What grade would you give Mark Coyle in his first year as AD at Minnesota?

What grade would you give Mark Coyle in his first year as AD at Minnesota?

  • A

    Votes: 31 25.8%

  • B

    Votes: 39 32.5%

  • C

    Votes: 18 15.0%

  • D

    Votes: 21 17.5%

  • F

    Votes: 11 9.2%
  • Total voters
    120
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For me, it all comes down to Fleck. I'll give him an A- (would be an A+, but I'll leave room for the argument of whether Claeys should have even been replaced and the chance that Fleck is a flop, whereas Claeys would probably have been somewhat steady but never exciting). I know I am in the vast minority, but I really don't have a problem with how he, or the university, handled the situation last year. A couple kids missed out on playing a bowl game (that we still won)...not the end of the world. Don't give me the whole "google" argument...Antoine Winfield will be fine for the rest of his life.
 

Iceland12 said:
Lot of success for many teams at the U during his first year. He was given the job on 5/11/16 and took over the job on 5/31.

Women's Volleyball - Final Four again this year.

Softball - Another BigTen Championship and record year.

Baseball - 30-16; one game back in hunt for Big Ten Title.

Women's Basketball - Not so good.

Men's Basketball - Most wins since '96 - '97 (until UNC has their records purged, gonna count it). Best Big Ten season since '05-'06.

Football - First 9 win season since '03, 2nd 9 win or more season since 12 game schedule instituted in '99.

Women's Hockey - Lost in the Frozen Four, NCAA Champions in '15 - '16.

Men's Hockey - Made the Frozen Four, which they didn't do in '15 - '16.

Wrestling - So-so season. 7-5 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten but finished 7th in the NCAA tourney. Some improvement from the "troubles" in '15-'16.

He's hired 2 Head Coaches in the above sports. Gave long time Wrestling Assistant Brandon Eggum the job permanently last September and of course hired Fleck this year. Eggum's season was pretty average. Fleck hasn't had his first season yet, but his recruiting has looked good so far.

Now as for fundraising, handling the firing of Claeys, implementing the plans he's been given, marketing/selling season tickets, and communicating the U's vision for athletics?

Only in the "implementing plans he's been given" , can he be given an above average grade. Though that could be an "incomplete" too. Just don't know.

Wish an "Incomplete" grade was offered. Would have chosen that.

However the continued success on the courts, mats, ice and fields could make Coyle return to the U a very happy one indeed.
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Don't forget about women's soccer and their double Big 10 titles and top 10 ranking as well...

Sent from my SM-G360V using Tapatalk
 

During his first year Mark Coyle has shown himself to be the AD most Gopher football fans have been dreaming about for decades. He has come to the job with the vision, plan, and the willingness to step on toes and piss people off to make the Gophers a relevant football program for the first time since the 1960's. Coyle understands the primary reason the football team has not won a Big 10 Championship since 1967 is that the U's Board of Regents and Administration have not had the desire and commitment to provide the necessary resources to field a competitive team capable of winning championships.

I don't believe Coyle would have taken the job unless he was absolutely convinced he would receive the backing of Kaler and the BOR to implement his plan for the football program. Toward that end, I think Coyle knew he was going to try to hire Fleck before he even took the job. I don't think winning a minor bowl game was ever going to be enough for Claeys to keep his job unless the team won a rivalry game or two and got Gopher fans back in the stands and excited about the future. That didn't come close to happening.

Claeys' failure to get on board with the decision to suspend the players before the bowl game played right into Coyle's plan to hire a new coach. It reinforced the belief of many Gopher fans that Claeys was a passive leader who was not in total control of his team. Among other things, this was exhibited by their undisciplined play in far too many games last season.
 

He's been excellent.
Seems like the biggest rip on him is his "communication skills". But i think much of that was due to the on-going investigation and his secret actions to lay the ground work to hire Fleck.

If he didn't hire Fleck, I'd say, "Yes, his communication was horrible." But with the EOAA investigation and the thought that he was probably working back channels to get Fleck while he was waiting for the Bowl Game to wrap up, I think he had to keep silent to prevent bigger issues. There are things you can't tell the public while you are doing them and that's why I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Everything else he's done masterfully. This was probably the best 12 months the Gophers program had in a long time. If things continue, the Coyle years will be referred to as the Golden Era of Gopher Athletics.
 

