Mount Rushmore of gopher coaches

[Some guy]

Another thread triggered this question to me.
I feel it will be nearly unanimous for two.
I feel a third SHOULD be unanimous but he may be discounted due to his era.
No idea who the fourth is.

Unanimous
Bierman
Nearly unanimous:
Warmath
Probably should be unanimous
Williams


Who is number 4

 

[MNVCGUY]

Bierman and Warmath are slam dunks because they won National Championships

Willimas deserves a spot even though most of us know very little about him. 22 years at the school and a lot of wins back in the first part of the 1900s.

4th spot right now to me goes to Mason. Program was in complete shambles when he took over, he brought it back to respectability and paved the way for the success that the guys after him (outside of Brewster) have been able to achieve.

Fleck can replace Mason if he remains at Minnesota for a while longer and manages another season/s similar to 2019, but as of right now I would give Mase the edge in terms of a Mount Rushmore of football coaches.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

Fleck is ahead of Mason. By a lot.

He has more wins (66 vs 64), fewer losses (44 vs 57) , higher overall winning percentage (.600 vs. .530) and higher conference winning percentage (.4875 vs. .400)

Mason had a better grin and better hair.

 

[Some guy]

Fleck is ahead of Mason. By a lot.

He has more wins (66 vs 64), fewer losses (44 vs 57) , higher overall winning percentage (.600 vs. .530) and higher conference winning percentage (.4875 vs. .400)

Mason had a better grin and better hair.

Mason took over the program in a much worse spot though.

I personally think it’s between fleck and Cal Stoll

Stoll no bueno but also just one game under .500 in the big ten

 

[RememberMurray]

Fleck is ahead of Mason. By a lot.

He has more wins (66 vs 64), fewer losses (44 vs 57) , higher overall winning percentage (.600 vs. .530) and higher conference winning percentage (.4875 vs. .400)

Mason had a better grin and better hair.

Spot on.

How many seasons like 2019 did Mason have?

How many non-conference wins did Mason have, vs. Fleck? Fleck's winning % in the B1G is much higher. According to Wiki, Mason won 64 total games at Minnesota; half of them were non-conference. Mason was 32-48 in the B1G.

As far as the condition of the program is concerned, Mason was here for 10 years. I don't think that argument holds much weight after Year 2 or 3.

People like to talk about Fleck having reached his ceiling. When did Mason reach his ceiling?

Glen Mason - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

P. J. Fleck - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[UpAndUnder43]

Mason took over the program in a much worse spot though.

I personally think it’s between fleck and Cal Stoll

Stoll no bueno but also just one game under .500 in the big ten

Yeah—but take away the first couple years and I don’t think the percentages improve a ton. Maybe I’m wrong but also not going to dig into Glen Masons year 4-10 wins too deeply.

 

[WinMinGophers!]

WinMinGophers! goes on that. I coach from my phone better than anyone.

 

[WinMinGophers!]

WinMinGophers! goes on that. I coach from my phone better than anyone.

For example, here is my.coaching brilliance:

Sack that mo(%&×/^!!

 

[MNfootballfan]

4th spot right now to me goes to Mason. Program was in complete shambles when he took over, he brought it back to respectability and paved the way for the success that the guys after him (outside of Brewster) have been able to achieve.

Fleck can replace Mason if he remains at Minnesota for a while longer and manages another season/s similar to 2019, but as of right now I would give Mase the edge in terms of a Mount Rushmore of football coaches.

Huh?

Quick Comparison:
Seasons: Mason - 10 years, Fleck 9 years (with one year being a Covid season)
Record: Mason 64-57, Fleck 66-44
Big Ten Record: Mason 32-48, Fleck 39-40
Record vs. top 25: Mason 8-32, Fleck 12-21
Record vs. Iowa/Wisconsin: Mason 3-17, Fleck 6-12

Mason took over a rougher program but it wasn't like Fleck walked into a great situation.
The way Mason ran the program has no effect on Kill and/or Fleck's successes.

I like Mason, but PJ is better in pretty much every category, except Mason had one more win vs. Iowa.

 

[Unregistered User]

Grinnin’ Glen was the epitome of accepting mediocrity

There were too many years where I heard him after another mediocre season say “it’s tough to win at Minnesota” and just go to the golf course

He never had enough “want” to really elevate the program

 

[Married@SiebertField]

In alternative world, it wouid have been interesting to see how Mason’s teams would have fared at TCF stadium. Playing outdoors with a strong running game would have been a good combination. It also may have reduced his teams’ traditional struggles on defense.