Fire Joel Maturi

[FireMaturi]

First the idiot has screwed up our football program, now he keeps Royce off the team and the team loses games like this to Indiana.

Maturi has served long enough and has only f*d things up.

 

[JAYMEDINC]

I would like to see if Brew's entire staff returns first, before firing Maturi. If they all return, I think Maturi should spend a season on the hot seat.

Maturi should give Brew that token extension ASAP. And if anyone on Brew's staff bolts for greener pastures, Maturi should be the scape goat. Then the next AD should give Brew one season to go 5-3 in the Big Ten.

 

[GopherFish]

Was your New Years resolution to "get stupid"? Sounds like it.

I was 100% right about Brewster/Maturi and you defend them and call me names. Eat crow *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#bag.

 

[kornheiser]

Maturi

I was 100% right about Brewster/Maturi and you defend them and call me names. Eat crow *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#bag.

Nope, actually you are still wrong. Some very well written explanations for the job the Athletic Director has done above. You should read them. If he were the Football Director you may have some solid ground beneath you.

Every time I read posts like this ("no one cares about non-revenue sports") I think back to the "telethon to save sports" that occurred early in Mr. Maturi's tenure. Back then, everyone howled at the idea of losing sports. Now, because the football team hasn't turned it around, they are expendable.

As stated above, he has fixed the budget, created a healthy atmosphere for the students and staff in the dpt., and turned the dpt. the right direction.

I'm sure when he retires in a few years many of the posters on this board will be sending in their resumes to show how much better they would be at that thankless job.

Would I like to see the football team on better footing? Yes. But, as a life-long Gopher fan, not just Gopher Football fan, I will always remain a strong supporter of Mr. Maturi and the work he has done here.

 

[sonnygarcia]

I was 100% right about Brewster/Maturi and you defend them and call me names. Eat crow *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#bag.

Don't feel bad, you were 100% correct, as were a lot of us at the time you posted this. At this time I'd guess 98% of the people that called you stupid back them would take that back.

And as far as non-revenue sports are concerned, until we follow the Wisconsin and Iowa models and get rid of those stupid sports I doubt we will ever take football seriously.

 

[masonglen]

Maturi needs to be fired

Maturi got real lucky with Tubby.. big name coaches are more likely to move in Basketball because it is not a difficult turn around.. much more difficult in FB.. Maturi brought in this clown and he needs to take the fall for it.. Lucia should be next.. I bet he is loving the fact that Brewster is taking all the heat off..

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I think Maturi could identify a great football HC and then retire with a strong legacy in place at the University of Minnesota.

 

[GopherGod]

I think Maturi could identify a great football HC and then retire with a strong legacy in place at the University of Minnesota.

What leads you to believe he could do this. He had good candidates last go around and picked the least qualified of the bunch.

 

[Ewert86PC]

I don't think Maturi would hire the Broncos TE coach again, but he might hire the Buccaneers TE coach, or the Browns TE coach, or the Panthers TE coach....

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

No worse than with Mason?

The hockey team was ranked number 1 in the ctry just 12 months ago, until the coach got sick, so I think Maturi has no blame there...

As for football, Maturi took a big risk with Brewster, but really, the team is no worse than with Mason. Is this grounds for firing Maturi? Probably not...

Basketball - Up until 6 weeks ago, there was talk of Final Fours, B10 championships, etc. And with the talent and coaching staff, this was well founded. So Maturi probably had an A+ rating then. Since then, I do agree that he and Tubby have taken several missteps with the behavioral punishments of Royce, TM, and Bostick. Indefinite suspensions are huge distractions to the team, fanbase, etc. and should be avoided at all costs. For every crime there is a DEFINITE punishment. If I break the law, I'm not thrown in jail indefinitely, I know what I have to do and how long before I'm released. Not to mention, they did Royce a huge disservice by pushing him away from the team when he needs the team now more than ever. I place equal blame on Royce, Maturi and Tubby for how this situation has been handled. I don't think Maturi should be fired for it, but he definitely needs a reality check.

