Jerry Kill IS WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS!

[FlaGopher23]

I'm new to Gopher Football but felt this needed to be said. I won't post very much and I can't say I know all there is to know about football. We played street ball where I come from.

What I do know is about winning and losing in my professional career. Winners know that losing is inevitable but winners move on and learn from the past. You go hard the next time and even harder until you are back winning again.

Jerry Kill is a leader with a PROVEN past. He's done it before and he will do it again here with the Gophers. You are already seeing it happen right in front of your eyes but many choose to be blinded by negativity. You don't go from 3-9 to 9-3 in one year. Ain't gonna happen. Believe me, I hate losing at anything and many of you are very passionate about Gopher Football and let it out here on the forums.

It takes time to turn around a program. When my stepson started his first year on varsity in H.S. the team only won three games. The next year the won even more and by the third year, his last, they won seven games, the most in school history.

Jerry Kill cares about the kids, the program and the school. The kids will want to win for him and he wants the best for them. He's building a program here. Nobody makes the perfect decision every time but indecision is far worse. Give the guy a break. He's turning a program around, has health issues and does not need anymore stress, I'm sure. No matter how much you bash him on these boards you won't change how he runs the program.

Support the kids, support the team, support the school and the coaches. Put your mind on winning and it will come.

BTW, my wife and I coming up for the thanksgiving weekend game, our first Gopher game. Hope to meet some of you there. We'll try to bring some sun and heat with us!

 

[#2Gopher]

I agree 100%. He inherited a mess that people seem to forget about. Look at Wisconsin a few years ago when they changed coaches. What was it like one or two wins the first couple years? We knew that Kill inherited a mess, but I'll bet it was worse than we know it was. He's playing young kids as the older ones weren't good enough or gone due to academics etc. (Thanks Brewster-I can say that, I had supported him and I was dead wrong).

We've got injuries futher compounding the situation. Yes its hard at times to watch this. Unfortunately we have no choice no matter who the coach is, and I believe in Kill100%.

The trolls are worried that Kill is on the right track and they will supply the negative posts as they have. "Stick it!"

 

[Gopherprof]

The trolls are worried that Kill is on the right track and they will supply the negative posts as they have.

Who are you talking about? Who is "bashing" Kill?

Same strawman argument every time.

 

[HopherGole]

I'm sick of people expecting too much too early from Coach Kill too. There are a lot of reasons we're not a top team in the BIG 10 and most are things Kill can't control. The biggest being the players that he has from Brewster. Give the man 2 more years and I'll listen to the complaints.

I've been to practices, sidelines for games, and I can tell you that the man can coach and he's the best we can get.

 

[MNVCGUY]

This is an f'in message board. People need to lighten up on both sides of this. 99% of the people that post in these forums are die-hard Gopher football fans but being a die-hard fan does not mean you have to have shiny happy feelings about the program all the time. Everyone is entitled to think however they want and post those thoughts on these boards. Contrary to what a lot of posters would have you believe there is a middle ground in all this.

Jerry Kill has a track record. He built up a crappy low level team from nothing to a power at their level. He left there and went to a MAC school coming off a bad year and by the time he bolted 3 years later they were in the MAC championship game. He built Southern Illinois, he didn't build Northern but they did have a very good third year under his guidance.

He has a resume, but it is not one that should make everyone feel instantly at ease that he is some builder of programs, guaranteed to take us to the promised land. We all hope he turns out to be that guy but it isn't like he was our first, second, hell even third or fourth choice to run the program. He may end up being the guy that finally gets it done, god knows we all want to see this program contend for a championship but I don't see any issue with some fans choosing to take a wait and see approach with Kill. Some have chosen to buy in 100% and that is great for them but that doesn't make their opinions any more or less valid than someone that is only 50% on board with Kill at this point or even less than that.

Bottom line is every opinion is valid on this board because none of what any of us says or thinks is going to change the outcome of the games on Saturdays. If you love Kill great, if you hate him that's your choice, if you're not sure what you think of him at this point that is totally valid as well.

