On Iowa Daily Briefing 5.29.12 — Big Game James Vandenberg apparently hunted down a bear

The following photo got on the World Wide Web Monday night, and we had already been told Iowa quarterback James Vanderberg traveled a great distance to hunt bears. I’ve heard Saskatchewan and Alberta. Wherever it was, it was remote. Bears aren’t city people.

If someone wants to a) claim credit for being the photographer and b) fill in the blanks with the back story, please do. Because this has to be quite a story. Once the details are learned, we’ll update this post. By the way, the photo first surfaced at HawkeyeLounge.com.

Vandenberg and the recently deceased bear

Now for something totally different, and admittedly, far less interesting.

What, a second Phil Steele mention in two weeks? Give us a break!

Hey, this is being written on a holiday, which means it wasn’t created with blood, sweat and tears. Plus, I had a television go out and an air conditioner that I wasn’t sure was fully functional on a hot day.

Aggravating, but not fatal.

So I went for some low-hanging fruit. On Monday, college football yearbook author Steele released his preseason All-America teams, four units and 104 players. Actually, 103. LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu was listed as both a first-team cornerback and first-team punt-returner.

The 103 players listed came from 51 different teams. Iowa wasn’t among them.

The Big Ten had 14 players, considerably less than the SEC’s 38. The Big 12 (with 10 teams) and the Pac-12 had 18, the ACC 17. Iowa State had 1, fourth-team linebacker A.J. Klein.

Of the Big Ten’s 14, just one is at a so-called skill position. That’s first-team running back Montee Ball of Wisconsin. Six SEC players are at skill positions. Arkansas has two on the second-team alone.

Wisconsin had four players named overall, including two of the Big Ten’s first-teamers. The other first-team Badger is offensive tackle Ricky Wagner. Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins was the other.

Ohio State had three players cited. Michigan State had two. Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State and Purdue had one each. Nebraska’s was third-team kicker Brett Maher.

Michigan’s Denard Robinson, Steele’s pick for first-team All-Big Ten, was not on his four All-America units.

I am in no way comparing the 2012 Iowa team to the 2002 Hawkeyes, but I wonder how many members of that Big Ten-title team in ’02 would have been as high as fourth-team preseason All-America in Steele’s mind, or anyone else’s.

Quarterback Brad Banks certainly wouldn’t have. Nor would tight end Dallas Clark. I’m guessing offensive tackle Eric Steinbach might have, and possibly kicker Nate Kaeding. I don’t think safety Bob Sanders had established himself enough entering the ’02 season.

Steinbach, Sanders, Kaeding and defensive tackle Colin Cole were all on Football News’ 2002 preseason first-team All-Big Ten team.

No Hawkeye made the first- or second-team on The Sporting News’ preseason All-America teams of 2002.

But Clark was a consensus first-team All-America in the postseason. So was Steinbach. Center Bruce Nelson made a couple of different All-America squads, and Kaeding was on several.

So, the preseason honor squads are for entertainment purposes only. So are the team rankings. Steele has Iowa No. 38, by the way.

But … Steele doesn’t have any apparent allegiance to any conference. For there to be 38 SEC players on his list, and just 14 from the Big Ten … that’s a whopping difference. Adding Missouri and Texas A&M (Steele has five Aggies on his All-America units) doesn’t hurt.

– Mike Hlas

END-OF-HOLIDAY-WEEKEND LINKS

Webster County I-Club spring banquet (Jay Christensen photo)

– Courtesy of thewizofodds.com, here’s Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz telling a Fort Dodge I-Club crowd things last week that it probably wanted to hear. Just click on the “Ferentz in Fort Dodge” link and watch.

Ferentz in Fort Dodge

– The third of Iowa’s 11 FBS opponents in 2012 has shown up in the Orlando Sentinel’s countdown of the top 120 teams, 120-to-1. We got two out of the way early in No. 111 Indiana and No. 110 Central Michigan.

Over the weekend, Iowa State came in at No. 78.

– According to CBSsports.com’s Bruce Feldman, one Big Ten football schedule is among the nation’s 10 toughest in 2012. That would be Michigan’s, at No. 4.

Notre Dame has the toughest. Iowa State’s is No. 8.

– Speaking of Michigan, the Wolverines open the season against Alabama in Arlington, Texas. It will be prime-time, a real season-opening wingding. And the Wolverines have this going for them:

Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges faced Alabama head coach Nick Saban twice when Borges coordinated Auburn’s offense and Saban was LSU’s head coach.Auburn won both times.

– It’s a myth teams from BCS conferences won’t go on the road to play programs from non-BCS leagues. Yahoo Sports lists 10 such “dangerous propositions” for the big boys, including Oklahoma at UTEP and Indiana at Massachusetts.

– Indiana basketball player Cody Zeller was listed aty 6-foot-11, 230 pounds last season as a freshman. Guess what? He’s getting bigger.

– Former ESPN football analyst Craig James is facing a figurative fourth-and-52 in his effort to win today’s Texas primary to be the state’s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate this November. He’s polling at 3 percent.

