Linda Roberts, Katie Smith, Scott Studwell, Lou Nanne among inductees to Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame

The depth of impact a person can have on a sport is not immediately apparent. It may take time for the meaning to take root or for society to realize that an athlete’s exploits or a coach’s philosophies that seemed small or personal will take root and blossom into something else entirely.

For the 10 inductees into the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame, their individual passions transformed the development of sports in the state and nationwide.

The new class will be introduced March 1 at the Mall of America in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference when the women’s basketball tournament begins in Minneapolis. Staffers at the Star Tribune, owner of the Hall of Fame, chose to honor Big Ten graduates in this year’s class to commemorate the tournament, which is coming to Minnesota for the first time. The vote took place late last year, and here are the 10 legends of the sport in Minnesota who make up the class of 2022:

Her plan to become a physical education teacher after graduating from the University of Minnesota was foiled Jean Freeman was asked to stay for $50 in 1973 and coach the Gophers women’s swim team, where she swam from 1968-1972. She would stay 31 years, win two Big Ten titles, coach 58 All-Americas and become the first woman to receive the Outstanding Service Award, the highest coaching honor in collegiate swimming. “I enjoyed it,” Freeman told the Star Tribune when she retired in 2004, “but I didn’t think I’d spend so much time doing one thing.” The Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center an der U was named after her in 2014, four years after she died of colon cancer.

There is no coach whose name is more associated with the sport of hockey than he is “Badger” Bob Johnson. His positive spirit shone throughout the game, from his start as Warroad High School coach in 1956 to a historic run with Wisconsin from 1966-1982 and leading USA Hockey before moving on to the NHL with Calgary and Pittsburgh Station made. The Minneapolis native played for the Gophers, and when he won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991, he made it minutes from home and led the North Stars at Met Stadium. Shockingly, Johnson died of brain cancer six months later, but his legacy has been endless — to the point that his quip, “It’s a great day for hockey,” has become a de facto motto for the sport.

It wasn’t just that Paul Krause changed the parameters of what a defenseman could be in the NFL — it’s like nobody’s done it better since. The all-time interception leader in the NFL at 81 was a roving, instinctive free safety who starred in the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters from 1968-1979 and reached four Super Bowls. When the former Iowa Hawkeye was finally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a long 13-year wait in 1998, he told the Star Tribune of his interception record: “I’m very proud of it. I hope he’s not broken.” Although records are made to be broken.” So far, no one has come close.

If that’s the state of hockey, then Lou Nanne is the ambassador. He came from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in 1960 and was an All-America standout for John Mariucci and the Gophers. He then played 11 seasons for the North Stars and was general manager for over a decade while also serving in leadership positions in the NHL and USA Hockey. In recent years he has helped the U of M with a massive fundraiser, opened a steakhouse in Edina and watched as his grandchildren continued to play and work in the game. He has been calling the Minnesota Boys High School hockey tournament for 58 years. None of this is his day-to-day business. “When I was playing, I thought a lot of guys would beat me with raw talent,” he told the Star Tribune in 1980. “But I would never lose my job if I didn’t work hard.”

Linda Roberts’ Achievements for basketball in Minnesota are varied. She is a pioneer, the first African American woman to play for the Gophers and the only black woman whose jersey was retired at Williams Arena. She was the team’s first star, a fierce center who graduated as the U’s career ladder in points and rebounds — the 1,413 rebound total still stands. And she’s been a friend and mentor to kids and teens in the Twin Cities for decades, including connecting with players at the U, where she continued to work after her playing days. When her jersey was lifted onto the rafters in 2006, Roberts told the Star Tribune with an understatement: “I was fine. I got the job done.”

Nobody could score like that Carol Ann Shudlick. A native of Apple Valley, she joined the Gophers in 1990 and set the basketball court on fire, giving the program increased relevance while she was named 1994 NCAA National Player of the Year. Her 2,097 career points served as the benchmark for the Whalen program until Lindsay broke it a decade later. But while Whalen would become a WNBA star, those avenues were not available to Shudlick. “I’ve been playing basketball since I was fifth grade and it’s rewarded me with a lot of things,” she told the Star Tribune in 1993. “But there aren’t too many courts to continue playing when I’m outside.” am of college. … So it may be that I have to look for a job after the season.

During a stretch from 2000-2001, Katie Smith couldn’t stop making basketball history. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the Sydney Games. She was the first woman in a sport to have her number retired in Ohio State. During the 2001 season with the Lynx, she consistently broke WNBA records including: points in a single game (46); points in a season (739); Points per game (23.1) and minutes played (1,234). But the team struggled, “I want to win,” she told the Star Tribune at the end of the year. “That’s the only way to get respect.” Smith would play 12 more seasons, win two titles with Detroit, and retire as the second-leading goalscorer of all time. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2020, she returned to the Lynx to work under Cheryl Reeve and remains an associate head coach.

In Viking history, nobody has played football’s central defensive element – get a tackle – better than executed Scott Studwell. The former Illini star remains the franchise leader for tackles in a career (1,981), a season (230) and a game (24). But it was more than his 14 seasons as a linebacker that bound him to the franchise — it was also the 28 years he spent as a scout and amassed more than four decades as a fundamental element of the organization. During his final playing season in 1990, he told the Star Tribune, “There’s always a question mark in your mind as to whether you can be as successful on the outside as you are on the game. I know it’s going to be a huge transition.” He went through it with ease.

The Gophers didn’t wait long to retire Mychal Thompson Jersey. They did it at halftime in the final game of his senior season in 1978, a few months before the 6-10 center from Nassau, Bahamas, was selected No. 1 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA draft. It was an easy decision. Thompson exited the Gophers as the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer (1,992 points, 20.8 per game) and the U’s all-time leading rebounds (956). “I want people to remember that I was a nice guy, nothing special,” he told the Star Tribune ahead of the final game of his career in Minnesota. One would be easier than the other. Thompson would later play 12 years in the NBA and win two titles with the Lakers – where he has worked as a radio color commentator for 20 years.

Michael Tingelhoff came to the Vikings with little fanfare. The center had graduated from Nebraska and played in the Senior Bowl but was not selected by 20 rounds and 280 picks of the 1962 NFL draft. He signed as a free agent, immediately showed his talent and was named a starting center in his rookie season. He would not give up the position for 17 years. During that time, he started 240 straight games, played in four Super Bowls and formed seven NFL All-Pro teams. After a long wait, he would become a Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2015. Tingelhoff died in 2021 from Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Announcing his retirement in 1979, he told the Star Tribune, “When the training camp opens, they might say to the new center, ‘Tingelhoff did it that way, so why don’t you try it that way.’ But in a few days I’ll be forgotten.” That was one of the few parts of the game where he got it wrong.