What would happen if the gophers got good?

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I'd drink a lot more beers in celebration instead of woe.
 

popeyoung5 said:
If college gameday was at TCF it would be due to a big game and winning, of course it would be full. As to the Illinois game, I was there and flew from So. Cal. to be there. Where were all the locals? The students had a 4 day weekend, like all other big ten home games that Saturday, student attendance was and always will be way down for the 4 day weekend break.
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True. But if I had to guess, there were 200-300 students in attendance. I understand if the student section is half full over Thanksgiving, but 200-300 students?
 

josh087 said:
Sorry - but none of this will still happen as long as the NFL is still in town. Do you realize how big and popular the NFL machine is?
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"Big" can be toppled. The Vikings have had nothing to compete against. Case in point. We attended a Christmas party which was attended by people from there
late 20's to early 70's. Sitting around after a big buffet the the coversation turned to sports, with even the women chiming in. The guy/wife hosting the party asked what sport venue would you like to attend of these choices in which a Minnesota team was involved.
Super Bowl
World Series
NHL Stanley Cup
NBA Finals
Final 4
Frozen 4
Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl won hands down with about 25 couples commenting. Other than myself and 2 other couples. None had attended the U. So don't tell me " none of this will happen"
 

If the Gophers really were a good team......

Pat Reusse would write columns about - "yea, but I remember when the Gophers stunk."

I hate to sound cynical, but if the Gophs started winning 8-9 games on a regular basis, then the gripers would start complaining that the Gophs weren't winning 10-11 games or contending for a national title. We'd be right back in the Mason era - with Reusse and others talking about how "the Gophs can go to a minor bowl game, but they can't contend for the B1G title or a major BCS bowl game."

And if anyone complained about the negative media coverage, we would be told that we are "satisfied with mediocrity."

I hope I'm wrong - but until I see it, I have a hard time believing that this market can really turn into a college FB hotbed. For Sid's sake, though, I'd love to see the Gophs make it back to the Rose Bowl in his lifetime.
 

The best thing the program can do is motivate students, and the 25-35 young alumni crowd to start making Saturdays in the fall an event. Closing off University and having a massive tailgate would make too much sense for the administration to do anything like it though. It has to start with the students though, they SHOULD be the loudest, rowdiest, and most dedicated fans. What else do you have to do on a Saturday morning other than wake up and drink? If you can go and drink with thousands of your friends why wouldn't you? Also we need young alumni buying season tickets and giving energy to the main crowd. Having people get loud on 3rd downs even if they are mid-field or not in a crucial situation is a big edge.

I don't buy the argument that big cities with pro-sports can't produce good atmospheres. There are plenty of schools in bigger cities than Minneapolis that constantly draw, and people drive hours to go to some remote college towns for games too so a 30 minute drive crosstown shouldn't be an issue. It comes down to perception, the state need to see the Gophers as Minnesota's team and make it a big deal even when they are losing. Unfortunately a lot of Minnesota sports teams are victims of fairweather fans and the Gophers are no exception.
 


Breakin' The Plane said:
one of my favorite things in life right now is having a few too many beers on a sunny Saturday afternoon down by the river and walking through campus on the way to TCF.
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I'd do a lot of chanting "where were you when we were sh!t"
 

short ornery norwegian said:
We'd be right back in the Mason era - with Reusse and others talking about how "the Gophs can go to a minor bowl game, but they can't contend for the B1G title or a major BCS bowl game."
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Except that over time it would mean more than the Mason era b/c the 4 cupcake NC schedule would be gone. Also worth noting, if we're winning 8 or 9 games a season while consistently keeping rivalry trophies around I think you'd also see a change in mood.
 





I would equate it with the year Musselman turned Williams Arena into a mad house and they filled up the hockey arena side with closed circuit TV. It became an event to go to a Gopher bb game. The same almost happened with Holtz. You wonder about the difference an AD can make. We could have kept Holtz. We could have signed Wooden and Wilkinson, but the ADs screwed up
 


popeyoung5 said:
Until the other 85% of the stadium is full, the only people calling out the student section should only be other students.
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Thank you.

Win like we did in 2003, but with more consistency, and those kids will be there. Just like another poster said like the Air Force game. I can't imagine being a student and NOT going to every home football game and a ton of hockey/basketball games, but I can see how many of the kids now days don't go.
 



I agree with most that students and young alumni/fans are the key.

My family have always been big sports fans. But growing up I mainly followed the Vikings, Twins, and Gopher basketball. Once I went to college (not the U) my interest in Gopher football increased and has ever since. I'm 31 now and totally hooked. I'm still a big Vikings fan but nothing compares to going out to TCF Bank Stadium in my opinion. Certainly it sucks when we are losing a bunch of games. But being outside and on campus in the fall is so much fun. Even when we lose, there's still no place I'd rather be on a Saturday afternoon. I wish I lived closer so I could attend more games.

I took my dad to the Michigan St. game a few years ago. Even though he hadn't followed the Gophers that much, he had a blast. He's not nearly the "phanatic" I am but since then he has paid attention a lot more. My bachelor party will be this fall and I plan on getting 10 or so of my friends to come to a game to show them how much fun it is.
 

Almost all seats would go premium big time (ugh). What I hope wouldn't happen is that the faithful (us) would not be unhappy with 8 and 9-win seasons because we don't have 10 and 11-win seasons.
 

I'd be swiping my credit card for January bowl games like MAD! Been fortunate enough to have my freshman year in 1999, the year we started bowling again....but never EVER in January! Still waiting....
 

I think a lot of the so called "problems" that many fans see with the program (fan support, student, support, gameday atmosphere, etc) would disappear. The fact is that Gopher football has not been a good product for more than a generation. If the product improves, there will be more excitement/interest associated with the product.
 

The fundraising would be so much easier and the new AD would have a field day raising $$.
 




Halsey Hall said:
I would equate it with the year Musselman turned Williams Arena into a mad house and they filled up the hockey arena side with closed circuit TV. It became an event to go to a Gopher bb game. The same almost happened with Holtz. You wonder about the difference an AD can make. We could have kept Holtz. We could have signed Wooden and Wilkinson, but the ADs screwed up
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When Notre Dame came calling, nothing any AD could do would've stopped him from going there. It was his dream job.

And it was a snow storm taking down the phone lines that stopped Wooden from coming here (along with Wooden not wanting to go back on his word when he accepted the position at UCLA).
 


Rosemountian said:
There have been a few random years the team has been good (99,03)
Other than those two gopher football has been nothing better than average since the mid 70s.


How would life in Minnesota change if Minnesota went on a 5-7 year streak of winning 8+ every year and averaging better than 9 in that period?
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Are you finally coming around and warming up to Coach Kill?
 

They would be able to recruit better than any conference team not named Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State.
 


I'm talkin' about a place where the beer flows like wine. Where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. I'm talkin' about a little place called TCF Bank Stadium.
 

"It's lame the rest of the stadium isn't filled too, but our student section isn't much better than the Metrodome days, and that's pathetic"

Bob was incorrect about the Metdome student section.

In 2003 through 2006 the Student Section at the Metrodome was close to 11K, and the problem was that they tended to leave early. When they were there it was loud down there. 2002 wasn't too bad either.

The Washington Ave. tailgating was the only good thing abou the Metrodome I miss, and that went away by about 2004 anyway.
 

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