Still in Denver visiting with Alumni in the area and I'm sorry to tell you it's going to be over 50 degrees today......about 60 tomorrow.  It's been a great 5 days out here to see the passion of the UND alums who live here, it's a mix of young alumni and those who remember when we played hockey in the quanset hut! 

For Sioux fans who live in the Grand Forks area don't forget about the Dave Hakstol radio show live from the Canad Inn on Wednesday from 12 to 12:45.  There is a $7.40 lunch special and it's a great chance to ask Coach Hakstol some questions. Have a great Monday! 

Sunday December 2nd, 2007

Greetings from Denver, home to some happy Sioux fans after last night's hockey win.  It was amazing to see all the green and black in the crowd at Magness Arena Friday and Saturday night.  They couldn't even show Denver's head coach on the video board without seeing Sioux fans sitting right behind him!  We had a great pregame party at the Embassy Suites yesterday and believe it or not an impromptu postgame party here as well.  I felt a little bad calling home and telling everyone it was nearly 50 degrees and sunny in the afternoon, just hope the hockey team can fly back into Fargo today with all the snow.  Only 5 days till the Gopher series!

Wednesday November 28th, 2007

Back on the blog, but soon to be heading west.  I'll bring you some updates from Denver with the hockey team's big weekend series with Denver University.  We're having a pregame party on Saturday night and expecting about 300 UND Alumni and friends to get ready for the Pioneers.  Looking forward to leaving winter in Grand Forks, what happened to global warming?

Wednesday Novemer 21st, 2007

Good news for fans in the Fargo-Moorhead area.  Cableone is picking up the playoff football game at Grand Valley and it will be on Channel 44, they also told me the Friday night hockey game vs UMD will be on as well.

Here's some info on a pregame gathering spot for Saturday in Allendale, Michigan before the football game with Grand Valley State.

Fighting Sioux Fan Social 10am - 12pm Eastern time

Main St. Pub located on the corner of the Lake Michigan Dr and 48th Ave in Allendale

5 minutes away from Lubbers Stadium

Cost:  Free option to buy food and beverage

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Tuesday November 20th, 2007

An update on the charter situation for the trip to Grand Valley State.  There are seats available on the football team charter, but arrangements have to be made this afternoon!  Cost is $500 and that ONLY includes the flight there and back after the game.  Hotel, transportation, and game tickets have to be found on your own.  You can call me at 777-4216 or Heather at the REA at 777-4689.

Go Sioux!

Monday November 19th, 2007

"Their kids get recruited there to win national championships.  I'm sure they are planning on coming here and beating us."  That from Grand Valley State Head Coach Chuck Martin who calls the Sioux football program a mirror image of his own when it comes to quality coaching, great players, and a tradition of excellence.  No surprise that the Sioux will face GVSU again and we've been getting some calls about going out to Michigan for the game.  I'll keep you updated likely on Tuesday as to the possibilities, but feel free to call with any questions.  If you want to keep up with the Lakers this week here's the link to the Grand Rapids newspaper:  http://www.mlive.com/lakers .  You'll see a lot of mutual respect between the two programs. 

Friday November 16th, 2007

A day away from postseason football.  Still time to get your tickets for the Winona State game just stop by the box office at the REA or online through www.ticketmaster.com or just call 777-4689.  A special day tomorrow for Michael Greenwood the former Sioux football player will be given his award for winning an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.  He was the male student athlete of the year in the North Central Conference last year and is a first year student at UND's Med School.  He's going to stop by the Fighting Sioux Club pregame tailgate tent Saturday to talk a little about what his scholarship meant to him as a student athlete at UND. 

We'll see you at the tent starting at 11am.  Go Sioux and don't forget Sioux Boosters at the Alerus Center today at noon.

Wednesday November 14th, 2007

College life is all about opportunities and for Sioux sports fans it's the same deal.  Only so many opportunities to watch your favorite sport and Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center it's likely the last opportunity to see Sioux football as a Division II program.  Tickets are still available and season ticket holders have until tonight at 6pm to reserve their season tickets.  There is a chance they could still get those tickets tomorrow, but they will be released to the public after tonight. I goofed in a few emails I sent out to Fighting Sioux Club members this week....youth tickets are $10!!!!

Had a good meeting at the Fargo Sioux Boosters Tuesday.  Coach Hakstol, Moody, and Idalski updated the Fargo fans on their particular sport.  The two most popular questions?  The AD situation and the post game "incident" at Wisconsin on Saturday night.  The next Fargo Sioux Boosters meeting is December 11th, just a few days before the Division II National Football Championship game. 

