Doogie Q&A with Kaler: Jerry Kill 'absolutely' can turn around Gophers, 'U' president

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For many, many posters on this board here is a quick synopsis of the interview:

Joel Maturi's contract is up in June. Do you want him to be your athletic director July/August of 2012 etc.?

EK: He and I will have conversations about what he'd like to do, what I'd like to do, and what we think is best for the program. Those are talks we really haven't had a chance to get into.

When do you foresee those talks taking place?

EK: Over the next couple months.

There you go.
 

Given you had to know there would be no definites in his Maturi-job-security responses, he seems to have thought for awhile about the qualifications he wants at the head of the department which is an encouraging sign for those of us who want to see Maturi out at the end of his contract.

I will do as thorough a search as I can. I will talk to a lot of people throughout the country about the best candidates. Number one is integrity. I want a person who has a history, a track record of leading athletic departments with great integrity. We are not going to have athletic scandals while I am president. It's totally unacceptable. The athletic director is at the point of the spear on that. Everything else sort of flows out of that. It's my confidence in his or her ability to lead the department; their ability to be an effective business manager; their ability to engage themselves with the Twin Cities and Minnesota sports communities; to bring those sorts of donations back that we talked about earlier.
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Doogie did a very nice job overall and his follow-up questions in particular were well done.
 

Doogie, very nice interview. You asked appropriate questions that were tough but fair.

Well done.

Go Gophers!!
 


Solid work. A little football focused, but that's alright.
 

Football is the straw that stirs the drink. It was a bit football focused and probably a little more short term than I would have liked, but all in all...a good interview. Nice job Doogie!
 


Is there anything the football program can do the rest of the year that can make us classify this year as a success?

EK: I'd ask the coach. But I know he wants to use the entire season to look at a variety of players moving forward.


Thought this comment was interesting...good job Doogie
 



Doogieman, I give you a good, solid A for your line of questioning...

; 0 )
 

imthewalrus said:
You stayed with some tough themes and I thought you did very well!

As for prexy k: I can see that I won't listen much to what he says. No, not at all. I really don't think he sounds like much of an "action prexy..." He doesn't want to go "down into the weeds..." He really does go "slip-sliding-away..." entirely too often. He says things, but he doesn't appear to make committments.

I wouldn't trust this guy based upon his spoken message. I am going to have to see some kind of actions from him on some of those "deep-in-the-weeds..." kinds of problems.

I'd say he needs to do some heavy-duty-homework about the revenue sports and he needs to have someone educate him quite a bit about a lot of things.

He seems to "want" to think that successful high profile athletic programs can do positive things for a university...BUT...I think he is in denial about the possibility of POOR high profile teams (the REVENUE sports) hurting the image of the University of Minnesota with the public, locally and nationally. Yes, prexy k: if the U of M football, basketball and hockey programs all suck...people in Minnesota and across the nation get the idea that the University of Minnesota also SUCKS. That is one of the hard, cold facts of life prexy k...

IF the prexy expects his athletic director no matter to be a man or a woman who deals with the details of the athletic programs, I am more than just a little concerned that prexy k hasn't been rattling the cage of his acting athletic director about the academic concerns of this football program. They did NOT just materialize at the time Coach Kill arrived. What the hell was the acting athletics director doing when there was NO football coach on staff? You know prexy k, wasn't badger joel macturi down there in the weeds taking care of business?

So, doogieman: WELL-DONE. You gave this good effort and you kept asking good, meaningful, tough questions. Excellent effort on your part!

And...to prexy k: you are kind of rough around the edges, a bit too general and generic in your responses. I got the feeling you were trying to avoid...avoid...avoid any kind of tough question that called for...demanded a specific answer. You dodged, darted, zigged and zagged. You are the type of prexy that one should NOT simply listen to. You are the type of prexy that one must OBSERVE very closely. Your actions will speak much more directly, honestly and openly than your words will say.

Good luck prexy k. Right now the U of M is full of places that are "deep in the weeds..." A hundred days is a LONG time to just be watching. Sometimes wars are started, fought and completed in much less than a hundred days. It is a dangerous world out there right now prexy k...Don't sit back and try to "observe..." your way to being an effective leader. The U of M has just finished a period of time where prexy b was a "lame duck prexy" for a VERY long time. It has been a long time since the University had someone leading who did more than DUCK LAMELY. Your time to "observe" has to end now. This university and this football program needs you to be actively diving deeply into the weeds, making strong stands and committments and for God's sake, taking some chances. Go on record prexy k. Because you are going to be judged whether you merely sit there and observe or go ahead and make a stand...take a stand and FIX this mess that prexy b and badger joel macturi have left you in.

For a grade I'll have to go with an incomplete and ask you to do some more real work and to make some bold statement about what you see, think and will do. Your work needs ACTION statements prexy k...

; 0 )
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gonna have to agree with wren here. for me too (at least at this point), president kaler's ACTIONS when it comes to the big 3 rev sports will speak much more loudly to me than his words do.
 

