Flynn battled prostate cancer since his being diagnosed in Jan., 2011. He passed away today at 2 a.m. at United Hospital in St. Paul, surrounded by family and friends. He is survived by his wife and three children.

One of seven siblings, Flynn wore jersey No. 89 and played tight end on Coach Mark Dienhart’s Tommie football teams in 1985 and 1986. He later overcame dyslexia and made a remarkable career transition from St. Paul bartender and food sales rep to a world-class author.

That transformation was captured in this 2006 St. Thomas Magazine profile of Flynn, written by John Nemo:

http://www.stthomas.edu/news/2006/01/06/flynns-success-has-no-term-limits/

Name Dropper

Flynn occasionally dropped a Minnesota name as an obscure character in his stories. He once mentioned a man named "Fr. Vincent Flynn" as a tribute to the former St. Thomas college president (1946-56). Flynn the writer said on his website that his father, who knew the priest, decided to name one of his sons after him.

Fast forward to the 2012 release, Kill Shot. In the latest book, Flynn mentions that a CIA agent will be accompanied by a guy named “Waldvogel.” That reference is to the Tommies’ Fritz Waldvogel, an All-America wide receiver and kick returner who capped a record-breaking career in December 2011.

Waldvogel said later he enjoyed getting recognized by Flynn, a fellow St. Thomas Academy graduate.

“I saw him after the St. John’s game and he joked with me that he might do this,” Waldvogel said. “It's pretty cool to have that as one of the character names."

More Links:

Flynn appeared on KARE 11 TV in November 2012 to promote his latest book, The Last Man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_oKvjIZYkY

Here’s a February 2012 video story by WCCO TV on Flynn’s battle with prostate cancer (click on photo triangle to run video):

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/02/27/wcco-interviews-best-selling-author-who-battled-cancer/

Here's a longer interview with Flynn on a podcast by Twin Cities radio personality Tom Barnard:

http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5Bfulltext%5D=Vince+Flynn

Here's a February 2012 USA Today feature on Flynn:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/books/news/story/2012-02-06/vince-flynn-books/52979550/1

Click here for online registration:

http://alumni.stthomas.edu/s/904/index.aspx?sid=904&pgid=1643&gid=1&cid=3026&ecid=3026&post_id=0

2013 Football Alumni Golf Schedule:

Monday, July 29, 2013

Mendakota Country Club, 2075 Mendakota Drive, Mendota Heights, MN 55120

Registration starts at 11:30 a.m.

Shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Social to follow tournament

Steak dinner/program at 7 p.m.

Brochures for golf tournament registration will be mailed on Friday, June 14, 2013. 

A special thanks to all Sponsors from last year’s tournament listed below, as well as those who have already committed to sponsor this year.

Click here to view 2012 Golf Sponsors

“The NFFMN has grown tremendously since the first year we hosted it back in 2008. We went from a small gathering of about 70 in the innaugrual year to about 450 this year, and we couldn’t be prouder of our partnership with the Foundation,” Caruso said of the event.

“We have been blessed to have many players who have been NFF award winners in the past years have been among some of them are not only some of our best players, but more importantly, some of our most mentally tough and well-rounded student athletes.”

St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso (second from left, front) is joined by current and past St. Thomas players at the recent National Football Foundation dinner held at UST. Michael Witchen (holding trophy) is among the local high school players honored by the local chapter.

Coach Caruso and staff will be discussing the program, spring drills, and showing film of the incoming 2013 recruiting class as well as answering questions.

The event is open to alumni, family, fans and the general public, and there is no admission charge. 

More than 260 college teams in NCAA and NAIA had players honored. Only FCs teams Harvard and Brown had more honorees than the Tommies.

Seniors who started, were key reserves or played special teams and had a 3.20 or higher cumulative grade-point average were recognized.

St. Thomas' group includes Paul Carlson, Garrett Engelhardt, Tyler Erstad, Grant Geris, Curtis James, Logan Marks, Kyle Mulrooney, Jon R. Nelson, Joe Novitzki and Eric Rowekamp.

