Where Are They Now?
Dutcher came to The U in August of 1975 after Coach Bill Musselman bolted for San Diego Sails of the ABA, and inherited a program clouded in controversy. After six years as a head coach at Eastern Michigan and three seasons as the lead assistant under Johnny Orr at Michigan, Dutcher took over the Gopher program that was on the verge of a multiple post-season ban and loss of half the scholarships due to probation under Musselman.
With only six scholarship players and six walk-ons on the roster, Dutcher guided the 1975-76 Gophers to a 16-10 record overall, including a thrilling 77-73 win over #2 ranked Marquette at The Barn.
But it was Dutcher’s second season that most Gopher fans will never forget. Led by a loaded starting line-up that included the nation’s best player, Mychal Thompson, future NBA hall of famer Kevin McHale, future New York Knick captain Ray Williams, future Harlem Globetrotter Osborne Lockhart and future NBA coach Flip Saunders, the Gophers finished an amazing 24-3, including a seven point win at Marquette, who later went on to win the national championship. Due to the sanctions put on the program under the Musselman regime, the Gophers were prohibited from postseason play.
As the Gophers came off of probation and received their full allotment of scholarships, Dutcher and his staff went out and recruited the nations number one recruiting class which included Tucker, Leo Rautins, Mitchell, Brian Pederson and Mark Hall. By the time these guys were seniors, Dutcher had built one of the Big Ten’s best teams heading into the 1981-82 season.
Although Iowa was the preseason favorite to win the conference, the Gophers had a very solid team with great senior leadership and the conferences best center in Breuer. This Gopher team finished 23-6 and 14-4 in Big Ten play, giving Minnesota its first Big Ten title since 1972, and was highlighted with a thrilling 3OT win at Iowa and a conference clinching win over Ohio State in the last regular season game of the year.
Dutcher left the Gopher program (and coaching all together) in the middle of the 1985-86 season amid a scandal involving three Gopher players in an off the court incident. But Dutcher’s legacy is firmly in place in Minneapolis ““ he finished with 190 career wins as a Gopher, was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and coached some of the programs all time greats and NBA players including: Thompson, McHale, Breuer, Tucker, Williams, Lockhart, Saunders and Jim Petersen.
Following his coaching career, Dutcher kept his residence in Minnesota and became senior vice president at Dain Rauscher and remained affiliated with Gopher basketball as a color analyst for television broadcasts, a duty he still maintains today.
Dutcher recently spent time with GopherHole discussing what attracted him to the Gopher job, coaching legends such as Thompson, McHale and Tucker, winning the 1982 Big Ten Championship and his excitement about the upcoming reunion.
GH.com: What initially interested you in the Minnesota job?
Coach Dutcher: Coaching at Eastern Michigan and certainly as an assistant at Michigan, I was obviously very familiar with the Gopher program. They were always known for having great facilities and incredible fan support and when Paul Giel offered the opportunity to coach the program, I jumped at it.
GH.com: When you took over the program there were some lingering NCAA penalties ““ how did you and the coaching staff deal with that?
Coach Dutcher: We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but we also knew that the only way to truly get over the sanctions was to work that much harder. And that meant working that much harder in every facet of the program ““ recruiting, game preparation, practicing harder and so on. We had to create a mindset within the program that didn’t focus on the penalties. But we inherited a program that was ultimately stripped of half of the scholarships that most teams had and multiple postseason ban. The big thing was the scholarships as the first year at Minnesota we had only six scholarship players and six walk-on players.
GH.com: Many Gopher fans consider the 1976-77 season as the best Gopher team of all time. What do you remember about that year?
Coach Dutcher: That team was fantastic. We had a lot of talent and a very hard working group. We were obviously led by Mychal Thompson who did everything for us. We beat Marquette that year who later went on to win the national championship, and many analysts and coaches believed that we would have had a very good shot to win it all had we not been on probation.
GH.com: Once the sanctions were over you recruited the nation’s best class. What was so intriguing for in-coming high school recruits?
Coach Dutcher: The one thing we had to offer was playing time. Since we had so few scholarship players, by the time we had our full allotment, there was an opportunity for high school kids to get a lot of quality minutes early in their career. We also offered a great university and incredible fan base that was so loud. And Jimmy Williams was a great recruiter. He really did a nice job. An interesting note about that class that was rated number one in the nation was that we originally signed Kevin Stallings who is the head coach at Vanderbilt. He signed with us, but when we added guys like Trent Tucker and Darryl Mitchell, Kevin came to me and asked to be released of his letter of intent and eventually played at Purdue.
GH.com: Looking back over your Gopher career, what wins stick out more than others?
Coach Dutcher: There are quite a few memorable victories. The first one was in my first year at Minnesota, we beat a Marquette team at home by four points. They were ranked #2 in the country at the time and it was a game that proved to the fans and players that our program was on the right track. That was an important win for us. Then the following year was the game where we beat Marquette in Milwaukee and they later went on to win the national championship.
