University of Minnesota Athletics
Rob LaRue’s Lifelong Relationship with Gopher Athletics
11/19/2019 12:42:00 PM | Men's Hockey, M Club
The Gopher football team just suffered a heartbreaking defeat at Indiana nearing the end of the 1998 season. With Thanksgiving break approaching, tight end Rob LaRue would have some time to sulk and recover before ramping up for the Gopher baseball season … or so he thought.
That Monday morning, LaRue, a former Minnetonka Skippers goaltender, opened up the newspaper, took a big sip of coffee, and learned the Gopher Hockey team suddenly lost two goaltenders for the season.
"And it said Rob LaRue would be serving as backup at Michigan this weekend," he recalled.
As if playing two Division I sports wasn't enough.
"So I went in to Doug Woog's office, and he said, 'Well, yeah, what do you think?'" said LaRue, who was recently inducted into the Minnetonka Skippers Hall of Fame.
"Before I knew it I was on a conference call with Glen Mason and John Anderson. Later that day I was at hockey practice and a few days later I was backing up against Michigan – a 245-pound tight end who hadn't been on skates in 18 months."
LaRue shook the rust off rather quickly and played in a handful of games that season. He was the first male since 1968 to play on three different sports teams for the Gophers.
Rob may have only played one season between the pipes (1998-99), but his connection to Gopher Hockey and the University of Minnesota is lifelong.
The President of Baldwin Supply Company and former M Club board member shared his passion and vision for what a strong Gopher alumni network can achieve together.
Gopher Hockey: Did you attend the recent Gopher Hockey Alumni Reception?
Rob LaRue: Yeah, I thought it was a first-class event. I thought it was an energy boost for the program. It was definitely fun to see the history and the amount of big-time players that have been through the Gopher program. The fabric of Gopher Hockey is the history and all the unbelievable players who have come through.
I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, so seeing the Hankinsons and Justin McHugh and Larry Olimb and watching Robb Stauber and all the other Gopher goalies including Minnetonka's Jeff Callinan were great memories. I only had a short tenure with Gopher Hockey because I was playing the other sports, but I definitely feel honored being a part of this group.
Gopher Hockey: Looking back at it now, how crazy was playing three sports at a major Division I school, even if for just one year?
Rob LaRue: Playing three sports was unbelievable and truly a memorable experience. I'm thankful to Glen Mason, John Anderson and Doug Woog for giving me the opportunity. I went to the 'U' to play football and baseball on a football scholarship. But I had been recruited by the hockey program, so I knew the coaching staff, and I actually knew the players on the hockey team more than I did on the other teams. The number of relationships I made playing multiple sports and the network I have now is unbelievable from that. That season taught me a little bit about time management and discipline, too. It's been a fun story to tell.
Gopher Hockey: You served on the board of the M Club for a few years as well. Why did you get involved at that level?
Rob LaRue: What I think is so unique about the 'U' is that so many of the letter winners stay in town and I just think we can do a better job creating that lifelong relationship with Gopher Athletics and moving it into the professional and networking side of things. One of the draws of the 'U' and the Twin Cities is the amount of Fortune 500 companies, but I also think what's overlooked is the number of different small businesses and the diverse economy that we have. I think the athlete network can be much more expansive than just the large companies and we can do a better job of creating an environment that creates opportunities for one another.
Gopher Hockey: Has the Gopher alumni network played a part in your business?
Rob LaRue: Next year, we'll be celebrating our 100th anniversary at Baldwin Supply. We're an industrial distributor, we sell all kinds of different parts that help all industries move. I was just looking within our business. We work with former Gopher athletes in our real estate, banking, marketing, insurance and have many who are customers – that's always cool. I get reached out to by a lot of different people in service industries that want to connect and do business with Baldwin. The one thing I really try to make a point of is, if it is a Gopher athlete, I tend to take the meeting and get together. Whether it's going to lead to business or not, I look at it as an opportunity to connect, mentor or be mentored. Our insurance person is Derek Peltier (2004-08) from the hockey team. We have two different bankers – one is Bryan Guse (1993-97), who played baseball; one is Nate Pearson (1994-99), who was a football player. We do real estate with Luke Appert (1999-2003), who was a baseball player. Dave Jensen (1979-83) from the hockey team is on the marketing side and it was fun to work with Tom Vannelli (1973-77) this year on a partnership with the 3M Open. We're always looking for interns and new employees, too. We definitely take advantage of the Gopher athlete network.
Gopher Hockey: Does that include reaching out and meeting current Gopher student-athletes?
Rob LaRue: For sure. We just participated in Gopher Pro Day (a career and internship fair for current Gopher student-athletes). It was our first time participating, but we had a booth and I feel that's a way we can connect with the M Club and the athletes. I think having that synergy is something that I've noticed has improved. It just feels like the leadership at the 'U' is taking a real interest in the former athletes and building something bigger.
Gopher Hockey: What does the buzz around the football program mean to the Gopher alumni and the state as a whole?
Rob LaRue: I think it's huge. The atmosphere at the Penn State game was electric. What a day for the University of Minnesota! The football team sets the tone for the athletic department. It's the largest revenue sport. It creates energy, it creates buzz, it creates pride with the alumni. You can definitely feel that in town now. I was at both the Penn State and Nebraska games and it was standing room only in the M Room. It was so fun to feel the energy and excitement of all the alumni athletes. When you get that passion building it goes to all levels of the University, the state and it gets people excited about getting involved. Hopefully they can keep it rolling. Go Gophers!
