Q & A with "U" president Bob Bruininks on the coaching search - 1500ESPN.com

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positively4thstreet

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Q & A with "U" president Bob Bruininks on the coaching search - 1500ESPN.com

http://1500espn.com/sportswire/QA_with_U_president_Bob_Bruininks_on_the_coaching_search110310

A good read. I thought this quote was bang on:

"Our goal is to find the very best coach we can possibly find and to rebuild the storied tradition that we have at the University of Minnesota. There is no reason why we can't turn this around. I think the big problem we have in Minnesota is that we've talked our selves into thinking we're going to be mediocre forever. That's a losers' view of the world and I don't think it fits the University of Minnesota. It certainly doesn't befit the great state we live in."
 

Unless something drastically changes, former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is not under consideration.
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Cue Gopherhole meltdown in 3 ... 2 ...
 


The interesting thing is that the University of Minnesota has actually won more national championships in football than any other university in the United States - six of them overall.
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Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt and USC would like a word with you.
 

I am very excited about Dan Mullen. We have to get the New Hampshire Mafia before they get us!
 


This may be the nail in the Leach coffin:

Does it eliminate a coach like Mike Leach, a guy who does have one of these blemishes, so to speak?

I don't want to comment on Coach Leach. I watched him masterfully lead his team to victory over the Gophers not too long ago. But I think we will be looking for people who have a solid record out there on the field and a solid record when it comes to the rules and the guidelines of the National Collegiate Athletics Association.
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Doesn't Leach have a solid on the field record. He may have made a poor judgement in dealing with a player as a human being but I think he also has solid record in terms of NCAA rules and guidelines. I don't see how that rules him out.
 

Silvio said:
Great Interview Doogie!
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I only get credit for setting it up... Schmit conducted the interview (I wrote the intro)... with you... think he did a solid job.
 




Good work by the am 1500 staff. Next time I will not skip straight to the questions.
 



positively4thstreet said:
This may be the nail in the Leach coffin:
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I have been one of the most pro-Leach people here, but I have said before that it isn't Leach per se that I like so much, what I like so much is this:

In a world where all we ever hear is 'Minnesota can't get Coach X', or 'Minnesota really needs to forget about "a" coaches and need to look for solid "B's"', we have a coach with a proven record of a decade of success both on the field and in the classroom, that openly wants this job. Not just success, but success like we haven't seen here since the hey day.

I will not be dissapointed if we don't hire Leach as long as we hire someone with equal credentials, and it sounds like that is what they are trying. Sumlin, and many others we are hearing, does not have equal credentials.
 



positively4thstreet said:
This may be the nail in the Leach coffin:
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I don't disagree that Leach may not be a frontrunner, but I think you're taking this quote out of context, particularly when you read BB's answer to the previous question:

What about a coach with a blemish somewhere in his background?
I would not be drawn to someone who has any kind of serious problems, particularly problems with academic credibility. I think that is not something that we will accept in our next coach. Ever body makes a mistake from time to time, but if there is a sort of pattern or record of skating near the edge I don't think those folks need to apply here at the University of Minnesota. There are often extenuating circumstances that explain an error or two and we will look at everything fairly...

And Leach does have a solid reputation as far as NCAA rules compliance and graduation rates.
 

No coach who has ever sued the school they worked for will ever be hired by the U. Take it to The Bank.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
No coach that has ever sued the school they worked for will ever be hired by the U. Take it to The Bank.
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Don't forget that the suit also names the chancellor, president, athletic director and the university counsel for the EEEO office.

You (in the generic sense) can argue that it was a smart legal strategy that anticipated Tech's claim of sovereign immunity, but it doesn't look good when you're on the vetting side of a candidate.
 

