BleedGopher
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per Shama:
Mark Lundgren, 71, just finished his 20th year as boss of the Chain Gang for University of Minnesota home football games. His position as crew chief and that of other “gang” members is not paid, but people line up to fill openings.
Opportunities are rare. Since 2000 only one Chain Crew member decided to retire while in good health. “Unless someone dies, people don’t leave,” Lundgren told Sports Headliners this week. “People really enjoy it.”
Lundgren keeps a file with names of those expressing interest but he has only added a small number of people to the crew in 20 years. Four are guys who played for Lundgren when he was head football coach at Golden Valley High School decades ago. One of them is Brian Cosgriff, the former Hopkins girls basketball coach who turned the Royals into a national power.
Over the years Cosgriff has made time, despite a busy schedule of coaching, teaching and family, to be at TCF Bank Stadium for Gopher games because he enjoys the experience of being a crew member so much. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s definitely a crew. I call it the Chain Gang Mafia. Half the fun of working the games is getting there early so you can shoot the bull with the guys in the locker room beforehand. We got games on the TV, we got food, and afterwards we tailgate.”
Crew members receive complimentary parking and game tickets from the U Athletic Department. They are provided with a pregame meal, shoes and apparel. “What I’ve got is a lot of guys that maybe have coached, or been in football, or played, and just kind of want to keep up with it,” Lundgren said. “It is a fun job, I will say that.”
Go Gophers!!
Mark Lundgren, 71, just finished his 20th year as boss of the Chain Gang for University of Minnesota home football games. His position as crew chief and that of other “gang” members is not paid, but people line up to fill openings.
Opportunities are rare. Since 2000 only one Chain Crew member decided to retire while in good health. “Unless someone dies, people don’t leave,” Lundgren told Sports Headliners this week. “People really enjoy it.”
Lundgren keeps a file with names of those expressing interest but he has only added a small number of people to the crew in 20 years. Four are guys who played for Lundgren when he was head football coach at Golden Valley High School decades ago. One of them is Brian Cosgriff, the former Hopkins girls basketball coach who turned the Royals into a national power.
Over the years Cosgriff has made time, despite a busy schedule of coaching, teaching and family, to be at TCF Bank Stadium for Gopher games because he enjoys the experience of being a crew member so much. “It’s unbelievable,” he said. “It’s definitely a crew. I call it the Chain Gang Mafia. Half the fun of working the games is getting there early so you can shoot the bull with the guys in the locker room beforehand. We got games on the TV, we got food, and afterwards we tailgate.”
Crew members receive complimentary parking and game tickets from the U Athletic Department. They are provided with a pregame meal, shoes and apparel. “What I’ve got is a lot of guys that maybe have coached, or been in football, or played, and just kind of want to keep up with it,” Lundgren said. “It is a fun job, I will say that.”
Go Gophers!!