It wasn’t a typical Saturday for me. My usual routine involves hosting the Coaches Show on Q-92 with Dick Newman at 9 AM then working till noon. But this past Saturday found me driving down Highway 7 at 4:30 in the morning, heading straight for Minneapolis. The reason? The Minneota Vikings were playing in the Class A State Semi-finals against Mahnomen-Waubun, and kickoff was set for a ridiculous 9 AM! (That early start time is a whole other story.)

I actually set an alarm Friday night—a rare event for me—for a 4 AM wakeup call. When it went off, I was, of course, in a sound sleep. I jumped out of bed, went through my quick routine—shower, dress, yogurt, teeth brushed—and was out the door. I was actually surprised at how nice and warm it felt outside.
I left Madison at 4:28 AM. My GPS projected an arrival time of 7:35 AM at US Bank Stadium, which was perfect. The Media doors were scheduled to open at 7:30 AM for press box access.
The three-hour drive to Minneapolis was peaceful and quiet. Being out and about at 4:30 AM is not my norm, but I enjoyed the solitude. I don’t think I saw a single car between Madison and Dawson! It was dark the entire way, which made me nervous about hitting a deer, but I kept my mind off it by listening to KTIS radio. My one planned stop? The dependable Kwik Trip in St. Bonifacius. I love Kwik Trips!

I arrived at my usual parking ramp across the street from the stadium at 7:35 AM—the GPS was right on the money. I’ve done this state football routine five years in a row now. The only surprise was the parking cost: $30! I don’t recall it ever being that high on a Saturday morning.
After making my way through security and getting my media pass, I headed for the Section 124 elevators. Up to Level 3, the press box area, I found my usual spot and spent about fifteen minutes setting up my radio equipment. Once I confirmed I was connected with the station, I had about 30 minutes to do my final homework: reviewing my notes on the game and looking over the starters and stats for both teams. Being prepared is key to sounding like I know what I’m talking about!
I also had time to visit with my colleagues, including Josh from Marshall radio and Joel from Christenson Broadcasting. The Mahnomen radio guys were sitting next to me, and we traded tips on player name pronunciations and chatted about the teams. Sitting on my right was a very young sports broadcaster from Breckenridge. His team, the Cowboys, played MCC right after our game. You could tell he was excited; it was his first time at the stadium, and he couldn’t get over how big and nice it was.

Our pregame show started at 8:45 AM, and kickoff was right on time at 9 AM. The broadcast went well, and the Minneota Vikings secured the win, 28-14! They’re now headed to the Prep Bowl next Friday morning at 10 AM.
After signing off and taking off my headset, the young broadcaster from Breckenridge paid me a very nice compliment on my play-by-play. I thanked him and told him that forty years of experience tends to help!
I quickly packed up my equipment and took the elevator down to the field level to record the post-game press conference with Coach Johnston and a few players. That’s always a fun part of the job, and I make sure to post the video on my social media—people really enjoy that behind-the-scenes content they don’t usually get to see.
My drive home had significantly more traffic than my 4 AM cruise, but I took the time to stop at Subway in Hutchinson for a Protien Bowl. Next Friday, my plan is already set: Drive to Minneapolis and call the state football game at US Bank Stadium, then on my way home I’ll stop at Taco John’s in Hutch, as I always do to celebrate a Minneota championship!