Great Plains Gopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2008
- Messages
- 6,328
- Reaction score
- 844
- Points
- 113
The best percentage winning record for any coach since Bierman retired in 1950 is...Tracy Claeys. Officially he's 11-8 (.578). But it gets better if you look at the losses - in 2015 three close losses to teams that finished in the top 12 (Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan) plus a loss to Wisconsin, which finished 21st in final polls. In 2016, a very close loss to top ten finisher Penn State and to top ten Wisconsin, in which the Gophers were tied going into the final quarter, plus close losses to Nebraska and Iowa, both of which were ranked much of the season. Those are the eight losses. Compare to Wacker, Salem, Brewster, etc.
Also, I seem to remember that Claeys coached a few winning games from the sidelines when Kill was in the press box due to illness - Nebraska, 2013? That would make Claeys 12 or 13-8 against very tough competition. Nineteen games, officially, are not a lot, but Wes Fesler coached only 27 over three seasons.
Claeys was a good football coach, but I've heard nothing about him being hired anywhere for next year. Ideally, he and Kill would both be at Kansas.
Also, I seem to remember that Claeys coached a few winning games from the sidelines when Kill was in the press box due to illness - Nebraska, 2013? That would make Claeys 12 or 13-8 against very tough competition. Nineteen games, officially, are not a lot, but Wes Fesler coached only 27 over three seasons.
Claeys was a good football coach, but I've heard nothing about him being hired anywhere for next year. Ideally, he and Kill would both be at Kansas.