Maturi: No major gifts but money is coming in for practice facility

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Would that I was an uber-wealthy alum that could slap down some cash, T.Boone Pickens style. I wouldn't even make them name it the 'Gopher Bandanna Guy Center'.
 

GoodasGold said:
March of Dimes...
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:clap:


This is a perfect example of Maturi's poor leadership.

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"Some people have contributed small donations, because they've seen the process and they wanted to go forward," Maturi said. "But we don't have any elite gifts at this time."

The Golden Gopher Fund has reached out to donors and given them a possible timetable to break ground for the Fall 2013. But Maturi said there really isn't a timetable on the project right now.

"I don't like to put down timetables because it's all dependent on a lot of factors," he said. "If we get that money earlier, then it could happen earlier. If we don't, then it will take us a little longer."

Maturi also said the estimated cost for the practice facility is still $15 million and not $20 million, which is what the Pioneer Press reported last month.
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To me that would indicate he is afraid to be accountable if it doesn't work by 2013. He essentially says nothing about how much money we have and how much is still needed. You don't fundraise with time and financial abstractions. He creates zero sense of urgency with no deadline for donors to give/raise money by. Meanwhile he contradicts what The Golden Gopher Fund says. Why not just say the goal is fall 2013? This article says two things. Maturi is a terrible leader and the practice facility costs 15 million.

If MPR put on a fundraiser in such a way they'd be long gone. What if a CEO said this about a merger?
 

Best case for groundbreaking is Fall 2013?!?! That is effing ridiculous. That is 2.5 years away which means its not in use for at least 3.5 years (best case scenario). Tubby is gone with that timeline (either to a another job or he is retired). Tubby got here in March 2007. 6.5 years to raise $15M for a practice facility (regardless of the football stadium or not) is ridiculous. If he was smart he would have rolled the practice facility into the stadium bill and had everything built at the same time when times were good. Of course we know he isn't smart. Maturi needs to go.
 



Did they place a penny jar at Gold Country?... Whatever money is raised should instead be used to find a new AD.
 

If you're too inept to do it privately, at least admit it and get both the baseball stadium and the practice facility included in the Vikings stadium bill. It would amount to a minor addition and might actually make the thing more palatable for some legislators. Waiting for Dithering Joel to get it done will take years if it even happens.
 

OSU is trying to raise $20M to build a new practice facility, and they've been working on raising that money for a couple years now, but have only got about $7M donated for it (and that includes one $2M donation). Very few programs can raise $15-20 million for basketball practice facilities these days, at least not very quickly.
 



OSUfan said:
OSU is trying to raise $20M to build a new practice facility, and they've been working on raising that money for a couple years now, but have only got about $7M donated for it (and that includes one $2M donation). Very few programs can raise $15-20 million for basketball practice facilities these days, at least not very quickly.
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Ah, that's just you guys. Here it's much more convenient to blame Maturi and ignore economic realities. We have a virtual cadre of economists and professional fund-raisers and big time donors on GopherHole available if only Maturi would listen to them.
 

Mulligan said:
Ah, that's just you guys. Here it's much more convenient to blame Maturi and ignore economic realities. We have a virtual cadre of economists and professional fund-raisers and big time donors on GopherHole available if only Maturi would listen to them.
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So you think his comments are positive?
 

It is amazing how hard it is for the 2nd largest college in the us to come up with 25 million dollars for a new baseball stadium and practice facility.
 

Funny. I donated to the new football stadium, been buying premium seats for football, and have never been asked to donate for the bball facility. Same for baseball stadium. If you're not organized enough to ask, ##@$% you Maturi.
 



OSUfan said:
OSU is trying to raise $20M to build a new practice facility, and they've been working on raising that money for a couple years now, but have only got about $7M donated for it (and that includes one $2M donation). Very few programs can raise $15-20 million for basketball practice facilities these days, at least not very quickly.
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Even Kentucky took years and years. The AD gave up. Tubby got his friend (Joe Craft, UK alum) from Tulsa to donate the last few million to build it.
 


Firejumper said:
Funny. I donated to the new football stadium, been buying premium seats for football, and have never been asked to donate for the bball facility. Same for baseball stadium. If you're not organized enough to ask, ##@$% you Maturi.
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+1. I know how to donate to the Gopherhole. It's very easy to do. I can see the button now. I visit Gophersports.com pretty regularly and generally follow the basketball program. I have no idea how to donate to the practice facility. Obviously some have. But they have done little to promote it or make it easy to do.
 


MotherNight said:
So you think his comments are positive?
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No, just honest. Which at times is one of his faults. They held the big raiser for the baseball stadium several weeks ago. I saw two figures of what they raised at it. $100,000 and Sid had $200,000. Either way, that's not very impressive which should tell you something about the economics. That's with the Pohlad contribution to supposedly really get things going; a bunch of former players who played in the majors; and a long tradition of success along with virtually no stadium at all. Now you can debate whether we should even have baseball, but that's a pretty good indication it's maybe tougher than it looks.

