BleedGopher
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http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_16221483
Anyone who wants Tim Brewster to be fired this early in the season is asking for something that is pretty much unheard of in college football.
The University of Minnesota's fourth-year coach is unquestionably under fire after a 1-3 start heading into the Big Ten Conference season opener Saturday against Northwestern, especially with losses to lower-level South Dakota — arguably the lowest point in Brewster's tenure — and to Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference.
But only four times since 1992 has a Division I-A college football coach departed after six or fewer games.
Usually, coaches who have lost the support of their fan base and administration will lose their jobs after the season, or, at the earliest, with a few games remaining while being allowed to finish the season. That gives athletics directors a chance to end speculation and get a head start on hiring the next coach.
There have been extraordinary circumstances with head coaches being removed after having been in scandals, player mutinies or other situations that go beyond wins and losses.
In those cases, the school is basically throwing away the rest of the season.
So the question is: Are the Gophers there yet?
History says, probably not.
# In 2003, John Mackovic was fired as Arizona's coach after starting the season 1-4. Half the team reportedly complained to the university president about their coach the previous season. The Wildcats finished 4-8 in '03 under defensive coordinator and interim coach Mike Hankwitz.
# In 1992, all it took was one bad loss in the season opener, 10-3 to Division I-AA Citadel, for Arkansas to fire Jack Crowe. The Razorbacks finished the season 3-7-1 after then-defensive coordinator Joe Kines took over.
# An unusual departure occurred with Tommy Bowden at Clemson in 2008. He wasn't fired, but he left after a 3-3 start, telling his AD it was best for him to "step aside for the good of the program" because of a cloud of "recruiting issues" and "morale issues." Tigers assistant Dabo Swinney, who remains the Clemson coach, took over and led the team to a bowl game and a 7-6 record.
# In 2002, Louisiana-Monroe coach Bobby Keasler resigned after a 0-3 start while remaining within the athletic department in an administrative role. The team finished 3-9 under interim coach and defensive coordinator Mike Collins.
"You'd have to conjure up some pretty drastic circumstances to want to make a change in the middle of the year," former University of Minnesota AD and current University of St. Thomas senior vice president Mark Dienhart said. "There are probably some — a severe breach of NCAA rules or some inappropriate conduct on the part of a coach."
"But winning and losing," Dienhart said, "is just part of the game."
WHY NOW?
Entering the 2010 season, Brewster had no major NCAA violations, although there was a minor violation while recruiting former Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson.
There were off-the-field legal incidents with players last season. A sexual assault case involving several players Brewster inherited before his first season in 2007 also was a temporary cloud over the program, but he handled it swiftly by kicking the players off the team.
Brewster hasn't appeared to lose the confidence of his players. The closest thing to it was when junior Troy Stoudermire voiced his frustration and intent to leave the team last week on his Facebook page, but he later apologized and was reinstated for Saturday's game.
The issues forcing Gophers AD Joel Maturi and university President Bob Bruininks to rethink Brewster's future are mostly football-related — such as bad losses to North Dakota State in 2007, South Dakota this year and 55-0 to Iowa in 2008, too many system and coaching changes, failure to beat ranked and rival teams, and not finishing games and seasons strong.
But is that enough to remove him now?
"I just don't think a move happens," Big Ten Network analyst and former Illinois running back Howard Griffith said. "I know people may be wanting something, but they don't control the program. He has to get the opportunity to go out and continue to get the team better and win football games. If you make a move now, then what are you going to do?"
Were he removed at midseason, Brewster's replacement likely would have to come from within. Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove appears to be respected by the players, but he has a son Connor, a team member, battling leukemia. First-year offensive coordinator Jeff Horton has head coaching experience, but his last stint ended in 1998, when he was fired at Nevada-Las Vegas.
A bigger issue is how a coaching change would affect the athletes, not only on the field but in the classroom, Dienhart said.
"A fan or an alum, nobody is saying to them that you have the responsibility for this 18- or 19-year-old kid that was recruited and now is at your institution," he said. "That's the responsibility that Joel feels, that Bob Bruininks feels and I'm sure Tim Brewster feels. And there's a lot more to the situation than reacting with anger and disappointment, saying anything is better than what we have going on. Well, no. Anything isn't better."
THE FRUSTRATION
The Gophers consistently reached midlevel bowl games and produced top running backs under coach Glen Mason, but he was fired after the 2006 Insight Bowl for not being able to take the program to the next level.
Brewster has gone to back-to-back bowl games and won 13 games in the past two seasons. But he was 1-11 in his first season in 2007, and there's a sense that the program could be headed in that direction again this season.