As always please call or email with any questions or comments.  joshm@undalumni.net   777-4216

Sunday November 11th, 2007

It's now officially playoff week, could be the last time we host a Division II playoff game Saturday.  The Winona State tickets are on sale Monday morning, season ticket holders have until Wednesday at 6pm to get your reserved seats.  If you're wondering about Winona State's season here's the link to their website:  http://www.winona.edu/athletics/football/1568.htm

It's a big week for the basketball programs as well, the women host Metro State Friday night to officially start their season.  The men are on the road at Adams State.  Fans in Fargo don't forget Tuesday's Sioux Boosters Luncheon at the Kelly Inn at Main and I-29, it starts at noon. 

Feel free to call or email with any questions or comments.  joshm@undalumni.net   777-4216

Tuesday November 6th, 2007

Just got an email from South Dakota letting us know the football game this weekend from Vermillion will be available on webcast.  Here's the info I got today:

Home games for the University of South Dakota Coyotes are being Webcast live at DakotaCast.org. The pay-per-view option includes a low-cost monthly pass, in case a fan is only interested in a game or two, or a season pass that includes basketball, too.  To be prepared for this weekend’s action, the time to sign on for the service is now, by going to DakotaCast.org.

We should have a good number of Sioux fans making the trip for the final NCC game, at least judging by the ticket questions that have been coming in.  Here's the number for the USD Ticket Office which is open from 9-5 and is the only way to buy tickets.  605-677-5959 Adult tickets are $12 student tickets are $5.

 

Monday November 5th, 2007

Moderation is the key to survival on weekends like we just had.  Hockey, football, Women's hockey, soccer.....it was a marathon not a sprint.  After seeing a few hockey alums Saturday morning it was apparent that moderation was not in their vocabulary for the weekend.  The 60 years of hockey celebration was great, although I'm sure the coaches would have loved to give those guys 2 wins to remember. 

Sorry to those of you who had to sit and wait for the chili at the Fighting Sioux Club pregame tent on Saturday.  No excuses here just truly sorry there wasn't enough food from the get go.  As I said at the tent we will have a pregame tent IF we host a playoff game on November 17th.  Don't tell Coach Lennon that we're looking ahead, but we just want all the members to know the deal. 

As always if you have any questions or comments please call (701-777-4216) or email joshm@undalumni.net .

Thursday November 1st, 2007

Back on the blog after 3 days in Bismarck, met a lot of Sioux fans.  The picture you see is from the Microsoft flag football game between UND and NDSU alums.  Scroll down to see the game recap from the October 16th game. 

Another big weekend on campus so take your pick of sports to go watch.  It starts Friday afternoon when soccer hosts St. Cloud and ends Sunday afternoon when women's hockey hosts Minn Duluth.  You may see a lot of familiar faces walking around the Ralph Friday and Saturday night, the hockey program is celebrating 60 Years of Sioux Hockey.  Plenty of guys making their way back to Grand Forks for the Colorado College series. 

Hope to see plenty of you on Saturday for the Fighting Sioux Club Pre-game Tailgate.  Free food for all members.  Thanks to all those supporting the Sioux through the Fighting Sioux Club.  Any questions or comments please call or e-mail.  777-4216

joshm@undalumni.net

GO SIOUX!

Saturday October 27th, 2007

These are the days my wife just can't comprehend.  Here I sit 3:25 pm on Saturday listening to the Sioux football game on the radio, watching the Florida vs Georgia game on tv, and sitting here on the computer.  Impressive.  She doesn't understand why I would want to listen to a different game than the one I'm watching, but I think the real question is....why don't I have a 2nd tv going?  That must be answered soon.  Anyway, the Sioux have a comfortable 4th quarter lead over UMD in a fast moving football game.  The radio will stay on tonight for the hockey game, so will the television.  By the way the Gophers just went up 10-3 at Michigan.  2 schools beaten by FCS football programs....oh game over UND wins 31-14. 

As for more serious topics if you're like me you've had your share of friends ask about the settlement with the NCAA.  The news was a headline on ESPN.COM for most of the day on Friday.  I think it shows what can happen when two sides get together and talk.  Hopefully the same can be said moving forward.  It's a fairly popular story, if you do a google search of the subject at 123,000 stories come up. 