 

[Winnipegopher]

yup

 

[Sportsfan24]

This is an f'in message board. People need to lighten up on both sides of this. 99% of the people that post in these forums are die-hard Gopher football fans but being a die-hard fan does not mean you have to have shiny happy feelings about the program all the time. Everyone is entitled to think however they want and post those thoughts on these boards. Contrary to what a lot of posters would have you believe there is a middle ground in all this.

Jerry Kill has a track record. He built up a crappy low level team from nothing to a power at their level. He left there and went to a MAC school coming off a bad year and by the time he bolted 3 years later they were in the MAC championship game. He built Southern Illinois, he didn't build Northern but they did have a very good third year under his guidance.

He has a resume, but it is not one that should make everyone feel instantly at ease that he is some builder of programs, guaranteed to take us to the promised land. We all hope he turns out to be that guy but it isn't like he was our first, second, hell even third or fourth choice to run the program. He may end up being the guy that finally gets it done, god knows we all want to see this program contend for a championship but I don't see any issue with some fans choosing to take a wait and see approach with Kill. Some have chosen to buy in 100% and that is great for them but that doesn't make their opinions any more or less valid than someone that is only 50% on board with Kill at this point or even less than that.

Bottom line is every opinion is valid on this board because none of what any of us says or thinks is going to change the outcome of the games on Saturdays. If you love Kill great, if you hate him that's your choice, if you're not sure what you think of him at this point that is totally valid as well.

Well said.

 

[lakesgopher]

This is an f'in message board. People need to lighten up on both sides of this. 99% of the people that post in these forums are die-hard Gopher football fans but being a die-hard fan does not mean you have to have shiny happy feelings about the program all the time. Everyone is entitled to think however they want and post those thoughts on these boards. Contrary to what a lot of posters would have you believe there is a middle ground in all this.

Jerry Kill has a track record. He built up a crappy low level team from nothing to a power at their level. He left there and went to a MAC school coming off a bad year and by the time he bolted 3 years later they were in the MAC championship game. He built Southern Illinois, he didn't build Northern but they did have a very good third year under his guidance.

He has a resume, but it is not one that should make everyone feel instantly at ease that he is some builder of programs, guaranteed to take us to the promised land. We all hope he turns out to be that guy but it isn't like he was our first, second, hell even third or fourth choice to run the program. He may end up being the guy that finally gets it done, god knows we all want to see this program contend for a championship but I don't see any issue with some fans choosing to take a wait and see approach with Kill. Some have chosen to buy in 100% and that is great for them but that doesn't make their opinions any more or less valid than someone that is only 50% on board with Kill at this point or even less than that.

Bottom line is every opinion is valid on this board because none of what any of us says or thinks is going to change the outcome of the games on Saturdays. If you love Kill great, if you hate him that's your choice, if you're not sure what you think of him at this point that is totally valid as well.

+1000

 

[John Galt]

As somewhat of an aside, I was listening to a radio podcast of the Gophers http://www.blogtalkradio.com/giradio/2012/10/22/the-maiden-voyage
and they had what I thought was a very interesting statistic. They compared the overall wins and losses of the program dating back to the 1950s when they spent big (i.e. went after a coach with D-1 experience) vs. bringing in other coaches with no previous D-1 experience. Here is a list of each:

Prior D-1 experience: Warmath, Stoll, Holtz, Mason
No prior D-1 experience: Salem, Gutekunst, Wacker, Brewster, and Kill

Coaches with prior D-1 experience had a career winning percentage of almost 60%, and won about half of their B1G games. The other group has a career winning percentage of about 35%, and only won 25% of their career B1G games. You could argue that the data is skewed because Warmath was a long time ago and had suc h a long run, but I found it interesting nonetheless. Hopefully Kill can buck the trend...

 

[Sportsfan24]

I'm new to Gopher Football but felt this needed to be said. I won't post very much and I can't say I know all there is to know about football. We played street ball where I come from.

What I do know is about winning and losing in my professional career. Winners know that losing is inevitable but winners move on and learn from the past. You go hard the next time and even harder until you are back winning again.