The university protected itself when it gave Brewster a two-year extension on his original five-year deal after last season. Instead of having to pay him the entire remaining base salary on his contract if he is fired, the university will have to pay only $200,000 per remaining year, half his annual base salary of $400,000.
The performance-based extension was similar to the one Jim Wacker signed under Dienhart after the 1995 season. Dienhart never considered firing Wacker during a six-game losing streak the following season. He expected Wacker to resign at the end of the year, which he did after finishing 4-7 in 1996.
"We had an agreement that if he didn't reach that level of performance (in the contract) he would resign," Dienhart said. "Because he was such an honorable guy, at a certain point, he basically said to me, 'I'm seeing the same thing you're seeing. If I'm not able to be more successful, then I'm not going to be able to retain the support of people in the institution, fans and the team.' "
Many fans have soured toward Brewster.
Internet message boards following the team included wild speculation after the 34-23 loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday that Brewster would be fired this week — as early as Monday. But there he was at his weekly news conference Tuesday with a new message to his players that they're 0-0 to start the Big Ten season.
"That's ludicrous," Brewster said when asked if he was worried about his job. "At the end of the day, we'll all be judged. We understand that. We'll all be judged on wins and losses. I understand that very, very clearly. At this particular point, we've got eight games in the season."
Silence from Maturi and Bruininks since the Northern Illinois game raises questions about their confidence and helps breed speculation about the coach's future, especially because Maturi has been so open in the past in evaluating Brewster.
But Maturi said after the South Dakota loss he is reluctant to make an early-season move like he did when men's basketball coach Dan Monson was forced out after seven games of the 2006-07 season.
Maturi declined to talk about Brewster or the football team this week because he said he didn't want his words to be misinterpreted and create even more negativity for the program.
"That's the last thing we need right now," he said while passing through the football complex Wednesday.
Bruininks has been out of the country and returned this week. But just before he left after the South Dakota loss on Sept. 11, he told the school's student newspaper, "We need a stronger football program here," and "we're not going to be satisfied with mediocre results and a mediocre season."
Brewster's response to Bruininks' remarks was that the university president was entitled to make "any statement he wants" and that it didn't add to the pressure he felt.
And if history is any indication, Brewster might not need to truly worry until late in the season. Meanwhile, he still has a chance to win games to prove that he should be given another year.
Go Gophers!!
Anyone who wants Tim Brewster to be fired this early in the season is asking for something that is pretty much unheard of in college football.
The University of Minnesota's fourth-year coach is unquestionably under fire after a 1-3 start heading into the Big Ten Conference season opener Saturday against Northwestern, especially with losses to lower-level South Dakota — arguably the lowest point in Brewster's tenure — and to Northern Illinois of the Mid-American Conference.
But only four times since 1992 has a Division I-A college football coach departed after six or fewer games.
Usually, coaches who have lost the support of their fan base and administration will lose their jobs after the season, or, at the earliest, with a few games remaining while being allowed to finish the season. That gives athletics directors a chance to end speculation and get a head start on hiring the next coach.
There have been extraordinary circumstances with head coaches being removed after having been in scandals, player mutinies or other situations that go beyond wins and losses.
In those cases, the school is basically throwing away the rest of the season.
So the question is: Are the Gophers there yet?
History says, probably not.
# In 2003, John Mackovic was fired as Arizona's coach after starting the season 1-4. Half the team reportedly complained to the university president about their coach the previous season. The Wildcats finished 4-8 in '03 under defensive coordinator and interim coach Mike Hankwitz.
# In 1992, all it took was one bad loss in the season opener, 10-3 to Division I-AA Citadel, for Arkansas to fire Jack Crowe. The Razorbacks finished the season 3-7-1 after then-defensive coordinator Joe Kines took over.
# An unusual departure occurred with Tommy Bowden at Clemson in 2008. He wasn't fired, but he left after a 3-3 start, telling his AD it was best for him to "step aside for the good of the program" because of a cloud of "recruiting issues" and "morale issues." Tigers assistant Dabo Swinney, who remains the Clemson coach, took over and led the team to a bowl game and a 7-6 record.
# In 2002, Louisiana-Monroe coach Bobby Keasler resigned after a 0-3 start while remaining within the athletic department in an administrative role. The team finished 3-9 under interim coach and defensive coordinator Mike Collins.
"You'd have to conjure up some pretty drastic circumstances to want to make a change in the middle of the year," former University of Minnesota AD and current University of St. Thomas senior vice president Mark Dienhart said. "There are probably some — a severe breach of NCAA rules or some inappropriate conduct on the part of a coach."
"But winning and losing," Dienhart said, "is just part of the game."
WHY NOW?