Cruze said:
During his first year Mark Coyle has shown himself to be the AD most Gopher fans have been dreaming about for decades. He has come to the job with the vision, plan, and the willingness to step on toes and piss people off to make the Gophers a relevant football program for the first time since the 1960's. Coyle understands the primary reason the football team has not won a Big 10 Championship since 1967 is that the U's Board of Regents and Administration have not had the desire and commitment to provide the necessary resources to field a competitive team capable of winning championships.

I don't believe Coyle would have taken the job unless he was absolutely convinced he would receive the backing of Kaler and the BOR to implement his plan for the football program. Toward that end, I think Coyle knew he was going to try to hire Fleck before he even took the job. I don't think winning a minor bowl game was ever going to be enough for Claeys to keep his job unless the team won a rivalry game or two and got Gopher fans back in the stands and exited about the future. That didn't come close to happening.

Claeys' failure to get on board with the decision to suspend the players before the bowl game played right into Coyle's plan to hire a new coach. It reinforced the belief of many Gopher fans that Claeys was a passive leader who was not in total control of his team. Among other things, this was exhibited by their undisciplined play in far too many games last season.
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This guy gets it.
 


Cruze said:
During his first year Mark Coyle has shown himself to be the AD most Gopher fans have been dreaming about for decades. He has come to the job with the vision, plan, and the willingness to step on toes and piss people off to make the Gophers a relevant football program for the first time since the 1960's. Coyle understands the primary reason the football team has not won a Big 10 Championship since 1967 is that the U's Board of Regents and Administration have not had the desire and commitment to provide the necessary resources to field a competitive team capable of winning championships.

I don't believe Coyle would have taken the job unless he was absolutely convinced he would receive the backing of Kaler and the BOR to implement his plan for the football program. Toward that end, I think Coyle knew he was going to try to hire Fleck before he even took the job. I don't think winning a minor bowl game was ever going to be enough for Claeys to keep his job unless the team won a rivalry game or two and got Gopher fans back in the stands and exited about the future. That didn't come close to happening.

Claeys' failure to get on board with the decision to suspend the players before the bowl game played right into Coyle's plan to hire a new coach. It reinforced the belief of many Gopher fans that Claeys was a passive leader who was not in total control of his team. Among other things, this was exhibited by their undisciplined play in far too many games last season.
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Good to see you communicating Mr.Coyle! ;)
 

Cruze said:
During his first year Mark Coyle has shown himself to be the AD most Gopher fans have been dreaming about for decades. He has come to the job with the vision, plan, and the willingness to step on toes and piss people off to make the Gophers a relevant football program for the first time since the 1960's. Coyle understands the primary reason the football team has not won a Big 10 Championship since 1967 is that the U's Board of Regents and Administration have not had the desire and commitment to provide the necessary resources to field a competitive team capable of winning championships.

I don't believe Coyle would have taken the job unless he was absolutely convinced he would receive the backing of Kaler and the BOR to implement his plan for the football program. Toward that end, I think Coyle knew he was going to try to hire Fleck before he even took the job. I don't think winning a minor bowl game was ever going to be enough for Claeys to keep his job unless the team won a rivalry game or two and got Gopher fans back in the stands and exited about the future. That didn't come close to happening.

Claeys' failure to get on board with the decision to suspend the players before the bowl game played right into Coyle's plan to hire a new coach. It reinforced the belief of many Gopher fans that Claeys was a passive leader who was not in total control of his team. Among other things, this was exhibited by their undisciplined play in far too many games last season.
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+1
 

Iceland12 said:
Lot of success for many teams at the U during his first year. He was given the job on 5/11/16 and took over the job on 5/31.

Women's Volleyball - Final Four again this year.

Softball - Another BigTen Championship and record year.

Baseball - 30-16; one game back in hunt for Big Ten Title.

Women's Basketball - Not so good.

Men's Basketball - Most wins since '96 - '97 (until UNC has their records purged, gonna count it). Best Big Ten season since '05-'06.

Football - First 9 win season since '03, 2nd 9 win or more season since 12 game schedule instituted in '99.

