Shama: Maturi May Accept Contract Extension

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Maturi May Accept Contract Extension

Athletic director Joel Maturi, whose contract with the University ends in June of 2012, told Sports Headliners that University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks wants him to continue beyond that date.

Although it wasn’t publicized at the time, Bruininks expressed that desire last fall. The president’s conversation with Maturi coincided with Bruininks’ announcement that the 2010-11 school year will be his last heading the University's Twin Cities campus. A new president is expected to be directing the University in 2011-12.

“He (Bruininks) did not think it would be in the best interest of a new president, or Gopher athletics, to hire a new athletic director in his first year (on the job),” Maturi said.

Maturi, who has been the Gophers athletics director since 2002, is still considering Bruininks’ request that suggested a two or three year contract extension. He will need to give the president a final answer by December.

Maturi, who has been planning to retire in 2012, will review health and family considerations in making a decision on whether to remain for a couple more years. That scenario would push his retirement age to almost 70.

“It’s not any greater than 50-50 that I will stay on,” Maturi said.

A new athletic director needs to start work in July or August of 2012 if Maturi retires in June of that year. Maturi doesn’t plan to be part of the search committee or in other ways be involved with choosing his successor. “That’s not my job,” he said. “That’s not appropriate.”

http://www.shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Maturi May Accept Contract Extension

Athletic director Joel Maturi, whose contract with the University ends in June of 2012, told Sports Headliners that University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks wants him to continue beyond that date.

Although it wasn’t publicized at the time, Bruininks expressed that desire last fall. The president’s conversation with Maturi coincided with Bruininks’ announcement that the 2010-11 school year will be his last heading the University's Twin Cities campus. A new president is expected to be directing the University in 2011-12.

“He (Bruininks) did not think it would be in the best interest of a new president, or Gopher athletics, to hire a new athletic director in his first year (on the job),” Maturi said.

Maturi, who has been the Gophers athletics director since 2002, is still considering Bruininks’ request that suggested a two or three year contract extension. He will need to give the president a final answer by December.

Maturi, who has been planning to retire in 2012, will review health and family considerations in making a decision on whether to remain for a couple more years. That scenario would push his retirement age to almost 70.

“It’s not any greater than 50-50 that I will stay on,” Maturi said.

A new athletic director needs to start work in July or August of 2012 if Maturi retires in June of that year. Maturi doesn’t plan to be part of the search committee or in other ways be involved with choosing his successor. “That’s not my job,” he said. “That’s not appropriate.”

http://www.shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
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Don't like it if he stays...bumbled a # of things and is viewed as a lightweight by our Big Ten competitors
 

I believe he has made a few errors. I've tried to be positive with him. One of my friends is a U professor. You could tell by talking to him that the professors and the coaches are clearly on two different planets. Perhaps he just got too conservative trying to please the professors. While he has done some good things. I do believe a change is in order. The new president has a committee to assist him in the hiring so it isn't exactly all on his back.
 

This is not good news if you're a football or basketball fan. Or hockey most likely. It would really be best for all involved if Joel and Bruinicks went out together and let the new Admin start fresh.
 



“He (Bruininks) did not think it would be in the best interest of a new president, or Gopher athletics, to hire a new athletic director in his first year (on the job),” Maturi said.
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That's one of the lamest excuses for keeping a job I've ever heard. That's the nature of switching administrations - the new top guy/lady gets to bring in his/her people. That would be like Obama keeping Cheney in office because "it wouldn't be in his best interest to hire a new vice president in his first year on the job." Furthermore, that's not Bruininks' decision to make. It's not very often that it happens this way, in that the contracts of the AD and president run out at the same time. Why foist Maturi upon the new president, whom he or she may not want? The contract should be allowed to run out, and if the new prez wants to keep Maturi, fine, but he or she should be given the discretion to make that choice, especially since things currently line up so perfectly to do so.
 

dpodoll68 said:
That's one of the lamest excuses for keeping a job I've ever heard. That's the nature of switching administrations - the new top guy/lady gets to bring in his/her people. That would be like Obama keeping Cheney in office because "it wouldn't be in his best interest to hire a new vice president in his first year on the job." Furthermore, that's not Bruininks' decision to make. It's not very often that it happens this way, in that the contracts of the AD and president run out at the same time. Why foist Maturi upon the new president, whom he or she may not want? The contract should be allowed to run out, and if the new prez wants to keep Maturi, fine, but he or she should be given the discretion to make that choice, especially since things currently line up so perfectly to do so.
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100% agree. Any time a company replaces a CEO or CFO, it's like chumming the water for a wide variety of service providers from benefits groups, investment advisory groups, service and supply companies, et al. The typical saying is "a new broom sweeps clean".

I'm not a Maturi fan but I have been around the U for a long time and we need to remember what the Athletic Department looked like before he came on. While all the major programs are not where I would like to see them today, the department as a whole is in much better shape.
 

Good lord no.
2012 needs to be a clean sweep, completely fresh blood. Hiring a new AD is exactly what a new president should do on the first year of his job. BS.
2012 needs to be a transition year regardless, decisions on Brew, the Hockey program, and maybe even Tubby by that point. That is exactly what is needed. I saw the quote Maturi gave Rittenberg about Nebraska joining the conference and almost puked.

"For the Gophers, I don't know if there's a better selection because of the geographical location. As an AD, it's great for us because our Olympic sports teams can get on a bus and get over there. Our fans can drive there. Their fans can drive there. I think it's a great fit."

