How will the crowd react to Clem Haskins' return to the Barn on Tuesday?

[go 31]

No sanctions prior to 1993-94

There were no sanctions prior to the 1993-94 season so this is the most recent team that we can officially celebrate for NCAA success. Some of the guys on the 1990 team have rarely or never attended games in the Barn since then and even the guys who come regularly would be hurt by boos for Coach. If you need to get rid of some latent anger, kick your dog. No, post another irate thread.

 

[SelectionSunday]

". ... this is the most recent team that we can officially celebrate for NCAA success. Some of the guys on the 1990 team have rarely or never attended games in the Barn since then and even the guys who come regularly would be hurt by boos for Coach. If you need to get rid of some latent anger, kick your dog."

Excellent summation. Out of respect for the guys who played for and love(d) Clem, if you feel the need to boo (completely understandable), let your silence do the talking. I'm pretty sure Willie, Shik, Melvin, Lynch, etc., don't want to hear the man who coached them booed out of Williams Arena. Again, I understand the hurt from Gopher fans, but rise above what Clem did to the program and take the high road. If you hate Clem's guts, fine, but put that aside for one evening and make it a special night for his former players.

Hearty applause (for former players) = good;
Uncomfortable applause/silence (toward Clem) = OK;
Booing = bad (and unfair to the men who played for Clem).

That's my sermon for the day.

 

[MNCH]

There were no sanctions prior to the 1993-94 season so this is the most recent team that we can officially celebrate for NCAA success. Some of the guys on the 1990 team have rarely or never attended games in the Barn since then and even the guys who come regularly would be hurt by boos for Coach. If you need to get rid of some latent anger, kick your dog. No, post another irate thread.

If Clem doesn't want to hear boos, then he should have acknowledged the wrongdoing in his tenure and apologized for it sometime in the past 10 years. The U of M took a huge hit for his actions; meanwhile he flees to his farm in Kenutcky with a bundle of cash and bunkers down for an entire decade. He has never made a public statement about any of his transgressions and has never accepted responsibility. I personally won't be booing but he has had numerous opportunities to atone and yet, every time he has decided to bury his head in the sand.

 

[station19]

". ... this is the most recent team that we can officially celebrate for NCAA success. Some of the guys on the 1990 team have rarely or never attended games in the Barn since then and even the guys who come regularly would be hurt by boos for Coach. If you need to get rid of some latent anger, kick your dog."

Excellent summation. Out of respect for the guys who played for and love(d) Clem, if you feel the need to boo (completely understandable), let your silence do the talking. I'm pretty sure Willie, Shik, Melvin, Lynch, etc., don't want to hear the man who coached them booed out of Williams Arena. Again, I understand the hurt from Gopher fans, but rise above what Clem did to the program and take the high road. If you hate Clem's guts, fine, but put that aside for one evening and make it a special night for his former players.

Hearty applause (for former players) = good;
Uncomfortable applause/silence (toward Clem) = OK;
Booing = bad (and unfair to the men who played for Clem).

That's my sermon for the day.

Well stated.

I suppose people could boo and have it make a new Sports Center story. Then ESPN could bring up the whole story again. Wouldn't that be great.

 

[WAGopher]

Here's your answer from the NCAA Report file in October, 2000:

"The head coach was knowledgeable about and complicit in the academic fraud in which the
secretary and academic counselor engaged. The head coach knew of the secretary’s
involvement with student-athletes and her preparation of course work on their behalf.
Similarly, he knew of the activities of the academic counselor in arranging and directing the
work that the secretary did with and for men’s basketball student-athletes. By his overall
control of the men’s basketball program and the environment thereby fostered, the head
coach facilitated the activities of both the academic counselor and the secretary. His support
of their activities included special benefits provided them by him or by the men’s basketball
program. Among the benefits to the secretary was a trip to Hawaii with the team and $3000
paid to her from the personal funds of the head coach. Among the benefits to the academic
counselor was a car lease paid for a period of six years by the head coach from his personal
funds. The head coach provided three separate and detailed responses to the letter of official
inquiry sent him by the enforcement staff, responses that are discussed in this report in the
context of particular allegations involving him. The head coach’s final response was
provided two days prior to the hearing with the specific authorization of the chair. The head
coach did not appear at the hearing before the committee."

Thank you for digging that up. Those were dark times for the entire Athletic Department (err, well both athletic departments) and fans.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

For me...

I really have no clue how I would respond. I think silence will speak volumes.

What Clem did was wrong on a lot of levels but I'll relate what bothered me the most.

While born and raised in MN until 26 years old, I didn't get my degree from the U so from an academic standpoint, I'm not THAT embarassed. It was an embarassment to the state where I call home and that stings.

Mostly though, it's about betrayal.

For better or worse, I'm a person that tends to believe the best in people. I believed Clem right up until it was just plain obvious that he WAS responsible for everything. When he said he didn't know, I believed him and I believed him right up until the bitter end.

If that's sanctimonious, so be it. I just felt betrayed and still do to some extent. Those that believed him along with me apparently are all suckers and fools.

I don't hate the man, just myself a little for actually believing him.