Women's Hockey - Lost in the Frozen Four, NCAA Champions in '15 - '16.

Men's Hockey - Made the Frozen Four, which they didn't do in '15 - '16.

Wrestling - So-so season. 7-5 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten but finished 7th in the NCAA tourney. Some improvement from the "troubles" in '15-'16.

He's hired 2 Head Coaches in the above sports. Gave long time Wrestling Assistant Brandon Eggum the job permanently last September and of course hired Fleck this year. Eggum's season was pretty average. Fleck hasn't had his first season yet, but his recruiting has looked good so far.

Now as for fundraising, handling the firing of Claeys, implementing the plans he's been given, marketing/selling season tickets, and communicating the U's vision for athletics?

Only in the "implementing plans he's been given" , can he be given an above average grade. Though that could be an "incomplete" too. Just don't know.

Wish an "Incomplete" grade was offered. Would have chosen that.

However the continued success on the courts, mats, ice and fields could make Coyle return to the U a very happy one indeed.
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Frankly, I have a difficult time crediting him ANY of the on field successes of 2016/2017.
 

This has been said before - but what the heck:

My opinion of Coyle would be 100% different IF he had handled the Claeys press conference this way:

"I want to thank Tracy Claeys and his staff for everything they have done for the University of MN. There has been success on the field, and a strong academic performance off the field. The team just completed a season that saw 9 victories, including an excellent performance in the bowl game. But, for all the good that has happened, there are still challenges facing the Gopher FB program, and I believe we need to take a different approach to meet those challenges. As a result, the U of M will not be renewing Tracy Claeys' contract as head FB coach. We wish Tracy and his staff all the best in their careers, but, as I said, I believe the Gopher FB program needs to move in a different direction, and we are in the process of identifying and hiring a new head coach who can lead the program forward."

If Coyle had said that, we would be having an entirely different conversation now.
 



short ornery norwegian said:
This has been said before - but what the heck:

My opinion of Coyle would be 100% different IF he had handled the Claeys press conference this way:

"I want to thank Tracy Claeys and his staff for everything they have done for the University of MN. There has been success on the field, and a strong academic performance off the field. The team just completed a season that saw 9 victories, including an excellent performance in the bowl game. But, for all the good that has happened, there are still challenges facing the Gopher FB program, and I believe we need to take a different approach to meet those challenges. As a result, the U of M will not be renewing Tracy Claeys' contract as head FB coach. We wish Tracy and his staff all the best in their careers, but, as I said, I believe the Gopher FB program needs to move in a different direction, and we are in the process of identifying and hiring a new head coach who can lead the program forward."

If Coyle had said that, we would be having an entirely different conversation now.
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+1
 

Vandy said:
Frankly, I have a difficult time crediting him ANY of the on field successes of 2016/2017.
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While that seems incredibly rational, you know that's not how it works around here. Here, Coyle gets credit for all the successful teams, even though all but Men's Basketball were successful the year before he got here. He gets a pass for the lousy fundraising, questionable contracts and fumbled P.R. opportunities. Those coaching contracts are a little tricky. Here Coyle gets a pass for the wrestling teams mediocre year. Don't know if he gets credit or a pass for firing J Robinson. Many wanted Lucia replaced, but Mark gets a pass for signing him to an extension too.

Coyle gets to have many people here twist themselves into knots trying to convince other people that a 9 win season = a 3 win season, and that Fleck gets a pass for anything short of going 1-11 this year, because many here STILL will blame that on Brewster, Kill, Maturi, Claeys, weather, Vikings etc., etc.

Not a surprise really. Because this is a football board. :cool:

Many people here don't give a damn what happens anywhere but at TCF. Unless, weirdly enough, any of the Non-Revenue sports get some credit. That always brings a few snide posts. Heck if Fleck gets them to 6-6 without trophy wins, many on the board will figure out a way to rationalize that too.

Me? I gave him a C. The only thing he can get credit for is signing Fleck which sees to be a very good hire,, but he has yet to win a game. Other things he has done aren't above average.

That's why, all the whiners aside, no poll or an incomplete option would have made sense.The problem then would be how would people be able to say "We LOVE COYLE" which translates into "WE LOVE FLECK!"

