Schnauzer
Pretty Sure You are Wrong
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Well, unfortunately perception can become its own reality and although I get tired of the same old collection of "why Minnesota can't win", I do admit that some of the items, even if they aren't true (especially the weather argument) can be barriers due to ignorant opinions. I get really tired of the “can’t” opinions. So tired of it that I am willing to post my longest ever Gopher Hole tirade (sorry in advance for the length). I can understand it when ex-OSU talking heads spout ignorant comments about how it can't be done here on ESPN, but I am astonished at how local fans can fall into the same incorrect perceptions. With that in mind, and with so many of these negatives popping up in all sorts of recruiting and coach-hiring threads, I thought I'd put my sunshine filled happy stamp on some of the more common themes...
"Nobody is going to want to coach/play there with that weather"... REALITY: I won't reinvent the wheel, so here is a link to a place where I have discussed this before... http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?t=6366 To make a long story short: if you are talking about college football season, the weather is very similar here compared to the rest of the Big 10, and it has the LOWEST amount of rainfall during football season compared to any other Big 10 city. Really, if you want to factor in rain and cold, the football season in Minneapolis would really average out to be in the MIDDLE of the Big 10. Weather should never be a factor for players/coaches considering other Big 10 programs. It is a different story for those looking at southern US schools. The weather in Bloomington Indiana is better than Columbus OH and WAY better than Ann Arbor. I guess all the recruits should flock to Indiana, right? HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Not hard to debunk it with the reality of actual climate data. Also, for players... mention the fact that they are 18 and have their whole lives to live wherever they want to be. ALL pro players have to play some games in JANUARY in much colder temps than a college season in Minneapolis. Why not gain a life experience or background to help deal with it later if you have pro potential, or have something to share around the campfire if you won’t be a pro.
"The school is too far from the recruiting hotbeds"... REALITY: There are several... How close is Boise, Lincoln, and Iowa City to those hotbeds? How many college towns have a major international airport within 10 miles of campus for family? How many states with populations of 5 million or more have only ONE division 1 football program? Yes, there are fewer D1 players per capita here, but there are also far fewer D1 programs to recruit against. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: first, the simple answer – do whatever the Boise’s and Iowa’s of the world are already doing and then also take advantage of that airport. Most importantly, finally get the ball rolling with the program in a way that keeps the top in-state players home instead of chasing a winner in Madison, Iowa City, South Bend, or Miami.
“Minneapolis isn’t a college town”… REALITY: Nope, it isn’t a quaint little college town and that is bound to turn away some recruits. It is a big city, with night clubs, professional sports, fortune 500 companies, mega malls, and a bunch of other big city attractions. For every kid insisting on a quaint college town, there is another that will be intrigued by the city. There has been a lot of discussion on Gopher Hole about other programs in big cities. I won’t do a total recap of those discussions but there are great examples of college football winners in big cities. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Don’t hide the city, flaunt it. It is a difference and it can be a positive one to ears that WANT to hear it. For many coaching candidates… the appeal of living in a large metro area could easily offset the wife’s concerns about the weather.
“40 years of losing, blah blah blah”… REALITY: Iowa hired and fired until they found Hayden Fry (not to mention replacing him with another winner). Wisconsin hired and fired until they found Alvarez. Minnesota hired and fired until we found Mason (who was obviously NOT Alvarez, Fry, or Ferentz). The right coach WILL turn this around. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: This town loves a winner and you don’t have to look farther than the grass roots magic that came in 1987 and 91. People here are willing to fill the metrodome or Williams Arena just to welcome a team back to town that is CLOSE to the ultimate prize. What potential recruit wouldn’t want to be part of the greatest release of joy this town has seen yet? The first team to go to Pasadena will release decades of pent up joy in the fan base. Maturi has already mentioned the selling point to potential coaches… Our version of Alverez will get a statue. That statue will last longer than any contract. Who doesn’t want a statue?
“Pro sports make College football second fiddle here”… REALITY: Has the Gopher hockey team been overrun by the Wild? Do the Timberwolves make the Gopher basketball team play in front of an empty arena? Lou Nanne says all the pro sports should DRAW recruits. I wouldn’t go that far. But, I do think the long term losing is the main reason it SEEMS like the Vikings have left the Gophers in their dust. I have no doubt a winning program, or even a break out surprise Rose Bowl season will fill the stands. I have watched the fan base build quickly before, only to have the rug pulled out from under it (mid 80’s rug = Holtz bolting to ND, 2003 rug = Michigan game implosion). As soon as the team wins consistently for a season, the stadium will fill back up. As soon as that winning is consistent over several seasons, the stadium will stay filled and a new tailgate and game day culture will finally take hold around TCF Bank Stadium. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Give them a link to stub hub and tell them to enjoy a pro game when they have time in their busy schedules. Also tell them that they will get TV and Newspaper coverage of a top 15 media market… as soon as they start winning.
“The Central Administration at the ‘U’ doesn’t back athletics and football like other Big 10 Universities” REALITY: Well, I saved this one for last because unlike the other examples, I do personally feel this one is more reality and less perception. However, somehow that beautiful stadium not only got built, but it got built with enough vision to ensure it could be expanded once the winning starts on a multi-year basis. The stadium creates a unique momentum all its own. I know the athletic department has its detractors on campus, but with the stadium, the ‘U’ can’t afford to fail. There is a new President and perhaps a new athletic director on the way. Perhaps they will have the vision to finally overcome the last of the internal barriers on the way to a successful football program. Yesteryear’s internal opposition led to the decay of Memorial Stadium and the band aid in the form of the Metrodome (which actually turned out to create an infection, instead of addressing the wound). My hope is the new Stadium will work in reverse to finally allow the ‘U’ to overcome its worst enemy… itself.