Wednesday October 24th, 2007

Just a day away from the exhibition basketball season starting at the Betty, the women's team hosts Winnipeg tomorrow night.  Looking at the basketball schedule for Fighting Sioux Club members we're going to change the social hour up a little bit.  We're looking at moving the FSC party to between the women's and men's games of some conference series.  Still looking at dates, but it will be after the first of the year.  As for hockey, we're also still looking at dates for a big pregame party in the Betty.  We'll keep you posted.

If you live in the North Valley don't forget Monday at noon at Duffy's Bar and Grill in Hoople, the North Valley Sioux Boosters are meeting.  Coach Lennon and Coach Jones are planning on being there.  Don't be surprised to see some familiar hockey faces around Grand Forks next weekend, Sioux hockey is celebrating 60 years of hockey and there are quite a few guys coming back for the Colorado College series.  

There are still a very limited number of hockey season tickets available so call or email for more info:  joshm@undalumni.net  777-4216.  Every donor to the Fighting Sioux Club counts whether you give $110, $1,000, or we'll even take a million!!!!  Thanks for supporting Sioux Athletics. 

Championships start with Scholarships

Monday October 22nd, 2007

Turns out I was dead wrong in the previous entry - the BC game started at 7 central time and apparently every other Sioux fan in Fargo knew it but me.  My wife and I went to watch the game while we were in Fargo at Buffalo Wild Wings and it was packed full of Sioux fans.  Green and white everywhere so you can imagine the groans when the power went out at the arena.  At least the Gophers vs CC game was still going on and the Gophers were losing so that was small consolation to the UND fans.

Mark your calendars for a week from today in Hoople.  The North Valley Sioux Boosters are meeting at noon at Duffy's Bar and Grill.  Coach Lennon and Coach Jones are going to be there to share their thoughts.   

The sports seasons are starting to come together this week, women's basketball hosts Winnipeg on Thursday night at 6pm.  Next Tuesday the men's and women's basketball programs are hosting Meet the Sioux with a Halloween theme at the Betty. 

Don't forget the Sioux Fun Bus to Duluth this weekend, here's the info again:  The bus will leave at 6:30am Saturday and arrive an hour before the game starts.  For more info contact Keith Ostlund at 701-314-8000. 

Any questions or comments please email joshm@undalumni.net   Have a great week and Go Sioux!

Friday October 19th, 2007

Just a few hours until face-off with Boston College on CSTV.  Remember the game is at 6 oclock central time, the Sioux picked a good time to be in Boston with Game 6 of the ALCS tomorrow night.  Plenty going on locally this weekend, too.  Women's hockey hosts Bemidji State tonight and Saturday, volleyball hosts St. Cloud St Saturday at 4pm, and soccer hosts UNO at 1pm Sunday. 

The next Fighting Sioux Club event will be 2 weeks from Saturday at the pre game tent before the football game vs St. Cloud State.

Any questions or comments please email joshm@undalumni.net  or call 777-4216

Championships Start With Scholarships

Wednesday October 17th, 2007

I hope plenty of you got the email I sent out yesterday, but I did get a bunch sent back because of wrong addresses.  If  you'd like to be included in future emails just send me an updated address.  joshm@undalumni.net  Here's a copy of what was in the email:

Greetings from the Fighting Sioux Club where Championships start with Scholarships!  There are just a few things I wanted to pass on to you this week.

 

• There are a limited number of hockey season tickets still available if you know of anyone who wants to watch the #1 team in the nation
• If  you can’t use your season tickets...don’t let your seats stay empty. Consider selling them or donating them.  Just go to:   https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/home.htmI?l=EN&team=und  and manage your season ticket account.  It’s also a great way to find single game tickets.  You can use this service for hockey, basketball, or football.
• The end of the year is a great time to make a year-end donation to support scholarships provided by the Fighting Sioux Club! Gifts of Stock are a great way to pay for your Fighting Sioux Club membership or add to your membership gift with additional support.  I’d love to visit with you more about available options

 

By the way the UND vs NDSU rivalry lives on....at least at Microsoft Fargo.  I spent most of the day Tuesday on the Microsoft campus for the 2nd Annual Plains Bowl flag football game between UND alums and NDSU alums (the players have to be Microsoft employees, although there was some controversy when a former NDSU WR was hired a week before the game.)  A cold drizzle couldn't stop former UND QBTony Stein from forcing the game into overtime with just 5 seconds left on the clock.  Unfortunately, the Bison alums won it in OT by 2 points.  I think next year Tony will have a 2 point conversion play in his hip pocket.  It was a fun afternoon to see all the green and white in Fargo and play for the Nickel Trophy....actually a wooden replica of the real thing that Bison fans haven't seen for quite some time.  A reminder that the hockey game on Friday vs Boston College is on CSTV so if you have Directv or access to a sports bar you're in luck. 

