2002-2005, what do you remember?

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MaxyJR1

MaxyJR1

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I remember those seasons for wins over Arkansas, Alabama, building 5-0 records, and losing to Michigan. I couldn't even tell you who we played in the non conference games those years. However, those Mason glory years would not have happened had we not been able to go 3-0 or 4-0. Let's worry about beefing up the schedule once we go .500 or better in the Big Ten.
 

I remember watching us not play defense, have losing record after losing record in conference, blowing a massive lead vs Michigan, blowing a massive lead vs Texas tech, and squeaking out a disgusting win vs ndsu. And then I remember glen getting canned and thinking I will never see those terrible non conf teams again...now I'm back in that nightmare
 

lakesgopher said:
I remember watching us not play defense, have losing record after losing record in conference, blowing a massive lead vs Michigan, blowing a massive lead vs Texas tech, and squeaking out a disgusting win vs ndsu. And then I remember glen getting canned and thinking I will never see those terrible non conf teams again...now I'm back in that nightmare
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If you can't appreciate bowl wins over Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama that's your problem. That was the best 4 year stretch in the last 50 and you apparently hated every moment. That's too bad for you.
 

Omega015 said:
If you can't appreciate bowl wins over Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama that's your problem. That was the best 4 year stretch in the last 50 and you apparently hated every moment. That's too bad for you.
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The bad out weighed the good and made the good cloudy! I also remember smashing my cell phone in the metrodome thinking it was my beer when we blew the game vs wisky.
 

Not sure i have heard the Mason years referred to as glory years.

However as someone who was very close to the situation I remember a team that was competitive in nearly every game. It was also a frustrating team because you always had the feeling we were never going to quite get over the hump, you could pretty much pencil in the season before it even started. I remember a weak non-conf schedule that we nearly always crushed in order to pad the record. I remember lots of bowl trips to low tier destinations, a couple times getting passed up for a game we deserved based on a fan base that was not energized and didn't travel well.

I remember us as a middle of the pack Big Ten team, not a threat for the title but not a joke either. From day 1 I have felt this is the level Kill will get us back to. I have some serious doubts about his ability to get beyond that but I think he will at least get us there by basically doing exactly what Mason did. The one advantage Kill has is the 4th non-conf game so he only has to win two BIG games where Mason had to win at least 3 to qualify many of those years.

Also I don't take a lot of pride in beating Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama in bowl games because when we played them they were not what they have since become. I see programs that in the years following our game have steadily risen to the upper tier of college football while we continue to languish near the bottom of the BCS level schools. Don't get me wrong the wins were great but those were not the same teams they are today.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Not sure i have heard the Mason years referred to as glory years.

However as someone who was very close to the situation I remember a team that was competitive in nearly every game. It was also a frustrating team because you always had the feeling we were never going to quite get over the hump, you could pretty much pencil in the season before it even started. I remember a weak non-conf schedule that we nearly always crushed in order to pad the record. I remember lots of bowl trips to low tier destinations, a couple times getting passed up for a game we deserved based on a fan base that was not energized and didn't travel well.

I remember us as a middle of the pack Big Ten team, not a threat for the title but not a joke either. From day 1 I have felt this is the level Kill will get us back to. I have some serious doubts about his ability to get beyond that but I think he will at least get us there by basically doing exactly what Mason did. The one advantage Kill has is the 4th non-conf game so he only has to win two BIG games where Mason had to win at least 3 to qualify many of those years.

Also I don't take a lot of pride in beating Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama in bowl games because when we played them they were not what they have since become. I see programs that in the years following their game have steadily reason to the upper tier of college football while we continue to languish near the bottom of the BCS level schools. Don't get me wrong the wins were great but those were not the same teams they are today.
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Perfectly stated.
 


lakesgopher said:
I remember ... losing record after losing record in conference, blowing a massive lead vs Texas tech, and squeaking out a disgusting win vs ndsu. And then I remember glen getting canned
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Exactly none of these things happened from 2002-2005.
 

I read some of the posts on here and I wonder why people go to the games? If you get no joy out of even the most successful of the last 50 seasons, why bother?
 



2002: Minnesota goes 3-5 in the Big Ten loses to Iowa 45-21 and to Wisconsin 49-31
2003:Minnesota goes 5-3 in the Big Ten beats Wisconsin 37-34 and loses to Iowa 40-22
2004: Minnesota goes 3-5 in the Big Ten loses to Wisconsin 38-14 and to Iowa 29-27
2005 Minnesota goes 4-4 in the Big Ten loses to Wisconsin 38-34 and to Iowa 52-28

Totals: Minnesota went 15-17 in the Big Ten and 1-7 in main rivalry games during your alleged "glory years". That's not acceptable to me and that's a 4 year arc worthy of termination in my mind. Nothing like being outscored by 101 pts in 8 rivalry games!