Compiled by Mike Hlas

On Iowa Daily Briefing 5.29.12 — Big Game James Vandenberg apparently hunted down a bear

Lydia Fine said: On May 29, 2012
DISLIKE BEAR KILLING.
Paul Davis said: On May 29, 2012
Re: The Bear. When they start issuing compound bows and rifles to the bears to make it a fair fight, I will pay attention. Otherwise, they are as defenseless as the Chicago Bears, which is truly sad.
As to Phil Steele and his contributions, I have no problem with the #38 ranking. Our defensive line doesn’t need an academic adviser: It needs a daycare supervisor. This is the youngest d-line I ever saw if you take out Alvis (injury) and Bigach (strictly second string). I hope the true frosh are gnarly. They will need to be.
Cara Leigh said: On May 29, 2012
I think that James Vandenberg’s killing of a bear as a trophy is awful representation of the University of Iowa. As an alumni, it makes me sad that this is what he does in his past time- hunt and kill innocent animals. Although I don’t advocate deer hunting, etc., at least those people kill them and use the meat to feed their families.
And as Paul stated: until the bear has a weapon to fight back with, it’s not a sport. And to the group on Facebook whose defense is “at least he’s not out raping or doing drugs.” Really? Ugh… cause those are the only other things people can do in their free time.
- busabus114 said: On May 30, 2012
  Oh wow, must be May when all people have time to do is complain about how some people spend their free time doing things they enjoy that are LEGAL.
  Awful representation? Dramatic much?
lonhawk said: On May 29, 2012
Are you kidding me, a compound bow makes this so unfair? Although it’s not a grizzly it’s HUGE! I’m pretty certain that I would not feel safe using a bow on this animal. Maybe I’d feel safe inside a tank. I used to hunt and enjoyed it but I don’t have time for it anymore. As long as hunters hunt legally and don’t waste the food I think it’s a fine sport. Just remember hunters are the people who fight to keep areas pristine and pay for the right to hunt which in turn pays the DNR to maintain the natural areas of the country. I realize that some people think eating something you caught yourself is wrong but what’s so sporting or humane about eating meat at a restaurant or store from an animal some one else butchered.
Paul Davis said: On May 30, 2012
I really think the angle of the camera makes the bear look a little bigger than it is, which is the point of posing it that way. Also, a decent archer can hit a stationary target at greater than 100 feet with a compound bow and a steel shaft with a half-inch flanged hunting head, and that is unfair to anything that can’t shoot back. Just watch “Deliverance” if you don’t believe me. I am not against hunting, but my life was spent in miltary service where the “prey” is other armed men. It is no coincidence that most military people are not avid hunters, and the closer to combat arms they are serving, the less likely they are to be hunters. There are exceptions,of course, but I found it to be the general trend.
Let James V get his entertainment any way he wants. In the Big Ten, the defenses shoot back.
Tom Christensen said: On May 30, 2012
Paul;
Thank you for your service to our country and the freedom we all enjoy, like agreeing or disagreeing with hunting.
Cheyene Towers said: On May 30, 2012
Like Bear Harvest. Fire up the egg and crack me a beer. GO HAWKEYES!!!
danny cou said: On May 30, 2012
Yep. Totally unfair to be hunting the bear with a bow.
The Iowa QB should have taken a dufflebag of footballs into the Canadian wild and while facing down the bear pummeled him to death with a barrage of passes. Now that would have made it a real sport and worthy of video on some obscure cable network show.
Marc Morehouse said: On June 2, 2012
This was from a hunt in northern Saskatchewan. James went with WR Nick Nielsen. He obviously hit his target.
I do not hunt, but only because I don’t have the time. I fish like a madman and absolutely love it.
It’s not illegal, but it’s certainly up for debate and public comment and so everyone can have their say.
I’ve had three bear encounters in northern Wisconsin. One was a hungry bear in the garbage right outside our cabin door. Had a cabin full of kids who got a hoot out of it.
The other was on a golf course, Telemark just outside of Cable. I was in the fairway (yes, the fairway!) and I looked up and saw a bear in the bushes about 40 yards away. My weapon was a 3 wood. Bear ambled off and I let out a deep breathe.
Third was last year on Bear Point on Lake Namakagon. A mother bear had three cubs. We were in a truck on our way to town. We stopped to look at the bears, which we had seen in our front yard that morning. Momma didn’t like it and rose up on her haunches. That was an impressive sight!
This isn’t a statement on whether or not it’s OK to kill bears. I won’t and can’t sway anyone. They’re not an endangered species. It’s not illegal.
If this is the worst representation of Iowa football this offseason, it’s a win for Iowa football.
Paul Davis said: On June 2, 2012
Marc,
There you go, putting it into perspective for us and ruining the pleasure of thoughtless argument.You fun-killing brute, you!
Tom, you are welcome, and thank YOU for letting me serve. It was the most rewarding 23 years of my life.