Four Profiles of Minnesota’s Pro-Team General Managers

Posted October 15, 2012 | By csponline

Behind the Lines

Earlier this year, the NCAA looked at the likelihood of collegiate athletes playing professionally in six major sports, and the outlook is not good for athletes who have dreams of entering the big leagues. Below are the rates of college players who end up playing professionally:

Men’s baseball: 9.7 percent

Football: 1.6 percent

Men’s hockey: 1.2 percent

Men’s basketball: 1.3 percent

Men’s soccer: 0.7 percent

Women’s basketball: 0.9 percent

Luckily you do not have to be on the court or on the field to play a role in professional sports. College athletes and sports fans alike can discover a sports career behind the lines and in the game as a general manager (GM). GMs oversee a team’s overall operations and management, and they impact every aspect of a team, with duties ranging from building a winning roster to creating the ultimate fan experience through effective marketing and event planning.

In Minnesota, the GMs of the state’s professional teams are household names. Minnesota is a sports mecca serving as the home to four professional franchises: the Wild, the Twins, the Timberwolves and the Vikings. These four GMs have different tasks at hand but seek the same result: winning.

Minnesota Wild GM Rebuilding Team for Stanley Cup Hopes; Waits Out Lockout

Harvard graduate Chuck Fletcher has been the Minnesota Wild GM since May 2009. Hockey seems to flow through the Fletcher blood. Fletcher’s father is Cliff Fletcher, who is a Hockey Hallof Fame inductee and well-known executive and former GM of multiple teams. Cliff established his reputation on rebuilding teams through effective scouting and trading.

Chuck has already forged is own rich history in the sport beginning his career working for Hockey Canada as a sales and merchandising coordinator. He has worked as an assistant GM for various NHL teams, including the Florida Panthers (1993-2002), Anaheim Ducks (2002-2006) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2006-2009).

When Fletcher came to the Wild, he inherited a team that needed a complete overhaul to become a viable Stanley Cup contender, and he has focused on building a team of goal scorers. On July 4, 2012, he set off fireworks within the NHL by signing two of the league’s most coveted free agents, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Their 13-year, $98 million contracts position the Wild for long-term Stanley Cup contention. Fletcher has since added a supporting cast for the two superstars, including forwards Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell along with first-round pick defenseman Jonas Brodin.

The newly restructured team is on hold while the league undergoes a lockout that stems from players’ and owners’ inability to reach a collective bargaining agreement. For now, the newly crafted team is running drills and scrimmaging to stay fresh and primed for the start of the season. Until the puck hits the ice, Wild fans will have to wait to see whether Fletcher’s offseason gamble will pay postseason dividends.

Terry Ryan Returns as Minnesota Twins’ GM

Terry Ryan believed he had closed the book on his career in baseball management when he stepped down after 13 years as the Minnesota Twins’ GM in 2007. However, Bill Smith’s surprise dismissal led the franchise to seek out an old friend who had led the team to four American League Central titles during his tenure as GM.

Ryan built his legacy on developing solid minor league teams that help create depth within the major league roster. Ryan was able to use a low payroll to build up his team, which led the Twins to receive recognition as a model small-market franchise during his first tenure. In 2002, Baseball America and SportsTicker named Ryan’s team Organization of the Year.

During the past two years under Smith’s tenure as the Twins’ GM, the franchise finished a dismal 63-99 and 66-96. However, Ryan seems committed to the challenge of improving his old team. “It’s going to take everything we’ve got to turn this thing around quickly,” Ryan told reporters during a press conference at Target Field earlier this month.

Vikings’ New GM Looking for Long-Term Success, Building Young Team

In a state where one out of every two residents follows the home team, hiring a GM involved more than just numbers. Vikings’ fans wanted a leader who could deliver wins on game day while building a team focused on long-term success. In January 2012, the Minnesota Vikings named Rick Spielman the team’s GM. Spielman is already focused on a clear vision for the beloved franchise.

Spielman is serving his 22nd season as an NFL executive, including his work for the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins. Spielman previously served as the Vikings’ vice president of player personnel, where he directed scouting, free agency and draft preparations for the club. He took over the franchise at a time of considerable overhaul, and he is currently strategizing to help the Vikings return to the Super Bowl and continue their legacy in the NFL.

In one of his first roles as manager, Spielman displayed real acumen for building a top-tiered team through the draft as he acquired a fourth- , fifth- and seventh-round pick from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a third-round pick. The trade gave the Vikings a total of 13 draft picks and a tremendous opportunity to stack their team with young talent, including the team’s preferred first-round choice with the fourth pick, University of Southern California tackle Matt Kalil.

The 2012 Vikings are a young team. Almost half the team consists of rookies, second-year pros or players who have fewer than a dozen career starts; however, Spielman is planning to mold this young, inexperienced team into champions.

Timberwolves’ GM Has His Eyes Set on Playoffs

David Kahn is preparing to enter his fourth season as GM of the Timberwolves, and he is continuing the team’s rebuilding efforts after the loss of all-star Kevin Garnett in his history-making trade to the Boston Celtics. Since Garnett’s departure in 2007, the Timberwolves have not been able to find the groove that carried the team through a successful postseason run in the early 2000s.

The Timberwolves have one of the youngest rosters in the league this season, and Kahn has bolstered the team that surrounds all-star and recent gold medalist Kevin Love. With this added talent enhancing the Timberwolves’ depth on the bench, Kahn expects nothing less than a playoff appearance this season, something the team has not done since 2004. The additions of Chase Budinger, Alexey Shved, Greg Stiemsma and Andrei Kirilenko are expected to help the Timberwolves in the Western Conference and the postseason.

Kahn came to the Timberwolves after a successful tenure with the Indiana Pacers, where he served largely on the business side of the franchise.

The GM is one of the most coveted positions in sports. Building a winning team comes down to more than just numbers, and success is about more than increasing revenue and salaries. GMs are the keepers of the fans, and they help establish a community of supporters by providing the ultimate fan experience: victory.

Concordia University, St. Paul’s diverse online degree offerings respond to the realities of the marketplace both now and in the future. Concordia’s degrees, like the Masters in Sports Management Online, use relevant curriculum to position graduates for real-world opportunities and success. Employers seek students who have relevant skills to contribute to both the workplace and community, and Concordia’s online degrees offer a robust education to expand students’ knowledge base and skill set. Concordia provides a valuable investment for lifelong career success.