Lets not go back to the days where this type of record is considered successful. You know how its' built ( 4 cupcake wins, average at best performance in conference) and should be smart enough to not fall for it again.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
I remember those seasons for wins over Arkansas, Alabama, building 5-0 records, and losing to Michigan. I couldn't even tell you who we played in the non conference games those years. However, those Mason glory years would not have happened had we not been able to go 3-0 or 4-0. Let's worry about beefing up the schedule once we go .500 or better in the Big Ten.
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we beat michigan in 2005. we all know what happened in 2003 & 2004. had michigan beat both of those years too, but couldn't seal the deal unfortunately.
 

EG#9 said:
2002: Minnesota goes 3-5 in the Big Ten loses to Iowa 45-21 and to Wisconsin 49-31
2003:Minnesota goes 5-3 in the Big Ten beats Wisconsin 37-34 and loses to Iowa 40-22
2004: Minnesota goes 3-5 in the Big Ten loses to Wisconsin 38-14 and to Iowa 29-27
2005 Minnesota goes 4-4 in the Big Ten loses to Wisconsin 38-34 and to Iowa 52-28

Totals: Minnesota went 15-17 in the Big Ten and 1-7 in main rivalry games during your alleged "glory years". That's not acceptable to me and that's a 4 year arc worthy of termination in my mind. Nothing like being outscored by 101 pts in 8 rivalry games!

Lets not go back to the days where this type of record is considered successful. You know how its' built ( 4 cupcake wins, average at best performance in conference) and should be smart enough to not fall for it again.
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I know exactly how we got wins in those seasons and I remember it being a lot more fun than 3-9.... although apparently it wasn't for everyone.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Not sure i have heard the Mason years referred to as glory years.

However as someone who was very close to the situation I remember a team that was competitive in nearly every game. It was also a frustrating team because you always had the feeling we were never going to quite get over the hump, you could pretty much pencil in the season before it even started. I remember a weak non-conf schedule that we nearly always crushed in order to pad the record. I remember lots of bowl trips to low tier destinations, a couple times getting passed up for a game we deserved based on a fan base that was not energized and didn't travel well.

I remember us as a middle of the pack Big Ten team, not a threat for the title but not a joke either. From day 1 I have felt this is the level Kill will get us back to. I have some serious doubts about his ability to get beyond that but I think he will at least get us there by basically doing exactly what Mason did. The one advantage Kill has is the 4th non-conf game so he only has to win two BIG games where Mason had to win at least 3 to qualify many of those years.

Also I don't take a lot of pride in beating Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama in bowl games because when we played them they were not what they have since become. I see programs that in the years following our game have steadily risen to the upper tier of college football while we continue to languish near the bottom of the BCS level schools. Don't get me wrong the wins were great but those were not the same teams they are today.
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The fact is, Jerry Kill has mounds more support from the administration and an improving culture that Glen Mason did not enjoy. I believe he will be able to eclipse what Glen mason was able to do. We don't play in a dump either which Glen mason struggled to sell. This thing is going to work.
 



gopherjay said:
The fact is, Jerry Kill has mounds more support from the administration and an improving culture that Glen Mason did not enjoy. I believe he will be able to eclipse what Glen mason was able to do. We don't play in a dump either which Glen mason struggled to sell. This thing is going to work.
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I hope your right but I have concerns about Kill's ability to bring in the talent needed to compete at the upper eschelon of the conference on a regular basis down the line. Tough to say what kind of support he will get long term with the new leadership at the AD and president level but I do agree he probably has it better than Mason did from a support standpoint.

Kill and Mase are very similar coaches in a lot of ways, not neccessarily on the personality front but in terms of philosophy from a recruiting and scheduling standpoint.
 

What I remember from that time frame is this:

-At least three soul-crushing, 7th-circle-of-Hell, 4th quarter collapses (Michigan twice and Justin Kucek crapping his pants);
-Failing to get off the bus in either Madison or Iowa City
-Exposing 2005 Purdue as badly overrated.
-Getting very drunk in the parking lot that is now Gold Medal Park
-Going to the airport to see the Jug get brought back after CPD 2005.
 

MNVCGUY - Your recollection matches my memory of the Mason 'Glory Years' pretty much to the letter.

And for every encouraging win we put on the resume, there was always a confounding, maddening loss that kept his teams from achieving their maximum potential.