As much as I like this site, we get pretty myopic here. Talk to people who aren't big enough fans to post on GopherHole. I would guess that's well over 99% of the people in the state. I communicate with a representative group of people in the course of a week including several employees and students at the U. There are 3 of us that would like to see a practice facility; many more that think it's ludicrous in these times; and the remainder are indifferent. It's as much their state and their university as it yours, and there isn't a whole lot of clamor for this. Maturi isn't the type that's going to inspire any either, but I doubt there are any AD's who could.

Tubby's results haven't helped. A championship or even contending for one would get people excited and start moving the general public. Mediocre finishes and disappointing seasons don't: especially when you've got a 6 billion dollar shortfall that raises tuitions and cuts funding to education.
 

Mulligan said:
No, just honest. Which at times is one of his faults. They held the big raiser for the baseball stadium several weeks ago. I saw two figures of what they raised at it. $100,000 and Sid had $200,000. Either way, that's not very impressive which should tell you something about the economics. That's with the Pohlad contribution to supposedly really get things going; a bunch of former players who played in the majors; and a long tradition of success along with virtually no stadium at all. Now you can debate whether we should even have baseball, but that's a pretty good indication it's maybe tougher than it looks.

As much as I like this site, we get pretty myopic here. Talk to people who aren't big enough fans to post on GopherHole. I would guess that's well over 99% of the people in the state. I communicate with a representative group of people in the course of a week including several employees and students at the U. There are 3 of us that would like to see a practice facility; many more that think it's ludicrous in these times; and the remainder are indifferent. It's as much their state and their university as it yours, and there isn't a whole lot of clamor for this. Maturi isn't the type that's going to inspire any either, but I doubt there are any AD's who could.

Tubby's results haven't helped. A championship or even contending for one would get people excited and start moving the general public. Mediocre finishes and disappointing seasons don't: especially when you've got a 6 billion dollar shortfall that raises tuitions and cuts funding to education.
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Very well stated. And sobering.
 

Mulligan said:
No, just honest. Which at times is one of his faults. They held the big raiser for the baseball stadium several weeks ago. I saw two figures of what they raised at it. $100,000 and Sid had $200,000. Either way, that's not very impressive which should tell you something about the economics. That's with the Pohlad contribution to supposedly really get things going; a bunch of former players who played in the majors; and a long tradition of success along with virtually no stadium at all. Now you can debate whether we should even have baseball, but that's a pretty good indication it's maybe tougher than it looks.

As much as I like this site, we get pretty myopic here. Talk to people who aren't big enough fans to post on GopherHole. I would guess that's well over 99% of the people in the state. I communicate with a representative group of people in the course of a week including several employees and students at the U. There are 3 of us that would like to see a practice facility; many more that think it's ludicrous in these times; and the remainder are indifferent. It's as much their state and their university as it yours, and there isn't a whole lot of clamor for this. Maturi isn't the type that's going to inspire any either, but I doubt there are any AD's who could.

Tubby's results haven't helped. A championship or even contending for one would get people excited and start moving the general public. Mediocre finishes and disappointing seasons don't: especially when you've got a 6 billion dollar shortfall that raises tuitions and cuts funding to education.
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Gophers just built TCF football stadium. It will be (several) years before any other facilities will be built. Baseball stadium is a more urgent need. I just don't think a basketball practice facility is going to happen anytime soon.
 

Friend Of Tubby said:
Gophers just built TCF football stadium. It will be (several) years before any other facilities will be built. Baseball stadium is a more urgent need. I just don't think a basketball practice facility is going to happen anytime soon.
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I know a lot of people don't like that line of thought, but I agree. While the basketball team is a major revenue producing sport, the baseball team literally does not have a home to play in. On a side note, they also win BT championships on a regular basis. John Anderson runs a great program.
 

with seat donations for football happening now and in Hockey and BB in the future. How much money is still out there for private donatios? My donations to the Gopher Fund stopped when I started paying a extra $1000 a year for football. Figure this out maturi and get this buildt.
 

pharmacygopher said:
I don't a lot of people don't like that line of thought, but I agree. While the basketball team is a major revenue producing sport, the baseball team literally does not have a home to play in. On a side note, they also win BT championships on a regular basis. John Anderson runs a great program.
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Clipped from TDG article:

... But first a little Gopher baseball history lesson. The Northern states are not known for their college baseball but Minnesota is the most successful Big Ten program in the Big Ten.

22 Conference Championships
9 Tournament Titles
3 National Championships (1956, 1960, 1964)
30 NCAA Tournament Bids (most in B10 and 13th most nationally)

Gopher baseball is the defending Big Ten regular season and tournament champions ...
 

