1. I don’t buy the following arguments.
a. Recruiting will go in the toilet if we extend Jeff Horton’s probationary period another year. I think the present staff will be able to recruit the young men who want to wear maroon and gold from the State of Minnesota, sans the usual standouts from Cretin-Derham Hall who always opt to attend college somewhere else, regardless who our coach is. The more things change, the more they remain the same. There are plenty of talented 2 and 3 star athletes from around the USA who will want to play for a Big Ten University, us, regardless who our coach is. Methinks you make too big a deal out of who the currently crowned coach is. They come and go at all universities. It only makes a difference when you have a charismatic coach who has been deified and you are dealing with trying to snare 4 and 5 star athletes. We don’t have a charismatic coach, and we likely will not get one of these. We don’t have $4,000,000 / year to throw around. So forget the silver bullet charismatic coach.
b. We have to sign up a coach for a minimum of 5 years, and in the case of Sparlimb’s post, 8 years. I am a contrarian. I don’t believe we have to play this stupid 5 to 8 year contract extortion racket. In fact, I hate it. It ties you up so that you have no plan B in case plan A turns into diarrhea. The school becomes hog tied. There is no way I can support an 8 year contract. To do so would require the wisdom of Solomon and the prophetic capabilities of Jeremiah. Trust me, we have neither at the University of Minnesota. Where is it said that we have to blindly follow where Alabama and Michigan have gone? Is it in the Old Testament or the New Testament?
c. Throwing big money at a charismatic coach with a multiyear contract yields the highest probability for success in improving our football record. I don’t buy this. We tried this with Lou Holtz. If successful, said coach will jilt us just as fast as Lou jilted us for Notre Dame or Rich Rodriquez jilted West Virginia for Michigan. We all thought Rich was a permanent fixture at WVU. Not! Think again, if the coach is successful here, he will be offered enough money by some other university to skip town.
2. It amazes me just how unforgiving people are of what happened at UNLV 15 years ago. Jeff Horton was what, a 38 year old wunderkind when he was axed? So you think he has learned nothing about coaching in the 15 years since then?
3. If our Golden Gophers defeat Iowa on 27 November 2010, Jeff Horton will have a Big Ten Record and an overall record that will be as good or better than many of our previous coaches. You don’t believe me? Check out Eric Thrall’s website
http://ericthrall.com/gophers/football/ If this happens, then Jeff will be at .400 in the Big Ten and overall. Exactly where Glen Mason ended up. I was against firing Glen Mason, and if Jeff Horton achieves .400 at the end of the day on 27 November 2010, after 5 games as head coach, and following a 6 game losing streak, then yes, I think he deserves another 12 months to show whether he merits a 5 year contract.
4. I am against throwing big money at a big name coach, because it does not address systemic problems we face, and in fact, it may exacerbate a systemic problem we have. Front and center is the destruction and disembowelment of a B.A. degree program through General College. This was a critical self inflicted wound to our competitive stature in many sports, not just football. Shortly after the dissolution of the General College B.A. program we found ourselves in trouble with NCAA mandated graduation rates. Guess what folks, it ain’t gonna get better with a big name coach, because a big name coach is going to feel compelled to go after student athletes that are at risk without a General College B.A. program. Bringing back a B.A. curriculum track through General College is job one on the road to football recovery and respectability, not 5 or 8 year contracts, not big money.
5. I guess we just have to agree to disagree.
