Doogie interview with former Gopher Jim Carter

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I was just going to post this. Shots fired. Take it for what it's worth, but a lot of what he says paints a pretty clear picture about why it's so difficult to win here.
 



Wow. Just, wow. I wonder how Kill feels about this interview.
 


Killjoy said:
Finally - An honest assessment of the problems and what needs to be done. The honesty of Carter is really refreshing.
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Lol.. on the panel of four that hired Teague.... a biochemistry guy. Yep. Sounds about right.
 



jaymil said:
A pretty interesting interview. Carter doesn't hold back in his criticism of the administration at the university.

http://kstp.com/sports/stories/S3948822.shtml?cat=7
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Very interesting. Carter wasn't easy on himself either. Only would say that some of the more sensitive people shouldn't listen all the way thru the last minutes. Wonder if Carter admitting that Kill sounded like a "whiner" and people had the "right to boo" would negate all the solid insight that Carter gave.

Maybe the best insight of all was Jim telling Kill that he shouldn't stop taking his meds. He did stop taking one of them to feel "sharper" and the results brought things to a head.
 



Carter sounds a lot like Arne Carlson to me. Arne is pissed off because Kaler wouldn't take his advice about a non-sports matter. Carter is not going to be happy with any U president who doesn't give the football coach a blank check for the program. You know when the regent who represents Carter's district doesn't take his calls he must be a huge pain in the ass. Kaler deserves far more credit than Carter is willing to give him for supporting Kill and the football program. He is more supportive of sports at the U than any president since the 1960's. Kaler is putting his neck on the line by pushing the regents to approve the new facility project with only $70 million in donations committed for it.
 


Why does no version of this story quite feel right?

Why does Jerry quit after a bad month? Why not move back to the box?

Something doesn't add up.
 

Studwell55 said:
Why does no version of this story quite feel right?

Why does Jerry quit after a bad month? Why not move back to the box?

Something doesn't add up.
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My guess is that after two seizures on Tuesday, Jerry's boss told him: Football or me and your kids.
 



UpnorthGo4 said:
Carter sounds a lot like Arne Carlson to me. Arne is pissed off because Kaler wouldn't take his advice about a non-sports matter. Carter is not going to be happy with any U president who doesn't give the football coach a blank check for the program. You know when the regent who represents Carter's district doesn't take his calls he must be a huge pain in the ass. Kaler deserves far more credit than Carter is willing to give him. He is more supportive of sports at the U than any president since the 1960's. Kaler is putting his neck on the line by pushing the regents to approve the new facility project with only $70 million in private funds committed for it.
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Carter did admit that he was told by a friend to back off on Kaler because Kaler was a friend of sports. He went on to admit that he tended to react too quickly because that was the way he is wired. He did though make a strong case that the U is a dysfunctional organization.

I once had a long conversation with Peter Senge about why he hadn't implemented some of his organizational principles at his university (MIT). Senge said that was because academic organizations are the most dysfunctional and political organization around. He went on to say that it much easier to make changes in business environments and also even with government organizations. You could clearly feel Carter's frustration with the U's inability to get things done, make changes and to be run efficiently and effectively. I am sure it was the same with Kill. I am also sure Kaler has to be very careful in dealing with his very dysfunctional organization. The fact he went out on a limb for athletics is quite remarkable.
 


Studwell55 said:
Why does no version of this story quite feel right?

Why does Jerry quit after a bad month? Why not move back to the box?

Something doesn't add up.
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O'Brien's comment about Kill not being done on the football field adds more confusion.
 

CWCWCW said:
O'Brien's comment about Kill not being done on the football field adds more confusion.
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No, I think O'Brien meant as volunteer somewhere or DIII or something.

I still think the best solution would be Kill as AD or some other high level position in the athletics dept, where he can kind of be CEO or a high level consultant for football like Alvarez is at Wisconsin. He could still go to practice, be around the team, offer father-figure like guidance, but not have the same 20 hour day demands of preparing a game plan for the likes of Michigan.
 

Studwell55 said:
Jerry can't take his meds and go back to the box?

He ends his career just like that? In a matter of 3 weeks?
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Kill basically said in his press conference he'd rather retire than coach from the box. He didn't want to do that again.
 

Studwell55 said:
Jerry can't take his meds and go back to the box?

