Great article by Powers. It's easy to be well liked by the coaches in your department when they are not expected to live up to any sort of W/L performance standards. It's also easy to avoid NCAA infractions when you don't finish even as high as 3rd in your own conference in football or basketball in your entire tenure.
I am sure Joel Maturi is a friendly person, and I am sure he deserves credit for TCF and his role in merging the athletic departments. That said, I will remember his tenure as an absolutely terrible period for Gopher athletic performance and his seeming indifference towards that performance.