POLL!!!! - Better Minnesota Football Coach?

Who is the better Minnesota Football Coach?


  • Total voters
    46

Dano564

Fleck Superfan
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Bud Grant or PJ Fleck?

Overall Record:

Bud Grant was 168-108-5 overall. (0.606 winning percentage)
PJ Fleck is 35-23 at Minnesota (0.603 winning percentage)

Big Game Records
Bud Grant was 0-4 in Super Bowls
PJ is 0-5 vs Iowa
PJ is 3-0 in Bowl Games however.

Championships won:
Bud Grant: 1
(1969 NFL Championship (Pre-merger)

PJ Fleck: 35
2017​
Buffalo Championship Season
2017​
Oregon State Championship Season
2017​
Middle Tennessee Championship Season
2017​
Illinois Championship Season
2017​
Nebraska Championship Season
2018​
New Mexico State Championship Season
2018​
Fresno State Championship Season
2018​
Miami Ohio Championship Season
2018​
Indiana Championship Season
2018​
Purdue Championship Season
2018​
Wisconsin Championship Season
2018​
Georgia Tech - Quick Lane Bowl Championship
2019​
South Dakota State Championship Season
2019​
Fresno State Championship Season
2019​
Georgia Southern Championship Season
2019​
Purdue Championship Season
2019​
Illinois Championship Season
2019​
Nebraska Championship Season
2019​
Rutgers Championship Season
2019​
Maryland Championship Season
2019​
Penn State Championship Season
2019​
Northwestern Championship Season
2019​
Auburn - Outback Bowl Championship
2020​
Illinois Championship Season
2020​
Purdue Championship Season
2020​
Nebraska Championship Season
2021​
Miami Ohio Championship Season
2021​
Colorado Championship Season
2021​
Purdue Championship Season
2021​
Nebraska Championship Season
2021​
Maryland Championship Season
2021​
Northwestern Championship Season
2021​
Indiana Championship Season
2021​
Wisconsin Championship Season
2021​
West Virginia - Guaranteed Rate Championship
 
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Bud grant but I will say I find bud grant really overrated. Never won a championship: had historic talent but couldn’t get them over the top.
1979-1985 when he no longer had historically great talent missed playoffs 4 of 6 years
 





Bud grant but I will say I find bud grant really overrated. Never won a championship: had historic talent but couldn’t get them over the top.
1979-1985 when he no longer had historically great talent missed playoffs 4 of 6 years
Sure, but he didn’t wear a hat when it was cold outside. Tough guy.
 

Bud's records wouldn't be so great if Tarkenton and The Purple People Eaters used up their 4 years of eligibility.
 


not a valid comparison.

Pros vs college.

And - a pro coach in a previous era of football vs a college coach in the current era. Not to mention difference in facilities, support staff and number of assistant coaches.

Oh, BTW -

Bud Grant coaching record in the CFL:
10 seasons. Played in the Championship game 6 times, won 4 Grey Cups. Career record in Canada:
122-66-3. Bud was offered the Vikes' job in '61 and turned it down to stay in Canada.
 



Tough one. Grant did also play at the U, so I went with that as the deciding factor.
 

Keep in mind, Bud Grant went 26-5-1 vs Detroit.
If you take out wins vs Detroit, Bud's winning percentage drops significantly, and we know PJ is unbeaten in games at Detroit as a Minnesota coach.
 

Grant led the Vikings to four Super Bowls in an eight year stretch (albeit they stunk each time in the big game). No coach has done it even once in the 45 years since. One of the more laughable franchises around. But Viking fans can be thankful they’re not Detroit or Cleveland fans.
 






I suspect that when PJ has a garage sale, his prices will be more reasonable than skinflint Bud.
That might be the tiebreaker in all of this. How much will PJ negotiate on his garage sale items.
 


Bud Grant won 11 Division Titles, 4 NFC championships . Fleck 0 division championships 0 conference championship appearances . Not to count his CFL record.
If you are looking at accomplishments there is not a comparison.
 

Grant had one problem. The problem is he went to Super Bowls against dynasties. Those Miami, Pittsburgh and Oakland teams are legendary and some of the greatest teams ever.

Those Viking teams were awesome, also. They just went to Super Bowls at the wrong time.

If Bud had just won one Super Bowl.........his legend would be even more.
 