Entering the 2010 season, Brewster had no major NCAA violations, although there was a minor violation while recruiting former Cretin-Derham Hall offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson.
There were off-the-field legal incidents with players last season. A sexual assault case involving several players Brewster inherited before his first season in 2007 also was a temporary cloud over the program, but he handled it swiftly by kicking the players off the team.
Brewster hasn't appeared to lose the confidence of his players. The closest thing to it was when junior Troy Stoudermire voiced his frustration and intent to leave the team last week on his Facebook page, but he later apologized and was reinstated for Saturday's game.
The issues forcing Gophers AD Joel Maturi and university President Bob Bruininks to rethink Brewster's future are mostly football-related — such as bad losses to North Dakota State in 2007, South Dakota this year and 55-0 to Iowa in 2008, too many system and coaching changes, failure to beat ranked and rival teams, and not finishing games and seasons strong.
But is that enough to remove him now?
"I just don't think a move happens," Big Ten Network analyst and former Illinois running back Howard Griffith said. "I know people may be wanting something, but they don't control the program. He has to get the opportunity to go out and continue to get the team better and win football games. If you make a move now, then what are you going to do?"
Were he removed at midseason, Brewster's replacement likely would have to come from within. Defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove appears to be respected by the players, but he has a son Connor, a team member, battling leukemia. First-year offensive coordinator Jeff Horton has head coaching experience, but his last stint ended in 1998, when he was fired at Nevada-Las Vegas.
A bigger issue is how a coaching change would affect the athletes, not only on the field but in the classroom, Dienhart said.
"A fan or an alum, nobody is saying to them that you have the responsibility for this 18- or 19-year-old kid that was recruited and now is at your institution," he said. "That's the responsibility that Joel feels, that Bob Bruininks feels and I'm sure Tim Brewster feels. And there's a lot more to the situation than reacting with anger and disappointment, saying anything is better than what we have going on. Well, no. Anything isn't better."
THE FRUSTRATION
The Gophers consistently reached midlevel bowl games and produced top running backs under coach Glen Mason, but he was fired after the 2006 Insight Bowl for not being able to take the program to the next level.
Brewster has gone to back-to-back bowl games and won 13 games in the past two seasons. But he was 1-11 in his first season in 2007, and there's a sense that the program could be headed in that direction again this season.
The university protected itself when it gave Brewster a two-year extension on his original five-year deal after last season. Instead of having to pay him the entire remaining base salary on his contract if he is fired, the university will have to pay only $200,000 per remaining year, half his annual base salary of $400,000.
The performance-based extension was similar to the one Jim Wacker signed under Dienhart after the 1995 season. Dienhart never considered firing Wacker during a six-game losing streak the following season. He expected Wacker to resign at the end of the year, which he did after finishing 4-7 in 1996.
"We had an agreement that if he didn't reach that level of performance (in the contract) he would resign," Dienhart said. "Because he was such an honorable guy, at a certain point, he basically said to me, 'I'm seeing the same thing you're seeing. If I'm not able to be more successful, then I'm not going to be able to retain the support of people in the institution, fans and the team.' "
Many fans have soured toward Brewster.
Internet message boards following the team included wild speculation after the 34-23 loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday that Brewster would be fired this week — as early as Monday. But there he was at his weekly news conference Tuesday with a new message to his players that they're 0-0 to start the Big Ten season.
"That's ludicrous," Brewster said when asked if he was worried about his job. "At the end of the day, we'll all be judged. We understand that. We'll all be judged on wins and losses. I understand that very, very clearly. At this particular point, we've got eight games in the season."
Silence from Maturi and Bruininks since the Northern Illinois game raises questions about their confidence and helps breed speculation about the coach's future, especially because Maturi has been so open in the past in evaluating Brewster.
But Maturi said after the South Dakota loss he is reluctant to make an early-season move like he did when men's basketball coach Dan Monson was forced out after seven games of the 2006-07 season.
Maturi declined to talk about Brewster or the football team this week because he said he didn't want his words to be misinterpreted and create even more negativity for the program.
"That's the last thing we need right now," he said while passing through the football complex Wednesday.
Bruininks has been out of the country and returned this week. But just before he left after the South Dakota loss on Sept. 11, he told the school's student newspaper, "We need a stronger football program here," and "we're not going to be satisfied with mediocre results and a mediocre season."
Brewster's response to Bruininks' remarks was that the university president was entitled to make "any statement he wants" and that it didn't add to the pressure he felt.
And if history is any indication, Brewster might not need to truly worry until late in the season. Meanwhile, he still has a chance to win games to prove that he should be given another year.
Go Gophers!!
