Regions athletes hit the big time
By Jennifer Gayvert
The Forum - 09/12/1999

Throughout the years, athletes from the Red River Valley have made their mark in the world of professional sports. From Roger Maris to Matt Cullen, local athletes have gone on to some amazing professional careers.

Here is a look at some of the pros that began their careers in the region:

Baseball

Roger Maris: Last year's home run chase brought new national attention to this longtime local hero. The man who broke the record books with 61 home runs during the 1961 season with the New York Yankees nurtured his athletic career at Fargo Shanley High School, where he split his effort between baseball and football.

Maris, born in Hibbing, Minn., but raised in Fargo, was a multi-sport standout at Shanley, catching the attention of the University of Oklahoma, which offered him a football scholarship. Maris accepted but lasted only two weeks away from home. Later that summer, he signed with the Cleveland Indians, beginning an ordinary pro baseball career marked by some extraordinary seasons.

Over the course of his career, Maris posted a .260 batting average, tallying 1,327 hits, 851 RBI and 275 home runs. Numbers like that have failed to earn Maris a spot in the Hall of Fame, despite his record-breaking 1961 season.

Maris made history on Oct. 1, 1961, when he drilled home run No. 61 out of Yankee Stadium. Maris' reaction was simply relief - relief that the pressure to beat Babe Ruth's long-standing mark was over. The game ended in a 1-0 victory for the Yankees.

Yet Maris' moment in the spotlight was not yet finished. He led the league in RBI with 142 and tied for first in runs scored with 132 during that famed 1961 season. Maris earned his second straight American League MVP award, along with Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year, Sport magazine's Man of the Year and The Sporting News' Major League Player of the Year.

The Yankees went on to sweep Cincinnati in the World Series in 1961, giving Maris one of three career championships.

After the 1961 season, Maris struggled with injuries for much of his remaining career, which ended with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1968.

In 1984, Maris turned over memorabilia to build a museum, now located in West Acres mall. One year later, he died of cancer at age 51. The Roger Maris Celebrity Golf Tournament, played annually in Fargo, works to raise money for cancer research and patients.

Darin Erstad: Making headlines and breaking records has become a habit for this Jamestown, N.D. product.

Erstad made headlines in 1995 when he was the No. 1 spring draft pick, selected by the California Angels. He was signed to a $1.725 million contract with a $1.575 million signing bonus, the second largest in draft history.

Erstad was drafted after his junior year at Nebraska, where he recorded an impressive year. After helping the Cornhuskers' football team to a national championship as a punter and kicker, Erstad batted .410 with 19 home runs and 76 RBI for the baseball team. He became the only Big Eight Conference player to be a first pick in the baseball draft.

Erstad was called up to the majors in June 1996 where he helped the Angels to a 7-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays with key defensive plays. Three days later, Erstad hit his first major league home run.

Erstad switched to first base in 1997, earning a regular spot on the Angels' roster and a spot on the American League all-star team.

Dave Goltz: This right-handed pitcher from Rothsay, Minn., left his mark on the Minnesota Twins from 1972 to 1979. After playing with seven different minor league teams, he was signed by the Twins in 1972. Goltz made his first major league appearance that season against the New York Yankees, pitching three innings to help the Twins to victory.

In 1977, Goltz was one of only three pitchers in the American League to win 20 games. He left the Twins in 1979, beginning the 1980 season with the Dodgers. He stayed in Los Angeles for two seasons, ending his career in 1983 with the Anaheim Angels.

Goltz finished with a 113-109 career record and a 3.69 ERA. He currently resides in Fergus Falls, Minn.

Rick Helling: Climbing to the big leagues was no easy task for this multi-sport standout from Lakota, N.D., and Fargo Shanley High School.

Helling hasn't given up the fight. He is now in his sixth season of professional baseball, becoming one of the top starting pitchers for the Texas Rangers.

Helling played one season of football at the University of North Dakota before transferring to Stanford in 1992 to play baseball. In 1991, Helling participated in the Pan-Am Games and in 1992 was a pitcher on the U.S. Olympic team.

In 1993, Helling played minor-league baseball for Tulsa and Oklahoma City, earning honors as the Rangers' minor league player of the year. At the end of the season, Helling was practicing with the Rangers but was not activated.