Far worse than with Mason, who beat Michigan at Ann Arbor, Penn State in Happy Valley, Ohio State in Columbus - had seven All-Americans, beat Alabama, Oregon and Arkansas in bowl games, went 8-3 his third season, etc.?

 

[gopherphan]

Nope, actually you are still wrong. Some very well written explanations for the job the Athletic Director has done above. You should read them. If he were the Football Director you may have some solid ground beneath you.

Every time I read posts like this ("no one cares about non-revenue sports") I think back to the "telethon to save sports" that occurred early in Mr. Maturi's tenure. Back then, everyone howled at the idea of losing sports. Now, because the football team hasn't turned it around, they are expendable.

As stated above, he has fixed the budget, created a healthy atmosphere for the students and staff in the dpt., and turned the dpt. the right direction.

I'm sure when he retires in a few years many of the posters on this board will be sending in their resumes to show how much better they would be at that thankless job.

Would I like to see the football team on better footing? Yes. But, as a life-long Gopher fan, not just Gopher Football fan, I will always remain a strong supporter of Mr. Maturi and the work he has done here.

god, shove it.

the only atmosphere anyone cares about is winning. and there isnt much happening in regards to that with football.

oh great our womens rowing team won a national title, who cares besides the kids, parents of the kids, and joel maturi? no one! i heard complaints that there might not be enough funding to carry so many sports anymore, know why? because football is a huge revenue winner. and when your football team stinks, revenue stinks. really. no one cares. maybe you heard howling because you were part of one of those sports. honestly we can afford to lose underwater basket weaving and lose our national title there to get a better football coach.

the department is not headed in the right direction. maturi doesnt decide things, ever. he wishes and washes and plays politics. ADs jobs are to make decisions and get things done. not appease everyone.

 

[MRJ]

god, shove it.

the only atmosphere anyone cares about is winning. and there isnt much happening in regards to that with football.

oh great our womens rowing team won a national title, who cares besides the kids, parents of the kids, and joel maturi? no one! i heard complaints that there might not be enough funding to carry so many sports anymore, know why? because football is a huge revenue winner. and when your football team stinks, revenue stinks. really. no one cares. maybe you heard howling because you were part of one of those sports. honestly we can afford to lose underwater basket weaving and lose our national title there to get a better football coach.

the department is not headed in the right direction. maturi doesnt decide things, ever. he wishes and washes and plays politics. ADs jobs are to make decisions and get things done. not appease everyone.

I always find it amusing that when the football team stinks, it's because we have too many athletic teams. Got news for you: eliminating a whole bunch of sports isn't going to magically turn the football program into a winner. If you think that's why the team stinks right now, I'm not sure what to tell you.

The reason the football team stinks is because the coaches stink, the players have failed to execute and the athletic director made a terrible decision in hiring a coach with no qualifications for the job. None of that would have changed had we eliminated any sport at the university. Not putting money into the program was a choice the administration made long ago and they stuck with it. During the metrodome years, they could claim poverty and use it as a excuse. With a new stadium in place, that isn't a valid excuse any more. They're making more money now than they ever did with either the metrodome or memorial stadium. In other words, the money is there if they want a real football coach. The question is whether the university is willing to spend it.

 

[millions2spare]

talk to bob Stein....The revenue producing sports should be the focus and are all in a free-fall. Wait until Tubby leaves. Stop the tide now--fire Joel and comit to revenue programs the masses care about---hockey, basketball, Football, and womens hoops.....let the rest take a back seat and become self funding....

look at Wisky, OSU, Florida, and Iowa........

 

[MRJ]

talk to bob Stein....The revenue producing sports should be the focus and are all in a free-fall. Wait until Tubby leaves. Stop the tide now--fire Joel and comit to revenue programs the masses care about---hockey, basketball, Football, and womens hoops.....let the rest take a back seat and become self funding....

look at Wisky, OSU, Florida, and Iowa........

You didn't get the point did you? That's okay, based on your inane ramblings of last year, I'm not surprised.

