Zeroing in on Bethel (UUN #4-22)
Dear Getting-To-Be-Firmer Believers —
Sure hope all you readers enjoyed your bye week…it’s our hope that the coaches and team did as well. We suffered at least a couple non-serious injuries in the River Falls game and the word is all players may be back for this Saturday’s important tilt against those who have become our newest arch-rival for MIAC football supremacy — Bethel University; of course, it’s the coaches’ call who is well enough to play.
Several people, including a UUN columnist today in his remarks below, have remarked how impressed and grateful they are that the Johnnies are 2-0 over powerful teams. They and this writer thought it perhaps improbable for us to face two top-ranked teams and beat them both this early in the season, since we have traditionally been slow starters. Now — dare we think going 3-0? A win over Bethel would cap off an amazing start to this young season.
SJU Wide Receiver #7 Nick VanErp is congratulated by some joyous teammates after his touchdown reception against UW-River Falls.
St. John’s and Bethel each enjoyed a bye last week. It came at a good time for them— a time to rest, heal and prepare in depth for a crucial game for both teams. For SJU the emphasis no doubt has been to put two emotional, hard-fought games behind us and plan new schemes to contain a rugged Bethel squad and counter the Royals’ fierce defense. Running won’t get any easier against the beefy, quick line so let’s hope our coaching staff has developed some surprises to take pressure off quarterback Aaron Syverson.
For Bethel, the bye has been important for the once highly-ranked team to regroup after two tremendous shocks: first the loss of their outstanding senior quarterback, #9 Jaran Roste, who suffered a broken wrist on his non-throwing arm during the opening drive of the 2022 season opener against Pacific Lutheran, a game the Royals won handily with their second-string QB, junior #7 George Bolt; and second, a surprising 10-7 road loss to a lesser WIAC team, UW-Platteville. That defeat dropped the Royals from #11 down to #20 currently in the D3 rankings.
In a nutshell, without the 6’4”, 220 lb., fleet-footed beast, Jaran Roste, Bethel apparently isn’t much offensively against better teams; against Platteville (not what I’d describe as a top team) they only managed 86 yards on the ground and 76 in the air. With him, they are one of the more dangerous teams in Division III…he’s that good. Our main question is whether we’ll see him this Saturday, and if his casted wrist can handle the snaps. If so, the Johnnies will face the kind of passing-running challenges they did last season when they just narrowly beat the Royals twice, including the thrilling, “miracle” last-second finish for a 29-28 win in the 2021 MIAC championship game. Tell me the Royals aren’t out to avenge that crushing loss. But even if Roste’s not healed enough to play all of this upcoming game, he’ll be ready for another championship game in November, assuming both teams face each other again as we did last season.
Pictured making this awesome over-the-shoulder catch for a 41-yard gain against UW-River Falls, junior wide receiver #11 Jimmy Buck undoubtedly will be called on again during the Bethel game this Saturday.
Offensively, besides quarterbacks Roste and Bolt, players to watch are featured junior running back #47 Bryce Kunkel, and three talented sophomore receivers: #15 Micah Niewald; #26 Aaron Ellingson; and speedster #2 Joey Kidder who snagged some long ones against us last year. On defense you’ll hear the names of defensive backs senior #8 Matthew Feldick and sophomore #21 Nate Farm quite a bit. The Royals also have an accurate kicker sophomore #33 Hugo Cifuentes. As a whole, Bethel has a young team of sophomore and junior starters mostly hailing from Minnesota, yet has 28 out of 30 starters returning this year; they will be a force to be reckoned with in the years ahead.
Bethel’s handsome new field and stadium improvements are shown by this photo supplied by Max Stein ’04.
Make no mistake. This will be another hard-fought game in Bethel’s own, newly-improved stadium. Although Bethel only had 2,100 fans attend their only home game this season, expect a good crowd exceeding the 3,500 seating, many clad in red. If we can provide Aaron with enough protection to allow his passing game to develop, and if we can contain the highly mobile and tough-to-bring-down Roste, the Johnnies should prevail. A more potent SJU running game is paramount, mainly to keep Roste off the field. I predict a Johnnie victory in a close game by maybe two TDs if Roste is playing, and by four if he cannot. Weather is supposed to be mild and partly cloudy; tailgate starts in the high 50ºs, by game time in the mid-60ºs, with a high in the low 70ºs by game's end. Wind fairly low at 12 mph from the southwest. No excuse not to be there…GO JOHNNIES!
