One Other Thing I Noticed (Again) Yesterday

[spermophilus]

Beyond the inexplicable performance by our Gophers . . .

Our stadium is an absolute GEM on an fall Saturday. What a beautiful facility.

Now if only our team played as well as they look - and they look positively striking in maroon and gold in the autumn sun - we will really have something.

Having seen games at Memorial Stadium, and then being exiled to the Metrodome for 27 years - I will never, ever, take a gameday there for granted as long as I'm taking nourishment and O2.

Everything is in place. We must demand a program worthy of our stadium, history, fans, alums and great University it represents.

 

[MBAGuy]

Beyond the inexplicable performance by our Gophers . . .

Our stadium is an absolute GEM on an fall Saturday. What a beautiful facility.

Now if only our team played as well as they look - and they look positively striking in maroon and gold in the autumn sun - we will really have something.

Having seen games at Memorial Stadium, and then being exiled to the Metrodome for 27 years - I will never, ever, take a gameday there for granted as long as I'm taking nourishment and O2.

Everything is in place. We must demand a program worthy of our stadium, history, fans, alums and great University it represents.

+1

As to the bolded part, how do we make that happen? Maturi has consistently said he doesn't have the budget to compete for the best coaches from a dollar standpoint. That's a major handicap. Who can help with that? Only the rich boosters? The GLC? I'm just wondering how we can get ourselves a coach in the $2MM per year range, which would get us in the upper half of the Big Ten.

 

[LloydChristmas]

I have 3 names for you ... T. Denny Sanford

He was pledging $35 mil for the naming rights but that fell through. He ended up giving $6 mil for the Alumni HOF.

I see a windfall of $29 at our disposal

 

[MBAGuy]

I have 3 names for you ... T. Denny Sanford

He was pledging $35 mil for the naming rights but that fell through. He ended up giving $6 mil for the Alumni HOF.

I see a windfall of $29 at our disposal

Oooh...I like it.

The next T. Denny Sanford Head Coach of the U of M: Nick Saban.

 

[spermophilus]

Some Thoughts

+1

As to the bolded part, how do we make that happen? Maturi has consistently said he doesn't have the budget to compete for the best coaches from a dollar standpoint. That's a major handicap. Who can help with that? Only the rich boosters? The GLC? I'm just wondering how we can get ourselves a coach in the $2MM per year range, which would get us in the upper half of the Big Ten.

1. A President that looks the academicians square in the eye and says that not only are we going to make having a winning football program important, but that by committing to it will not only not detract from your discipline/program, it will help it in the long run.

2. A President that understands that paying $2-3MM/ yr to attract and retain a great head football coach views that outlay as an investment, and not an operating expense.

3. A President that will HIRE AN AD that understands #s 1 and 2 above.

4. An AD that is well connected across the country and the ability to use that network to hire a GREAT head coach WITH EXPERIENCE.

5. And yep, it'll take $$$ from everyone - big hitters/donors, and others. A question . . . Would you pay $10 more a game to see a better product? 40,000 x $5 x 7 = $1.4 million; 40,000 (not counting students) x $10 x 7 = $2.8 million.

 

[tjgopher]

And yep, it'll take $$$ from everyone - big hitters/donors, and others. A question . . . Would you pay $10 more a game to see a better product? 40,000 x $5 x 7 = $1.4 million; 40,000 (not counting students) x $10 x 7 = $2.8 million.

Easy to say, but have you seen the threads on the change in basketball and hockey seating priority points and the additional price hike there??? No one is happy. Everyone is bitching. Yet, that is basically the cost of doing biz when you pay your big name basketball coach $2 million per year.

And, we simply don't have very many big hitter donors. And, the ones we do have have already been generous with the TCF donations and it won't be long for baseball stadium and basketball practice facility requests.

The need to feed the monster never ends.

And, by the way, I agree wholeheartedly with ALL OF YOUR POINTS. Very well laid out. It just won't be easy to accomplish any of them in today's social, academic, and economic climate.

 

[MBAGuy]

And, we simply don't have very many big hitter donors.

I've heard this before and it blows my mind. By student size, we're one of the largest in the country. We have a top 25 law school and a respectable undergraduate and graduate business program. We should have a ridiculously strong alumni base (with some fairly affluent folks, given the professional programs) that can be tapped for these sorts of things.

So are our graduates just not terribly successful? Or are they totally disengaged from the athletic programs?

 

[tjgopher]

I've heard this before and it blows my mind. By student size, we're one of the largest in the country. We have a top 25 law school and a respectable undergraduate and graduate business program. We should have a ridiculously strong alumni base (with some fairly affluent folks, given the professional programs) that can be tapped for these sorts of things.

So are our graduates just not terribly successful? Or are they totally disengaged from the athletic programs?

I think it is all relative. Say what you want, but there just isn't that much passion for Gopher athletics out there. Rich people in Minnesota have other causes that seem more important to them and who can tell them how to budget their money? In Iowa or Wisconsin or Oklahoma, college athletics are a passionate thing and all of those programs have multiple people that are rich and passionate. I also think, in bigger metro areas the charitable causes that folks can give to are endless. In places like Iowa and Oklahoma the causes are fewer, so college athletics climbs up the priority list for people. I mean, heck, the crappy Iowa basketball program is almost finished with a $45 million renovation for Carver Arena. Minnesota is scared to even begin a $15 million campaign for a practice facility.

 

[13 Lined Ground Squirrel]

I have 3 names for you ... T. Denny Sanford

He was pledging $35 mil for the naming rights but that fell through. He ended up giving $6 mil for the Alumni HOF.

I see a windfall of $29 at our disposal

The University has reportedly agreed to accept the donation on the condition that they can evenly divide the funds between the football program, women's rowing, and the GLBT speed quilting team.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Beyond the inexplicable performance by our Gophers . . .

Our stadium is an absolute GEM on an fall Saturday. What a beautiful facility.

Now if only our team played as well as they look - and they look positively striking in maroon and gold in the autumn sun - we will really have something.

Having seen games at Memorial Stadium, and then being exiled to the Metrodome for 27 years - I will never, ever, take a gameday there for granted as long as I'm taking nourishment and O2.

Everything is in place. We must demand a program worthy of our stadium, history, fans, alums and great University it represents.

It's too bad the game ended up how it did because it was an absolutely awesome late summer day. I brought someone who hadn't been to a game at the bank yet and he was amazed.

 

[Firejumper]

Fantastic venue. I don't care how bad the team is, if you can't enjoy yourself at a place like that, on a day like that, you are mentally disfunctional, and you take the game way too seriously.

My favorite part was the 'goose flyover'. Perfect timing, tight formation, correct altitude. Didn't notice the bomb bay doors opening, here's to hoping no one got carpet bombed.

 

[1983]

"And, we simply don't have very many big hitter donors" BS, we have more than most. Its that nobody at the U knows how to tap it.

 

[maroonfive]

Back to the original point

I love going to TCF. Driving in from the south on I-35W Mall of America Field was off to the left and I thought how depressing it would be to go there on a day like Saturday.
On a side note I agree with the point about other schools athletic departments, especially in the south. I don't however on Iowa. Their athletic department sucks. If we had a border battle with them they would never win. We now dominate the one with Wisconsin at least according to the official border battle between the two schools.

Go Gophers!!!!!!!!!!!!