GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Reading articles this week written by two of the best sports reporters in the history of the Grand Forks Herald and all of North Dakota, Tom Miller and Brad Schlossman, led me to form the basis for my seasonal, weekly column written exclusively for UND.

Miller wrote about the passing of former UND men's basketball coach Dave Gunther at age 86. His career as a coach at UND from 1971-88 included 332 wins, 8 NCAA tournament appearances and 3 trips to the NCAA Division 2 Elite Eight.

Schlossman wrote about UND sophomore hockey star Jackson Blake, who was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award as the best college player in the country. His father, Jason, was twice a Hobey Baker finalist during his time as great player for the Fighting Sioux.

But it was not those accolades and accomplishments that grabbed my attention in those articles. It was the human side of Gunther and Blake that Miller and Schlossman brought to light so well.

Miller wrote how so many of his former players formed a life-long bond with Coach Gunther, and he with them.

For a coach noted for his great attention to details and fundamentals, playing with hustle and strong defense, those attributes were certainly brought up by the former players Miller interviewed for his story.

What especially came across to me was that Gunther subscribed to the theory of Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, who had ties to North Dakota through the Badlands himself.

Roosevelt was noted for using the term "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.''

That described Gunther as well. One player said he rarely raised his voice, but when he talked, you listened. That's what I call respect. Well earned, well deserved, in Gunther's case.

Gunther began his coaching career at UND in 1971, two years after I arrived in Grand Forks in 1969 to take a job writing about sports for the Grand Forks Herald. I covered a lot of UND basketball and football in those days, along with hockey, so I got to know and appreciate Gunther and late UND football coach Jerry Olson as well.

And in Schlossman's story on Jackson Blake, it was not his great numbers in scoring and assisting on goals this season that rank him second in the nation in points that caught my attention. I am a huge fan of Blake as a player, the electric playmaker that he is, but his statistics are just cold, hard numbers.

What touched my soul were comments about Blake made to Schlossman by UND head hockey coach Brad Berry, who is one of my favorite people in life, based on his personality and warmth, not his wins and losses.

Berry talked about what makes Blake exceptional and stand out. It wasn't just his total points this season or his dynamic play for a team standing No. 3 nationally in the all-important national Pairwise Rankings.

Berry talked about Blake as a leader, how he is a voice that is listened to by teammates on the bench during a game, or in the locker room. 

Berry noted that generally it is the upperclassmen, the juniors and seniors on your roster, who voice the leadership from players so important to success of team. That Blake possesses those leadership skills at his young age is exceptional and rare, Berry said.

So when Schlossman talked to Berry for his story about Blake being a Hobey Baker final 10 candidate and Berry raves about the leadership skills of his sophomore phenom, that hit home with me.

I've found Jackson Blake to be a humble, caring young man, who has athletic skills that put him a notch above many. But it is his leadership skills described by Berry that truly round him into one impressive young man.

As far as Gunther goes, I can relate to him in many ways, age included. I'm just three years younger than him.

The road of life ends sooner rather than later as we move along the calendar of life. He certainly left his mark behind with so many, who will carry his teaching and legacy with them as they move down that road.

In my days at the Grand Forks Herald from 1969-2005, I've served several terms as a media member voter on the Hobey Baker Award. So it hit home to me to see young Blake being a finalist just like his father was, as I reported on Jason for the Herald back in my days with the newspaper.

Blake and his Fighting Hawks look to build their resumes this weekend in the NCHC tournament in St. Paul, and then make a run at the school's ninth NCAA title in the weeks that follow.

So, I say a warm, heartfelt goodbye to Dave Gunther, and a warm good luck and good fortune to Blake and his teammates going forward this season with lofty goals in mind.

Virg Foss is in his 54th season of writing about UND hockey. He was the beat writer for UND hockey for the Grand Forks Herald for 35 seasons prior to his retirement in 2005. He is currently in his 19th season of writing about Fighting Hawks' hockey for UND Media Relations.