Mike Leach really wants the Minnesota job

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GophersInIowa said:
Just like any other coaching candidate, it's not 100% certain that Leach would win a lot of games at MN. How does anyone know that a Golden or Calhoun type coach wouldn't be more successful than Leach? Yes Leach has the track record at a BCS school, but that doesn't guarantee lots of success at his next job. Some of you guys are acting like it is.
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I understand what you are saying...but Leach has some very impressive stats. One of them is: Since the Big 12 came into play....only one team has made a bowl game every year. That is TT. Leach built that program, was competetive evry year. It might not translate over to the Gophers, but at least we can say we tried to bring in a proven winner. That is all I want.
 

my theory on leach is he has had one incident that no one even knows if leach was guilty of. he graduated players, he put guys in the nfl, he didnt have off field issues with his players, and for the most part he coached his average talent up. yes at the end of his time at tt he had some stars, but for the most part he built tt into a very good program.

you could look at some of the bigger name coaches across the country and find multiple recruiting violations etc but i have yet to hear of any attached to leach.

and last, if leach would have just swallowed his pride and agreed to apologize for actions he obviously disagrees with, he would still be at texas tech. so any a.d. that claims we should stay away from leach is a joke because all of those schools would take him. and i will bet money leach will be coaching again next season.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Just like any other coaching candidate, it's not 100% certain that Leach would win a lot of games at MN. How does anyone know that a Golden or Calhoun type coach wouldn't be more successful than Leach? Yes Leach has the track record at a BCS school, but that doesn't guarantee lots of success at his next job. Some of you guys are acting like it is.
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We don't know but he has the best track record. If I give you $100 dollars to bet on a horse don't you think you might look at the past performances of each horse?
 

lakesgopher said:
my theory on leach is he has had one incident that no one even knows if leach was guilty of. he graduated players, he put guys in the nfl, he didnt have off field issues with his players, and for the most part he coached his average talent up. yes at the end of his time at tt he had some stars, but for the most part he built tt into a very good program.

you could look at some of the bigger name coaches across the country and find multiple recruiting violations etc but i have yet to hear of any attached to leach.

and last, if leach would have just swallowed his pride and agreed to apologize for actions he obviously disagrees with, he would still be at texas tech. so any a.d. that claims we should stay away from leach is a joke because all of those schools would take him. and i will bet money leach will be coaching again next season.
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Agreed. One thing you often here in business is: Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad. If you are winning and you have a cranky coach.....ummmmmm, who cares????
 

glovedgopher said:
We don't know but he has the best track record. If I give you $100 dollars to bet on a horse don't you think you might look at the past performances of each horse?
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I understand that. Just some are posting like if we don't hire Leach, we will surely continue to be a losing program. There are many good coaching candidates out there that could potentially do good things at MN, not just Leach.

I'm not saying Leach would be a bad hire or anything. I would support the hire for sure. But it also means something to me that, not only MN, but other schools haven't shown a whole lot of interest in him. There's got to be a good reason for it.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I understand that. Just some are posting like if we don't hire Leach, we will surely continue to be a losing program. There are many good coaching candidates out there that could potentially do good things at MN, not just Leach.

I'm not saying Leach would be a bad hire or anything. I would support the hire for sure. But it also means something to me that, not only MN, but other schools haven't shown a whole lot of interest in him. There's got to be a good reason for it.
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This is kinda where I sit. It bothers me that no other schools is seriously considering him. It's like, what's underneath all the Craig James stuff that's also hindering others from really going after him? I feel like there's far more than what meets the eye with Leach. I could be wrong and he ends up getting a job this year, but if he's still jobless come 2010-11 season, that'll make you wonder what's up, no doubt.
 

Texas Tech didn't have a problem for 10 years and even gave him a chance to keep his job by apologizing...doesn't sound like they wanted to let him go that bad...
 

GophersInIowa said:
I understand that. Just some are posting like if we don't hire Leach, we will surely continue to be a losing program. There are many good coaching candidates out there that could potentially do good things at MN, not just Leach.