Monday October 15th, 2007

Back from a busy weekend of Sioux sports.  Tough loss for the football team, but a big win for hockey.  The two sports combined got about 25,000 fans together to watch the Sioux.  We had another good turnout at the Fighting Sioux Club tent on Saturday and we've got at least two more to go.  We've been getting plenty of phone calls about tickets for the hockey games this weekend in Boston so there must be a good number of UND fans making the trip.  Not a bad way to start the season playing the defending national champs then a week later taking on the national finalist.  There are still a limited number of hockey season tickets available so give me a call or email to join the Fighting Sioux Club. 

Any questions or comments please email joshm@undalumni.net  or call 777-4216

Championships Start With Scholarships

Friday October 12th, 2007

Just got back from Sioux Boosters at the Alerus Center, had another great turnout.  The hit of the lunch, aside from Coach Lennon and Coach Hakstol, was Donovan Alexander.  He's a starting CB for Sioux football and spoke about what UND has meant to him.  It's a great reminder for those who give to the Fighting Sioux Club that when we talk about scholarship money it's going to young people like Donovan. 

There is a Sioux-Per fan bus going to the Minn Duluth football game October 27th.  Cost is $50 per person and includes game ticket and bus ride.  The bus will leave at 6:30am and arrive an hour before the game starts.  For more info contact Keith Ostlund at 701-314-8000.

Hope to see everyone at the FSC pregame tent tomorrow at 11am.  Any questions or comments please email joshm@undalumni.net  or call 777-4216

Championships Start With Scholarships

Wednesday October 10th, 2007

Hello again getting closer to BIG GAMEDAY in Grand Forks.  Not many tickets left for the hockey game against Michigan State, but still time to get tickets for the football game with Omaha.  We had a great turnout Tuesday in Fargo for Sioux Boosters.  Dale Lennon, Cary Eades, Gene Roebuck, Ryan Moody, and Bryan Idalski came down to talk to the group.  The Sioux Boosters in Fargo meet the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Kelly Inn at I-29 and Main Ave. 

The Grand Forks Sioux Boosters are working on a fun bus trip to the Minnesota-Duluth football game October 27th....more info to come shortly. 

Thank you to the Grand Forks Lions Club for having me out to speak at the lunch today!  As always any questions or comments email at joshm@undalumni.net   or call 777-4216

CHAMPIONSHIPS START WITH SCHOLARSHIPS so join the Fighting Sioux Club today!

 

Monday October 8th, 2007

Couldn't ask for a bigger weekend in October for Sioux athletics.  Two top five teams in Division II football at 1pm then #1 UND vs #2 Michigan State in hockey at 7pm.  Tickets still available for both, but about 700 hockey tickets went on sale to the general public this morning.  There is still time to get hockey SEASON tickets, too.  Hurry and join the Fighting Sioux Club.

Any questions or comments?  Email joshm@undalumni.net

ps CHAMPIONSHIPS START WITH SCHOLARSHIPS so join the Fighting Sioux Club today

Saturday October 6th, 2007

Looking forward to Sunday's Exhibition Hockey game....by the way if you're not using your tickets for any hockey, basketball, or football game there's a great way to sell or donate them.  Go to the TICKETS section of fightingsioux.com and you can sell or buy available tickets for any home game on the schedule.  It's a great way for Sioux fans from all over to connect and make sure their tickets don't go to waste.  Don't forget Tuesday the Fargo Sioux Boosters Luncheon at the Kelly Inn at noon, expecting a good turnout from UND coaches. 

Thursday I had a chance to go to St. Cloud to meet Mike Trnka who runs the St. Cloud Sioux Boosters, a good group of Sioux fans who get together for home hockey games on satellite.  They've got a new place to meet this year the Ultimate Sports Bar and Grill in St. Cloud. 

See you Sunday and Go Sioux! 

Any questions or comments?  Email joshm@undalumni.net

ps CHAMPIONSHIPS START WITH SCHOLARSHIPS so join the Fighting Sioux Club today

Monday October 1st, 2007

Had a great time at the Fighting Sioux Club pregame tent on Homecoming Saturday, another good crowd on a