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Bethel Pregame Info —
It will be crowded and seating will be at a premium despite the visitor section upgrade shown in the photo above. The new stands are an improvement over the older, lower stands we’ve suffered through over the years; however there still isn’t a greatly increased number of seats so it will pay to come early. Some will arrive at the stadium early, purchase their tickets, put down a blanket to reserve a seat, and then venture out of the stadium and over to the nearby SJU tailgate or stroll around the campus, perhaps seeking lunch at the Monson Dining Center. https://www.bethel.edu/dining-services/locations/monson/
Some will sneak over to the Bethel side and grab some seats on the southwest end of their stands…probably frowned upon by the Bethel faithful, but what the heck?
Regarding the tailgate, the regular hosts will be there quite early to set up; it will open for business beginning around 10 am with more folks showing up from 11 am on. The tailgate area directed by the Bethel administration for our use is just inside the campus area from the small east SOHO LOT. For long-time fans, this is the location we used in previous years before being moved to the larger West parking lot.
Here’s a link to that lot — https://maps.bethel.edu — but keep in mind that it’s on the small side and will fill up rather quickly, probably by 11 or 11:30 am. To find the Soho Lot you will need to push the image up so you can view the bottom of the map. The only way to reach the Soho Lot is to come south on Snelling Avenue from the direction of I-694. Therefore a more convenient lot for most will be the West Lot reachable by the main entrance on Old Hwy.10 North.
Unofficial tailgate protocol is this: all guests, whether dressed in red or not, are welcome, but it would be nice if they brought their own liquid refreshments, but it’s not necessary; while regulars bring liquids and food to share. No open bottles please. Red solo cups preferred. No one is turned away and it is a time to relish our combined Johnnie-Bennieness.
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Gustavus Report —
Preseason predictions singled out Bethel and Gustavus as the main competitors to St. John’s this season, with perhaps Concordia also a team to watch. Here’s some info on Gustavus whom we host on October 22.
From Bernie Weber ’63/’67 who traveled to St. Peter to take in the Gustavus-UW-Stout game during our bye week:
We saw a good game pulled out by Stout 28-25. They always say to respect your opponent…but neither team is in our league. Gustavus has a very athletic QB…along with two quick and fast running backs and two athletic receivers. 470 yards in the air. Virtually no running game and only an average defense. If I had to wager now we would be a four touchdown favorite.
From Vic Murphy ’92 with this added news:
Did you hear what the Gustie freshman/transfer quarterback Daniel Rennie did on Saturday? Broken wrist and torn ligaments on the first drive in his non-throwing arm and still managed to throw for 467 yards...now he's out for the season.
(Editor’s Comment: What a shame…those two very talented quarterbacks from the two teams most likely to challenge SJU suffered the same injury at the same time in the game. While Jaran Roste will likely return against us, young Rennie is out for the season; his career-defining performance after being hurt is really a profile in courage. Let’s hope St. John’s can avoid a similar injury that occurred to Aaron Syverson last season against Gustavus.
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AROUND THE MIAC —
Last Week’s Results —
3rd Week, Saturday, September 17
St. Scholastica at Crown College — If the Saints don’t prevail by something like 28-22 perhaps they should rethink fielding a football team in the MIAC. Actually, Crown must field less than an average high school team to allow for a team like the Saints to beat them 63-14. On the flip side, maybe St. Scholastica will prove to be more competitive with the bottom tier teams in the MIAC…but I doubt it.
UW-Stout at Gustavus — This is the biggest game Saturday in the MIAC and I suspect the Gusties will live up to their new reputation by handing Stout a stout loss 34-12. Actually, it was much closer and the Gusties lost a heart-breaker to Stout 28-25.
Augsburg at Martin Luther College — The Auggies will make mincemeat of those poor New Ulm lads, 54-21. Actually, the city Lutherans only pummeled the country Lutherans 45-7.
UM-Morris at Carleton — The Knights, on a roll of sorts, will crush Morris 58-18. Actually, Carleton only crushed Morris 41-7.
Other Games of Interest:
#6 Hardin-Simmons at #24 UW-Platteville — Hardin-Simmons will do to UW-P what I thought Bethel should have done, winning by 40-20. Actually, Hardin-Simmons had its way with UWP by an astounding 41-0.
#11 UW-La Crosse at Div-II Wayne State University — One would expect Wayne State to beat UW-L, so I’ll say they will by 27-18…but I hope I’m wrong. Congrats to UW-L for scheduling a D-II school. Actually, I’m happily wrong — La Crosse edged out WSU 28-21. Good for them!
#4 UW-Whitewater went to Berry College in Georgia after their tremendous upset of UMHB and barely won 17-3; Berry is not much, picked third in the so-so Southern Athletic Association, so I’d love to know what happened…Emotional letdown? Didn’t play their starters too much? Berry is stronger than anyone thought? Just plain tuckered out/beat up from their two games against two very Top 25 teams? The way the pollsters have been going this year so far, UWW is fortunate to have kept their #4 ranking.