Jerry Kill is a leader with a PROVEN past. He's done it before and he will do it again here with the Gophers. You are already seeing it happen right in front of your eyes but many choose to be blinded by negativity. You don't go from 3-9 to 9-3 in one year. Ain't gonna happen. Believe me, I hate losing at anything and many of you are very passionate about Gopher Football and let it out here on the forums.

It takes time to turn around a program. When my stepson started his first year on varsity in H.S. the team only won three games. The next year the won even more and by the third year, his last, they won seven games, the most in school history.

Jerry Kill cares about the kids, the program and the school. The kids will want to win for him and he wants the best for them. He's building a program here. Nobody makes the perfect decision every time but indecision is far worse. Give the guy a break. He's turning a program around, has health issues and does not need anymore stress, I'm sure. No matter how much you bash him on these boards you won't change how he runs the program.

Support the kids, support the team, support the school and the coaches. Put your mind on winning and it will come.

BTW, my wife and I coming up for the thanksgiving weekend game, our first Gopher game. Hope to meet some of you there. We'll try to bring some sun and heat with us!

Prior to last weekend I was firmly on your side of the fence about Jerry being just what this team needs. I won't say you're wrong but I will admit to being a bit more pessimistic

 

[dpodoll68]

As somewhat of an aside, I was listening to a radio podcast of the Gophers http://www.blogtalkradio.com/giradio/2012/10/22/the-maiden-voyage
and they had what I thought was a very interesting statistic. They compared the overall wins and losses of the program dating back to the 1950s when they spent big (i.e. went after a coach with D-1 experience) vs. bringing in other coaches with no previous D-1 experience. Here is a list of each:

Prior D-1 experience: Warmath, Stoll, Holtz, Mason
No prior D-1 experience: Salem, Gutekunst, Wacker, Brewster, and Kill

Coaches with prior D-1 experience had a career winning percentage of almost 60%, and won about half of their B1G games. The other group has a career winning percentage of about 35%, and only won 25% of their career B1G games. You could argue that the data is skewed because Warmath was a long time ago and had suc h a long run, but I found it interesting nonetheless. Hopefully Kill can buck the trend...

Kill had prior DI experience. Ten years' worth of DI head coaching experience, in fact. So did Wacker.

 

[Iceland12]

Kill had prior DI experience. Ten years' worth of DI head coaching experience, in fact. So did Wacker.

His record at TCU and his reputation for integrity got him the job. The Gophers at the time had problems with both.

TCU
Wacker became head football coach of Texas Christian University after the 1982 season. He had early success at TCU. In 1984, his team was ranked as high as #12, the TCU Frogs' highest ranking since 1960, and was invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl after an 8–3 record in the regular season. The #12-ranked Frogs lost a showdown for the Southwest Conference title with the #10-ranked Texas Longhorns on November 10 in what remains the third best-attended game in the history of Amon G. Carter Stadium. After the season, Wacker was named as National Coach of the Year by ESPN, the UPI, and The Sporting News. He was awarded the 1984 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
There was much hype surrounding the Frogs going into the 1985 season, and Wacker appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside his All-American running back, Kenneth Davis, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and a leading candidate for the award in 1985. After the first game of the season, Wacker discovered that several players, including Davis, had been benefiting from a payment plan in violation of NCAA rules. He dismissed the players from the team and voluntarily reported the infractions to the NCAA, which issued stiff recruiting penalties on his team. These actions led to Wacker's reputation as a man of integrity. Fans of TCU remain bitter that the penalty heaped on TCU for the violations were severe given that the violations were voluntarily reported.[1]
After several years of struggling due to the NCAA penalties, Wacker brought the team back to success in 1990, when the 5–1 Frogs returned to the top 25 for the first time since 1984, before slumping after a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback. In 1991, TCU finished 7–4 for their first winning season since 1984.

 

[Winnipegopher]

Wacker was a very good hire at the time. Didn't work out but he was a very good get.

 

[John Galt]

Kill had prior DI experience. Ten years' worth of DI head coaching experience, in fact. So did Wacker.