Doogieman, I give you a good, solid A for your line of questioning...

You stayed with some tough themes and I thought you did very well!

As for prexy k: I can see that I won't listen much to what he says. No, not at all. I really don't think he sounds like much of an "action prexy..." He doesn't want to go "down into the weeds..." He really does go "slip-sliding-away..." entirely too often. He says things, but he doesn't appear to make committments.

I wouldn't trust this guy based upon his spoken message. I am going to have to see some kind of actions from him on some of those "deep-in-the-weeds..." kinds of problems.

I'd say he needs to do some heavy-duty-homework about the revenue sports and he needs to have someone educate him quite a bit about a lot of things.

He seems to "want" to think that successful high profile athletic programs can do positive things for a university...BUT...I think he is in denial about the possibility of POOR high profile teams (the REVENUE sports) hurting the image of the University of Minnesota with the public, locally and nationally. Yes, prexy k: if the U of M football, basketball and hockey programs all suck...people in Minnesota and across the nation get the idea that the University of Minnesota also SUCKS. That is one of the hard, cold facts of life prexy k...

IF the prexy expects his athletic director to be a man or a woman who deals with the details of the athletic programs, I am more than just a little concerned that prexy k hasn't been rattling the cage of his acting athletic director about the academic concerns of this football program. They did NOT just materialize at the time Coach Kill arrived. What the hell was the acting athletics director doing when there was NO football coach on staff? You know prexy k, wasn't badger joel macturi down there in the weeds taking care of business?

So, doogieman: WELL-DONE. You gave this good effort and you kept asking good, meaningful, tough questions. Excellent effort on your part!

And...to prexy k: you are kind of rough around the edges, a bit too general and generic in your responses. I got the feeling you were trying to avoid...avoid...avoid any kind of tough question that called for...demanded a specific answer. You dodged, darted, zigged and zagged. You are the type of prexy that one should NOT simply listen to. You are the type of prexy that one must OBSERVE very closely. Your actions will speak much more directly, honestly and openly than your words will say.

Good luck prexy k. Right now the U of M is full of places that are "deep in the weeds..." A hundred days is a LONG time to just be watching. Sometimes wars are started, fought and completed in much less than a hundred days. It is a dangerous world out there right now prexy k...Don't sit back and try to "observe..." your way to being an effective leader. The U of M has just finished a period of time where prexy b was a "lame duck prexy" for a VERY long time. It has been a long time since the University had someone leading who did more than DUCK LAMELY. Your time to "observe" has to end now. This university and this football program needs you to be actively diving deeply into the weeds, making strong stands and committments and for God's sake, taking some chances. Go on record prexy k. Because you are going to be judged whether you merely sit there and observe or go ahead and make a stand...take a stand and FIX this mess that prexy b and badger joel macturi have left.

For a grade I'll have to go with an incomplete and ask you to do some more real work and to make some bold statement about what you see, think and will do. Your work needs ACTION statements prexy k...

This interview IS important because it will now become a point of reference. What prexy k says and does can be compared to what he said in this interview. In that sense this is a foundation or point of reference for "prexy k speak..."

; 0 )
 




I wish President Kaler had at least one specific idea that he believed needed to come to fruition for success in the revenue sports. I am also concerned about 2 other aspects of the interview: I didn't think he expressed enough urgency in getting a practice facility for the basketball team completed-that is something that should have been finished by now- and I hope that the blind faith in Jerry Kill has more to do with it being year 1 and the President will lean on his choice of A.D. to make decisions on the "right guy" going forward. We won't get the type of A.D. we need if that A.D. comes in tied to current coaches in any of the revenue sports.
 

The fact that he was willing to entertain the thought of replacing Maturi and the type of AD he would hire leaves me hopeful that Joel's days at the U will be ending soon.
 

Frankly, I am most please with Kaler's ability to NOT answer questions. One of Maturi's greatest weaknesses is his inability to stfu!

Top CEO type people like Prexy K won't undercut their managers...so even if he had specific ideas...he would run them through his staff and managers and not billow them out in an interview and undercut his teams. That said, I am certain he is setting goals and standards and reviewing past performance and I suspect he will not be so easily duped into the status quo as a way of getting different results.
 

As they say: "...time will tell..." This guy is going to be judged by his actions. The problem is the longer he stalls, the further behind the 8 ball the University of Minnesota, the football program, and yes, prexy k, himself will be. It's kind of an existential thing. Even NO action is an action. He is basically trying to take this course on a "pass/fail..." IF he passes on action for too long though, he is going to fail us all. We will NOT allow him to "audit" from his sheltered ivory tower spaces.

The season ticket holding public is getting more and more frustrated, angry and apathetic about the plight of Gopher Football. These 50 something to hardly anything scores in Big Ten play will send out a strong message to everyone who even sees a Big Ten score. You can only be "slightly" ashamed of the scores for a limited period of time. And, on many levels, these scores have been happening for a LONG time. Even in the recent past...the past couple of seasons, things have gone from bad to worse.