Then of course the 3OT win at Iowa in 1982. The great thing about that game was that was the last game ever at Iowa’s old facility and they had the crowd in a frenzy. Before the game they handed out pom-poms and all of this memorabilia to the fans to commemorate the last game, and we went in there and snuck out a win. Well, the next season was their first year in Carver Hawkeye Arena and they had their official dedication of the new arena game against us as well. They were again all fired up and wanted revenge and we once again beat them by two points.
GH.com: Looking back at the 1981-82 season, did you know that the Gophers could win the Big Ten?
Coach Dutcher: Iowa was the preseason favorite that season, but we knew we had a very talented senior class and the Big Ten’s best center in Randy Breuer. That senior class was very special as they worked so hard for four years and were really dedicated on and off the court. As the season got underway I think we all realized that it had the potential to be something special.
GH.com: What are you looking forward to for the 25 Year Reunion?
Coach Dutcher: I have never been the type of guy that looks back a lot or lives in the glory years of sports, but it is nice to take a weekend like this and relive some old memories and enjoy seeing all of the coaches and players. But what I am most looking forward to is celebrating what wonderful men these guys have developed in to. We have guys on this team that have become lawyers, community leaders, basketball coaches at various levels, business leaders and great family men. As a coach, that is what makes me the happiest, and that is what I look forward to celebrating.
GH.com: Who was the best player you ever coached?
Coach Dutcher: The best player I ever coached was George Gervin at Eastern Michigan. But the best Gopher player I coached was Mychal Thompson. He had it all.
GH.com: How would Trent Tucker had done in college if there was a three-point line when he played?
Coach Dutcher: Oh gosh, he would have set records that probably would have never been broken. Trent was such a natural shooter and worked so hard to improve on a shot that was already one of the best in the nation. Trent had a nice NBA career, but it has been even more fun watching him give back to the community like he does with his charitable work.
GH.com: When you had Flip as a player and then again as an assistant coach, did you ever envision that Flip would have the type of coaching career that he is having?
Coach Dutcher: It was obvious from day one that Flip wanted to coach and would be a great coach. He has so many intangibles that a good coach needs and he is truly a student of the game. It has been fun to watch his career develop.
GH.com: What former Gopher players or coaches do you most keep in contact with?
Coach Dutcher: I talk to quite a few guys who played for me or coached with me, but the guys I talk with most frequently are Trent Tucker, Randy Breuer, Flip Saunders, Jessie Evans who is the head coach at San Francisco and Stu Starner who was the head coach Montana State and now works for the Texas A&M athletic department.
GH.com: Have you talked with Mitch Lee, Kevin Smith or George Williams through the years?
Coach Dutcher: Yes I have. I talked to George not too long ago and I run in to Kevin at some games around the area. It’s been a few years since I talked to Mitch, but I try to keep in touch with most of my former players.
GH.com: When you left The U, did you ever want to get back in to coaching?
Coach Dutcher: When I finished at Minnesota I was ready to be done and start a new career. I ended up having a very fulfilling second career with Dain Rauscher and I was fortunate to have that and spend time with my family.
GH.com: Speaking of your family, your son Brian, has followed your footsteps into coaching. Was thins something he always wanted to do?
Coach Dutcher: Oh yes, Brian loved basketball from such an early age and always hung around the gym when I was coaching during practice. He has had a very nice career first at Michigan and now at San Diego State.
GH.com: Does he express interest in ever coaching in Minnesota?
Coach Dutcher: I think under the right circumstances that is something he would be very interested in, but right now he enjoys coaching and learning from Steve Fischer and they are doing great things in San Diego. But Minnesota is home to him, it is his alma mater and we have a lot of family here.
GH.com: How have you enjoyed the transition to working as a game analyst for the Gophers?
Coach Dutcher: It’s fun, but to be honest, it was more fun the first few years when the conference had a number of coaches who I coached against. But it certainly adds a whole new side of the game that I didn’t come in direct contact with as a coach. It’s a different type of challenge.
GH.com: What will it take for the Gophers to turn around the program so we can match what the 1982 team did?
Coach Dutcher: It’s all about recruiting. The nice thing with basketball is that one good recruiting class can turn the entire program around. We need guys who are committed to the Gopher program and who can compete athletically at the Big Ten level. We also need to fill The Barn again and make it the type of atmosphere that teams fear. But it all goes back to recruiting.
GH.com: What does it mean to you to be such an important part of Gopher basketball history?
Coach Dutcher: I don’t know if I can claim that sort of praise, but I will say this: the University of Minnesota is such a great institution. From an academic and athletic stand point, it offers so much. I always say that no player or coach is bigger than the institution. Coaches and players come and go but the school and program will always be here. I am honored to be a small part of that.
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