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Scene in the Bethel Locker Room —
A Bethel University assistant coach was talking with one of his players who was quite hurt, thinking that the coach had insulted him.
The coach explained, “I never called you stupid, but when I asked you to spell ‘orange’ and you asked me the fruit or the color, it kinda caught me off guard.”
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Games This Week—
4th Week, Saturday, September 24
St. Scholastica at Augsburg — How badly will the Saints be trounced? My guess is Auggies 48-12.
Carleton at Hamline — Carleton shows signs of strength, the Pipers? Not so much. Knights over Pipers 40-24.
Gustavus at Concordia — This is a puzzler and a probable close game after which I’m hoping the Cobbers will have won by 32-28.
St. Olaf at Macalester — The Oles should have no problems with Mac, winning 42-18.
St. John’s at Bethel — Two scores here with SJU emerging victorious either way. The Jays 34 - with Roste 24, - without Roste 10.
Other Games of Interest:
Lincoln University (Oakland, CA) at St. Thomas — Lincoln University of Oakland, CA has 500 undergraduate and grad students. They’ve been out-scored 52-7, 42-10 and 66-7 in three previous games with small, no-name colleges so far this season. U$T should be ashamed, but they need to fill out their schedule, I guess. Let’s see if Glenn stays true to his nature and keeps his first string in through the 3rd quarter. Regardless, the Toms stroll to a 88-13 “victory.”
About Lincoln U.’s program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-PyPfR304A (3:16 min., from 9/2021). At least, like Bethel, it appears U$T does not charge for live screening of their games. But how would you like to spend $15 to see this game in person?
Crown College, God bless their trampled-upon little hearts, have lost three preseason games to low-ranked MIAC foes by 39-14, 80-20, and 63-14. This Saturday they travel to UW-Stout for another butt-kicking. Just for the heck of it, I’ll say Stout piles it on 75-17, but that would be charity for keeping the score that low when so-so Carleton put up 80 points on them.
National Game of the Week: #5 Mary Hardin-Baylor travels to #6 Hardin-Simmons — Golly, I have no idea; one would think UMHB would pull themselves together and win going away, but Hardin-Simmons University has proven itself to be no slouch, and this game is for the honor of Div. III in Texas, if you don’t count #7 Trinity, which doesn’t seem to play anyone ranked in its season.
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D3Football Top 25 —
What a difference a week makes. Last issue showed major changes up and down the Top 25. This week’s poll is pretty much stable with the Top 9 remaining where they were. The new #10, UW-La Crosse, eased one point up after defeating Wayne State, a D-II school. UW-Oshkosh, UW-River Falls and Bethel (who had a bye) also moved one point up from last week. The two most dramatic changes from our perspective is #24 UW-Platteville dropped out of the Top 25 altogether while Gustavus, which had been receiving votes, dropped out of that list as well. And Central of Iowa fell from #12 to #24 after their upset by another, un-ranked Iowa team, Loras, 38-35. The football gods can be sooo strict.
https://www.d3football.com/top25/2022/week3
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SJU 2022 Football Schedule
(All games are played on Saturdays, beginning at 1 pm)
Date Opponent Location
Sep. 3 UW-Whitewater Collegeville W—24-10
Sep. 10 UW-River Falls Collegeville W—37-34
Sep. 17 Bye —
Sep. 24 Bethel Arden Hills, MN
Oct. 1 Concordia (HC) Collegeville
Oct. 8 Augsburg Minneapolis
Oct. 15 St. Olaf * Northfield, MN
Oct. 23 Gustavus * (FW) Collegeville
Oct. 29 St. Scholastica * Duluth, MN
Nov. 5 Carleton * Collegeville
Nov. 12 MIAC Champ. Wk. Collegeville
HC = Homecoming
FW = Family Weekend
* = Northwoods Division
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Johnnie Radio Network —
Saturday’s game can be heard live on WBHR-660 AM across central Minnesota, KDIZ-1570 AM in the Twin Cities and KOWZ-1170 AM in Waseca, which covers most of southern Minnesota and into western Wisconsin. Mark Lewandowski, Bryan Backes, Mike Carr and Charlie Carr will call all the action, beginning with Johnnies Magazine at 11 a.m. and the pre-game show at 11:30 a.m. The game will also be broadcast on the SJU football website via Stretch Internet. This is the 24th season SJU football can be heard worldwide over the internet.