Yet some I've come across here, in person, and on Twitter act like Glen Mason was some kind of elite coach that we let slip away. And most annoyingly, Mason doesn't discourage this view. In fact he makes a point to retweet messages he gets from fans who wish he was still the HC. One moron even suggested: #Iguessweweresickof10winseasons, and Grinnin' Glen happily retweeted it, despite the fact that he had only 1 (singular) ten win season, and a sub-0.500 Big Ten record for his career. So annoying that there is already a ridiculous form of revisionist history on the Mason Era.
 

I remember starting to believe Mase was going to win Gopher fans a Big 10 Championship and take us to the Rose Bowl. It wasn't until later that I found out he didn't really care about winning championships and going to big time bowl games.

What Mase really liked was making a million dollar salary in Big 10 coaching job with low expectations for success, recruiting from the same pool of high school players as MAC coaches, not hurting his head too much thinking about defense, and playing golf all summer with his buddies at Interlachen CC.
 

Gopher Bandanna Guy said:
MNVCGUY - Your recollection matches my memory of the Mason 'Glory Years' pretty much to the letter.

And for every encouraging win we put on the resume, there was always a confounding, maddening loss that kept his teams from achieving their maximum potential.

Yet some I've come across here, in person, and on Twitter act like Glen Mason was some kind of elite coach that we let slip away. And most annoyingly, Mason doesn't discourage this view. In fact he makes a point to retweet messages he gets from fans who wish he was still the HC. One moron even suggested: #Iguessweweresickof10winseasons, and Grinnin' Glen happily retweeted it, despite the fact that he had only 1 (singular) ten win season, and a sub-0.500 Big Ten record for his career. So annoying that there is already a ridiculous form of revisionist history on the Mason Era.
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This is 100% correct. You and MNVCGUY summed up my feelings exactly. Glen is always quick to point out how great he was and not the embarassing losses that are on his resume. But, sadly, I guess any coach is going to do that. Ho-hum. I, for one, am glad he isn't here anymore. All in all, I think he really quit caring after he got passed over for the Ohio State job. IMO.
 

Go4Broke said:
I remember starting to believe Mase was going to win Gopher fans a Big 10 Championship and take us to the Rose Bowl. It wasn't until later that I found out he didn't really care about winning championships and going to big time bowl games.

What Mase really liked was making a million dollar salary in Big 10 coaching job with low expectations for success, recruiting from the same pool of high school players as MAC coaches, not hurting his head too much thinking about defense, and playing golf all summer with his buddies at Interlachen CC.
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This is all opinion but this is my honest take on what happened during the Mason years.

When Mase got here he took over a program in shambles. We were a joke in the world of college football. Jim Wacker was a wonderful person, one of the nicest guys ever but he was not the right coach for this program. Mason came in and changed the culture. Took the team from a place where losing was the norm and made the program respectable again. In 1999 he had a great year, pulled the upset at PSU and had the team inches from the Rose Bowl. In 2000 he took a good team to Ohio State and manhandled the Buckeyes in Columbus. At this same time John Cooper was on his way out the door and Mason thought he was a shoe in for his dream job at Ohio State. He lobbied hard for the job, he put everything else on hold in his pursuit of the job.

And they hired Jim Tressel. Given his age he knew he would never be the head coach at Ohio State and he lost his desire to be a head coach. He wasn't going to walk away from the money or prestige so he continued to go through the motions at Minnesota but things changed. The team was still respectable, played hard and was competitive most of the time but the spark that was there in 1999 and 2000 was gone.

By the time he was fired in 2006 his relationship with the high school coaches, adminstration and fan base was destoryed beyond repair and it was time for a change to be made. Mason had brought the U the most sustained success it had seen in decades but it was clear he was never going to get things over the hump.

Mason did some great things for the University of Minnesota football program. The unfortunate end to the story is the administration decided to go cheap with his replacement so much of the postive work Mase did was flushed down the toilet before the new guy figured out what it meant to be a college football coach. Not his fault as he never should have been in that position in the first place.

That is my take at least for what its worth....
 

I remember a roster with 3 NFL RBs, 2 NFL TEs, an amazing offensive line and a packed student section. I was on the fence about firing Mason but thought it was ok because if he couldn't win it all with that roster he probably never would. I still think that, but I don't blame people for looking back on those times fondly compared to where we've been since and prior.
 

FreakyDeke said:
I remember a roster with 3 NFL RBs, 2 NFL TEs, an amazing offensive line and a packed student section. I was on the fence about firing Mason but thought it was ok because if he couldn't win it all with that roster he probably never would. I still think that, but I don't blame people for looking back on those times fondly compared to where we've been since and prior.
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One thing is certain, people look back far more fondly on Mason post Brewster.
 