Click here to see the NFF news release:

http://www.footballfoundation.org/News/NewsDetail/tabid/567/Article/53635/2013-nff-hampshire-honor-society-membership-announced.aspx

The 2013 newcomer group includes players from five states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illiniois, Iowa and Oregon.

“This has been an amazing year for the program, and that success on the field translated throughout the recruiting process as well. It was a fun year recruiting, and our coaching staff was able to start strong and finish even stronger to put together this great class," said Coach Caruso.

"Our assistant coaches continue to work tirelessly to identify, recruit and land the highest level of student-athlete. I think it's a testament to the staff’s work ethic that we were able to land among our most talented and certainly deepest class in recent memory.”

The Tommies have won back-to-back-to-back undefeated conference championships (2010, 2011, 2012) and became the first team in league history to complete three consecutive 10-0 regular-season records. 

Caruso’s fall 2013 senior class, which has been pivotal in the UST football turnaround, comes into 2013 with a 39-3 career mark, including a 30-0 regular-season record.

Program Momentum

"In listening to the recruits, they were attracted by the back-to-back-to-back MIAC championships and three undefeated seasons; two recent West Region championships and Final Four appearances; our national championship game appearance; big wins over rival schools; tremendous media coverage, both on the radio with WCCO and ESPN television coverage; and the new facilities. 

"However, as we see year after year, the overwhelming consensus was the fact that they wanted to be a part of a tremendous group of young men who work tirelessly and always place the goodness of the 'Family' above individual success.”

Since his 2008 hiring as St. Thomas head coach, Caruso has guided the Tommies to four straight national playoff berths including an appearance in last December's national championship game. His 57-8 won-loss record let him become the all-time winningest football coach in school’s history, including a current 27-game conference winning streak and 34 regular-season victories in a row. 

For the third consecutive year, Caruso was voted the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year for Division III. He also received the prestigious American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year award via a vote of his peers.

“We continue to be blessed to have the type of young man that expects and demands excellence of himself and his teammates, and is willing to work and push himself to greatness in all facets of his life," Caruso said. "These young men display physical and mental toughness and have chosen a worthy path over an easy one. Of all the things I respect about this class, that willingness to push oneself, stands out above the rest. They understand the ethos that we hold dear in this Program; that we are not entitled to anything other than the opportunity to work together for the common good of our 'Family.' ”  

The Tommies will open their 2012 season at home on Sept. 7 against UW-Eau Claire. 

2013 Newcomers

Player/High School

Jesse Addo, Wayzata

Michael Alada, Hill-Murray

Ryan Anderson, Champlin Park

Dylan Andrew, Neuqua Valley (Ill.)

Michael Backus, Eastview

Michael Blume, Big Lake

Sebastian Borges, Stillwater

Josh Botten, Shakopee

Steven Braschayko, Coon Rapids

Alex Burback, Stillwater

Stuart Burns, Hudson (Wis.)

Bennett Celichowski, Minnetonka

Alex Chadwick, Farmington

Mike Coldagelli, New Prague

Alexander Daniel, Andover

Nick Eliason, Belle Plaine

Tyler Fish, Warroad

Darby Goodwin, Loyola Academy (Ill.)

Micah Hausman, Eagan

Luke Hermann, Cretin-Derham Hall

Will Hilbert, Marquette University High (Wis.)

Sam Hodnefield, Stillwater

Joel Hylton, North Shore School (Ill.)

Moise Igeno, Centennial

Jonah Koski, Bend (Ore.)

Brady Kurtz, Becker

Matt Lally, Marmion Academy (Ill.)

Chandler Lamke, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau (Wis.)

Noah Larson, Bloomington Jefferson

Will Long, Wayzata

Makael Lunning, Albert Lea

Zach Merie, Hopkins

Jordan Millis, Black River Falls (Wis.)

Brendan Murphy, Loyola Academy (Ill.)