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Listening via the Internet: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csbsju/
Viewing via live streaming: https://athletics.bethel.edu/watch/?Live=321&type=Live
(Bethel doesn’t charge so you may watch it for free…as opposed to some other institutions we know.)
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More Johnnie Obits —
Arthur (Art) Laliberte, 104 years, was a fanatic Johnnie fan who never went to St. John’s but three of his seven sons did: Mike ’69; Bill ’70; and John ’74. Mike was a four-year letterman in hockey; Bill lettered for all four years in hockey, football and track; and John lettered four years in football. Art loved John Gagliardi, who in turn loved coaching the Laliberte boys. And Art, supporting his sons whenever possible, rarely missed any football and hockey games through all those years; in fact, he kept on attending football games for many, many years after his sons all graduated. On his deathbed a couple days before he quietly passed, Art avidly queried his son Mike for details in St. John’s victory over UW-River Falls.
Mike’s son Dave ’00 also played hockey for SJU, and he married Kristi Kelly Laliberte ’00. Bill’s son Adam attended SJU for a year before transferring, and John’s son Andrew graduated in 2004. Dick, another brother who didn’t attend St. John’s, sent three of his children to SJU-CSB: Mark ’99; Damon ’02 and Karí ‘04
Present at Art’s funeral Mass were a number of Johnnie and Bennie friends; unfortunately this list is not complete: Pat McDonnell ‘67 and wife Pam Johnson; Jerry Grochowski ’69 and wife Corrine Damberger Grochowski ’69; Phil Kostelnik ’69 and wife Carolyn; Bill Johnson ’70 and wife Sue; and Donny Geng ’75.
https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000436677/
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John Grobe ’72, 72 years of age. The following was written by his son Fr. Lew Grobe OSB:
As you may know, my dad died early Thursday morning surrounded by the entire family.
On Wednesday morning, he had been volunteering at the Abbey Woodshop when his left arm started to tingle (this has been a common occurrence over the past three years…the effect of migraine seizures). So, he simply went home to ride out the fatigue that he knew would follow. When he got home, however, he knew something was different. So, my mom called 911 and was able to sit with him as the effects of a major stroke set in. He told my mom that, “He had a good run.” They were able to say goodbye to one another and by the time the ambulance arrived he was no longer able to speak. They took him immediately into surgery to relieve the swelling in his brain, but they were unable to stop the building pressure. By mid-afternoon we were told that he was not going to survive but the staff was able to keep him alive until my brother was able to fly in from Detroit and be with him.
I was very blessed to have him as a dad and will greatly miss his (daily) presence in my life. Feel free to share this with anyone who may have known John. Thanks, — Lew
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From Vic Moore ’72 — John was a classmate of mine, class of ’72. He was a great man. He and his wife Joan hosted an evening party at their lakeside home for our 50th class reunion last June. We were all blessed to have that time with him. RIP John! — Vic
From Gary Terhaar ‘67 — John and I lived and worked for a year together in the admissions office with Fr. Don Lemay and Roger Young among others. Shared many happy times and cooked many meals together when not traveling. I very much appreciated his positive attitude which he exhibited to all he met. He loved St. John's and was a great representative of monastic values. Many will miss seeing him at Johnnie games. Bless John and his beautiful family. — Gary
From Jim Platten ’70/’74 — Father Lew - this is such a huge loss to our Benedictine community. I heard so many amazing reports of the class of 1972 50th reunion and the great times at your parents’ home this summer. Your family’s commitment to the Saint John’s Abbey, University and Community are awe inspiring! May he rest in peace and know of our love for you and your family - wishing the Grobe house and family Peace Always.—Jim and Barb
From Tom Arth ’66— My heart is broken; was so looking forward to meeting you and talking tennis at SJU. RIP — Tom
From Steve Setzler ’72 — John always had such a big smile on his face. What a wonderful personality...he will be missed by his classmates from SJU!! — Setz
From Roger Young ’68 — John, a friend for many years, was a special man with an exuberant positive personality that brought light to every person he met. No matter what life sent his way he accepted everything with positive energy and reflection. He laughed into eternity; no stroke would affect his death. It was an honor to have known him. RIP, John — Roger
https://www.danielfuneralhome.com/obituary/john-f-grobe-5237/
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Fr. Mike Byron ’81, 62 years of age, unexpectedly died of an infection on May 20. He was pastor of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. "Father Mike" will be dearly missed by his family, SJU-CSB classmates, many friends, parishioners and all whom he impacted in the Twin Cities community and beyond. Mike's list of gifts was long. He was warm and welcoming. He had a beautiful Irish tenor singing voice as well as a hilarious sense of humor. His lifetime love of learning led to his role as a talented teacher, sharing his knowledge over many years with students at Holy Angels, St. John's University, St. Kate's, and the St. Paul Seminary. He was a gifted homilist, deep thinker, skilled writer, caring mentor, and good listener. And above all, he was a passionate Johnnie. After the late Joe Pilon ’62/’66 and CJ Lyngen ‘92 (who passes on this newsletter to about 100 classmates and other Johnnies), Mike signed up more people to the UUN than any others. He will remembered fondly by all who saw it—except perhaps the subject of his witty performance—his uproarious talent show sketch mimicking Fr. Don Talafous and his warnings about “hometown honeys.” At Mike’s huge funeral a couple of us wore red SJU sweatshirts in recognition of his love for St. John’s. And Paul Cleary ’81, one of his somber pallbearer classmates, wore red socks with his dignified dark suit. Please do read the linked obits and article from The Catholic Spirit. The “Fr. Tim Wozniak” mentioned is the uncle of Michael Wozniak of the SJU football team.
