Grady Alderman, one of the "50 Greatest Vikings," passed away Thursday, the Vikings announced. He was 79.
Alderman, an offensive lineman, played for the Vikings from 1961-74. He was a backup for the Detroit Lions his rookie season (1960) before being selected by the Vikings in the expansion draft. Alderman was a six-time Pro Bowl pick and a two-time All-Pro selection during his Vikings career.
After retiring, he worked on Vikings radio broadcasts for four seasons. and also was the Denver Broncos' general manager in 1981 and 1982.
"We are saddened to hear of the loss of Grady Alderman," Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in a statement. "His impact on the Vikings was threefold — as a great player, as a member of the front office and as a member of our radio broadcasts.
"Grady epitomized the Vikings work ethic on the field as a Pro Bowl offensive tackle in the early days of the franchise and was a foundation piece for the success of the 1960s and 1970s."
U baseball wins two
The Gophers baseball team won two games against Penn State, 7-6 and 17-2, on Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind. The series was moved from Minneapolis to a neutral site to escape the cold weather, but the cold still affected this series.
Their game Friday was suspended after five innings with the Nittany Lions ahead 5-4. But Minnesota rallied to win it the next day on Eli Wilson's two-run single in the sixth, which broke a 5-all tie.
In the second game, freshman Patrick Fredrickson of the Gophers (20-10, 4-1 Big Ten) had a no-hitter for seven innings and got the win, backed by three homers. Alex Boxwell hit a three-run shot, and Micah Coffey and Terrin Vavra hit solo long balls. Curtis Robinson's double leading off the eighth for Penn State (7-17, 1-7) ended Fredrickson's no-hit bid. After he scored on a groundout, the Gophers changed pitchers.
Wilson had four more RBI in the rout, three on a bases-loaded double.
Etc.
• The Gophers' softball game with Michigan State in East Lansing on Saturday was postponed by inclement weather. The teams will play a doubleheader Sunday starting at 9:45 a.m.
• Former DeLaSalle boys' basketball coach Dave Thorson has rejoined the staff of new Colorado State coach Nico Medved. They coached together at Drake last season.
• Augustana defeated host Minnesota Duluth 9-0 in women's tennis to complete another perfect NSIC regular season (11-0) and win its ninth consecutive title. The Vikings have won 99 consecutive NSIC regular-season matches dating to April 2009.
• The Saints signed first baseman/outfielder Jayce Boyd. The 27-year-old Boyd spent all of 2017 at Class AAA Las Vegas in the New York Mets organization. He hit .297 with a career-high 11 home runs and 46 RBI in 92 games.
• Josh Morton was named the athletic director at Augustana. He was an assistant athletic director at Michigan State.
• Concordia (Moorhead) named Rebecca O'Shurak its women's soccer coach. She was an assistant coach at Youngtown State (Ohio) last year.
• The first three rounds of the MIAC baseball schedule were postponed to later dates in April. Round 1 — originally scheduled for March 31 — will now take place on April 15, Round 2 games on April 22. and Round 3 games on April 26.