What is your definition of a success as a coach for Minnesota?

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Mine is 9 regular season wins once every 4-5 years and never less than 5
 

Playing for a conference title every 4-5 years.
 

Depends on where you're coming from, record and talent wise, and such.
 

-Big Ten record-- never lower than 4 wins
-a shot at a west title every few years
-be in the conference title game every 5-6 years
-no off field problems with law enforcement ever!
-Beat WI and IA at least every 3rd year
-have enough depth where we are always encouraged for whats in store the following year
-someone to sell the program-- meaning sell tickets and have 46k plus gopher fans at every game
 

6 wins minimum
.400+ in B1G minimum
Don't lose an embarrassing non-conference game
Give fans a reason to be interested in November
Don't go more than 1 year without beating Iowa, Wisconsin, or Michigan
Beat Wisconsin at least once every 3 years
Graduation rate respectable
No off the field criminal investigations/arrests
 


Get to the level of Wisconsin. 9+ wins and a 1st or 2nd place finish in the West every year. If Wisconsin can do it, there's no reason why the Gophers can't.
 


A winning record in the B10 every year; being competitive in the West division every year and winning it at least three times per decade. Top 25 every year. Conference championship AT LEAST once a decade.
 

Beat your border rival every once in a blue moon.

Sent from my E6782 using Tapatalk
 




1) Never miss a bowl game (rebuilding year after previous coach excepted)

We have made a bowl game in 14 out of the last 20 years, and three of the six years we didn't make a bowl came in a coach's first year with the program (1997, 2007, 2011). 85% of our last twenty seasons fit into this definition, it should be a baseline expectation at this point. Failure to meet it is an automatic disqualifier IMO.

2) Beat at least one of Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin every two years

Gotta beat a rival or a helmet school every couple of years to keep interest going and give the fans something to remember. Don't have to do it every season but you can't go multiple years without doing it. In the last twenty years we failed to beat any of these teams in back to back years three times - 2007-2008, 2008-2009, and again from 2015-2016.

3) Beat Wisconsin at least every four years

Every senior class should have at least one win over the Badgers. The streak is beyond embarrassing and ending it should be a top priority.

4) Minimize off-field incidents

Limit embarrassing off-field behavior; it may still happen but should be dealt with fairly and swiftly. Discipline falls on the coach.
 

I don't want to put firm numerical targets on it. My concerns are more subjective.

Is the team entertaining to watch? Does the team play with discipline and avoid stupid penalties? Are the fans engaged in the program? Does the team at least appear to have a chance to win every game? (No embarrassing blow-out losses or 4th-quarter collapses). Is the coach a good spokesperson for the program with the fans, the boosters and the media?

I could be happy with a 6 or 7-win season, and be disappointed with an 8-win season depending on all of the subjective things I listed. It's not as simple as saying 8 wins = good coach; 5 wins = bad coach.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I don't want to put firm numerical targets on it. My concerns are more subjective.

Is the team entertaining to watch? Does the team play with discipline and avoid stupid penalties? Are the fans engaged in the program? Does the team at least appear to have a chance to win every game? (No embarrassing blow-out losses or 4th-quarter collapses). Is the coach a good spokesperson for the program with the fans, the boosters and the media?

I could be happy with a 6 or 7-win season, and be disappointed with an 8-win season depending on all of the subjective things I listed. It's not as simple as saying 8 wins = good coach; 5 wins = bad coach.
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+1000
 



Beat wisconsin. It's time. It was time 12 years ago.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
I don't want to put firm numerical targets on it. My concerns are more subjective.

Is the team entertaining to watch? Does the team play with discipline and avoid stupid penalties? Are the fans engaged in the program? Does the team at least appear to have a chance to win every game? (No embarrassing blow-out losses or 4th-quarter collapses). Is the coach a good spokesperson for the program with the fans, the boosters and the media?

I could be happy with a 6 or 7-win season, and be disappointed with an 8-win season depending on all of the subjective things I listed. It's not as simple as saying 8 wins = good coach; 5 wins = bad coach.
Click to expand...

Another poster who is more on the ball than I am today. I want a team that plays to its ability and a coach that recruits the requisite amount of ability.
 

6-9 wins with 4 conference wins
Beat Iowa or Wisconsin every year at home.
Be in the hunt for the west annually
 


I am personally willing to accept an occasional 4 or 5 win season if the majority of seasons are winning seasons and more of those seasons than not the team is in contention for the West. Occasionally there may be a year where the team goes 9-3 and is out of the running just like there might be a year they go 7-5 and be in the running. In other words, I'd like to see the Gophers get to at least Northwestern level. I don't expect a year-in, year-out juggernaut, though that'd be awesome.

After they've been in that situation for several years, then we can talk about getting to Wisconsin level.

I also would say I don't like seeing an empty trophy case. If every year they win 8-9 games but don't ever win trophies, I'd be hugely disappointed.
 

Averaging 8+ wins should be the standard. I like how Claeys puts it, play games every year in November that are meaningful. That's happened 2 of the last 3 years.

Get Wisconsin back to a 50/50 game each year.
 


short ornery norwegian said:
I don't want to put firm numerical targets on it. My concerns are more subjective.

Is the team entertaining to watch? Does the team play with discipline and avoid stupid penalties? Are the fans engaged in the program? Does the team at least appear to have a chance to win every game? (No embarrassing blow-out losses or 4th-quarter collapses). Is the coach a good spokesperson for the program with the fans, the boosters and the media?

I could be happy with a 6 or 7-win season, and be disappointed with an 8-win season depending on all of the subjective things I listed. It's not as simple as saying 8 wins = good coach; 5 wins = bad coach.
Click to expand...

Well said. The only thing I would add is that your rivalry games actually need to be rivalries. For me to see a coach or team as truly successful they need to beat Iowa and Wisconsin (will leave Michigan and PSU out of this one) on a somewhat regular basis. Don't have to dominate the series but also can't get dominated the way we are against Wisconsin at this point.
 


Their is no reason we can't be on the same level as Wisconsin, Iowa, even Nebraska. I'd like to see us get to the point where we can be .500 against those guys over the course of 5 or so years. That means we are on their level consistently. Once we get to that point, we can work on taking the next step.
 

Lets face it. There likely isnt one person here that wouldnt move the goal post once that goal we set has been achieved. Not saying that is a bad thing to always strive for something better but it is a fact of life.
 

CentralGopher said:
Lets face it. There likely isnt one person here that wouldnt move the goal post once that goal we set has been achieved. Not saying that is a bad thing to always strive for something better but it is a fact of life.
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Understandable thing to do, depending on the context of the goal post moving. I'm sure the coaches do the same if they're honest too...

Jerry said early on they'd "look good getting off the bus". Clearly he moved up those goals later on.
 

at least 3-5 conference wins and 6 or more overall wins every season.

getting to a bowl game every year though not the same as 20-30 years ago but still has meaning.
 

My ultimate goal is to win a Big Ten championship and at least one National Championship in my lifetime. I'm pretty young so I can wait a bit. Right now though 9-10 win is a success for me. I don't care who the wins come against, I don't care if they include border battle victories or not or trophy games, I don't care if one of the wins comes in a meaningless bowl game. Total wins is my bottom line and 9-10 at this stage in the program is a success for me.
 

Be at least as good as Wisconsin. Beat them at least 51% of the time. Win the B1G twice every decade. Win the national championship once every 15 years. Fill the stadium. Create a gameday experience that students want to participate in and then remember fondly when they graduate.
 

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