From John Krawczyk ’90 — You probably do not realize this but we came to know each other via our mutual friend Fr. Mike Byron. He was the one who not only introduced me to the UUN but got me on the UUN mailing list years ago. My life has been that much richer ever since.
You and I both know that Fr. Mike was a proud and absolutely unapologetic Johnnie. I cannot speak for other parishes but I know that at St. Pascal’s he absolutely loved a Johnnie funeral when other Johnnies in attendance wore their SJU red in remembrance of the common bond with their classmate. He was even known, on occasion, to wear SJU red under his own funeral vestments!
If you talk with others (as I am sure you will) in advance of the funeral next week I am hoping we can pass the word to all proudly wear our own Johnnie red at Fr. Mike's funeral. I can think of no better tribute on that day. If you would please pass the word? Best regards, John
(Editor’s Note: I did pass that word on to as many that I know that knew Mike, but only John and I (and Paul’s red socks) came through.)
From Tom Dellenbach ’74 — Thank you for another year of the UUN. I was at the Whitewater (a.k.a. Wastewater) Game, and saw a fun college football game. But I would like to take a minute to note the passing of the Johnny who introduced me to the UUN, Father Michael Byron. He was a Johnny through and through. He had a beautiful singing voice. As a student he was a member of Axel's Grease. He went on to become a Catholic priest. When he was transferred away from my parish, St. Pascal Baylon in St. Paul, at his last mass at St. Pascal's there were quite a few men in the pews wearing Johnny red to honor him and St. John's. Here's more information about him: Rest in Peace, Fr. Mike!
https://www.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000426283/
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A Royal Excursion —
Three members of the Bethel football team went to the North Shore for a little break before practices were to start in late August.
After spending a couple days in and around Grand Marais, they decided to drive well into the Arrowhead region to see if they could spot some bears. They wanted to take a picture of a bear to show some of their teammates.
They drove along an old logging road until they were deep into the woods. As they rounded a curve, they spotted a sign that read: "BEAR LEFT."
So they turned around and went home.
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English Majors’ Corner, Retired Teachers’ Section —
(Contributed by one of those: Mike Obler ’64, Hastings, MN)
To err is human,
To forgive is divine,
To moo is bovine,
To bleat is ovine,
To oink is porcine,
To howl is lupine,
To bark is canine,
To purr is feline.
This list is asinine.
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The Uncasual Fan —
Let’s Be a little Grateful
OK – we are getting close to kickoff for game 3 of the toughest starting schedule a SJU football team has ever faced, and I am feeling like we are not grateful enough for what has occurred so far this year. We seem to focus on what needs to be fixed sometimes instead of taking a deep breath and just saying well done. How easy it is to accept a win and then start worrying about the next game.
I am grateful that:
· The weather has been a perfect 10 for both games so far.
· The crowd support has been great. How wonderful to see a stand full of red shirts enthusiastically supporting 200+ student athletes.
· I got to share some great camaraderie with fellow SJU football supporters at the best college tailgate in Minnesota.
· I got to see Father Don and say “hi.” One of my favorite parts of coming back to SJU.
· I got to watch two hard-earned victories.
· I got to watch those hard-earned victories over two very, very good football teams.
· There are no major season or career ending injuries that I am aware of.
· I got a chance to watch different players step up and keep up the tradition of “extraordinary young men, doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well.”
We have corrected some mistakes from Game 1 to Game 2 and I am sure Coach Fasching and the rest of the coaches will have “coached them up” these past two weeks and we will be well-prepared for Bethel.