We need Leach more than he needs us, he is going to be laughing all the way to the bank when he wins his lawsuit, effectively clearing his name, and is coaching again.
 

ruralgopher said:
We need Leach more than he needs us, he is going to be laughing all the way to the bank when he wins his lawsuit, effectively clearing his name, and is coaching again.
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He is suing for breach of contract (everything else was tossed). The whole thing will hinge on whether or not his contract allows for him to be fired for cause. Remember that he was not fired until he went to court to get an injunction to keep TT from suspending him.
 

Gopher07 said:
Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt and USC would like a word with you.
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National poll championships (1936–present)
The following table contains the National Championships that have been recognized by the AP or Coaches' Poll. The BCS champion is automatically awarded the Coaches' Poll championship. Of the current 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS, formerly I-A Division) schools, only 30 have won at least a share of a national title. Of these 30 teams, only 18 teams have won multiple titles. Of the 18 teams, only seven have won five or more national titles: Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, Nebraska, Miami, and Ohio State. The years listed in the table below indicate a national championship selection by the AP or Coaches' Poll. The selections are noted with (AP) or (Coaches) when a national champion selection differed between the two polls for that particular season, which has occurred in eleven different seasons since the polls first came to coexist in 1950.

School Championships Seasons
Alabama 8 1961, 1964, 1965 (AP), 1973 (Coaches), 1978 (AP), 1979, 1992, 2009
Notre Dame 8 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973 (AP), 1977, 1988
Oklahoma 7 1950, 1955, 1956, 1974 (AP), 1975, 1985, 2000
USC 7 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974 (Coaches), 1978 (Coaches), 2003 (AP), 2004
Miami 5 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 (AP), 2001
Nebraska 5 1970 (AP), 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997 (Coaches)
Ohio State 5 1942, 1954 (AP), 1957 (Coaches), 1968, 2002
Minnesota 4 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960
Texas 4 1963, 1969, 1970 (Coaches), 2005
Florida 3 1996, 2006, 2008
LSU 3 1958, 2003 (Coaches), 2007
Army 2 1944, 1945
Florida State 2 1993, 1999
Michigan 2 1948, 1997 (AP)
Michigan State 2 1952, 1965 (Coaches)
Penn State 2 1982, 1986
Pittsburgh 2 1937, 1976
Tennessee 2 1951, 1998
Colorado 1 1990 (AP)
Georgia Tech 1 1990 (Coaches)
BYU 1 1984
Clemson 1 1981
Georgia 1 1980
Auburn 1 1957 (AP)
UCLA 1 1954 (Coaches)
Maryland 1 1953
Syracuse 1 1959
Texas A&M 1 1939
TCU 1 1938
Washington 1 1991 (Coaches)
 

ruralgopher said:
We need Leach more than he needs us, he is going to be laughing all the way to the bank when he wins his lawsuit, effectively clearing his name, and is coaching again.
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I think you missed my point. It's not about "clearing his name"--especially since his claim of defamation has been dismissed.

So even if you are willing to ignore that Leach made a student-athlete who was reporting concussion-like symptoms stand in the dark in an athletic shed (something I suspect the U will not be willing to do), Leach has shown a willingness to sue his employer. Note that he has every right to do what he thinks is right, but I believe that the combination likely eliminates him from consideration.

Simply put: I agree with UpnorthGo4's contention that Leach won't be hired by the U.
 

Of course he won't, he'd be the best hire so he's out. Belloti the next best, no chance at him either.

We'll settle for another mid-level hire that the idiots running the show have been convinced isn't a mid-level hire.
 

Man I don't know why some of you are so down so early in the process.
 

positively4thstreet said:
http://1500espn.com/sportswire/QA_with_U_president_Bob_Bruininks_on_the_coaching_search110310

A good read. I thought this quote was bang on:

"Our goal is to find the very best coach we can possibly find and to rebuild the storied tradition that we have at the University of Minnesota. There is no reason why we can't turn this around. I think the big problem we have in Minnesota is that we've talked our selves into thinking we're going to be mediocre forever. That's a losers' view of the world and I don't think it fits the University of Minnesota. It certainly doesn't befit the great state we live in."
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You nailed the quote. If we could rid the fanbase of people who like to talk people in to believing Minnesota can only be mediocre, we would be much better off.
 

