A reason for optimism for next season.

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RodentRampage

RodentRampage

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The media guide is a fantastic source of information. I was flipped through the PDF version of it, and I saw something that gave me reason to be hopeful for the future. In 1982, the first year of the dome, the Gophers averaged 58,898. That was the year that they won the first three games, but went on to lose the last 8. The next year, the disastrous 1983 season, attendance dropped by over 10,000 to 48,735 per game.

That's not what gives me hope, however. In 1984, despite having a disastrous season in 1983, attendance had risen to 51,791. In 1985, attendance rose to 60,985. You would have expected after the 1-win season that attendance would have plummeted. But bringing in a new coach breathed new life the fan base. The Spring Game, not usually a well-attended event had a big crowd in Holtz' first year.

Maybe we won't be playing in front of a packed house next season, but I think that a lot of hope will be brought back as soon as we hire a new coach. Right now there is despair and uncertainty, I think that will end soon. I look for a good crowd at TCF for the Spring Game, if only from curious people wanting a peek at the new regime.
 

If they hire a coach ala Holtz, people will be back if for no other reason than they will not want to miss out on tickets when the team starts winning. If they hire someone unproven (Chryst) or uninspiring (Trestman) expect people to come back when there's palpable success.
 

There are a number of coaches on our lists that should have Holtz-level appeal. Holtz's best days were after he left here, not before he came here. I'm not knocking Holtz, but his success at Notre Dame was greater than what he had at NC State or at Arkansas. He had 2 conference titles before he came here, and one one-loss season. Again, not knocking that, it's great. But at Notre Dame, he had 5 seasons with one or zero losses.

I'm just saying that at the time he came here, he was considered a very good coach, but not a coaching legend. I think there are a number of good coaches on our list who can restore the fans faith in the team as much as happened when Holtz was hired. At the very least, the despair will end.

Although if it is Trestman, that's not going to restore faith much.
 

RodentRampage said:
The media guide is a fantastic source of information. I was flipped through the PDF version of it, and I saw something that gave me reason to be hopeful for the future. In 1982, the first year of the dome, the Gophers averaged 58,898. That was the year that they won the first three games, but went on to lose the last 8. The next year, the disastrous 1983 season, attendance dropped by over 10,000 to 48,735 per game.

That's not what gives me hope, however. In 1984, despite having a disastrous season in 1983, attendance had risen to 51,791. In 1985, attendance rose to 60,985. You would have expected after the 1-win season that attendance would have plummeted. But bringing in a new coach breathed new life the fan base. The Spring Game, not usually a well-attended event had a big crowd in Holtz' first year.

Maybe we won't be playing in front of a packed house next season, but I think that a lot of hope will be brought back as soon as we hire a new coach. Right now there is despair and uncertainty, I think that will end soon. I look for a good crowd at TCF for the Spring Game, if only from curious people wanting a peek at the new regime.
Click to expand...

Nice post. Thank you for getting that info up here. I needed that today.
 

I agree that its nice to see a thread with a glimmer of hope in it. I agree with your point. Other than Leach, what (realistic) candidates have the potential to build fan interest just on their name and charisma alone? That should count for something. And while Leach has the potential to be a loose cannon and a headache for the next administration, he does have a solid reputation for graduating players and running a clean program. That's more than Lou Hoax could ever say.
 


When Holtz left Notre Dame he said at a news conference that he would not be going back to Minnesota, but that a coach "could win there and win big." I believe that is true, given the attractiveness of the Twin Cities and the university, no comparable state rival for recruits, the new stadium and facilities, etc. I think the right coach can win big here and when it happens, people will say all of the above, as though it's self-explanatory. We just haven't hired the right coach. Someone like Harbaugh, if he can't get to Michigan, could do it - so could some others.
 


So the glimmer of hope is that attendance will improve or not fall of a cliff?
 

I see what the OP is trying to say, but as others alluded to.... everything depends on who is hired as our next head coach.
 



