The Worst College Football Firings Since 2000 (Glen Mason, Minnesota)

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My memory tells me that Mason's biggest problems were off the field. From what I've read and heard, he ticked off some big-wigs including University officials and - I think - some donors.

There was some story about an incident at a pep fest before the Texas Tech game where Mason supposedly dissed some fat cats.

I also remember that Mason got really touchy with the media and fans. when he did the Sunday radio show with Sid, he used to take calls from listeners, but after people started second-guessing him, they stopped taking calls.

Combine that with the whole "if they call, I have to listen" routine, and Mason put himself in a situation where he didn't have a lot of friends.
 

Some guy said:
As bad as Brewster was...we have Not missed a bowl 3 years in a row since 96-98

crazy considering Nebraska has at the very moment.
So yeah...1-11 is bad. But let’s not pretend like the program was the worst program of all time or anything.
It was 1-11 preceded by 5 bowl seasons followed by bowl seasons in 2 or the next 4 years and 9 of the next 12

The gopher program has been to bowls in 16/21 seasons.
How many other programs have done that or better I wonder?


Wisconsin 20/21
Michigan 19/21
Ohio state 19/21
Iowa 17/21
Nebraska 16/21
Michigan state 15/21
Penn state 15/21
Northwestern 13/21
Purdue 12/21
Maryland 10/21
Rutgers 9/21
Illinois 7/21
Indiana 4/21

notable power 5 programs who are 16/21 or less in bowl appearances:
USC 16/21
UCLA 14/21
Tennessee 14/21
Notre Dame 14/21
Arkansas 13/21
Stanford 12/21
Colorado 7/21 (I include them at notable for having a national title in my lifetime)
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Nice work. I'm always surprised how many of our own "fans" like to talk about us like we are Kansas football.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
My memory tells me that Mason's biggest problems were off the field. From what I've read and heard, he ticked off some big-wigs including University officials and - I think - some donors.

There was some story about an incident at a pep fest before the Texas Tech game where Mason supposedly dissed some fat cats.

I also remember that Mason got really touchy with the media and fans. when he did the Sunday radio show with Sid, he used to take calls from listeners, but after people started second-guessing him, they stopped taking calls.

Combine that with the whole "if they call, I have to listen" routine, and Mason put himself in a situation where he didn't have a lot of friends.
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I didn't try to talk to Mason there, but I can tell you he was HAMMERED at the pep fest. Oof, he talked for a little bit and my wife and I just looked at each other stunned that anyone let him have a microphone. They would have been miles ahead saying he was studying film or something. Wow.

gophernut1 said:
We should not forget that the Gophers were trying to get an on campus stadium at the time as well. The lousy recruiting and the terrible half-time adjustments (sorry there were no adjustments) led to a program with no steam. TCF happened because a new coach brought some momentum to get it finished. Brewster was terrible, but boy could he talk. Big difference between Fleck and him is that Fleck has always talked with substance (culture creation). Brewster just said outrageous things confidently.
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What are you talking about? The stadium had already started construction when Mason was fired. They had already announced TCF as having the naming rights (Mason got in trouble on the way down drunkenly dissing a senior VP of TCF). Brew had nothing to do with the construction of TCF Bank stadium, other than coaching the first couple seasons.

That is still the biggest argument for keeping him - he virtually single handedly got that stadium going, he should have had a chance to coach in it. I don't agree with that sentiment, but some people feel that way.
 

Word said:
Nice work. I'm always surprised how many of our own "fans" like to talk about us like we are Kansas football.
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A) My comment said, "Minnesota's football program should never go 1-11. They have too many resources at their disposal." I will stand by that comment. Minnesota football should never go 1-11. Ever. Not in their worst season should Minnesota win only 1 game. Brewster should have been fired after that season.

B) Kansas was a way better football program than Minnesota when we hired Mason. It wasn't even close. Hiring him was a coup for Minnesota, and he was responsible for that bowl-bound consistency in the early part of the 2000s.
 

hello-world said:
A) My comment said, "Minnesota's football program should never go 1-11. They have too many resources at their disposal." I will stand by that comment. Minnesota football should never go 1-11. Ever. Not in their worst season should Minnesota win only 1 game. Brewster should have been fired after that season.

B) Kansas was a way better football program than Minnesota when we hired Mason. It wasn't even close. Hiring him was a coup for Minnesota, and he was responsible for that bowl-bound consistency in the early part of the 2000s.
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I wasn't even responding to you.
 


He always just fell short of expectations and there were a couple of very painful losses.
The program seemed stuck in respectable mediocrity but worse was to follow him.
 

Gary Patterson would have been a monster hire. Most people forget about how putrid TCU was for the last 30 years of the SWC. What he’s done there has been exceptional.
 

Some guy said:
As bad as Brewster was...we have Not missed a bowl 3 years in a row since 96-98

crazy considering Nebraska has at the very moment.
So yeah...1-11 is bad. But let’s not pretend like the program was the worst program of all time or anything.
It was 1-11 preceded by 5 bowl seasons followed by bowl seasons in 2 or the next 4 years and 9 of the next 12

The gopher program has been to bowls in 16/21 seasons.
How many other programs have done that or better I wonder?


Wisconsin 20/21
Michigan 19/21
Ohio state 19/21
Iowa 17/21
Nebraska 16/21
Michigan state 15/21
Penn state 15/21
Northwestern 13/21
Purdue 12/21
Maryland 10/21
Rutgers 9/21
Illinois 7/21
Indiana 4/21

notable power 5 programs who are 16/21 or less in bowl appearances:
USC 16/21
UCLA 14/21
Tennessee 14/21
Notre Dame 14/21
Arkansas 13/21
Stanford 12/21
Colorado 7/21 (I include them at notable for having a national title in my lifetime)
Click to expand...

Definitely wouldn’t have expected that.

The main problem is that our bowl appearances are for the most part in toilet bowls.

2019 was the first season since 1973 that we’ve lost less than 3 conference games.
 

giveme said:
Definitely wouldn’t have expected that.

The main problem is that our bowl appearances are for the most part in toilet bowls.

2019 was the first season since 1973 that we’ve lost less than 3 conference games.
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For sure.
Not all bowls created equal.

my point wasn’t that we are super successful. It is that we aren’t close to being one of the worst programs
 



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