mason out at MN

[huskerhaze]

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_ylt=An...p&type=lgns

 

Mason fired as Minnesota coach

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer

December 31, 2006

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Critics of college football's bloated bowl system say it's too easy to qualify for postseason play and only a handful of the games actually mean something.

 

Tell that to Glen Mason.

 

Minnesota fired Mason on Sunday, two days after the Gophers blew a 31-point third quarter lead against Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl and exactly one year after signing a four-year contract extension.

 

"If we had not lost the way we had lost, we probably wouldn't be here today," athletic director Joel Maturi said.

 

Mason was 64-57 in 10 years at Minnesota and led the Gophers to seven bowl games. But he was just 3-4 in those games, with his latest loss proving to be the backbreaker despite the lengthy contract extension.

 

The Gophers led the Red Raiders 38-7 in the third quarter on Friday before Tech orchestrated the biggest comeback in bowl history. The 44-41 loss dropped the Gophers to 6-7 for the season, the first time they have finished under .500 in five years.

 

Maturi said he received plenty of e-mails from angry fans and alumni after the historic collapse in Arizona, two months after chants of "Fire Mason!" started springing up at home in the Metrodome.

 

"I try not to let any influence like that make any significant difference, but at the same time, I'm sure those kinds of things are involved in what is the long-term future of Gopher football," Maturi said. "And how positive can it be? Are students going to be behind us? Are fans going to be behind us? Are we going to have the energy that's necessary that we would like to move forward."

 

Way too many questions for him.

 

Maturi met with school president Robert Bruininks on Saturday and said he asked Bruininks "to support my decision to make a football change."

 

Mason was not present at the press conference on Sunday, but issued a statement that said he was given "no specific explanation" for his firing during a phone call from Maturi.

 

"Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed, however I respect the decision of my superiors, Mr. Joel Maturi and president Robert Bruininks," Mason said.

 

For the second time in just over a month, the university will be forced to buy out the contract of a high-profile coach. Men's basketball coach Dan Monson was ousted on Nov. 30, just seven games into the season.

 

Mason was being paid $1.65 million annually and it will cost the university close to $4 million to buy him out.

 

Mason came to the Twin Cities from Kansas in 1997 and took over a Big Ten doormat that hadn't had a winning season in seven years.

 

The Gophers made several strides under Mason, emerging as one of the premier rushing offenses in the nation with stars such as Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney carrying the ball.

 

Minnesota beat Michigan in Ann Arbor for the first time in 20 years last season and also had big victories at Ohio State and at Penn State during his tenure.

 

The improvements helped the university gain approval for a new outdoor football stadium that will open in 2009 and finally get the Gophers out of the dingy Metrodome and back on campus.

 

But the Gophers never were able to build on that success and become a legitimate Big Ten contender, and fans grew weary of heartbreaking losses in big games.

 

Perhaps Mason's toughest loss came in October 2003, when the 6-0 Gophers hosted Michigan and led 28-7 in the second half. But the Wolverines stormed back to win 38-35, and the Gophers folded down the stretch.

 

Minnesota also blew a 24-0 lead in the 2000 Micronpc.com Bowl before losing to North Carolina State 38-30 and lost to Wisconsin last year when punter Justin Kucek dropped a snap in the end zone that the Badgers recovered for a touchdown in the final minutes.

 

And so Mason's legacy at Minnesota will be defined not by the improvements made on offense and in recruiting, but instead by missed opportunities and a 3-15 career record against Michigan and Wisconsin, two of the school's three biggest rivals.

 

"I felt we needed a new voice, a new vision and new leadership to bring a football championship to the University of Minnesota," Maturi said.

 

He will have to move fast. National signing day is just over a month away, making this a prime time for recruiting.

 

"It will certainly make us hurry the search, but I don't want to do it so quickly that we don't hire the best long-term fit for the University of Minnesota," Maturi said.

[Touchdown Tommie]

This guy should have been fired last year....if not the year before. He is a complete tool. He coudln't keep the MN recruits to play at the U, he was happy with making the Insight Bowl, the Music City Bowl, and PC.com bowl year after year.

The Gophers have fired their head basketball coach and now their head football coach in the past month and a half.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

Not surprising after the bowl game...........

[AV Red]

This guy should have been fired last year....if not the year before. He is a complete tool. He coudln't keep the MN recruits to play at the U, he was happy with making the Insight Bowl, the Music City Bowl, and PC.com bowl year after year.

The Gophers have fired their head basketball coach and now their head football coach in the past month and a half.

 

Tommie: was this announced before or after Dan Barriero's Sunday Sermon show? I didn't get a chance to listen to it, but I bet Dan went on the rant-of-all-rants this weekend. He loved to pound Mason.

[Silent Commit]

This guy should have been fired last year....if not the year before. He is a complete tool. He coudln't keep the MN recruits to play at the U, he was happy with making the Insight Bowl, the Music City Bowl, and PC.com bowl year after year.