FreakyDeke said:
I remember a roster with 3 NFL RBs, 2 NFL TEs, an amazing offensive line...
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...that couldn't advance the ball the length of the football in two tries leading up to Justin Kucek crapping his pants in the south end zone.
 

lakesgopher said:
I remember watching us not play defense, have losing record after losing record in conference, blowing a massive lead vs Michigan, blowing a massive lead vs Texas tech, and squeaking out a disgusting win vs ndsu. And then I remember glen getting canned and thinking I will never see those terrible non conf teams again...now I'm back in that nightmare
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I don't understand how people like you can be a fan of this program.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I hope your right but I have concerns about Kill's ability to bring in the talent needed to compete at the upper eschelon of the conference on a regular basis down the line. Tough to say what kind of support he will get long term with the new leadership at the AD and president level but I do agree he probably has it better than Mason did from a support standpoint.

Kill and Mase are very similar coaches in a lot of ways, not neccessarily on the personality front but in terms of philosophy from a recruiting and scheduling standpoint.
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I feel if you can coach, you can recruit. If you have solid support from the AD and University president your job gets easier. Mason and Kill are similar.
 

It isn't Mason's fault, but he--and many other middling programs--benefited greatly from the ever-expanding roster of bowl games. If all these bowls had been around in the 1970s, a couple more Cal Stoll teams would have gone to bowls.

I remember the good and bad about the Mason years, but could never get past the feeling that he always seemed to want to be somewhere else. I didn't mind for awhile, but near the end of his run, I thought he had played through the cycle and it was time to move on. If I were Maturi, I would have fired him when he played hardball in his contract negotiations the year before he was actually fired.

All that said, Mason was a solid football guy who improved the program, but it was time for him to go when he did. I'm not defending the Brewster or Kill hires. Brewster didn't work out and I'm willing to give Kill the time he needs to feel he's had a true shot at putting the program where he believes it should be.
 

My main takeaway from those seasons is all about lost opportunities. 2002, not so much, we were sort of "rebuilding" back after a poor '01. But 2003, we know the deal. 2004, again, same team screwed us up. 2005, our rivals screwed us up. Those three seasons, I can only remember lost chances for more. We had a few good wins in there, but the only one that really sticks out a lot to me is @ Michigan, and honestly, even that was only a 7-5 Michigan team. The '03 Becky win was also quite nice, but again, that was a 7-6 squad.

It just felt like whenever we faced a legitimate opponent, specifically on the road, we were overmatched, mainly because our defense wasn't good enough to stop teams when it HAD to in most games against those opponents. Those Iowa and Wisconsin scores listed above kinda show what I mean. Let alone the OSU games as well. You just can't let your rivals beat you up that much on a regular basis when you go to their place, unless you're dishing out the same punishment when they come to your house, which we weren't.

I don't know if Kill will take advantage of those opportunities or not, but building on the defensive side of the ball is a good start. Look at a lot of those scores, we gave up 35+ regularly. Not gonna work, gotta have the defense to compete at a high level I think.
 

Mason was an elite teaching coach - he took lower ranked recruits and made them competitive on a national stage and game Minnesota a true identity. Barber and Maroney were both nationally known for their accomplishments at Minnesota and there were many NFL games where Minnesota got mentioned during the broadcast for the running backs we produced (including Gary Russell). To get to that point, Mason had a proper scheme matched to his talent and the players progressed each year under his system.

With all that said - Mason was not a very good game day or recruiting coach. On recruiting, he never truly committed his time to it as he was constantly looking for a better job. On game day, we blew a ton of 2nd half leads because his staff was unable to make even minor adjustments. However, without Mason, we never would have had the lead in the first place. I agree that the U needed to move on at some point - they waited too long and picked a horrible replacement. The jury is still out on Kill, but as a betting man, I would predict the best Kill will ever do is to replicate what Mason did. I don't see a Big Ten title under Kill ever and part of that is I still don't know what our team identity is. Establish that - and we can build recruiting around it. Frankly, I would love to see Minnesota re-establish the running game centered on running backs - not this spread stuff with a running QB the Gophers will never be able to consistently recruit.
 

Omega015 said:
If you can't appreciate bowl wins over Arkansas, Oregon, and Alabama that's your problem. That was the best 4 year stretch in the last 50 and you apparently hated every moment. That's too bad for you.
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Odds are we would have played Arkansas and Oregon in those bowl games if we had lost a non-conference game anyways. Bowl placement is not determined by overall record. Once you're bowl eligible, the only factors are how well you travel and conference record.
 



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