Really? That's the quote you give? Not about history or pagentry, or improving the quality of football in the conference, or rivalries, but saving money on Women's softball buses due to it's relative close proximity?

The guy has developed a very strange perspective on what the main focus of an AD should be, a shake up would remove the comfort zone from the athletic department, which is IMO needed.
 

While I have no quarrels with Maturi and feel he has done a fairly good job considering the situation he came into (putting two ADs back together without causing a war) I do feel a change would be good. For starters the new president comes in in 2011 which gives him an entire year to pick a new AD who goes out in 2012. I just hope the new president is someone who wants to WIN and lets everybody know it and won't put up with losing. If he decides to extend Maturi that's his call. If he wants his own guy that's the way it should be. If he replaces Maturi it will be the first indication to everyone as to whether or not he knows what the hell he is doing.
 



Ole

That quote sums up what Joel Maturi is all about these days. He has been a terrible failure at getting football and basketball into the top tier of the Big Ten so he focuses energy on olympic sports and penny pinching. That is easier. I can't wait for him to be gone.
 

Ole... that's what happens when the bean counters start (over)running the farm!
 

Maverick said:
Ole... that's what happens when the bean counters start (over)running the farm!
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I just think that is an odd and somewhat terrible way to run an athletic department.
Budgets are good and must be reigned in, but to comment on one of the greatest college football schools joining the Big Ten with something about saving money on buses is just...odd. I dunno. GAH!:confused:

It's like there's not an ounce of competitive college athletics fire in Maturi. I'd love a college AD to be a chest thumping, tradition over budget, proud and gallant type. The kind of guy that is enthusiastic and hails our victories on high, despises our losses with some sort of burden.
His recent quotes about not having any fun were also very odd, why stay at a job like AD of a Big Ten school if you're not having fun? He'd probably make a heck of an account manager or something.
 

Ole said:
I just think that is an odd and somewhat terrible way to run an athletic department.
Budgets are good and must be reigned in, but to comment on one of the greatest college football schools joining the Big Ten with something about saving money on buses is just...odd. I dunno. GAH!:confused:

It's like there's not an ounce of competitive college athletics fire in Maturi. I'd love a college AD to be a chest thumping, tradition over budget, proud and gallant type. The kind of guy that is enthusiastic and hails our victories on high, despises our losses with some sort of burden.
His recent quotes about not having any fun were also very odd, why stay at a job like AD of a Big Ten school if you're not having fun? He'd probably make a heck of an account manager or something.
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I agree 100%
 



Joel is expecting a 4-5 win season:

"We have a brutal schedule, so we may end up with fewer wins than last year," Maturi said. "But I truly expect that we're still going to be a better football team."

The next quote must've been "so people better get their tickets fast because we don't know when those five wins are going to happen."

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=22&a=457085
 

Don't put any stock into it. Maybe he just wants to tick-off all the e-mailers who have demanded he quit going back to the Mason/Monson years?
 

Maturi is a people pleasing lightweight. If you like tremendous success in non-revenue sports then keeping Maturi is a good move. If you would like more successfull revenue sports then keeping Maturi is not the right move IMHO.

I, for one, don't feel he is the right person to potentially hire a new football and hockey coach in the next few years.
 

Maximus said:
Joel is expecting a 4-5 win season:

"We have a brutal schedule, so we may end up with fewer wins than last year," Maturi said. "But I truly expect that we're still going to be a better football team."

The next quote must've been "so people better get their tickets fast because we don't know when those five wins are going to happen."

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=22&a=457085
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This is an UNREAL comment from an athletic director of a major university who's team only won 6 games last year. Disgusting.
 

Joel is definately a piece of work. I don't see why someone would make that comment at an event that was intended to fire up support for the program.
 


Rotundo said:
Joel is definately a piece of work. I don't see why someone would make that comment at an event that was intended to fire up support for the program.
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Brewster has been the recipient of constant ridicule since the day he became the Gophers coach for saying it was his GOAL to take the Gophers to the Rose Bowl. Now, with the fifth hardest schedule in the country, Joel tries to be realisitic about the coming season and he gets ripped for it. You guys are morons.
 

No AD will ever be perfect to our liking. When you're at retirement age, not having fun, gone all the time due to the work schedule, I would think now is a good time to retire. Sometimes you just don't make good decisions when you're worn out at your job. Joel has done some good things by the way. Its just that time has come.
 

The hiring of the next president will be the most important hire in the last 20 years of gopher athletics. Make the right hire and minnesota could move swiftly in the right direction in multiple sports. Make the wrong hire and we could be in 1982 again.
 


Rosemountian said:
The hiring of the next president will be the most important hire in the last 20 years of gopher athletics. Make the right hire and minnesota could move swiftly in the right direction in multiple sports. Make the wrong hire and we could be in 1982 again.
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I couldn't agree more. The problems with the gopher revenue sports programs run deeper than the coaches or recruiting.
 

Maturi to U athletics what Mason was to U football?

Maturi has done a very good job bringing out athletic programs to the point that they are today, but I have a tough time believing, considering the way that he has handled some situations, that he can take us to another level.

I felt a very similar way about Mason in his last years... very good coach, did a great job bringing MN up from the dregs, but just didn't have the chops to take us to the next level. (not sure Brewster is the right guy either, but you see my point)
 

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