I'm not saying Leach would be a bad hire or anything. I would support the hire for sure. But it also means something to me that, not only MN, but other schools haven't shown a whole lot of interest in him. There's got to be a good reason for it.
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If other schools were going after him would we have a shot? This is a lot like baseball free agency: sometimes the small market team has to take a chance on players that aren't wanted by the big boys. It is a risk but sometimes you are rewarded with a Josh Hamilton or a Mike Vick.
 

Gophers507 said:
"Leach said Maturi "seemed like a nice guy. I enjoyed his company. But if they're basing (the hire) on how you're dressed or something, rather than winning football games, they're doomed to repeating history."

+1000
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OMG. +1,000

Get this man.

NOW. =D
 



Monty519 said:
This is kinda where I sit. It bothers me that no other schools is seriously considering him. It's like, what's underneath all the Craig James stuff that's also hindering others from really going after him? I feel like there's far more than what meets the eye with Leach. I could be wrong and he ends up getting a job this year, but if he's still jobless come 2010-11 season, that'll make you wonder what's up, no doubt.
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You obviously haven't been paying attention. If you haven't figured it out after reading this entire thread (or the board for the last month for that matter), the fans on here know more about hiring a successful football coach than most of the Athletic Directors at BCS schools around the country. It doesn't matter that almost nobody seems interested in Leach. They must all be morons, not just Maturi and the Prez.

Frankly, I would suspect that a massive majority of our posters have never had the responsibility of hiring anybody above the poverty level.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
You obviously haven't been paying attention. If you haven't figured it out after reading this entire thread (or the board for the last month for that matter), the fans on here know more about hiring a successful football coach than most of the Athletic Directors at BCS schools around the country. It doesn't matter that almost nobody seems interested in Leach. They must all be morons, not just Maturi and the Prez.

Frankly, I would suspect that a massive majority of our posters have never had the responsibility of hiring anybody above the poverty level.
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Ogee- If you are hiring someone for your company, would you go with a guy who's resume is head and shoulders above the rest and has proven himself over a long period of time, or would you go with an inferior candidate that you might get along with better?
 

ruralgopher said:
Ogee- If you are hiring someone for your company, would you go with a guy who's resume is head and shoulders above the rest and has proven himself over a long period of time, or would you go with an inferior candidate that you might get along with better?
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It's not that simple. You're leaving out the fact that the guy with the better resume also has been involved in a lot of controversy.
 

ruralgopher said:
Ogee- If you are hiring someone for your company, would you go with a guy who's resume is head and shoulders above the rest and has proven himself over a long period of time, or would you go with an inferior candidate that you might get along with better?
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Well, as somebody who frequently has to hire and fire people, I know one thing for certain. Without knowing anything else about a candidate's resume, I know a HUGE element that makes any candidate far more attractive than the competition is pending litigation against a former employer.

What says, "HIRE ME!!!" more than pending litigation?


Look, here's the point. Just because Leach hasn't been "interviewed", the rabid masses are assuming that he wasn't seriously considered at some point and that nobody did any "due diligence". We're hearing about 4-6 candidates these days. It's very likely that the search firm did a MOUNTAIN of homework and background work on 40-60 candidates.

Phil Miller said it perfectly in the closing of his blog earlier today: "Maturi and university president Robert Bruininks are more aware than any of us about Leach's history". I think that sums it up, doesn't it?
 



Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Well, as somebody who frequently has to hire and fire people, I know one thing for certain. Without knowing anything else about a candidate's resume, I know a HUGE element that makes any candidate far more attractive than the competition is pending litigation against a former employer.

What says, "HIRE ME!!!" more than pending litigation?


Look, here's the point. Just because Leach hasn't been "interviewed", the rabid masses are assuming that he wasn't seriously considered at some point and that nobody did any "due diligence". We're hearing about 4-6 candidates these days. It's very likely that the search firm did a MOUNTAIN of homework and background work on 40-60 candidates.