Yes, our team is not perfect but we are a perfect 2-0 at this point in the season. If we were told before the first game that we would be 2-1 after the first 3 games we would probably have accepted that and be looking forward to the rest of the season. I will not be at the game this week but will be watching via live video stream and listening to my friend “Carbo” on live audio. Go Johnnies — The Uncasual Fan
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SJU’s Wozniak Named to 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team —
Senior defensive lineman Michael Wozniak was one of 22 student-athletes across all divisions of college football named to the 2022 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team on Monday, Sept. 19. The award was established in 1992 to recognize a select group of college football players who have made a commitment to service and enriching the lives of others.
A fan vote will run from now until Nov. 22 at www.ESPN.com/Allstate to decide this year's Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Captain. Fans may cast one vote per device each day.
Wozniak is one of four honorees from the NCAA Division III level – joining Matthew Feldick of Bethel, Alan Gorny of Johns Hopkins (Md.) and Matt Lilja of Mount Union (Ohio) – and one of six defensive linemen.
Wozniak is the sixth Johnnie to be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and the fifth in the last six seasons: quarterback Chris Backes '21, offensive lineman Ben Bartch '20, quarterback Jackson Erdmann '19 and wide receiver Will Gillach '19. Defensive end Kevin McNamara '07 was the first SJU student-athlete to receive the honor in 2006. The full list of SJU's honorees and nominees is included in the full article linked below.
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More Scenes From Stearns County —
Two Xcel gas company servicemen, a senior training supervisor and a young trainee, were out checking meters in Waite Park. They parked their truck at the end of the alley and worked their way to the other end. At the last house, matronly Lorraine Bittman was looking out her kitchen window and saw the two men as they checked her gas meter.
Finishing the meter check, the senior supervisor challenged his younger coworker to a foot race down the alley back to the truck to prove that an older guy could outrun a younger one.
As they came running up to the truck, they realized the lady from that last house was huffing and puffing right behind them. They stopped and asked her what was wrong.
Bent over and gasping for breath, Lorraine replied, “When I see two men from the gas company running, I figure I’d better run too!”
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J-Club Hall of Honor Banquet/Fundraiser —
You are invited to join alumni, parents and friends on Homecoming Saturday, October 1, 2022, as we induct a legendary class into the Saint John’s University J-Club Hall of Honor.
The J-Club created the Hall of Honor to recognize and celebrate the outstanding 150-year tradition of Johnnie athletics, and to engage the Saint John’s community through the recognition of individual and team success. The Hall of Honor began in 2018 with the induction of legendary coaches John Gagliardi and Jim Smith as charter members, and the first class was inducted in 2019.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, Oct. 1
Time: 5:15 p.m. dinner and program; a Homecoming Celebration social will also take place outside Guild Hall after the football game.
Location: Guild Hall (a.k.a. Old Gym), SJU
Cost: $75 per person until Sept. 25 ($100 per person after Sept. 25); includes dinner and beverages. All proceeds go to the J-Club to support all SJU athletics.
Casual, game day attire encouraged.
Please join us to honor the incredible accomplishments of the 2022 inductees:
Minga Batsukh ’10 – Wrestling
Troy Bigalke ’01 – Basketball
Fred Cremer ’67 (posthumous) - Football
Matt Erredge ’99 – Hockey
Jon Habben ’79 – Swimming & Diving
Br. Mark Kelly, OSB – Distinguished Service
David Lamm ’68 – Track & Field
Mike Lilly ’78 (posthumous) - Soccer
Cyril Paul ’59 – Track & Field
Tim Schmitz ’78 – Football
1976 SJU Football Team
Register (and see who’s already coming) here: https://connect.csbsju.edu/register/2022HallofHonor?_ga=2.122810179.938088396.1663635444-1852949696.1662045598 )
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Battle Between The Sexes, Birthday Request —
The missus just phoned me and the conversation went like this:
Her: “You know that Gladiator movie with Russell Crowe that I got you?”
Me: “Yeah.”
Her: “Wind it forward one hour, 16 minutes and 28 seconds.”
(A little time passes)
Me: “All right, I’ve done that.”
Her: “Okay, you see the gladiator at the front fighting the lion.”
Me: “I can see that, yeah!”
Her: “Just behind him, there are two gladiators having a sword fight with each other.”
Me: “Okay, I see them.”
Her: “Well, behind those two, on the left hand side of the screen, there’s a gladiator holding a spear.”
Me: “Yes! I can see him!”
Her: “Right! Those are the sandals I want for my birthday.”
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Bennie Volleyballers Begin Regular Season —
The Bennie Volleyball team has completed its preseason tour with an 8-5 record against some of the region’s top teams. Their first MIAC game was Wednesday, September 21, at Hamline University in St. Paul, celebrated with a win over the Pipers in straight sets. With the win, CSB moves to 9-5 overall and 1-0 in MIAC play. CSB returns to action on Saturday, hosting its home season opener against No. 3 ranked University of Northwestern at 3 p.m.
