While sources have no solid information about who will be the next Gophers athletics director, the educated guess still points to Beth Goetz who has worked in the University of Minnesota athletics department since 2013.
The actions of University president Eric Kaler could be interpreted as pointing to a Goetz appointment. Initially he demonstrated confidence in Goetz by promoting her in early August to the position of interim AD. Kaler has been in no rush to start the search process, and perhaps that indicates a willingness to give Goetz, 41, a lengthy tryout for the permanent job.
In a Star Tribune story last Wednesday Kaler told the newspaper he will begin a search to replace former AD Norwood Teague after the first of the year and hopes to have the new person running the department by July 1. He also told the Star Tribune he might not use a search firm. That could indicate a preference to consider a limited field of candidates for the job, with Goetz at the top of the list.
Maybe Kaler wants to wait until spring to let the school year wrap-up around the country. If he wants to court a sitting AD, or top assistant at another university, perhaps that person will be more willing to make a change when not only the school year is ending but the football and basketball seasons—the highest profile sports at Power Five conferences—will be over too.
It’s interesting that Dan O’Brien, who was a senior administrator in the athletic department, has joined the football coaching staff. O’Brien was a person some U boosters advocated as a candidate to become the next AD. Did O’Brien intuit he wouldn’t be a leading candidate because Goetz or someone from the outside will be hired?
There are boosters, too, that warmed immediately to the idea of Jerry Kill becoming the athletic director after his health caused him to resign as football coach. Multiple sources indicate that neither Kaler nor Kill is interested in pursuing that possibility.
The road ahead could be paved for a Goetz hire. Indications are her performance so far is worthy of consideration, and Kaler, the person who apparently holds most of the cards in naming the next AD, may be very pleased by Goetz’s work. The announcement, if it comes, will stir both supportive and critical responses from the public and probably inside the athletic department, too.
Goetz, although never a previous AD, has years of experience in athletic department administration at Minnesota and other schools. She could become the first woman AD at Minnesota to run a combined men’s and women’s department. Both inside and outside the University there is a Goetz constituency who want her to make history not only at Minnesota, but to become one of the few female athletic directors ever in the Big Ten.
Others have a different vision about the person who should lead the athletics department. Some Gophers fans no doubt want Kaler to hire an established major college AD with an impressive track record of hiring coaches, fundraising and administering—probably minimizing the risk of finding a great leader for the department.
The Gophers have a 25-sport, $100 million-plus budget with over 700 student-athletes. Many of the qualities needed to successfully lead a department like Minnesota’s are often possessed by an accomplished business person. It’s been advocated that such a business woman or man could bring new thinking, entrepreneurship, marketing, hiring and leadership skills to the job. That person might also have a dynamic, even charismatic personality to help win over a sometimes apathetic alumni and fan base.
Jim Hackett, the retired CEO of Steelcase, Inc., is the interim athletic director at Michigan. He seems like a business poster boy for what Minnesota could consider. Since taking over at Michigan about 16 months ago he has hired Jim Harbaugh—perhaps the best football coach in the country, negotiated a rich sponsorship contract with Nike, administered a $151 million department budget, and continued a track record of academic achievement among the school’s student-athletes.
Hackett doesn’t want to continue in the AD job and Michigan’s president announced earlier this month the school is starting an immediate search for a successor. Michigan will use a search firm to assist with the process.
Meanwhile, the hiring of the Gophers next athletic director apparently rests with Kaler, who fumbled the last time when he hired the infamous Teague. It will be very interesting to watch Kaler’s process and ultimate choice.
Worth Noting
The St. Thomas football team that plays for the Division III national championship Friday night in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl wasn’t even rated in the national top 10 by d3football.com in its preseason poll. Now the Tommies have become the second school in the poll’s history to reach the national title game.
The Tommies, who were ranked No. 14 in the d3football.com preseason poll, also had no preseason All-Americans, nor any returning players from 2014 who earned that honor. But UST, of course, has talented players including running back Jordan Roberts, who had 32 rushing touchdowns this fall—the most of any college football player. The d3football.com All-American team will be announced on Friday, but earlier this week St. Thomas offensive tackle David Simmet was named to the American Football Coaches of America All-American team.
The Tommies’ perfect 14-0 season has resulted from more than exceptional players and superior coaching. There is a collective sense by players of knowing what to do in games and how to adjust. Coach Glenn Caruso said in most games this season things fell into place for the Tommies but there were four when things didn’t click so well.
“We’re a very intuitive group and we do a really good job of figuring out what we need to do…during the game,” Caruso said. “I’ve never, in 20 years of coaching, been around a team that is as dynamic as this one. …Dynamic means you can find different ways to win games, and this team has it because they’re tremendously adjustable.”
Mount Union, the St. Thomas opponent on Friday, is also 14-0 and a gold standard for Division III football. Mount union (Alliance, Ohio) has won 11 Stagg Bowls since 1993 and played in all but one of those bowls since 2000.
UST and Mount Union are the only teams among 660 in college football averaging over 50 points per game on offense while holding opponents to under 10 points defensively. Kickoff from Salem, Virginia on Friday night is at 7:05 p.m. with ESPNU televising.
Condolences to family and friends of Glen Sonmor who died earlier this week. Sonmor, 86, will be remembered for coaching the Gophers, North Stars and Fighting Saints but those who knew him well cherish his friendly manner and passion for life. I can never remember a time when Sonmor wasn’t helpful and available to talk hockey.
Two of the most prominent sports in women’s college sports are hockey and volleyball. The Gophers won the national title in hockey earlier this year and could add another NCAA women’s championship in volleyball this week in Omaha.
Coach Hugh McCutcheon’s Gophers, the No. 2 seed, meet No. 3 seed Texas starting at 6 p.m. Thursday in a nationally televised match on ESPN2. No. 4 Nebraska plays No. 9 Kansas in the other Final Four match, scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
McCutcheon became the Gophers volleyball coach after leading men’s and women’s teams in international competition including coaching the U.S. men to the 2008 Olympic gold medal. His first season at Minnesota was 2012 and it’s turned out to be a superb hire by then athletics director Joel Maturi. McCutcheon’s winning teams have drawn capacity crowds at Williams Arena. Players apparently enjoy playing for him and are exposed to a continual learning experience.
The Gophers (30-4) have 12 Minnesotans on the 16-players roster. Senior Daly Santana is from Puerto Rico and is the team’s MVP, but there are a lot of other contributors too including the Tapp twins, Hannah and Paige from Stewartville, Minnesota.
The national championship match will be on Saturday night and televised by ESPN2.