Jack Newell, Minnetonka

Derek Ogren, Holy Family Catholic

Ayo Okesanya, North Shore School (Ill.)

Chris Pierson, Wayzata

Joey Puk, Eden Prairie

Mike Redmond, Minnetonka

Joe Reed, Cretin-Derham Hall

Hayden Reich, Huntley (Ill.)

Chris Rozek, Hopkins

Turner Sagat, New Berlin Eisenhower (Wis.)

Sean Scharlau, St. Michael-Albertville

Kyle Schmidt, Woodbury

Adam Schnobrich, New Ulm Cathedral

Derek Soderberg, Eden Prairie

Joe Southern, Ashwaubenon (Wis.)

Alexander Stevson, St. Thomas Academy

Jarrod Thill, Green Bay Southwest (Wis.)

Josh Vedane, Dowling Catholic (Iowa)

Nick Waldvogel, St. Thomas Academy

Steven Wilson, Apple Valley

Ryan Winter, Woodbury

Michael Witschen, Monticello

Evan Zellner, DePere (Wis.)

Transfers

Zach Burrington, MSU Mankato/Maple Grove

Nathan Howard, U of Minnesota/Bloomington Jefferson

Zach Martens, Missouri S&T/Apple Valley

But they weren’t lying around in the sun or watching the highly ranked Tommie baseball and softball teams sweep doubleheaders at home against MIAC opponents.

They were lifting wood trusses, framing a roofline and pounding nails. A lot of nails.

The Tommies showed up bright and early at a Habitat for Humanity house site on the East Side of St. Paul and stayed all day as part of a community service project. Coach Glenn Caruso and his daughter Anna joined them, toting an oversized $10,000 check for the non-profit organization as part of his $50,000 award as 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year.

“We couldn’t be prouder to join Habitat for Humanity for this very worthy cause,” Caruso told Kate Loe, senior manager for corporate and volunteer development, in handing her the check and calling her organization “phenomenal.”

Cole Kelly, a sophomore tight end from Red Wing, had no problems giving up a Saturday to work on the two-story, four-bedroom house on Sims Avenue, and he came with experience. While in high school, he helped to build a house in Arkansas on a mission trip with a church group.

“I really enjoy this kind of work,” said Kelly, a business management major who played in five games for the 14-1 Tommies last season and caught a touchdown pass in the Homecoming win over Bethel. “This is a cool experience, and I’m glad we can help out.”

One of Kelly’s co-workers was Wazam Abreha, who will move into the house with her mother and three daughters, ages 7, 8 and 9. They live in an apartment now and are anxious to have their own home. One Habitat for Humanity requirement is that new owners need to invest 300-500 hours of “sweat equity” in lieu of a down payment.

“I expect to work 400 hours on the house,” Abreha said as she sat on second floor scaffolding and pounded nails. As for the Tommies on the site, she smiled and said, “They are good helpers.”

Loe said volunteers from a variety of businesses and organizations began working in mid-April on the house, which will have 1,500 finished square feet on the first and second floors and another 860 square feet in an unfinished basement.

Abreha also is required to take a series of classes, ranging from financial “fitness” to maintenance and repairs to how to be a good neighbor, before she can move into the house later this year.

“We set up our homeowners for success,” said Loe, a Gustavus Adolphus graduate who has worked for Habitat for Humanity since 2008. “Our foreclosure rate is less than 1 percent.”

Habitat for Humanity will hold a 0 percent mortgage on the property, which Loe expects will have a value exceeding $150,000 when completed. Materials alone will cost $120,000, covered through donations such as Caruso’s. Abreha will pay up to a third of her income in house payments, and can keep any equity in the house if she ever sells it back to Habitat.

Caruso credits his wife Rachael with the inspiration for working on the site. She was a Habitat for Humanity volunteer during high school and college, and met him when he was an assistant coach at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

“We had to turn guys away today because there can only be 18 workers on the site,” Caruso said. “The other players will have an opportunity to volunteer elsewhere.”

