The University athletic department is transitioning to a donation-based seating program for men’s basketball and hockey season ticket holders starting with the 2012-13 seasons. Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he expects his department to gain $2 million or more initially from the change.
The University remains hopeful that in future years the Legislature will allow alcohol in preferred seating areas at TCF Bank Stadium, Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena. Maturi said not being able to offer alcohol made his department reduce the cost of preferred seating by 10 percent. The situation also places the Gophers at a competitive sales disadvantage with the pro teams and their venues in the Twin Cities. The athletic department is losing “over $1 million” annually because of the no alcohol policy, according to Maturi.
Dave Mona’s agreement with the athletic department ended last month. He was a special assistant to Maturi and assisted with the football coaching search resulting in the hire of Kill. He’s also been involved with other projects including solicitation of corporate jets for the Gophers.
Mona was the guest of Maturi and other leaders in the athletic department for a lunch last week at the University’s Campus Club. Mona was given a Kill autographed white football helmet.
Mona said a recent lunch with new school president Eric Kaler left him impressed with Kaler’s willingness to learn. The former Stony Brook provost had many questions for Mona about the community and school as Kaler tries to reduce his learning curve.
Associate athletic director Marc Ryan said the Gophers have yet to replace Texas on the nonconference schedules for 2015 and 2016. He expects that will be addressed later in the year.
Athletic department officials said it’s not finalized that Big Ten football games will move away from 11 a.m. starts this season, and whether the conference will have each league team playing nine Big Ten games starting in 2017, or stay with eight each.
Although Jim Tressel resigned several weeks ago, his brother Dick, an assistant coach and also former head coach at Hamline, remains on the Ohio State coaching staff.