Grant's best teams benefitted greatly from the fact that the other 3 teams in the division were not usually very good. Similar to New England, they were virtually guaranteed 4-6 division wins a year and a regular season record that would allow at least one playoff game at home, often in the elements. Defense and special teams were their strengths. They were not offensive juggernauts and won a ton of games simply by being superbly acclimated to bad weather and sticking to a low-risk, vanilla game plan. I have often thought that moving indoors was a great mistake. They were clearly outclassed in all of their Super Bowls and, as I watched the first one unfold vs. KC , I wondered how in the world the Vikings could have been a touchdown favorite! I still think Grant was a great coach, however. His teams very rarely beat themselves and, despite his flinty exterior, his players loved playing for him.
 



I don’t get how people are ignoring PJs massive advantage in championships. Clearly a no brainer.
 

Bud Grant or PJ Fleck?

Overall Record:

Bud Grant was 168-108-5 overall. (0.606 winning percentage)
PJ Fleck is 35-23 at Minnesota (0.603 winning percentage)

Big Game Records
Bud Grant was 0-4 in Super Bowls
PJ is 0-5 vs Iowa
PJ is 3-0 in Bowl Games however.

Championships won:
Bud Grant: 1
(1969 NFL Championship (Pre-merger)

PJ Fleck: 35
2017​
Buffalo Championship Season
2017​
Oregon State Championship Season
2017​
Middle Tennessee Championship Season
2017​
Illinois Championship Season
2017​
Nebraska Championship Season
2018​
New Mexico State Championship Season
2018​
Fresno State Championship Season
2018​
Miami Ohio Championship Season
2018​
Indiana Championship Season
2018​
Purdue Championship Season
2018​
Wisconsin Championship Season
2018​
Georgia Tech - Quick Lane Bowl Championship
2019​
South Dakota State Championship Season
2019​
Fresno State Championship Season
2019​
Georgia Southern Championship Season
2019​
Purdue Championship Season
2019​
Illinois Championship Season
2019​
Nebraska Championship Season
2019​
Rutgers Championship Season
2019​
Maryland Championship Season
2019​
Penn State Championship Season
2019​
Northwestern Championship Season
2019​
Auburn - Outback Bowl Championship
2020​
Illinois Championship Season
2020​
Purdue Championship Season
2020​
Nebraska Championship Season
2021​
Miami Ohio Championship Season
2021​
Colorado Championship Season
2021​
Purdue Championship Season
2021​
Nebraska Championship Season
2021​
Maryland Championship Season
2021​
Northwestern Championship Season
2021​
Indiana Championship Season
2021​
Wisconsin Championship Season
2021​
West Virginia - Guaranteed Rate Championship
Where is the U putting all those trophies?
 

I get that this whole thread is tongue in cheek, and I enjoy all the humorous replies.

However, it also highlights one of my biggest frustrations being a Gopher fan in a pro town. I always get irritated at casual fan expectations for Gopher football because they are clouded with what they know a bit better: the NFL.

Some equate NFL division championships with winning the B1G (one requires overcoming 3 foes with roughly equal assets and the other requires overcoming 13 foes, some with grossly superior assets).

Same with national championships compared to reaching the super bowl.

It leads to a lot of misguided comments and opinions about how long the Gophers have “sucked”. And it gives the Vikings some undeserved free passes.
 

I get that this whole thread is tongue in cheek, and I enjoy all the humorous replies.

However, it also highlights one of my biggest frustrations being a Gopher fan in a pro town. I always get irritated at casual fan expectations for Gopher football because they are clouded with what they know a bit better: the NFL.

Some equate NFL division championships with winning the B1G (one requires overcoming 3 foes with roughly equal assets and the other requires overcoming 13 foes, some with grossly superior assets).

Same with national championships compared to reaching the super bowl.

It leads to a lot of misguided comments and opinions about how long the Gophers have “sucked”. And it gives the Vikings some undeserved free passes.
So true. Same could be said about expectations for QBs, kickers, etc.
 


When Fleck is done coaching and gets invited to do the coin flip for our home playoff game (when we expand to 12 teams) in 2040 than we will know that Fleck is bigger than Grant. Grant is better because he is someone who defines a generation of greatness for a franchise. When Fleck defines a generation of greatness he will surpass Grant. I do think if Fleck stays he will be the greatest MN coach in our history and redefine a culture of excellence at the U of M beyond football.
 

Let's win us a few Big ten titles first...
 




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