You're correct. I meant BCS coaching experience.

 

[dpodoll68]

You're correct. I meant BCS coaching experience.

Well, even that seems suspect, given that TCU was in the Southwest Conference when Wacker coached there, and that was as big as big-time football got.

 

[Iceland12]

You're correct. I meant BCS coaching experience.

Without looking like I'm piling on, while the BCS didn't exist back then, TCU was a member of the Southwest Conference at the time. Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU (in its heyday), Texas A&M and Texas Tech were fellow members. That was a pretty tough bunch.

 

[John Galt]

Without looking like I'm piling on, while the BCS didn't exist back then, TCU was a member of the Southwest Conference at the time. Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, Rice, SMU (in its heyday), Texas A&M and Texas Tech were fellow members. That was a pretty tough bunch.

Agree, I stand corrected. I was regurgitating what I heard on the podcast w/o thinking back to what conference TCU played in.

 

[dpodoll68]

Agree, I stand corrected. I was regurgitating what I heard on the podcast w/o thinking back to what conference TCU played in.

Just so we're square, I wasn't picking on you, but the information conveyed in the original podcast. Putting Wacker (if the definition is "BCS") and Kill (if the definition is "DI") in the first category renders the "point" they made rather worthless.

 

[John Galt]

Just so we're square, I wasn't picking on you, but the information conveyed in the original podcast. Putting Wacker (if the definition is "BCS") and Kill (if the definition is "DI") in the first category renders the "point" they made rather worthless.

Understood. In the podcast their reference was to BCS schools. They are technically correct, but as you note, it becomes meaningless as the SWC would no doubt be a BCS conference if it existed today.

 

[WaterBoy]

His record at TCU and his reputation for integrity got him the job. The Gophers at the time had problems with both.

TCU
Wacker became head football coach of Texas Christian University after the 1982 season. He had early success at TCU. In 1984, his team was ranked as high as #12, the TCU Frogs' highest ranking since 1960, and was invited to the Bluebonnet Bowl after an 8–3 record in the regular season. The #12-ranked Frogs lost a showdown for the Southwest Conference title with the #10-ranked Texas Longhorns on November 10 in what remains the third best-attended game in the history of Amon G. Carter Stadium. After the season, Wacker was named as National Coach of the Year by ESPN, the UPI, and The Sporting News. He was awarded the 1984 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award.
There was much hype surrounding the Frogs going into the 1985 season, and Wacker appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside his All-American running back, Kenneth Davis, a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 1984 and a leading candidate for the award in 1985. After the first game of the season, Wacker discovered that several players, including Davis, had been benefiting from a payment plan in violation of NCAA rules. He dismissed the players from the team and voluntarily reported the infractions to the NCAA, which issued stiff recruiting penalties on his team. These actions led to Wacker's reputation as a man of integrity. Fans of TCU remain bitter that the penalty heaped on TCU for the violations were severe given that the violations were voluntarily reported.[1]
After several years of struggling due to the NCAA penalties, Wacker brought the team back to success in 1990, when the 5–1 Frogs returned to the top 25 for the first time since 1984, before slumping after a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback. In 1991, TCU finished 7–4 for their first winning season since 1984.

Why did Wacker struggle so mightily while at Minnesota?

 

[Iceland12]

Why did Wacker struggle so mightily while at Minnesota?

Who knows. He thought that he could outscore the opposition in the Big Ten. Didn't work though, Purdue and Northwestern proved it could be done. He also leaned heavily on his FCA connections for recruiting. He didn't start recruiting Defensive players until his final season. Karon Riley, Jack Brewer and Tyrone Carter all were recruited by Wacker in his last year, but I think only Carter played for him.

If he had one the last game against Iowa he would have had his 5th win and would have been brought back. It would have been interesing to see if he could have"'married" the Spread with a real Defense.

 

[Killjoy]

Kill had prior DI experience. Ten years' worth of DI head coaching experience, in fact. So did Wacker.

Thanks dpodoll - You deserve a raise! Have you ever thought of becoming a fact checker during the campaign season. There is plenty of work.