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Tom Melchior ’58 Receives Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame Award —
The Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame has created the Glenn Carlson Distinguished Service Award for those individuals who have made special meritorious contributions to furthering the promotion of Minnesota amateur baseball. Tom Melchior has been selected to receive this award for 2022.
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Preps On Parade —
Prep at the Park —
A sold-out group of over three dozen Johnnies and friends enjoyed a beautiful August afternoon of food, fellowship, and baseball at the home of John Sipe ’61. Members of the SJP Class of 1961 (aka The Legends of ’61 – Bill and Peg Marrin, Tom and Kris Bauer, John Sipe, and honorary members Rob Wicker ’60 and Chris Scholl and Ron and Bonnie Weisman) chilled the drinks and prepared grilled hamburgers and brats, homemade potato salad, and fresh cookies.
After a scrumptious meal and brief remarks by Head of School Jon McGee, it was off to the game where we cheered on the Saint Paul Saints to victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders with a score of 5 to 4.
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Three Generations of Melkites —
Our 2022-23 Melk scholars are now in Austria for their year abroad. The Mahowald family is sending their third generation to Melk, Austria- a first in our 56-year-old exchange program!
Bob '95 and Bob '68 bid farewell to Megan '24 in late August. Bob Sr. was part of the first group of Prep students and Bob '95 studied in Melk during the 1990's. Now Megan is starting her own Austrian adventure!
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Three Decades of Town Ball —
Ted Fust ’80, Duane Dumonceaux ’90/‘95, Damien Dumonceaux ’00/‘05 All play for the Red West Legends, based out of Loretto, Minnesota. This is the Federal League of Minnesota 35+ Baseball League. Ted has played in this league for 18 years, and Duane and Ted have played together for 10+ seasons. Damien joined the team in 2021. For the Red West Legends, Ted plays 1B/2B/3B/DH, Duane plays C/IF/OF, and Damien plays P/IF/OF.
On this particular night of the Federal League Playoffs, The Red West Legends beat their opponent 12-7. Damien went the distance on the mound while pitching to Duane. Both guys contributed to the offensive output with assorted hits and runs scored. Ted went 2-4 as DH with an RBI.
Ted and Duane also play on the Eden Prairie Saints, a 50+ team. Ted also plays on the 60+ version of the Saints in the Minnesota 50+ Baseball League. That’s a lot of baseball!
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Organic Agriculture Superstar Carmen Ferholz —
Rodale Institute is growing the organic movement through research, farmer training, and consumer education. Rodale Institute’s Organic Pioneer Awards, established in 2011, honors research scientists, farmers, and business leaders who are leading the movement towards an organic planet and who are changing the landscape of regenerative organic agriculture for the better. Carmen Ferholz SJP ’61/SJU ‘65 was one of four winners for 2022.
Carmen is a family farmer from Madison in western Minnesota. In the 1980s, Carmen worked at the Minnesota state legislature and helped secure start-up funds for organic certification. He helped lead the Organic Growers and Buyers Association, an organic certification organization which laid the foundation for the national organic standards. Carmen has spent much of his career organizing farmers through various organizations, including the Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing (OFARM), the University of Minnesota, and most recently, the Perennial Promise Growers Coop. Carmen was the first grower to market a certified organic perennial wheat MN Clearwater under the Kernza trademark and has received numerous awards within the organic industry. However, he considers one of his most rewarding achievements as that of helping a young neighbor family transition to organic production.
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Leftover Scenes From Our Last Game —
On another pristine, warm, early fall game day, the Johnnie Rats are dressed appropriately to inspire cheers from some students crowded behind them after another exciting Big Red touchdown.
In front of the Refectory entrance lies a tribute to all those killed in terrorists attacks on September 11, 2001. 2,996 flags were placed in their memory in a central place on campus with the chalked message “We will never forget” printed on a sidewalk. The flags are installed annually by the CSB+SJU College Republicans. Photo courtesy of Jeanne Lowe.
Gathered together in postgame reverie on the “porch” of Fisher’s Club after the exhilarating victory over UW-River Falls are (clockwise left) Chris Scholl; Bob Wicker ’60/’64; Jane Marrin. ’64; Tom McKasy ’60/’64, Lynn McKasy; and Jim Conn ’64 in the foreground. Jim’s wife Anita must have taken the photo.