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity, go to www.tchabitat.org.

--

Click here to see Tommie Media video story:

http://www.tommiemedia.com/news/football-team-works-with-habitat-for-humanity/

The team will work at 652 Sims Avenue in St. Paul. Coach Glenn Caruso also will present a check to the organization for $10,000, part of his award for being named the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III.

Twin Cities Habitat is an award-winning nonprofit that builds and sells 50-60 homes in the Twin Cities each year. Habitat selects hardworking, low-income families to buy the homes. Each family is required to:

· Complete hundreds of hours of volunteer sweat equity with Habitat

· Complete extensive homeownership training courses

· Sign Habitat’s unique 0% mortgage (their monthly payments help Habitat build more homes)

2012 Tommie seniors

The 11th Annual 2103 St. Thomas Football Alumni Golf Tournament will be held Monday, July 29 at Mendakota Country Club in Mendota Heights.   

Schedule:  

Monday, July 29, 2013, Mendakota Country Club, 2075 Mendakota Drive, Mendota Heights, Minn., 55120

Registration starts at 11:30 a.m.  

Shotgun start at 1 p.m.  

Social to follow tournament  

Steak dinner/program at 7 p.m.  

Brochures for golf tournament registration will be mailed on Friday, June 14, 2013. 

Please refer to “Golf” button on Football Home Page.  

A special thanks to all Sponsors from last year’s tournament, as well as those who have already committed to sponsor this year.

Over 100 players hit the field for the first of their spring drills that continue through the month of April and early May. For the team and the coach, it's the backbone of the team’s growth, both on and off the field.

“One of the greatest feelings in our professional lives is when we get the chance to be around our kids again, whether it is in the beginning of fall camp or spring ball, there is a strong sense of 'Family' and camaraderie that is almost palpable,” said Coach Caruso of the opportunity. “We are forever a program that concentrates on our togetherness and our work, and that is why we have continually been able to move forward throughout the years.”

St. Thomas Football's "forward’" movement has been well documented throughout the past five seasons with records under Caruso successively increasing every year: 7-3 in 2008, 11-2 in 2009, 12-1 in 2010, 13-1 in 2011 and 14-1 in 2012 culminating with an appearance in the 2012 national championship game and a final No. 2 national ranking.

Tommie football's rising senior class will enter next fall with a 39-3 career record. That includes three straight undefeated regular seasons to go with their three consecutive MIAC championships.

Team Busy in Community

The coach said the spring semester has been a good chance to work on the off-field opportunities to grow as a team. 

“One of the many things we love about our guys is that they have bought wholeheartedly into the idea of building something together; with each other and for each other," Caruso said. “The work ethic of our players and their authentic care for one another and the University has been on display on the national stage. It all goes back to finding the right type of individuals, with the right type of attitude, discipline and thoughtfulness where they understand that it is not all about them. Their willingness to give their hearts and minds to their teammates is a testament to the mental toughness of the young men that choose St Thomas.”

Although the 2013 season remains four months away, the team will use April workouts to hone their skills on and off the field. Throughout the month, the team will take part in half a dozen volunteer opportunities to help grow and strengthen both their bond as well as their surrounding community.

"The team will make appearances and volunteer in and around local schools and youth sports and church groups," Coach Caruso said. "This year, for the first time we will support Habitat for Humanity in the forms of both donations as well as helping to build a local home for a family in need. The large donation to Habitat for Humanity is part of the more than $250,000 that the football program has helped raise for charitable organizations in the past three years to go along with the thousands of hours logged in service work, volunteerism and mission trips.

“We are so blessed to have the type of young man that expects excellence of himself and his teammates off the field as well as on. These kids are the total package, and they continually prove it through their selfless thoughts and actions on a daily basis. They understand that the only thing that we are entitled to is the opportunity to work and serve one another and nothing more, and that makes me as proud as any game, championship or undefeated season that we have.”  

DL Riley Dombek (97) is among the Tommies' top defensive returners. (Mark Brown photo)