BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 60,767
- Reaction score
- 16,165
- Points
- 113
per Sid:
The Gophers’ historic turnaround was cemented this past week when they finished the 2019 season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press football poll, their highest ranking since 1962.
When the history of Gophers football is written, you will not be able pass up the fact that only three years ago, this program was in its worst straits ever when P.J. Fleck took over as coach.
The Gophers had fired coach Tracy Claeys on Jan. 3, 2017, even though he had just won a bowl game, beating Washington State 17-12 in the Holiday Bowl.
The headline in the Star Tribune Sports section that day read “Firing and Firestorm,” and it told the whole story.
Claeys had been let go following the suspension of 10 players — Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, Seth Green, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson, Tamarion Johnson, Kobe McCrary, Antonio Shenault, Mark Williams and Antoine Winfield Jr. — but the remaining players on the roster had revolted over that decision.
They held a players-only news conference, and several key members of the team were getting ready to leave the club because they were so upset about how the school had handled the suspensions and firing.
Eventually, several players would be reinstated and have their suspensions lifted, but Winfield was so upset by the suspension, as was his father, that he was minutes away from leaving the program.
The Gophers were a national story for all the wrong reasons.
In several ways, it’s easy to say it was one of the lowest points for any major college football program.
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle had just been hired, and he told the Star Tribune at the time that he felt like he had no choice when it came to the Claeys decision.
“When I was hired six months ago, I committed to everyone that we would have a program that competed at the highest level academically, athletically and socially,” Coyle said. “With that as my foundation, I thought it was in the best long-term interest of our football program to make this change now.”
But even though the program made that decision, all signs were that it was going to set the football team back in terms of being able to recruit players and keep the team together.
www.startribune.com
Go Gopehrs!!
The Gophers’ historic turnaround was cemented this past week when they finished the 2019 season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press football poll, their highest ranking since 1962.
When the history of Gophers football is written, you will not be able pass up the fact that only three years ago, this program was in its worst straits ever when P.J. Fleck took over as coach.
The Gophers had fired coach Tracy Claeys on Jan. 3, 2017, even though he had just won a bowl game, beating Washington State 17-12 in the Holiday Bowl.
The headline in the Star Tribune Sports section that day read “Firing and Firestorm,” and it told the whole story.
Claeys had been let go following the suspension of 10 players — Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, Seth Green, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson, Tamarion Johnson, Kobe McCrary, Antonio Shenault, Mark Williams and Antoine Winfield Jr. — but the remaining players on the roster had revolted over that decision.
They held a players-only news conference, and several key members of the team were getting ready to leave the club because they were so upset about how the school had handled the suspensions and firing.
Eventually, several players would be reinstated and have their suspensions lifted, but Winfield was so upset by the suspension, as was his father, that he was minutes away from leaving the program.
The Gophers were a national story for all the wrong reasons.
In several ways, it’s easy to say it was one of the lowest points for any major college football program.
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle had just been hired, and he told the Star Tribune at the time that he felt like he had no choice when it came to the Claeys decision.
“When I was hired six months ago, I committed to everyone that we would have a program that competed at the highest level academically, athletically and socially,” Coyle said. “With that as my foundation, I thought it was in the best long-term interest of our football program to make this change now.”
But even though the program made that decision, all signs were that it was going to set the football team back in terms of being able to recruit players and keep the team together.
P.J. Fleck engineered historic Gophers turnaround
When the history of Gophers football is written, you will not be able pass up the fact that only three years ago, this program was in its worst straits ever when P.J. Fleck took over as coach.
www.startribune.com
Go Gopehrs!!
