Sam Ekstrom is a Zone Coverage staff writer and podcaster in his sixth year covering the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team. After moving to the Twin Cities in 2014, Sam started working as a radio engineer, producer and host for "Sports Radio 105 The Ticket," where Zone Coverage was first formed. He grew up in Vermillion, S.D. rooting for the USD Coyotes (not SDSU) and graduated from Dordt (not "dork") University in Sioux Center, Iowa.