At spring training in 1994, Helling earned the fifth and final spot on the Rangers' starting rotation. His major league debut came on April 10 in Baltimore, where he pitched four innings, earning no decision. Four days later, Helling earned his first major league win, holding off the Orioles.

Helling was later sent back down to Oklahoma City. In 1995, Helling again started with the Rangers but was sent back to Oklahoma.

Helling continued with Oklahoma City at the start of the 1996 season, honored as the American Association pitcher of the year. He bounced from starting rotation with Texas to the minor leagues for much of the 1996 season, before being traded to Florida on Sept. 3.

Serving as both a starter and a relief pitcher through early 1997 for the Marlins, Helling was 2-6 with a 4.38 ERA. He returned to Texas on Aug. 13, 1997, where he has remained since.

Boxing

Virgil Hill: Nicknamed "Quicksilver," Hill orchestrated some of the most electrifying professional events North Dakota has ever seen.

Since earning a silver medal in the 1984 Olympics, Hill fought most of his professional life in the light heavyweight division, which carries a maximum of 175 pounds.

He defended his World Boxing Association light heavyweight crown a record 21 times, which bettered the mark formerly held by Archie Moore.

Hill has a 44-3 record with 21 career knockouts.

He began his pro career in 1984 when he defeated Arthur Wright with a second-round knockout. He won his first WBA light heavyweight title in 1987 by knocking out Leslie Stewart in the fourth round. He defended his title successfully until 1991 when he was beaten by Thomas Hearns in a unanimous decision.

Hill regained his title just over a year later with a victory over Frank Tate at the Bismarck Civic Center. In 1996, Hill defeated Henry Maske to earn the IBF light heavyweight title. He held the two titles until 1997, losing both to Dariusz Michalczwewski. Hill then knocked out Jim Hayes in the first round to win the IBC cruiserweight championship in 1998.

Football

Phil Hansen: After two consecutive honors as an All-American defensive end at North Dakota State, Hansen was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1991, the 54th pick overall.

Since then, the Oakes, N.D., native has set a team record for most tackles in a season, played in three Super Bowls and earned several honors in his rookie year.

Hansen started 86 consecutive games from 1993 until sidelined by injury last season. Hansen has totaled 395 solo tackles and 51 sacks in his eight years with the Bills.

Steve Myhra: Wahpeton, N.D., residents can smile proudly when NFL's "greatest game ever played" is mentioned, knowing their native son played a key role in the 1958 showdown.

The Baltimore Colts' 23-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants remains legendary in pro football still today.

In the game, the Colts led 14-3 at halftime, but lost control of the game during the second half, allowing the Giants to score two touchdowns. With two minutes remaining and the Colts standing on their 14-yard line, Baltimore marched 73 yards, setting up a field goal situation with seven seconds remaining.

Myhra kicked the tying field goal, forcing overtime. The Colts scored the winning touchdown 8:15 into overtime.

Myhra's six-year stint with the Colts was preceded by a record-breaking college career at the University of North Dakota. Myhra transferred to UND from the University of Minnesota, playing two seasons in 1955 and 1956 as a lineman and placekicker for the Sioux.

Myhra began his NFL career in 1957 with the Colts, playing a role on special teams, the offensive line and as kicker. He made 180 of 189 extra-point kicks.

Dave Osborn: A Cando, N.D., product, Osborn played for the Minnesota Vikings from 1965 to 1975. Osborn recorded a memorable career with the Vikings, ranking fourth in all-time rushing (4,320 yards), third in rush attempts (1,172) and second in playoff rushing yards (380) and playoff rushing attempts (109).

Osborn, a running back from UND, was the Vikings 13th draft pick in 1965. He led his team in rushing in 1967, 1969 and 1970.

Hockey

Matt Cullen: Now a center for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Matt Cullen is part of a family of hockey standouts from Moorhead High School.

His brothers, Joe and Mark, have also left their names in record books.

After leaving Moorhead, Matt went on to play for St. Cloud State, before being drafted in 1996 by Anaheim in the second round. Cullen signed a $1.4 million contract with a $310,000 signing bonus.