Mulligan said:
No, just honest. Which at times is one of his faults. They held the big raiser for the baseball stadium several weeks ago. I saw two figures of what they raised at it. $100,000 and Sid had $200,000. Either way, that's not very impressive which should tell you something about the economics. That's with the Pohlad contribution to supposedly really get things going; a bunch of former players who played in the majors; and a long tradition of success along with virtually no stadium at all. Now you can debate whether we should even have baseball, but that's a pretty good indication it's maybe tougher than it looks.

As much as I like this site, we get pretty myopic here. Talk to people who aren't big enough fans to post on GopherHole. I would guess that's well over 99% of the people in the state. I communicate with a representative group of people in the course of a week including several employees and students at the U. There are 3 of us that would like to see a practice facility; many more that think it's ludicrous in these times; and the remainder are indifferent. It's as much their state and their university as it yours, and there isn't a whole lot of clamor for this. Maturi isn't the type that's going to inspire any either, but I doubt there are any AD's who could.

Tubby's results haven't helped. A championship or even contending for one would get people excited and start moving the general public. Mediocre finishes and disappointing seasons don't: especially when you've got a 6 billion dollar shortfall that raises tuitions and cuts funding to education.
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+1000. The GopherHolers who are ripping Maturi for this are clueless. The country is in the midst of the worst economic meltdown since the 1930's and they don't seem to know it. Very few people have not been financially impacted by what is happening to the economy. Maturi (or anybody else) can only go to the well so many times before U alumni and supporters start telling him to back off.

A basketball practice facility would be a nice thing to have put it is not mandatory in these difficult times. If Tubby is going to leave because of this issue then good riddance to him. There are other coaches out there. And Tubby doesn't seem to have the energy and fire necessary to compete at the top ranks of Division I basketball anyways.
 

howeda7 said:
+1. I know how to donate to the Gopherhole. It's very easy to do. I can see the button now. I visit Gophersports.com pretty regularly and generally follow the basketball program. I have no idea how to donate to the practice facility. Obviously some have. But they have done little to promote it or make it easy to do.
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+1 This is exactly my point. I'm not debating that there are other needs or that things take time. A place for the baseball team needs to come first.
 

Wrong, the average citizen could care less whether the Baseball team ever plays another game. It is one of the biggest financial losers in the Athletic program, in a sport where a BigTen team has as much chance of reaching the CWS as the Twins do. We are building a field for a team that will eventually get dropped just like they did at Wisconsin.
Bball pays most of the bills, being competitive in that is life or death for the athletic program. It is the most profitable sport on campus by a factor of at least two. It used to contribute about 60% of the total profits, as divided by sport. Baseball has never broken even.
Start having about 3,000 empty seats in the Barn and Maturi's replacement will figure it out fast. I can't wait for that day.
 

corcoran1 said:
Wrong, the average citizen could care less whether the Baseball team ever plays another game. It is one of the biggest financial losers in the Athletic program, in a sport where a BigTen team has as much chance of reaching the CWS as the Twins do. We are building a field for a team that will eventually get dropped just like they did at Wisconsin.
Bball pays most of the bills, being competitive in that is life or death for the athletic program. It is the most profitable sport on campus by a factor of at least two. It used to contribute about 60% of the total profits, as divided by sport. Baseball has never broken even.
Start having about 3,000 empty seats in the Barn and Maturi's replacement will figure it out fast. I can't wait for that day.
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This is not Maturi's decision to make. This will come from way above his pay grade and the baseball park will have the highest priority. Take it to the Bank. There are plenty of U donors and supporters who will make sure that happens. If Tubby makes an issue out of this he will have overstayed his welcome. And you and people like you are welcome to follow Tubby wherever he decides to go.
 

College baseball is the most unwatchable, money losing, no interest having sport i can think of. even the major leagues are giving way in popularity to football and basketball. Last time i went to a gopher baseball game? i was 6. last time i went to a gopher basketball game? last week. im sure about 100 people on here could say the same thing.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
College baseball is the most unwatchable, money losing, no interest having sport i can think of. even the major leagues are giving way in popularity to football and basketball. Last time i went to a gopher baseball game? i was 6. last time i went to a gopher basketball game? last week. im sure about 100 people on here could say the same thing.
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I saw Molitor and Winfield play at Purdue in 1970's.
 

I could care less if the baseball team had a new stadium or not. Let 'em play at Midway or Target Field or the Dome as long as its around. College baseball in the above the Mason-Dixon Line is a ridiculous. Of all student athletes, baseball players must struggle the most spending most of the season in the south playing games. When does course work get completed? The non-revenue sports are a cancer to this low budget athletic department.
 

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