 

[millions2spare]

MRJ---what have we done in the past 45 or 50 years that have produced a winner? Why do you think keeping Maturi and / or changing coaches are going to help? Some of us are not into mediocrity like you and a few of the VOCAL Gopher Rubes are. Sorry MRJ, it is time to hold people accountable and expect more. Take that and smoke it....

 

[MRJ]

MRJ---what have we done in the past 45 or 50 years that have produced a winner? Why do you think keeping Maturi and / or changing coaches are going to help? Some of us are not into mediocrity like you and a few of the VOCAL Gopher Rubes are. Sorry MRJ, it is time to hold people accountable and expect more. Take that and smoke it....

Oooh, such a tough guy. And by the way, I am in favor of firing Maturi. But hey, you like using your "what have we done the last 45 or 50 years" line so much whenever someone challenges you it's almost comical.

What the U has done is this: Make godawful decisions as it relates to the football program. Moving to the metrodome? Hiring Brewster? Hiring Joe Salem? Those were decisions made by the administration and had nothing to do with other programs on campus. Yet despite all of that, there are plenty of resources available to have a successful program right now. Simply eliminating a bunch of sports because you don't like them isn't going to make the program any more successful. You have to hire a coach that actually knows the sport, which the U has done once over the past 30-plus years (Glen Mason, who was then extended to nearly 3 mill a year while they were still playing in the metrodome.) So save it with the platitudes about how much more money football needs. There is plenty available for a good coach and a good program.

 

[millions2spare]

Wisky eliminated a bunch of other NON-revue sports that suck the funding for ones that do. Also, we need to model after OSU and Florida if we are serious about winning. I am sick of this attitude where losing is accepted and EXPECTED!

 

[MRJ]

Wisky eliminated a bunch of other NON-revue sports that suck the funding for ones that do. Also, we need to model after OSU and Florida if we are serious about winning. I am sick of this attitude where losing is accepted and EXPECTED!

Where did anybody say anything remotely close to this? And just to be clear, Wisconsin has 23 varsity sports teams. Guess how many the U has? Yep, 23. Ohio State has 28 varsity sports and Florida has 17. And since you added Iowa to the mix as some kind of bastian of athletic excellence (even thouh football is the only thing that keeps their athletic program from being the joke of the conference), they have 20 varsity athletic programs.

So where are all these cuts you're talking about?

 

[gopherphan]

im not saying that eliminating those sports will produce a winner, im just saying that too much time and effort is devoted to piddly CRAP than to something with alot larger effect on the U's appearance than a rank of #3 research institution

 

[MRJ]

im not saying that eliminating those sports will produce a winner, im just saying that too much time and effort is devoted to piddly CRAP than to something with alot larger effect on the U's appearance than a rank of #3 research institution

Here's my thinking on this issue: Part of the problem has been a bad set of decisions by the U's administration as it pertains to football. The other part of the problem is that the football program simply hasn't been carrying it's weight for decades now, which is a huge part of the problem. It could be reasonably argued that those two problems coincide.

The men's basketball program is one of the top-15 or so most profitable basketball programs in the country. The men's hockey program is by far the most profitable program in the country. Other sports that fare well include women's soccer, women's volleyball, women's hockey and men's baseball along with both men's and women's track and field and wrestling.

Ohio State has all that plus several programs. Wisconsin has the exact same number of varsity teams, many of which are highly competitive. Florida has a number of highly regarded smaller athletic programs as well. Iowa doesn't, but that's their problem. In three of those cases, smaller programs still thrive even with a successful football program. Does football success help the overall budget? You bet. But football success is not the end all, be all of college sports. In fact, it could be reasonbly argued smaller teams at the U have been successful not because of football but in spite of it.

The question thus becomes how to keep high achieving programs in all cases, not eliminate a few because one hasn't held up it's end of the deal, which football hasn't decade after decade. All of this of course means that hiring a qualified football coach is of paramount importance to reverse a trend of horrendous decisions by the U administration as it pertains to football.