Be careful prexy k. Be very careful. No action is probably the most risky action. You can NOT was your hands from this mess prexy k. Administrators at the University of Minnesota have "washed their hands of the football mess" so often and for so long that they have a severe case of chapped hands in the administrtive circles. And, the long-time season ticket holders are aging, disappearing and reaching the point where they just do NOT care any longer.

Be careful about what you do prexy k...BUT...be even MORE careful about what you DON'T do...don't say...don't do within your "inner-circle" of administrators.

Your every action...and your every inaction, anything you do or don't do will be carefully scrutinized prexy k. You got the position of POWER you were actively seeking...now you have to USE all that power for the greater good. And, you don't have forever to just sit there sporting your best poker face as you stall, try to take your que from others and hope the situation will resolve itself. It won't. It never will. Time waits for NO prexy...k, it's up to you...it is ALL up to you. You were the one who wanted this job: now PICK UP the ball and run with it...We will be judging you by what you do...by what happens. In Big Ten Football the keep the standings of how the various teams are doing. WHAT will you do to insure that the University of Minnesota does NOT stay at the bottom of the standings year in and year out. It would reflect VERY badly on the the U of M. That would reflect VERY badly on YOU prexy k...

; 0 )
 

No disrespect to Mr.Wolfson,who did a good job here, but there was little chance that Mr.Kaler would make a major announcement in this interview.
 

Iceland12 said:
No disrespect to Mr.Wolfson,who did a good job here, but there was little chance that Mr.Kaler would make a major announcement in this interview.
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Agree, a major step is relieving Joel Maturi. I don't care how he does it, but I would think from most alumni this would create a very positive start.
 


goldengophers said:
The fact that he was willing to entertain the thought of replacing Maturi and the type of AD he would hire leaves me hopeful that Joel's days at the U will be ending soon.
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Exactly.

I expect that Mr. Kaler will do his homework on Maturi and has set a timetable for a decision. If the AD was going gangbusters then it would be a no-brainer to extend Maturi if he wanted to stay. But that is not the case and Kaler knows that there have been negative issues surrounding Maturi's tenure..

Assuming Kaler wants a solid AD to bring in much needed changes and more benefits for the UM, I expect he will ask Maturi to retire. And that may be the push Maturi will need to bow out knowing that he is no longer wanted. I think Maturi has too much pride to force the president to fire him.

I assume that Kaler wants his own handpicked AD leading the charge.
 

I wish a point blank question would have been asked, "Are you aware of the vitriol and anger Joel Maturi brings out of many gopher sports fans?"
I don't want home crowd chants to fire maturi, but they are most likely coming, I'm not sure what big donors/alums that have to be in close contact with Maturi do to control themselves, I'd imagine several simply don't interact with him anymore. I'd be surprised if someone hasn't gone off on him in the past year.
Obviously Kaler likely does know, but it would be comforting to know he's not an oblivious boob like Bruininks, I don't see the problem with a publicly stated lame duck AD right now. JMO
 

I mostly agree with Birdy, especially on the actions. But I do think that P.K. has his plan and a timetable, and is not going to make any statement that stirs any pot more than it is. I wish he would move faster, but I doubt it.
 

I think the questions were good, and I felt Kaler's answers were appropriate for his position. What did some of you expect him to say? Such things as "The first chance I get, I am going to can Maturi?" or else "Coach Kill is on a short leash and I will cut it the moment it feels right?"

I think the better thing to focus on is his proven track record of supporting sports, especially revenue producing ones and his intent to do the same at the U. Maybe the reason he was brought in was due to that track record?

Maybe, just maybe earning the position of President of a major university means he has something going for him in the brains department! And if he is a sports fan, as he says, he does probably know a few things about the sports as well!

I was encouraged by the article, especially since his track record gives him some credibility.
 

Gopher07 said:
Given you had to know there would be no definites in his Maturi-job-security responses, he seems to have thought for awhile about the qualifications he wants at the head of the department which is an encouraging sign for those of us who want to see Maturi out at the end of his contract.
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The Kaler quote you inserted has one troubling passage:

Everything else sort of flows out of that. It's my confidence in his or her ability to lead the department;
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I hope Kaler uttered the highlighted words just to be PC, and not because he'd actually consider hiring a skirt to be our AD. Those of us who remember the Darth Voelz era tremble at the thought. Then again, it would be tough to bring in someone who could fugger things up worse than Joel has. Even a feminazi.
 


Perhaps you have little experience with women, but not all women are Voelz.
 

Currently four BCS schools have female ADs: Arizona State, Cal, Maryland and NC State. I would hope that Kaler would make the best decision for the university's athletics programs regardless of what's between his/her legs.
 


i personally don't want to see a female AD at minnesota because i think they would just inherently fight harder against (just like joltin' joel maturi has mostly done in his time as AD......and yes i realize he is a dude) potential reductions/dropping of any of the non-revenue women's sports programs. and most agree that a reduction in non-revenue men's & women's programs at the U of M is necessary......regardless of how football, basketball and hockey are doing competitively.
 

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