That Monday morning, LaRue, a former Minnetonka Skippers goaltender, opened up the newspaper, took a big sip of coffee, and learned the Gopher Hockey team suddenly lost two goaltenders for the season.
"And it said Rob LaRue would be serving as backup at Michigan this weekend," he recalled.
As if playing two Division I sports wasn't enough.
"So I went in to Doug Woog's office, and he said, 'Well, yeah, what do you think?'" said LaRue, who was recently inducted into the Minnetonka Skippers Hall of Fame.
"Before I knew it I was on a conference call with Glen Mason and John Anderson. Later that day I was at hockey practice and a few days later I was backing up against Michigan – a 245-pound tight end who hadn't been on skates in 18 months."
LaRue shook the rust off rather quickly and played in a handful of games that season. He was the first male since 1968 to play on three different sports teams for the Gophers.
Rob may have only played one season between the pipes (1998-99), but his connection to Gopher Hockey and the University of Minnesota is lifelong.
The President of Baldwin Supply Company and former M Club board member shared his passion and vision for what a strong Gopher alumni network can achieve together.
Gopher Hockey: Did you attend the recent Gopher Hockey Alumni Reception?
Rob LaRue: Yeah, I thought it was a first-class event. I thought it was an energy boost for the program. It was definitely fun to see the history and the amount of big-time players that have been through the Gopher program. The fabric of Gopher Hockey is the history and all the unbelievable players who have come through.
I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, so seeing the Hankinsons and Justin McHugh and Larry Olimb and watching Robb Stauber and all the other Gopher goalies including Minnetonka's Jeff Callinan were great memories. I only had a short tenure with Gopher Hockey because I was playing the other sports, but I definitely feel honored being a part of this group.
Gopher Hockey: Looking back at it now, how crazy was playing three sports at a major Division I school, even if for just one year?
Rob LaRue: Playing three sports was unbelievable and truly a memorable experience. I'm thankful to Glen Mason, John Anderson and Doug Woog for giving me the opportunity. I went to the 'U' to play football and baseball on a football scholarship. But I had been recruited by the hockey program, so I knew the coaching staff, and I actually knew the players on the hockey team more than I did on the other teams. The number of relationships I made playing multiple sports and the network I have now is unbelievable from that. That season taught me a little bit about time management and discipline, too. It's been a fun story to tell.
Gopher Hockey: You served on the board of the M Club for a few years as well. Why did you get involved at that level?
Rob LaRue: What I think is so unique about the 'U' is that so many of the letter winners stay in town and I just think we can do a better job creating that lifelong relationship with Gopher Athletics and moving it into the professional and networking side of things. One of the draws of the 'U' and the Twin Cities is the amount of Fortune 500 companies, but I also think what's overlooked is the number of different small businesses and the diverse economy that we have. I think the athlete network can be much more expansive than just the large companies and we can do a better job of creating an environment that creates opportunities for one another.
Gopher Hockey: Has the Gopher alumni network played a part in your business?
Rob LaRue: Next year, we'll be celebrating our 100th anniversary at Baldwin Supply. We're an industrial distributor, we sell all kinds of different parts that help all industries move. I was just looking within our business. We work with former Gopher athletes in our real estate, banking, marketing, insurance and have many who are customers – that's always cool. I get reached out to by a lot of different people in service industries that want to connect and do business with Baldwin. The one thing I really try to make a point of is, if it is a Gopher athlete, I tend to take the meeting and get together. Whether it's going to lead to business or not, I look at it as an opportunity to connect, mentor or be mentored. Our insurance person is Derek Peltier (2004-08) from the hockey team. We have two different bankers – one is Bryan Guse (1993-97), who played baseball; one is Nate Pearson (1994-99), who was a football player. We do real estate with Luke Appert (1999-2003), who was a baseball player. Dave Jensen (1979-83) from the hockey team is on the marketing side and it was fun to work with Tom Vannelli (1973-77) this year on a partnership with the 3M Open. We're always looking for interns and new employees, too. We definitely take advantage of the Gopher athlete network.
Gopher Hockey: Does that include reaching out and meeting current Gopher student-athletes?
Rob LaRue: For sure. We just participated in Gopher Pro Day (a career and internship fair for current Gopher student-athletes). It was our first time participating, but we had a booth and I feel that's a way we can connect with the M Club and the athletes. I think having that synergy is something that I've noticed has improved. It just feels like the leadership at the 'U' is taking a real interest in the former athletes and building something bigger.
Gopher Hockey: What does the buzz around the football program mean to the Gopher alumni and the state as a whole?
Rob LaRue: I think it's huge. The atmosphere at the Penn State game was electric. What a day for the University of Minnesota! The football team sets the tone for the athletic department. It's the largest revenue sport. It creates energy, it creates buzz, it creates pride with the alumni. You can definitely feel that in town now. I was at both the Penn State and Nebraska games and it was standing room only in the M Room. It was so fun to feel the energy and excitement of all the alumni athletes. When you get that passion building it goes to all levels of the University, the state and it gets people excited about getting involved. Hopefully they can keep it rolling. Go Gophers!
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