Phil Miller said it perfectly in the closing of his blog earlier today: "Maturi and university president Robert Bruininks are more aware than any of us about Leach's history". I think that sums it up, doesn't it?
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This isn't a response to today's activity. From the first word they never considered him. You would hold a perfectly legitimate lawsuit worth potentially millions of dollars against them??? I bet you'd file the same suit, I know I would.
 

GophersInIowa said:
It's not that simple. You're leaving out the fact that the guy with the better resume also has been involved in a lot of controversy.
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He hasn't been involved in a lot of controversy, rather some controversy that hasn't totally been resolved and is still being discussed. I want a guy who graduated more of his players than any other coach in his conference, was coach of the year, and tripled TTech's fundraising efforts. I'll take that guy any day. And he is not a guy that isn't respected amongst the coaching fraternity as you stated. Amongst administrators, that's obvious.
 

I was thinking about this today some. I am not saying he wouldn't do well here or we shouldn't hire leach but it does make me question things a little now that he says he wants to be here. If he is that great shouldn't he be fighting offers from schools off with a stick? Does he suddenly realize now that if he wants to get back into coaching he needs to start at a place that needs some rebuilding like here? I am not sure what is going on but it seems a little funny that a guy that a lot of people have in the top tier for potential coaches is practically begging us to hire him.
 

steffyboy said:
He hasn't been involved in a lot of controversy, rather some controversy that hasn't totally been resolved and is still being discussed. I want a guy who graduated more of his players than any other coach in his conference, was coach of the year, and tripled TTech's fundraising efforts. I'll take that guy any day. And he is not a guy that isn't respected amongst the coaching fraternity as you stated. Amongst administrators, that's obvious.
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Whether it was a one time thing or not, what happened at TT was a big deal. He got fired for it. It's debatable if he should have been fired, but you can't deny it was an embarrassing thing for the school and program.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Whether it was a one time thing or not, what happened at TT was a big deal. He got fired for it. It's debatable if he should have been fired, but you can't deny it was an embarrassing thing for the school and program.
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He got fired for not apologizing.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Well, as somebody who frequently has to hire and fire people, I know one thing for certain. Without knowing anything else about a candidate's resume, I know a HUGE element that makes any candidate far more attractive than the competition is pending litigation against a former employer.

What says, "HIRE ME!!!" more than pending litigation?


Look, here's the point. Just because Leach hasn't been "interviewed", the rabid masses are assuming that he wasn't seriously considered at some point and that nobody did any "due diligence". We're hearing about 4-6 candidates these days. It's very likely that the search firm did a MOUNTAIN of homework and background work on 40-60 candidates.

Phil Miller said it perfectly in the closing of his blog earlier today: "Maturi and university president Robert Bruininks are more aware than any of us about Leach's history". I think that sums it up, doesn't it?
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I to do a lot of hiring and very little firing........I look for someone who can produce. It is my responsibility to work around the behaviors. Now, if the behavior is detrimental or the person has no integrity....than they gone. Outside of the hearsay from Leach and the TT Story.......I interview and see what he has to offer. Of course I ask all the tough questions and have a couple of good clauses in his contract about behavior.
 


Johnny Olson said:
What did Leach do to offend Maturi? Failing to wear a tie to the bowl banquet.
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Allegedly....Leach & Maturi were in the same suite the night before the bowl game where Leach got VERY drunk & started publicly bad mouthing his AD, school prez & basically the entire T Tech admin. Then apparently stayed there until 3-4am drinking even more, overslept the next day, missed the press conference & some other PR functions. Maturi was not impressed.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Whether it was a one time thing or not, what happened at TT was a big deal. He got fired for it. It's debatable if he should have been fired, but you can't deny it was an embarrassing thing for the school and program.
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It was embarrassing in that Tech let Adam's daddy and an influential booster push them into a premature firing.
 