 

I completely disagree. Mason is hell of a coach and the Gophers are idiots for firing him. Remember that, before he had taken the reins, the Gophers were an embarrassment to college football. They had a huge dry spell of even making it to bowl games. Mason turned the Gophers into a respectable team....not great...but, at least, somewhat competitive. The problem with Minnesota is that the Gophs play in the Metrodome. There is no college atmosphere at the games or student traditions since they torn-down the brick house. Finally, the State of Minnesota is wising-up and building a stadium on the campus. It's almost impossible for Minnesota to get recruits from southern states because it is so damn cold on campus (I know...I went to U of M). This firing is a real poor decision. Mason will go elsewhere and succeed. You can count on it!

[strigori]

Mason only had 2 winning records, and 2 .500 records, in big 10 play over the 10 year span. The only reason there were any winning records there was the very soft, KSU style, non-conference schedual.

 

Weather is a cop-out. NU gets players from florida and texas, always has.

 

The question really is, who can they get to replace him. A mid to low range big 10 school isnt exactly a hot job.

[AV Red]

I see in today's Strib that Sid is calling for the hiring of Frank Solich.

 

On another note: I don't see how building a 50,000 seat on-campus stadium is going to solve the Gopher's football problems. That capacity will put the Gophers in 10th place in Big 10 capacity (in front of only Northwestern). If attracting southern football talent is a concern I would think playing inside would help recruiting and not hurt recruiting.

[strigori]

weather is very over rated in recruiting. If it was a major factor Ohio state and Mich wouldnt get top recruits. Besides, if the player wants a shot for the NFL, what happens if he gets drafted by green bay, chicago or any of the other cold weather teams? The campus being cold is a cop-out in recruiting, just another excuse for not getting players in.

[Silent Commit]

Mason only had 2 winning records, and 2 .500 records, in big 10 play over the 10 year span. The only reason there were any winning records there was the very soft, KSU style, non-conference schedual.

 

I know that you are separating Mason's big 10 record from the overall record....and it distorts his accomplishments. He is 64-57 has Gophers head coach. Not a remarkable record, but for a Gophers coach, it's pretty damn decent. Now you take his record against any other Gopher coach for the past 40 years and tell me who has done a better job. Out of the past ten years, he has taken the Gophs to 7 bowl games. Before that...the Gophers had gone to a TOTAL of FOUR bowls games since 1946 when the Big Ten permitted teams to play in bowl games. Heck, Mason was the only Goph coach to get the Gophs to win 8 games (1999, 2002, 2003) SINCE 1967 (a span of 30 years).

 

And, I disagree. The cold weather on campus is crueling. If you're telling me that a recruit from the southern states is not influenced in his decision by the weather he'll play in, then you, my friend, seem to be blinded to common sense.

 

Also, why do you think that they are finally building a stadium on campus?....because of the realization that it was a mistake to not replace the brick house (Memorial Stadium) with a stadium on campus. Playing in the dome - away from campus and the student life- hurt the Gophs. It makes no difference that the stadium only holds 50,000. Bringing the stadium back to campus was the best thing to happen to their football program (besides the hiring of Mason) for a long time. It is time to get the seats full. I'd rather have 40,000 attend a game in a stadium that seats 50,000 than 80,000.

 

Glen Mason was a good coach in Kansas and Minnesota. Minnesota was lucky to get him for a coach.

[Touchdown Tommie]

This guy should have been fired last year....if not the year before. He is a complete tool. He coudln't keep the MN recruits to play at the U, he was happy with making the Insight Bowl, the Music City Bowl, and PC.com bowl year after year.

 

I completely disagree. Mason is hell of a coach and the Gophers are idiots for firing him. Remember that, before he had taken the reins, the Gophers were an embarrassment to college football. They had a huge dry spell of even making it to bowl games. Mason turned the Gophers into a respectable team....not great...but, at least, somewhat competitive. The problem with Minnesota is that the Gophs play in the Metrodome. There is no college atmosphere at the games or student traditions since they torn-down the brick house. Finally, the State of Minnesota is wising-up and building a stadium on the campus. It's almost impossible for Minnesota to get recruits from southern states because it is so damn cold on campus (I know...I went to U of M). This firing is a real poor decision. Mason will go elsewhere and succeed. You can count on it!

 

 

You can count on him getting a job and then messing it all up again.....he is an idiot! How do you not keep the top recruits from YOUR HOME STATE???? The thing with MN fans is they are happy with going to crappy bowls year after year and being mediocre. They barely beat NDSU this year...a newly added D1-AA team. In all honesty, the AD (Maturi) should be fired as well.

It is great that the Gophs will be able to play back on campus...the inflatable toilet is the biggest dump to play in...especially in a college atmosphere.

[Touchdown Tommie]

This guy should have been fired last year....if not the year before. He is a complete tool. He coudln't keep the MN recruits to play at the U, he was happy with making the Insight Bowl, the Music City Bowl, and PC.com bowl year after year.

The Gophers have fired their head basketball coach and now their head football coach in the past month and a half.

 

Tommie: was this announced before or after Dan Barriero's Sunday Sermon show? I didn't get a chance to listen to it, but I bet Dan went on the rant-of-all-rants this weekend. He loved to pound Mason.

 

 

He was on Fox tonight and he seemed pretty shocked about it all. I just think everyone is/was sick of them not being able to win the big one and giving up big leads against teams. The way Maturi fired him was pretty crappy....a phone call and then sent a courrier with the news. Oh well, I hated the guy....thought he was pretty arrogant for never winning anything big at the U.