Tony Dungy: This Saturday I’ll be attending my first Gopher game in quite some time.

BleedGopher

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Go Gophers!!
 

Maybe with a little advertising having Tony Dungee present might bring 500 more people to the game...

Also, HE should be the celebrity to Do The Gopher...
 

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't understand what this plaque signifies, or why coach Dungy is presenting it. It sounds like promotional mumbo-jumbo to me.
 

Looked it up and yes it's a Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance promotion-type thing.

Looks like it started in 2011 and is just getting to the UM/Minneapolis as Tony Dungee's "hometown football roots." Seems a bit of a stretch but I don't know Dungee's history very well. Here's a link for the program kickoff: http://www.profootballhof.com/news/hometown-hall-of-famers-program-launches/

Don't know where the plaque will end up...on TCF?...the Alumni Center?...or some other spot...?
 

Who is Tony Dungee?

Anyway, with Dungy on hand, Fleck will be fired at halftime and Tony will be the new head coach. Marc Trestman will be immediately installed as offensive coordinator. Pete Carroll will leave the Seahawks unexpectedly and will arrive by the beginning of the fourth quarter and be named defensive coordinator. Sid Hartman will die of a heart attack at game's end, going into the great beyond realizing his prayers were finally answered.

Seriously, great to have Dungy here for the game. Hope he sees a great Gopher win and somehow connects with Fleck.
 
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Idc who you are, just get on the boat and row. We’ll see where it takes us
 

first Gopher game in quite some time

Kinda underwhelming that this is for an NFL promotional thing..... Dungy seems like a great guy, it's just a weird way to phrase it so it sounds like "I couldn't come before now, but because there is a promotion I'll be there." I'm sure that isn't his intent at all ... but man.
 

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't understand what this plaque signifies, or why coach Dungy is presenting it. It sounds like promotional mumbo-jumbo to me.

It is special. So special that Minnesota is just the 120th university to receive the award. The remaining 20 universities will get their chance soon.
 

Agree with above - but getting Dungy on campus and giving Fleck a chance to hopefully meet with him and get him rowing would be a nice boon for our national perception.
 



It is special. So special that Minnesota is just the 120th university to receive the award. The remaining 20 universities will get their chance soon.

I thought the same thing but when I looked at it there are high schools. I believe it is 120 different schools and not necessarily college/universities.
 

It would be nice if Dungy took something of an ambassador role for the football program. Would create some nice exposure for the program and he also preaches a good message like PJ does. Would be cool if he spoke with the team.
 


It would be nice if Dungy took something of an ambassador role for the football program. Would create some nice exposure for the program and he also preaches a good message like PJ does. Would be cool if he spoke with the team.

IIRC years ago Sid said he was kinda irked that the U didn't listen to him during a coaching search or something.

Tony is a busy guy so maybe he is just busy a lot, but as far as I can tell he doesn't have much at all to do with the U.
 



IIRC years ago Sid said he was kinda irked that the U didn't listen to him during a coaching search or something.

Tony is a busy guy so maybe he is just busy a lot, but as far as I can tell he doesn't have much at all to do with the U.

That's what it seems to me as well. He doesn't seem to have a good connection with the U.
 

That's what it seems to me as well. He doesn't seem to have a good connection with the U.

I guarantee that there are a lot of students at the U who don't even know that Dungy played for the gophers. It certainly doesn't seem as though Dungy has any interest in having any connection with the U. But, that could also be the U not making any attempt to connect with Dungy, as well. Who knows? It is a shame to have such a high profile person who has direct roots to the U be a ghost.
 

That's what it seems to me as well. He doesn't seem to have a good connection with the U.

Seems like Coach Kill had him talk to the team prior to a season a few years back. Has PJ done that yet?


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I guarantee that there are a lot of students at the U who don't even know that Dungy played for the gophers. It certainly doesn't seem as though Dungy has any interest in having any connection with the U. But, that could also be the U not making any attempt to connect with Dungy, as well. Who knows? It is a shame to have such a high profile person who has direct roots to the U be a ghost.

the vast majority im willing to bet
 

I guarantee that there are a lot of students at the U who don't even know that Dungy played for the gophers. It certainly doesn't seem as though Dungy has any interest in having any connection with the U. But, that could also be the U not making any attempt to connect with Dungy, as well. Who knows? It is a shame to have such a high profile person who has direct roots to the U be a ghost.