I think any of the names that have been suggested, with the possible exception of Trestman, will generate significantly increased enthusiasm. I don't have a strong favorite in the coaching search, there are some impressive resumes there. Right now, it's like your car is in the ditch, and you're waiting for the tow truck to arrive. You may be waiting for a while, but you're car will get towed to the garage sooner or later. I think we have good reason to think that enthusiasm will bounce back when a new coach is hired.

Enthusiasm is one thing, but actually having success on the field is another. For the moment, I will be happy with enthusiasm coming back, and leave winning the games until we play them. We should have a coach that gives us a reasonable expectation of winning some games. I don't think there are many intrinsic disadvantages at Minnesota. Sure, there is the state of the team itself, but coaches tend to be hired in situations like this when the team is at a low point. We have excellent facilities, and talent in the region is decent, if not tops in the country.
 

Silvio said:
So the glimmer of hope is that attendance will improve or not fall of a cliff?
Click to expand...

Given the level of despair on this board, it's important to point out that things will likely get better with a new coach.
 

MrGopher said:
I see what the OP is trying to say, but as others alluded to.... everything depends on who is hired as our next head coach.
Click to expand...

Unless someone truly ininspiring is hired, that matters more for the longer term. In the immediate term, just about any of the coaches that people have floated should bring back at least some of the fan enthusiasm.
 

And our new coach is.... "some coach from some University you thought only played basketball"... and GopherHole.com erupts in panic.

Man, I sure hope that's not the case.
 



The good news is whoever is hired the outcome will almost certainly be better than what the consensus here predicts.
 

When I saw the title of the original post, I was going to call Homeland Security, because I thought it was clear proof that there was going to be terrorist attacks in Iowa City, Iowa; East Lansing, Michigan; Ann Arbor, Michigan; State College, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Lincoln, Nebraska; Evanston, Illinois; Champaign-Urbana, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana; and West Lafayette, Indiana; and Madison, Wisconsin.
 

Another point...

We all hate to see the empty seats on Saturday. We aren't the only place where this has been a battle. Northwestern has played in front of empty stadiums for years (except of course when the visiting fans fill it). The sad thing for Northwestern is, even when they have decent teams the stadium is empty. They had a little blip when they challenged for conference crowns for the first time in decades, but now even GOOD Fitz coached teams can't draw. I think we can ALL agree that winning will return people to TCF Bank stadium. It could be worse... how would you like the prospect of empty seats even when the team would be winning and going to New Year's Day bowls?

I have been suprised at the rate at which the new stadium has emptied and the way there was basically no honeymoon period with fans just wanting to experience college football outdoors. Apparently there is some 'deprogramming' in order for a fan base that got really, really soft sitting in the metrodome all those years. I would argue the student section was filled better for bad (1-11 2007, for example) seasons at the dome compared on the new stadium. Everyone always argued (and I believed) it would make a big difference to get the students back on campus where they wouldn't have to stand in line for shuttle buses. In reality, that hasn't been the case. Apparently they'd rather take the bus ride over to the dome and sit inside. I thought that the "adult" crowd held in there pretty well last season even as the student section got smaller week after week. This year... not so much. It is easy to see they are going to have a LOT of tickets available next year unless something huge happens on the coaching front.

So, I feel bad (and surprised) at the current situation but I remain confident Gopher Football will be a hot ticket when the team starts winning. It is unlikely the team will be a LOT better next year so we may see things get worse before they get better.
 

Schnauzer, my previous snarky post aside, I agree with you. I think fans will come to see a young team that plays the game crisply and smart because it is a portent of things to come. This year's team has fallen to the level of the Gutekunst years when it comes to rockheaded moves on the field.
 

The 1 win season in 2007 pretty much destroyed any honeymoon. The one thing this team could not survive was a loss to South Dakota. I'm not in the locker room, so I don't know how much that affected the team's faith in themselves, but the fans made up their minds after that game.
 

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