Fleck: "Not only can we win here, we can win championships here. I really mean that"

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short ornery norwegian said:
Let's face it. If we want to be honest, the last 'great' era of Gopher FB (early 60's) was based on segregation - or taking advantage of segregation. Southern schools would not accept black players. The U of M took advantage by recruiting talented black players. They won a national Championship, so the strategy worked.

But, the southern schools began accepting black players, and northern schools like the U of MN lost that advantage.

Now, I do not think that southern schools are going to re-instate segregation, so the U of MN is going to have to come up with another way to bring the program back to national prominence.

Everyone is trying to solve the same formula: right coach - right staff - right recruiting philosophy - right support system and facilities - and then you just have to get a little lucky. stud player X chooses your school instead of another school, and leads your school to a National Title.

Can it happen at the U of MN? Yes, it can happen. Will it happen? No way to tell. Fleck may be the guy. He might not be the guy. Maybe there is no guy who can turn the U of MN into another Alabama or Ohio State. Or, maybe the right combination of factors, along with a little luck, could give the U of MN a brief shining moment of glory - a 1 or 2 year run at or near the top of the heap.

I don't waste time dreaming about national championships. I just want to see the Gophers win 1 B1G title or win the Rose Bowl once before I bite the dust.
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You're more likely to win a Big 10 title by dreaming about natl titles and building a program to win them.


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With OSU, Michigan, and Penn State in the Big Ten.......a conference championship would be very impressive.
 


I like PJ and his vision and his change of process he's trying to implement.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Your moniker gives you away. Take a long walk off a short pier.
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Did Bud Grant steal your girlfriend back in the day? I get you hate them. It's just weird how offended you get when the Vikings are brought up in any way.
 

The optimistic outlook is always the more dangerous option to choose. Trump didn't get elected on a optimistic message. Go figure.
 

Spoofin said:
You do know PJF has talked Nation Championships from the moment he arrived here, right? Literally - brought it up during his initial introduction presser.
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Early on in his tenure in Kalamazoo, Fleck said he could win a national championship at WMU...
 



The only thing we don't want is to cheat like Lou Holz. Championships aren't worth the probation status. Although Holz was "charged" with giving $ to two players, his track record doesn't lend itself to believe those were the only things done incorrectly/illegally. Glad ESPN has shelved him.
 

Jack jones said:
The only thing we don't want is to cheat like Lou Holz. Championships aren't worth the probation status. Although Holz was "charged" with giving $ to two players, his track record doesn't lend itself to believe those were the only things done incorrectly/illegally. Glad ESPN has shelved him.
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Well Lou got caught here.... so obviously if we're going to do it... don't get caught.
 

Made the mistake of reading some online comments on the star tribune site about a gopher story. As much as we want this to be about wins and losses, to non fans, this is still the program where a bunch of guys got away with gang raping a girl and the last AD vulgarly harassed women. I do think a lot of the "culture" talk and emphasis on character is trying to project that this is no longer a program where those things could happen. I think PJ can perform mediocre on the field and be safe for many years. If there is another sexual scandal 3 to 4 years down the line with guys he recruited, it will be big trouble.
 




BroncoRedux said:
The optimistic outlook is always the more dangerous option to choose. Trump didn't get elected on a optimistic message. Go figure.
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Let me see if I have this right:

Make Minnesota Champions again = Dangerously Optimistic
Make America Great Again = Not Optimistic

Okey-dokey.
 

Go4 said:
previous teams didn't know the difference between joy and happiness. this team will. culture will be elite compared to past cultures which were not elite. the specifics have been shared, you are choosing not to see them.
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Finally, someone who gets it!
 


Let's talk about 6 conference wins, which has only been done once in the past 50 years, before we spout off about Championships. I'd like to see that happen, first.
 

Section 100 said:
Let's talk about 6 conference wins, which has only been done once in the past 50 years, before we spout off about Championships. I'd like to see that happen, first.
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Why are you spouting off about 6 wins? In the last 50 years, there is only 1 team that has won less than 6 Big Ten games and won the league championship (Wisconsin 4-4 2012). In fact, there are several that won the championship while only winning 6 league games. Winning at least 6 games is inherent with a championship run so we can "spout off" about championships without having to "talk" about winning 6 games. Stop being such a Deborah Downer.
 

Section 100 said:
Let's talk about 6 conference wins, which has only been done once in the past 50 years, before we spout off about Championships. I'd like to see that happen, first.
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1) Fleck really believes he can win championships here
2) The messaging part of it is for the elite recruits who want to win championships. If he comes out and says, "hey, I don't want to spout off, because Minnesota fans are skeptical, so I believe that we can win 6 games" why would any of those kids ever want to play for him?
Conclusion: Dreaming big is a great thing. Nobody ever accomplished anything with mediocre expectations.
 


Spoofin said:
Assuming we can take him at his word <I>this</I> time.....


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I think he is absolutely full of confidence. And I think he proved to himself that he can do it by doing what he did at w mich.

But again, he's selling the program to everyone but mostly recruits. You can come here and win. It's important that they believe it. Blue chippers want to win.


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