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From Our Readers —
From Gary Kordosky ’64, Tucson, AZ —
Thanks for another informative and welcomed UUN. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the final score. After the SJU win over Whitewater and with Bethel coming up next I thought the River Falls game could be a trap game, but obviously the team was not about to let that happen.
See you at homecoming. Paul Judge [’64, San Diego CA] and I decided to attend about a month ago. We will arrive at SJU Thursday and have rooms in the Guesthouse Thursday and Friday night. We plan to wander around the pregame tailgating area before going to the President's Suite for the game and then wandering around after the game. I expect we will run into you sometime if you are up for the game. With luck we will also see Chris. Cheers, — Gary
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From Thom Woodward ’70, Sartell, MN —
Yo, Bob. Sing-along with Freddie Mercury and Queen from Live Aid. You can practice up for Homecoming. Check out this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lkbP5OPQhdQ
(Editor’s Explanation: Love it...that's what we were supposed to do with the squirrel seen on the video scoreboard last home game. Of course, the squirrel is no Freddie Mercury. I saw something like it last year up at Concordia and thought it was great...it was some guy who looked like an Icelandic hippie (or Norwegian fur trapper, knowing their tradition) who did a similar thing with increasingly longer nonsense phrases. It was done only once and the Cobber fans were really into it. I was hoping for more since it was so cool. Let's hope our fans do so as well. Maybe they should run it in the second half so more students would stick around for it, if not the game, unfortunately. Thanks for sending.)
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From Conrad Macina, Landing, NJ, UUN Humorologist —
Congrats on the win and on the #2 ranking! Very impressive. Enjoy the bye week! — Conrad
A Tommie calls his Johnnie friend and says, "Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure it out or how to get it started."
The Johnnie asks, "What is it supposed to be when it's finished?"
"According to the picture on the box, it's a tiger."
The Johnnie goes over. The Tommie shows him the puzzle spread all over the table. The Johnnie studies the pieces for a moment, looks at the box and says, "No matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a tiger. Now let's put the Frosted Flakes back into the box."
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
Water, water everywhere, but how much do you need to drink?
We all know that we should drink “enough water” — but what are the benefits of drinking water exactly? Read through these two brief articles to learn the basics of staying hydrated and improving your overall health.
https://draxe.com/nutrition/how-to-stay-hydrated/
(Editor’s Final Word of the Subject: For the last 10-12 years my postgame drinking companions at the La Playette and elsewhere know of my insistence that we try to drink a glass of water for every beer, glass of wine or hard drink we consume, with hopes we don’t consume too much alcohol in the first place. So, with a pitcher of beer, there will be a pitcher of water on the table too. The folks at the La are very cordial about supplying us this.)
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Used Heart —
A man has a heart attack and is brought to the hospital ER. The doctor tells him that he will not live unless he has a heart transplant right away. Another doctor runs into the room and says, "You're in luck, two hearts just became available, so you will get to choose which one you want. One belongs to a graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and the other to a social worker graduate of the University of Minnesota."
The man quickly responds, "The Tommie's."
The doctor says, "Wait! Don't you want to know a little about them before you make your decision?"
The man says, "I already know enough. We all know that social workers are bleeding hearts and the Tommie never used his. So I'll take his!"
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Instructional Method —
"One day one of my little nephews came up and asked me if the equator was a real line that went around the Earth, or just an imaginary one. I had to laugh. And laugh and laugh. Because I didn't know, and I thought that maybe by laughing he would forget what he asked me." — Jack Handey
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THE FINAL WORD
A UUN Classic: Just For Today —
(Contributed by the earthy Suzie Gooding, Durham, NC, wife of Bruce ‘69)
A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.
Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly — he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.
At 1 AM he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, “Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I’m awfully cold.”
“I have a better idea,” she replies. “Just for tonight, let’s pretend that we’re married.”
“Wow! That’s a great idea!” he exclaims.
“Good,” she replies. “Get your own damn blanket!”
After a moment of silence, he farted.
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And now Issue #4 in the Year of Our Lord 2022 is history, thank goodness! Read it at your own peril, but don’t forget to vociferate in a most raucous manner, whether you are at Bethel or not:
GO JOHNNIES ! !
Make It A Royal Flush (or something like that)
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P.S. For those that want to subscribe or resubscribe, please go to the website listed at bottom in red. Yes, thanks to my daughter Caitlin we have an in-progress website.
Sincerely submitted,
R.L. Wicker SJP ’60/SJU ’64,
You can call me Rob, you can call me Bob, you can call me Theo or Wick…and my personal pronouns are “he a Johnnie” and “him a Johnnie.”
St. Paul, MN; 651-699-4697
theowick@aol.com
https://www.unofficialundergroundnews.com
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