Silvio said:
Doesn't Leach have a solid on the field record. He may have made a poor judgement in dealing with a player as a human being but I think he also has solid record in terms of NCAA rules and guidelines. I don't see how that rules him out.
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BINGO
Nothing anyone has ever said rules out Leach. Though I still don't think it is likely.
 

If I'm not mistaken, real early, I think Maturi said something about Leach would not be a candidate but I could be mistaken???
 


Oneoldgopher said:
Just out of curiousity, would you supply the years for each and the source.
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Just yanked these from Wikipedia, so the labels are a little weird.

Alabama:
1925, Football Annual, Billingsley, and Helms Athletic Foundation
1926, Billingsley and the Helms Athletic Foundation
1930, Davis Poll
1934, Dunkel, Houlgate, Williamson, and Football Thesaurus
1941, Houlgate Poll and Football Thesaurus
1961, AP and Coaches' Polls
1964, AP and Coaches' Polls
1965, AP Poll
1973, Coaches' Poll
1978, AP Poll
1979, AP and Coaches' Polls
1992, AP and Coaches' Polls
2009, AP and Coaches' Polls

Michigan:

Year Coach Selector Record Bowl
1901, Helms, Holgate, NCF
1902, Helms, Billingsley, Houlgate, Parke H. Davis, NCF
1903, Billingsley, NCF
1904, Billingsley, NCF
1918, Billingsley, NCF
1923, Billingsley, NCF
1932, Dickinson, Parke H. Davis
1933, Billingsley, Boand, Dickinson, Helms, Houlgate, CFRA, NCF, Parke H. Davis, Poling
1947, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, CFRA, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, NCF, Poling, Sagarin
1948, AP
1997, AP

Notre Dame:
1924, Helms, CFRA, NCF
1929, Helms, CFRA, NCF
1930, Helms, CFRA, NCF
1943, AP
1946, AP
1947, AP
1949, AP
1966, AP, Coaches
1973, AP
1977, AP, Coaches
1988, AP, Coaches

Ohio State
1942, AP
1954, FWAA, UPI, AP
1957, FWAA, UPI
1961, NFF, FWAA
1968, AP, UPI FWAA
1970, NFF
2002, AP, Coaches

Pitt
1915, Parke Davis
1916, Unanimous
1918, Unanimous
1929, Parke Davis
1931, Parke Davis
1934, Parke Davis
1936, Houlgate, Boand
1937 AP, Dunkel, Litkenhous, Williamson, Houlgate, Boand
1976, Unanimous

USC
1928, Dickinson
1931, Helms, CFRA, NCF
1932, Helms, CFRA, NCF
1939, Dickinson
1962, AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI
1967, AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI
1972, AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI
1974, FWAA, NFF, UPI
1978, UPI
2003, AP, FWAA
2004, AP, Coaches
 

And for reference:

Minnesota
1934, Billingsley, Boand, Dickinson, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation
1935, Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1936, AP, Billingsley, Dickinson, Dunkel, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1940, AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation
1941, AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1960, AP, FB News, NFF, UPI
 

littlebigboy said:
If I'm not mistaken, real early, I think Maturi said something about Leach would not be a candidate but I could be mistaken???
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I think both Maturi and Bruininks (sp) have been very careful not to mention of comment on names of potential coaches.
 

Gopher07 said:
And for reference:

Minnesota
1934, Billingsley, Boand, Dickinson, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation
1935, Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1936, AP, Billingsley, Dickinson, Dunkel, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1940, AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation
1941, AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling
1960, AP, FB News, NFF, UPI
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Billingsley also has us as the 1904 NC.

http://www.cfrc.com/Archives/NC_Year_2009.htm
 

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