Gene's Blog: Discount UST notes, from Feely to Healy

January 22, 2010

It’s inventory clearance time at Gene’s Blog. The following notes -- from Cretin and Summit Avenues and beyond -- are all going for up to 70% off retail.

(Be sure to sign up for e-mail alerts for our big sidewalk sale in February…)

One son and one grandson of well-known Tommies will be on the national stage this weekend in NFL championship games.

Veteran placekicker Jay Feely has been solid for the cinderella New York Jets. Feely was even forced into punting duties in the Jets’ playoff victory over the Ravens.

The Tampa native and Michigan Wolverine college player is the grandson of UST Athletic Hall of Famer Tom Feely, who won 417 games in 26 seasons as the Tommies’ head basketball coach. The elder Feely, who died in three years ago this week, coached more than 1,000 games in basketball and baseball at UST and St. Thomas Academy.

Jay Feely’s given name is Thomas “Jay” Feely after his grandfather and father. He was born in New Prague, where his dad, Tom, Jr., (1974 Tommie grad and 3X football letterwinner) began his coaching career with the Trojans’ 1974 state football title team.

Jay Feely played on Michigan’s 1987 national championship team but was undrafted after his senior year. He played for two Arena League teams before landing a starting job with Atlanta. He later kicked for the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, and is in his second season with the Jets. He was named to the NFL's All-Rookie team while with the Falcons and in 2005 was a Pro Bowl alternate.

Meanwhile, when the Vikings test the Saints in Sunday evening’s NFC Championship game in the Superdome, they’ll have to beat a Lombardi –- New Orleans quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi.  The 38-year-old, who works with New Orleans’ Drew Brees, is the son of St. Thomas alum Vince Lombardi, Jr.

Joe Lombardi was born in 1971 -- nine months after his legendary grandfather Vince died of colon and liver cancer at age 57. Joe played three seasons of college football at Air Force. After his four-year military commitment, he returned to football and accepted an assistant coaching job at Dayton. He eventually coached with the Atlanta Falcons, and joined the Saints’ staff in 2007. 

Joe's father, the Tommie football co-captain and starting fullback in 1963, was a lawyer and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He moved to Seattle and worked in various front-office roles with the Seahawks’ expansion franchise. Today, Vince, Jr., is an author and motivational speaker.

Vince Lombardi went 2-0 in Super Bowls and 5-1 in NFC Championship games as a Packer head coach. The NFL’s Super Bowl Trophy, one street and one middle school in Green Bay, as well as a steakhouse in Appleton, are all named after Lombardi.

Ironically this week, another former Tommie and Wisconsin native has joined the Seahawks’ front office. UST’s 1993 graduate John Schneider was hired this week as Seattle’s general manager –- 35 years after Vince Jr., went to work for the Seahawks.

Brett mania

--Brett Favre has thrown 37 touchdown passes in 17 games this season with the Vikings. In Minnesota’s previous 49 games of the Brad Childress era, from 2006-2008, the Vikings had 44 TD throws from five different quarterbacks (Tarvaris Jackson, Brad Johnson, Gus Frerotte, Brooks Bollinger and Kelly Holcomb).

--Favre was one of two new veteran starting QBs in the NFC Central this year. The Bears’ Jay Cutler -– granted, with nowhere near the offensive personnel that Favre had around him -- had 27 TD passes and 26 interceptions in 16 games. Favre has 37 TD throws and only seven picks in 17 games.

--Favre will start his 23rd career postseason game on Sunday. Favre won Super Bowl XXXI  in the Superdome with the Packers in January 1997. Green Bay rode two long Desmond Howard kick returns and Favre’s solid play (two long TD passes, one TD run) to a 35-24 win over New England.

--How long? The last time the Vikings won an NFC Championship game  -- 1977 -- was the last year a Minneapolis or St. Paul public high school (Minneapolis Washburn) won a state football championship .

--How long 2?: Three weeks after the Vikings’ last Super Bowl appearance, Jim Kleinsasser was born.

Anniversary

--Today is the 70th anniversary of the first St. Thomas basketball game in O’Shaughnessy Hall. Tom Feely played in that game, a 40-25 loss to Gustavus. Feely’s final home game of his 26-year Tommie coaching career was also played in O’Shaughnessy, in February 1980, in the next-to-last season it hosted varsity games.

--Steve Fritz coached the final college game at O’Shaughnessy Hall in February 1981 (a 64-60 win over Gustavus). Fritz also coached in the first men's college game at Schoenecker (an 80-77 loss to Ripon) and coached the final men’s college game at Schoenecker (a 53-50 NCAA playoff win over UW-Stevens Point).

--Tommie women’s coach Ruth Sinn played with St. Thomas in the last women’s basketball game at O’Shaughnessy Hall. She also played the first women’s game in Schoenecker in 1981 (a 77-26 win over St. Scholastica). Sinn also coached in the arena’s last women’s college game there last February (a 67-64 MIAC playoff win over Hamline).

PHOTO: Tom Feely stood just 5-foot-6 but cast a large shadow

More Tommie talk

--Junior guard Alex Healy is having a breakout season for Fritz’ 14-2 and ninth-ranked UST men’s basketball team. When Healy scores in double figures on his career, the Tommies are 17-0. Healy was nominated for Academic All-District this week with a 3.62 gpa in Business Management.

--Of 16 players eligible, eight St. Thomas women’s soccer players made the MIAC All-Academic team. Coach Sheila McGill’s squad has a cumulative 3.48 grade-point average.

--St. Thomas football had 16 players qualify for MIAC Academic All-Conference. Coach Glenn Caruso has 61 players with cumulative gpas of 3.20 or better, including 26 at 3.60 or better.

--Tommie football’s 11-2 record let it finish 2009 as one of 36 teams in NCAA football (FBS, FSC, D-II, D-III) to win 11 or more games. Alabama (14-0), Boise State (14-0), UW-Whitewater (15-0) and Amherst (8-0) were the lone NCAA unbeatens.

--The University of New Orleans officially withdrew from the Sun Belt Conference this week and is dropping from Division I to Division III. D-I Centenary (La.) is also leaving the Summit League and plans a similar downgrade to Division III in the coming years.

--The Pioneer Press’ Charley Walters notes this week that Tommie alum Jake Mauer recently returned from Taiwan where he worked several baseball clinics. Mauer is also going to New York this weekend with family members to watch his brother Joe receive his trophy as the American League MVP.

--Tommie softball starts practice in two weeks in preparation for its season-opening games in the March 12-14 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Panama City Beach, Fla. That 24-team tournament includes 2008 NCAA champion UW-Eau Claire, plus seven teams ranked in the top 17 in last year’s final poll, including UST, Gustavus and Central. The Toms, 40-6 last season, also will play on spring break in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif.

--While skimming a Tommie football guide Thursday, my soon-to-be 5-year-old son Peter saw a photo of St. Thomas strength and conditioning coach Ty Stenzel and remarked: “That guy looks like Chuck Norris.”

--Brett Favre started seventh on the QB depth chart in preseason camp as a freshman at Southern Mississippi. (By the third game he moved into the lineup and led a comeback victory). In his rookie season with Atlanta, two of the four passes Favre threw were intercepted.

Seventh-string QB… half of his passes intercepted… hey, that sounds like my QB career in middle school.

Favre and McGivern, legends of the fall…