Few former Gophers are as accomplished both on and off the field as former Gopher great Bob Stein. A two-time All-American and two-time Academic All-American at the U, Stein was a formidable defensive end for the Gophers in the late 1960s and played a pivotal role on the 1967 Big Ten championship team. His leadership and all around success earned him a spot in the Gopher Sports “M Club” Hall of Fame.

Stein’s post Gopher success led to an NFL career that included winning the Super Bowl in his rookie year with the Kansas City Chiefs and stints with the Vikings, Rams and Chargers.

Stein’s post playing days have been equally impressive. The St. Louis Park native built a diverse professional career including time as a sports attorney to serving as the first president of the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he led the franchise from at its inception and got the team off and running.

In its ongoing “Where are they now?” series, GopherHole catches up with the former Gopher to talk about the important role that TCF Bank Stadium will play in the programs future, stories of playing for Coach Murray Warmath, getting a couple of big hits on OJ Simpson and the honor of being selected for the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

GH: What does it mean for the Gopher program to get back on campus?

BS: I think it’s a huge step. It means that a home game is really a home. It isn’t a home game at a professional site that’s rented out. From players to students to alumni and recruiting means something much different now. Both the game and the game day experience. It gives a focus to the campus on the football season and it complements Mariucci and The Barn and the McNamara Alumni Center. It makes the atmosphere what it always should have been and was prior to moving to the Dome.


GH: What will the lasting impact be for the school and community with having an on-campus stadium?

BS: There is a financial impact that has to do with everything surrounding the school ranging from kids selecting dorms to merchants around the school. There are plenty of studies done tying alumni contributions to sports and the feeling affiliation to sports. Whether it’s right or wrong is a fact and am important element. And now people will have a real good reason to go back to the University. It’s a big part of why kids choose schools.


GH: Thinking back to your playing days, what did you enjoy most about Memorial Stadium?

BS: For me that was college football. Growing up, the sounds of the game, the history, the great players and teams that played at Memorial Stadium. I kind of liked the idea of going off to battle with your friends that is what football is all about. The grass, a little mud, a stained uniform was a badge of honor. One game I attended with my father as a kid was in 1961 where the Gophers beat Purdue 10-7 and half a dozen players were carried off the field and it was the season high in attendance. I remember coming out and seeing the bright sun, about 55 and it was a perfect fall Saturday. I was about 12 at the time and I thought ‘how could anything be better than this?’ I was recruited without being recruited.

GH: When you think back to your career, what are the highlights or most memorable aspects of being a Gopher?

BS: At this point I would say its great teammates, coaches, Murray Warmath has meant so much to me over the years. Butch Nash was my position coach who may be the best end coach in all of football and was so dedicated to the school. He really bled maroon and gold as much as anyone.

Being a Big Ten champion my junior year but not being able to go to the Rose Bowl hurt. That was a downer, it came down to a Purdue fullback fumbling on the 1-yard line against Indiana otherwise we would have gone to the Rose Bowl.

But more than anything it was the great tradition and sometimes I had to pinch myself when I would sit in the U locker room realizing how many great players had sat in that spot.

GH: What type of impact did Coach Murray Warmath have on you as a player and person?

BS: I quickly learned the difference between being a recruit and being a player pretty early on! Murray scared everyone, but he also taught everyone the principles of his life and that is attention to detail, preparation, physical and mental toughness and a fear of failure. I cannot imagine anyone going out socially with Murray Warmath after losing a game. He’s in his 90s now and a number of us former players go visit him and celebrate his birthday. He’s a wonderful guy in ways that I didn’t know of him when he was coaching.

GH: Did you ever get a good shot at OJ when the Gophers played USC and what do you remember about facing him?

BS: I had a number of tackles on OJ during that game. It was frustrating at the end as we were ahead during that game. I think I had my best college play against OJ on a kickoff when I jumped over a wedge and knocked the blocking back out of the game and got a great shot at OJ. He was a rare combination of being fast and shifty and was a world class sprinter but was also very strong. He was the total package. By far the best RB I ever saw.

GH: You received All-American honors as both an athlete and a scholar, do you think that combination is missing in today’s game?

BS: I wouldn’t say it’s missing. It’s harder now for guys to do both at a high level more so because of the time dedication needed for both school and football. When I played guys came in expecting to need a job after college and now most think they are going to the NFL so that has changed the mentality. There are plenty of excellent scholars that play football, but it is harder now to compete against the person who is in school with a main focus on school. Where as the time commitment for football is so tough. You have to be smarter to play today as the game is more complicated. The fundamentals aren’t different but the details are.

GH: Where does winning the Super Bowl rank in your list of career highlights?

BS: It’s hard to top getting to the top. I was a rookie at the time and for 10-12 years I was the youngest guy to play in the SB as I was 21. Being part of that team is very important to me. There are 7 guys on that team in the hall of fame and there should be more. One of the reasons it was a good team was that it was full of good guys. There was a real good competitive feel on the team and a feeling that we’re in it together. It had leadership from the best players which is important. The leaders would not let any racial tension on the team which at that time said a lot about the leadership and it sent the tone.

GH: After your playing career you had a diverse professional career ranging from being a sports agent to becoming the first president of the Minnesota Timberwolves. What do you enjoy most about challenges in the business world?

BS: I think figuring out new problems and working with really wonderful people. That was my experience with the Timberwolves particularly. We had a fairly small staff but we had seven of the people on that staff become presidents or senior executives of various industries. The team that was put together had a lot of future leaders and it was an opportunity to learn from one another.

GH: OK, I have to ask – Felton Spencer and Luc Longley in back to back years?!

BS: Well you get a lot smarter with the benefit of hindsight. Felton was all-rookie second team and ended up starting for Utah when they were in the playoffs and when he got traded he was traded for a first round pick. He was a wonderful guy too. It’s hard to find centers and point guards. We had a chance to get a legitimate big guy and the whole league had these guys slated picked in the range we got them. Look at Michael Jordan’s draft there were two big guys drafted ahead of him. It’s hard to project. Luc was the starting center with three NBA championships for Chicago. At the time we selected them, they were rated well.

GH: What does it mean to you to be a member of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame?

BS: That’s something I really consider a huge honor. It’s just a big honor being recognized by your people and to be recognized to be in a group with Red Auerbach, Sid Luckman and so many wonderful athletes. It’s humbling and something I feel good about because it reflects something for Jewish kids who may be fans or who play themselves. I was never extremely religious but I felt certain things were important and always had pride. In 1967 I missed a game because we played Illinois on Yom Kippur which was a complicated decision for me but at the end of the day it was the right thing. For the same reasons being part of the Jewish Hall of Fame is a great honor.



Tomorrow's article: GopherHole interviews one of the key figures behind making TCF Bank Stadium a reality

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