Next year at this time I think Coyle will have earned anything from an A down to a B.

'Cuz I think that Fleck can coach and none of the other sports are gonna fall apart.
 


Cruze said:
During his first year Mark Coyle has shown himself to be the AD most Gopher football fans have been dreaming about for decades. He has come to the job with the vision, plan, and the willingness to step on toes and piss people off to make the Gophers a relevant football program for the first time since the 1960's. Coyle understands the primary reason the football team has not won a Big 10 Championship since 1967 is that the U's Board of Regents and Administration have not had the desire and commitment to provide the necessary resources to field a competitive team capable of winning championships.

I don't believe Coyle would have taken the job unless he was absolutely convinced he would receive the backing of Kaler and the BOR to implement his plan for the football program. Toward that end, I think Coyle knew he was going to try to hire Fleck before he even took the job. I don't think winning a minor bowl game was ever going to be enough for Claeys to keep his job unless the team won a rivalry game or two and got Gopher fans back in the stands and excited about the future. That didn't come close to happening.

Claeys' failure to get on board with the decision to suspend the players before the bowl game played right into Coyle's plan to hire a new coach. It reinforced the belief of many Gopher fans that Claeys was a passive leader who was not in total control of his team. Among other things, this was exhibited by their undisciplined play in far too many games last season.
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I think we've been watching different movies. Other than the football saga which he let spiral out of control, he's walked into the best situation a new AD has possibly experienced in the history of the University. Football and basketball programs on the upward trajectory. Several very strong women's programs. A $160MM facility which he had no part in helping develop or sell-thru. The largest checkbook to sign a new, hot coaching prospect that any AD at Minnesota has ever had. From what I can see as an Average Joe civilian, all the great things about the department, other than the PJF hire (which I will agree is a big plus), were well in motion before he got on campus. What is Coyle's vision? Who has he pissed off to go out of his way to make unpopular decisions for the benefit of the department? If you have some insider baseball on this, I'd love to hear it and will gladly change my opinion. But the two things that have thus far shaped his tenure is the positive hiring of PJF and the negative handling of the football situation. I wouldn't call that a dream AD. I'd call it an AD off to a fair start. But the jury is clearly still out on his ability to take the department to a new level.
 



Vandy said:
Frankly, I have a difficult time crediting him ANY of the on field successes of 2016/2017.
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I agree, but I blame him for Women's basketball and the softball team not getting seeded. Those happened under his watch.
 

He has been elite. A lot of haters on this forum. Maybe if we got rid of some of the negativity we could go places.
 

Face The Facts said:
He has been elite. A lot of haters on this forum. Maybe if we got rid of some of the negativity we could go places.
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Expecting someone in his position to have personal skills, talk about staff with class and handle crises with competence is not negativity. It's reality. Most acknowledge the Fleck hire was exciting.
 

Top 10 things Mark Coyle did in his first year as AD

1. Fired Tracy Claeys

Even after a 9-4 season and a bowl victory Coyle understood that Claeys would never be able to take the Gopher football program beyond the middle of the pack mediocrity it has been mired in for the past 50 years.

2. Hired P.J. Fleck

Without hiring a search firm or appointing a U committee to advise him, Coyle went out and nabbed one of the hottest and most sought after young coaches in college football. This has sent a strong signal to long suffering Gopher fans (as well as the rest of the Big 10) that Coyle is not going to settle for hiring coaches that successful programs don't want, and he is going to pay competitive salaries and do whatever else is necessary to attract top rung candidates for future coaching hires. If Fleck fails to establish a winning culture at the U there is zero doubt that Coyle will admit his mistake and replace him with the best football coach he can find at that time. That is how all of the top college athletic programs do it. They always try to hire the best available coach no matter how many times they fail. Those programs (and their fan bases) NEVER settle for mediocrity.

3. In 3 years nothing else Mark Coyle did in his first year will matter to anyone outside of GopherHole.
 

Would any AD not try to hire Fleck though? It's not like he identified Eric Murray. He was on the short list of high profile candidates left at that stage. Besides retreads he was really the only up and comer.