Too Long in the Wasteland said:
I dunno. If JC wanted to run the spread then I don't want him. Also, I want a guy who can devote all his attention to the football program. Seems to me that the Son of God has a lot of other stuff on his plate right now. OTOH, we do need a miracle worker.
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I was waiting for this lol
 

Monty519 said:
It appears that no one is going to hire Leach until all this lawsuit stuff is taken care of, for whatever reason. Indiana apparently was eying him initially and then backed off, Miami doesn't appear likely to go after him either. Makes no sense to me, as I've seen enough to believe that he wouldn't cause that much of an issue here besides say things that get on your nerves, probably rub administration the wrong way a few times, etc. But all I know is Maturi better come up with a decent hire, or else even before a game is played, you're gonna see some backfire from this one.
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The lawsuits shouldn't scare Joel away. He did say "Tubby like hire".
 


RodentRampage said:
Some posters have called Leach an alpha wolf, and have claimed that the way you deal with an alpha wolf is to give him what he wants. No, no, no... the only way to deal with an alpha wolf is to pin him down by the throat and let him know that he's not the alpha wolf YOU ARE.
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PLease RR, who the F is going to do that? Maturi? Does he have Alpha wolf written on him anywhere? He's a backroom sort of guy, works in the shadows. More like Scar from Lion King.
 

Sparlimb said:
PLease RR, who the F is going to do that? Maturi? Does he have Alpha wolf written on him anywhere? He's a backroom sort of guy, works in the shadows. More like Scar from Lion King.
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I see him as all of the four main characters in the Wizard of OZ. He needs a brain, courage and thinks there is no place like home (wisconsin). Finally, if he had a heart he would hire Mike Leach but no he would rather watch us suffer.
 

So, I am at dinner tonight with two old buddies from college. They are both casual football fans. The moment we started talking Gophers, the conversation turned to Mike Leach. They both said unequivocally that IF Leach were hired, they would be MUCH more interested in the program and would buy tickets to see games. It was amazing. The second Leach's name was mentioned, their eyes literally lit up. The thought of Leach coaching the team, the style of play and the winning record at a traditionally second rate program made them immediately more interested in Gopher football.

Food for thought. That is who the University NEEDS to win over. The casual fan.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
You obviously haven't been paying attention. If you haven't figured it out after reading this entire thread (or the board for the last month for that matter), the fans on here know more about hiring a successful football coach than most of the Athletic Directors at BCS schools around the country. It doesn't matter that almost nobody seems interested in Leach. They must all be morons, not just Maturi and the Prez.

Frankly, I would suspect that a massive majority of our posters have never had the responsibility of hiring anybody above the poverty level.
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Ahhhhhh! Here we go again, Mr. Smart Guy who assumes that just because fans clamor for something, that we're just Simpletons and not as smart as the coaches, the AD, and anybody else "more closely associated with the program." And you Smart Guys tell us this stuff over and over - the coaches are smarter than us, we don't know what's happening behind the scenes, Marqueis Gray playing a single down at QB would be disaster because Tim Brewster is a gollamn genius, etc. Then some interim coach named Horton finally breaks down and plays Marqueis Gray at QB more often in the last two games of his coaching career at the University of Minnesota, and a team that was a total trainwreck plays with confidence, gets excited about playing football again, moves the ball on offense against good teams for the first time all season, and takes down two bowl teams and a rival trophy with it. But again, if only Horton hadn't used Gray at QB the last two games, we could have lost the last two games and you Smarty Pantses would maintain that you were right all along - unfortunately for the Smarty Pantses, the fans aren't as stupid as you think.

Hire Leach already - this is a ridiculous no-brainer. This town hasn't truly been fired up for Gopher football since some guy named Lou Holtz, with his proven record, excited the fanbase. Now, just because a guy dresses like a pirate, has a bit of arrogance, and locked some famous guy's kid in a closet (does anyone even know the whole story? for all we know he might have deserved it), we're passing up on the first chance we've had in 28 years to re-energize the fanbase? This nightmare continues.
 


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