He ends his career just like that? In a matter of 3 weeks?
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I believe the reason that came out of the Killer's own mouth: his doctor told him that he was compromising his future health by staying in this position. My own opinion, he was probably risking his sanity, too. And I don't say that lightly.
 

And he makes this decision without talking to his staff? Who only learn about it in a morning meeting the day of the announcement?

This makes no sense unless it was a highly impetuous decision.
 

everybody knows my name said:
I believe the reason that came out of the Killer's own mouth: his doctor told him that he was compromising his future health by staying in this position. My own opinion, he was probably risking his sanity, too. And I don't say that lightly.
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He did all that in three or four weeks?

Or has he been hiding something for a long time?

So he goes on the fritz when he goes off his meds for a month? The answer is: go back on your meds and move back to the box.
 

Studwell55 said:
He did all that in three or four weeks?

Or has he been hiding something for a long time?

So he goes on the fritz when he goes off his meds for a month? The answer is: go back on your meds and move back to the box.
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Did you not watch the press conference? Kill said himself he doesn't want to coach when he's on his meds. He feels like he'd be cheating the university.
 

Killjoy said:
Carter did admit that he was told by a friend to back off on Kaler because Kaler was a friend of sports. He went on to admit that he tended to react too quickly because that was the way he is wired. He did though make a strong case that the U is a dysfunctional organization.
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My guess is the friend who told Carter to back off Kaler was Mike Wright who was captain of the Gophers in 1959 and drafted by Green Bay. He choose to play in Winnipeg for two years under Bud Grant. He then went to law school and later became CEO and Chairman of Supervalu, Inc. Wright is also a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Minnesota Foundation. It appears he is a big supporter of Kaler.
 

jaymil said:
Did you not watch the press conference? Kill said himself he doesn't want to coach when he's on his meds. He feels like he'd be cheating the university.
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I did watch it.

Didn't he coach on those same meds for 1.5 seasons?
 

So one guy on meds tell the other guy who wants to get off a certain med to get back on it. Yep, the interview makes total sense.
 

Killjoy said:
Carter did admit that he was told by a friend to back off on Kaler because Kaler was a friend of sports. He went on to admit that he tended to react too quickly because that was the way he is wired. He did though make a strong case that the U is a dysfunctional organization.

I once had a long conversation with Peter Senge about why he hadn't implemented some of his organizational principles at his university (MIT). Senge said that was because academic organizations are the most dysfunctional and political organization around. He went on to say that it much easier to make changes in business environments and also even with government organizations. You could clearly feel Carter's frustration with the U's inability to get things done, make changes and to be run efficiently and effectively. I am sure it was the same with Kill. I am also sure Kaler has to be very careful in dealing with his very dysfunctional organization. The fact he went out on a limb for athletics is quite remarkable.
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Thanks for your insight. Anyone who has worked in a college setting was likely nodding as they read your post. A great coach and leader failed because he was always able to outwork his problems and the myriad of things he tried to do eventually overwhelmed him. Too bad Carter was in Kill's office every week taking up precious time instead of trying to find another way to help. In the end, too many people let Killer do their jobs for them, instead of letting him lead the football program.
 

Killjoy said:
Carter did admit that he was told by a friend to back off on Kaler because Kaler was a friend of sports. He went on to admit that he tended to react too quickly because that was the way he is wired. He did though make a strong case that the U is a dysfunctional organization.

I once had a long conversation with Peter Senge about why he hadn't implemented some of his organizational principles at his university (MIT). Senge said that was because academic organizations are the most dysfunctional and political organization around. He went on to say that it much easier to make changes in business environments and also even with government organizations. You could clearly feel Carter's frustration with the U's inability to get things done, make changes and to be run efficiently and effectively. I am sure it was the same with Kill. I am also sure Kaler has to be very careful in dealing with his very dysfunctional organization. The fact he went out on a limb for athletics is quite remarkable.
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yet somehow uw, iowa, et al are less dysfunctional and they can win?
 


Loved the interview. Loved the scarf even more.
 

Go4 said:
yet somehow uw, iowa, et al are less dysfunctional and they can win?
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They found the right guy to cut through the red tape bull ****. kill was that guy for us, but his health took it all out of him. Hopefully Claeys can execute the vision.
 

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