"Nobody is going to want to coach/play there with that weather"... REALITY: I won't reinvent the wheel, so here is a link to a place where I have discussed this before... http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?t=6366 To make a long story short: if you are talking about college football season, the weather is very similar here compared to the rest of the Big 10, and it has the LOWEST amount of rainfall during football season compared to any other Big 10 city. Really, if you want to factor in rain and cold, the football season in Minneapolis would really average out to be in the MIDDLE of the Big 10. Weather should never be a factor for players/coaches considering other Big 10 programs. It is a different story for those looking at southern US schools. The weather in Bloomington Indiana is better than Columbus OH and WAY better than Ann Arbor. I guess all the recruits should flock to Indiana, right? HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Not hard to debunk it with the reality of actual climate data. Also, for players... mention the fact that they are 18 and have their whole lives to live wherever they want to be. ALL pro players have to play some games in JANUARY in much colder temps than a college season in Minneapolis. Why not gain a life experience or background to help deal with it later if you have pro potential, or have something to share around the campfire if you won’t be a pro.
"The school is too far from the recruiting hotbeds"... REALITY: There are several... How close is Boise, Lincoln, and Iowa City to those hotbeds? How many college towns have a major international airport within 10 miles of campus for family? How many states with populations of 5 million or more have only ONE division 1 football program? Yes, there are fewer D1 players per capita here, but there are also far fewer D1 programs to recruit against. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: first, the simple answer – do whatever the Boise’s and Iowa’s of the world are already doing and then also take advantage of that airport. Most importantly, finally get the ball rolling with the program in a way that keeps the top in-state players home instead of chasing a winner in Madison, Iowa City, South Bend, or Miami.
“Minneapolis isn’t a college town”… REALITY: Nope, it isn’t a quaint little college town and that is bound to turn away some recruits. It is a big city, with night clubs, professional sports, fortune 500 companies, mega malls, and a bunch of other big city attractions. For every kid insisting on a quaint college town, there is another that will be intrigued by the city. There has been a lot of discussion on Gopher Hole about other programs in big cities. I won’t do a total recap of those discussions but there are great examples of college football winners in big cities. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Don’t hide the city, flaunt it. It is a difference and it can be a positive one to ears that WANT to hear it. For many coaching candidates… the appeal of living in a large metro area could easily offset the wife’s concerns about the weather.
“40 years of losing, blah blah blah”… REALITY: Iowa hired and fired until they found Hayden Fry (not to mention replacing him with another winner). Wisconsin hired and fired until they found Alvarez. Minnesota hired and fired until we found Mason (who was obviously NOT Alvarez, Fry, or Ferentz). The right coach WILL turn this around. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: This town loves a winner and you don’t have to look farther than the grass roots magic that came in 1987 and 91. People here are willing to fill the metrodome or Williams Arena just to welcome a team back to town that is CLOSE to the ultimate prize. What potential recruit wouldn’t want to be part of the greatest release of joy this town has seen yet? The first team to go to Pasadena will release decades of pent up joy in the fan base. Maturi has already mentioned the selling point to potential coaches… Our version of Alverez will get a statue. That statue will last longer than any contract. Who doesn’t want a statue?
“Pro sports make College football second fiddle here”… REALITY: Has the Gopher hockey team been overrun by the Wild? Do the Timberwolves make the Gopher basketball team play in front of an empty arena? Lou Nanne says all the pro sports should DRAW recruits. I wouldn’t go that far. But, I do think the long term losing is the main reason it SEEMS like the Vikings have left the Gophers in their dust. I have no doubt a winning program, or even a break out surprise Rose Bowl season will fill the stands. I have watched the fan base build quickly before, only to have the rug pulled out from under it (mid 80’s rug = Holtz bolting to ND, 2003 rug = Michigan game implosion). As soon as the team wins consistently for a season, the stadium will fill back up. As soon as that winning is consistent over several seasons, the stadium will stay filled and a new tailgate and game day culture will finally take hold around TCF Bank Stadium. HOW TO RECRUIT FOR COACH AND/or PLAYERS: Give them a link to stub hub and tell them to enjoy a pro game when they have time in their busy schedules. Also tell them that they will get TV and Newspaper coverage of a top 15 media market… as soon as they start winning.
“The Central Administration at the ‘U’ doesn’t back athletics and football like other Big 10 Universities” REALITY: Well, I saved this one for last because unlike the other examples, I do personally feel this one is more reality and less perception. However, somehow that beautiful stadium not only got built, but it got built with enough vision to ensure it could be expanded once the winning starts on a multi-year basis. The stadium creates a unique momentum all its own. I know the athletic department has its detractors on campus, but with the stadium, the ‘U’ can’t afford to fail. There is a new President and perhaps a new athletic director on the way. Perhaps they will have the vision to finally overcome the last of the internal barriers on the way to a successful football program. Yesteryear’s internal opposition led to the decay of Memorial Stadium and the band aid in the form of the Metrodome (which actually turned out to create an infection, instead of addressing the wound). My hope is the new Stadium will work in reverse to finally allow the ‘U’ to overcome its worst enemy… itself.