Perhaps they should look at https://gophersports.com/news/2018/...reat-tony-dungy-to-attend-saturdays-game.aspx It's not that hard to find.
 

That's what it seems to me as well. He doesn't seem to have a good connection with the U.

I think some people move on. Every so often I see him on TV, Newspaper, Twitter, etc wearing a Gopher hat. I don't think it is necessarily a bad connection but just isn't a priority in his life to represent the U at every chance possible and that is ok. Some people are more connected to their colleges than others. He doesn't owe the university to be meet every team and attend alumni functions regularly. Now, it would be cool if he did that, but such is life.

I think most students that are sports fans at the U know Tony Dungy went to the U. I feel like it is one of those trivia questions that everyone knows the answer to.
 

I think some people move on. Every so often I see him on TV, Newspaper, Twitter, etc wearing a Gopher hat. I don't think it is necessarily a bad connection but just isn't a priority in his life to represent the U at every chance possible and that is ok. Some people are more connected to their colleges than others. He doesn't owe the university to be meet every team and attend alumni functions regularly. Now, it would be cool if he did that, but such is life.

I think most students that are sports fans at the U know Tony Dungy went to the U. I feel like it is one of those trivia questions that everyone knows the answer to.

Yep, I agree. I don't think he's dislikes the U or anything, he just doesn't have the connection some alumni do.
 

I think some people move on. Every so often I see him on TV, Newspaper, Twitter, etc wearing a Gopher hat. I don't think it is necessarily a bad connection but just isn't a priority in his life to represent the U at every chance possible and that is ok. Some people are more connected to their colleges than others. He doesn't owe the university to be meet every team and attend alumni functions regularly. Now, it would be cool if he did that, but such is life.

I think most students that are sports fans at the U know Tony Dungy went to the U. I feel like it is one of those trivia questions that everyone knows the answer to.

Based on student attendance at fb games, that number is not very large.
 

Based on student attendance at fb games, that number is not very large.

IMO, Student attendance has been pretty solid. They don't always make it to the end of the game but there has been pretty good attendance in the student section since beginning of 2015 through now. I missed the Fresno game this year but the opener was packed in the student section.
 


Student attendance is significantly better than the rest of the stadium


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So what do people think the % of seats are filled in the student section?

I'd say it is less than 50% by the 4th in many games....
 

tbf; Most students at the University have never heard of Tony Dungy in the first place.
College freshman were 8 years old the last time he coached.
The only thing he would be to them is the guy that comes on after Sunday night football.
 

So what do people think the % of seats are filled in the student section?

I'd say it is less than 50% by the 4th in many games....

Good luck holding any millennial's attention that long. And I'm saying this as a die hard Gopher fan and, unfortunately, a millennial. My wife and I stay to the end of games. But college football games are long and they're suffering the same fate as the MLB with my generation. My generation doesn't have the patience to be at a sporting event that long, especially if the product on the field isn't delivering in big moments. Students at the U right now would much rather be back at the frat/dorm/apt. throwing down shots and silver bullets.
 

So what do people think the % of seats are filled in the student section?

I'd say it is less than 50% by the 4th in many games....

It’s not as good as it should be but also more than you think. The lower deck students are really packed in. There might by easily 20% more there than seats available.
 

Yep, I agree. I don't think he's dislikes the U or anything, he just doesn't have the connection some alumni do.

I don’t think he dislikes the U. But when he was asked about applying for the HC after Kill, he wasn’t complimentary about the football program. As such, I could care less about seeing him at the game.
 

One thing I'd note is the Dungy came out of his UM experience as the Administration, Athletic Department, and faculty moved to de-emphasize the importance of revenue sports at this institution...which ultimately culminated in abandoning the on-campus stadium and moving do the Dome.

What I don't know is whether there was some outreach while Coach Holtz was here for his very limited stint. Still, it was not until President Yudof that the University President started to give the football program some attention again.

By the time we did get on the right track...which started in the Mason era...Coach Dungy was very much separated from the University of Minnesota.

I don't hold it against him. It's just the way it is...and am glad he'll be back to see the new digs.
 

Tony Dungy was somewhat visible back when the President Robert B. was trying to get the legislature to approve the stadium plan, and he may have been involved in TCF Bank Stadium fundraising as well.
 




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