The U has a lot to offer: new facilities, Big Ten money and thus assistant salary pool (and competitive head coach salary), and a recent run of above expectations records. He saw a very talented roster he can win with right away. It's a testament to the work that came before that the applicant pool was broader than during the Kill hire (which turned out wonderfully). Can someone recap what happened with the Brew hire - any insider info on why? Was it just about money?
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Expecting someone in his position to have personal skills, talk about staff with class and handle crises with competence is not negativity. It's reality. Most acknowledge the Fleck hire was exciting.
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There are many people who don't think he messed up the suspension/investigation thing at all.
 

Ski U Master said:
There are many people who don't think he messed up the suspension/investigation thing at all.
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Because having a player boycott was what he wanted?
A leader minimizes turmoil as much as possible with great communication. That did not happen.
 

GFBfan said:
Because having a player boycott was what he wanted?
A leader minimizes turmoil as much as possible with great communication. That did not happen.
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The leader was the coach not the AD.
 

Johnnyboy18 said:
The leader was the coach not the AD.
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The coach was made to play that role. Which was a big part of the problem. The reigns should have been firmly seized by two people to address an issue "bigger than football".
 

GopherBulldog said:
The coach was made to play that role. Which was a big part of the problem. The reigns should have been firmly seized by two people to address an issue "bigger than football".
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No, the coach controls the football team. Claeys can do no wrong though!!
 



To be fair, the players blamed MC for the Boycott. They may know better than us on here.


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GopherBulldog said:
I think we've been watching different movies. Other than the football saga which he let spiral out of control, he's walked into the best situation a new AD has possibly experienced in the history of the University. Football and basketball programs on the upward trajectory. Several very strong women's programs. A $160MM facility which he had no part in helping develop or sell-thru. The largest checkbook to sign a new, hot coaching prospect that any AD at Minnesota has ever had. From what I can see as an Average Joe civilian, all the great things about the department, other than the PJF hire (which I will agree is a big plus), were well in motion before he got on campus. What is Coyle's vision? Who has he pissed off to go out of his way to make unpopular decisions for the benefit of the department? If you have some insider baseball on this, I'd love to hear it and will gladly change my opinion. But the two things that have thus far shaped his tenure is the positive hiring of PJF and the negative handling of the football situation. I wouldn't call that a dream AD. I'd call it an AD off to a fair start. But the jury is clearly still out on his ability to take the department to a new level.
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Coyle inherited a scandal ridden university that hasn't won anything of significance in the major sports in decades. The basketball team was on an upward trajectory? When Coyle was hired they were coming off an 8 win season where three players were suspended for the last several games of the year due to their sexual conduct. Kaler then repeatedly threw Pitino under the bus before introducing Coyle as the new AD. Kaler's treatment of Pitino was about as bad as Coyle threw Clayes under the bus for being unable to control his players.

They are spending more money now on things they should have been spending money on years ago. That's a step in the right direction, and Coyle has done a lot to help that in his first year. The University is in a better position than it has been, but they still have a long ways to go to be competitive at the highest level in the B1G.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Coyle inherited a scandal ridden university that hasn't won anything of significance in the major sports in decades. The basketball team was on an upward trajectory? When Coyle was hired they were coming off an 8 win season where three players were suspended for the last several games of the year due to their sexual conduct. Kaler then repeatedly threw Pitino under the bus before introducing Coyle as the new AD. Kaler's treatment of Pitino was about as bad as Coyle threw Clayes under the bus for being unable to control his players.

They are spending more money now on things they should have been spending money on years ago. That's a step in the right direction, and Coyle has done a lot to help that in his first year. The University is in a better position than it has been, but they still have a long ways to go to be competitive at the highest level in the B1G.
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I agree they have a ways to go. If you are giving Coyle credit for the basketball team's season, that's crazy. The University was spending the bulk of the money they are investing long before MC arrived. A guy currently employed by Rutgers deserves a bit of credit for that.
 

GopherBulldog said:
I agree they have a ways to go. If you are giving Coyle credit for the basketball team's season, that's crazy. The University was spending the bulk of the money they are investing long before MC arrived. A guy currently employed by Rutgers deserves a bit of credit for that.
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I'm not and I agree with Kill on the practice facility.

Pitino deserves the credit for the basketball team, but you don't think Coyle has had to smooth a few things over with him after the way Kaler publicly treated him?
 

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