Minnesota Fires Tim Brewster

How many fans did it take screaming on message boards? I'd like to know how hot RR's seat really is.

Maybe this time they'll learn their lesson after the firing of Glenn Mason.  There's a certain ceiling at Minnesota.  Accept it and don't fire a good coach (Mason not Brewster)

Implying he'll coach out the remainder of the season.

6-21 record in the Big Ten in 3+ seasons.

Gulp.

On Sports Center they reported the OC would take over interim head coaching duties.

This year's Minnesota squad might not win another game.   And next year they won't have their QB, Weber, who is genuinely good.

Just thought this was kind of funny and way too dramatic:

Dear Gopher Football Season Ticket Holder:

I want you to be among the first to know that this morning I informed Coach Brewster of my decision to terminate his contract immediately as head football coach. While I appreciate the passion and commitment that Coach Brewster has shown, it is time for a change. In the interim, I have appointed Jeff Horton as the head coach for the remainder of the season.

This decision greatly impacts the future of Gopher Football and the goals we have for this program. Our vision is clear - to produce a team that we can be proud of and return Gopher Football to its rich history of consistently competing for championships.

I believe we are in a great position to attract the right coach to lead our program. We have a new, state-of-the-art football stadium and a world-class academic institution located in a major metropolitan market. Additionally, the Big Ten conference continues to thrive with the addition of Nebraska, divisional play, and a conference championship game.

I understand your frustration with the current state of Gopher Football. But we are convinced that we are going to find the right person to lead our program. I encourage you to continue your support of Gopher Football, and especially our student-athletes, throughout the remainder of this season and in the future.

Go Gophers,

Joel Maturi 
Director of Athletics

Minnesota was successful under Glen Mason because he had a scheme that took advantage of lesser talent.  Some colleges are like small market teams in baseball.  They have to maximize the talent they can get and develop a scheme that covers up deficits.   Glen was doing a great job of that.  I am unsure what Brewster was trying to do exactly.

Though I have to say, if Iowa and Wisconsin can field killer pro style teams, why can't Minnesota.  What advantage to those two schools have that Minnesota can't replicate?  This is a team that should be far better than this.

On a side note, if his Twitter messages are any indication of Brewster's inability to have an inner voice, how epic are those tweets going to be today.  "KILL....RAGE....EARLY TERMINATION...CONTRACT....HATE BIELMA....BURN HIS HOUSE DOWN....LIFE HATES ME....ARGGGHHH"

Pehaps a call to Mick Leach?

coming weeks ago.  His little blowup last week with Bielema didn't help him any, no one likes an angry terrible coach.  (But, what Bielema did was bushleague.)

Minnesota will be in the same division with Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan and Michigan State.  Good luck with that new coach.  They are pretty much Kentucky or Vanderbilt of the SEC East.

Maybe they'll hire GERG? That would kill, like, 8 birds with one stone.

They should have seen the writing on the wall when Michigan went there in 2008, started Nick Sheridan at QB and pretty much put a beat down on the gophers. 

The radio announcers (I think it was Brandstatter who brought it up) during the UM game talked about the fact that the Minny papers said Brewster had to win yesterday or he would be out.  They thought it was horrible that the papers were making "football decisions", when I think most Minny fans were calling for Brewster to be canned after last season.  The fact that the papers basically reported that 1-6 wouldn't be acceptable really does not strike me as influencing the football team as much as pointing out the most obvious point in recent memory.

Minny is not going to be a BCS champion, but they should be able to compete for B10 titles when the schedule lines up right and be no worse than NW or Iowa most seasons.  Mason had some really good teams because he knew how to recruit for his system, and I suspect the next coach there will be one known for establishing an identity early.

He has experience with gophers.

Glen is just sitting there holding a cocktail thinking, it serves you right you bastards. I will take my hot wife and hit the broadcasting circuit. You'll rue the day...

Unless there are going to name his permanent replacement now, which I assume is unlikely, I don't see what they have to gain by firing the head coach at this point in the season.  Seems like bad form, especially at the college level.

Well they've already asked Tony Dungy about coaching (he went to school there) and when that fell through they asked Tubby Smith (from the ESPN article in the first post).

"I've asked Tubby Smith if he wanted to coach football, but he's declined," Maturi quipped. "But we're out here to find a Tubby Smith. We're out here to find somebody that people can recognize, people have confidence in, and people are going to bring instant credibility and notoriety to the football program."

That would've been interesting. Anyone want Beilein coaching football here? Not me.

I believe it's already been mentioned here but Brewster had a better Big 10 winning percentage than RR has.  Just sayin'   This is my first post and I like RichRod but the facts are the facts.  If he does not win at least 2 of the last 5 games, it seems like he must go.  Are we willing to tolerate a worst record than the Minnesota tolerated of Brewser?  When is it enough? 

The firing of Glen Mason, a successful football coach who led them to 7 bowls and 2 top 20 finishes in 8 years, is exhibit A.  Exhibit B:

The University of Minnesota is a leading public research University with a wide range of academic strengths. We are making new investments, focusing on areas of depth and promise, and redesigning a number of our academic units. Our goal is to be one of the top three public research universities in the world within a decade.

Minnesota is a good school, but why don't they set themselves a reasonable goal?  You know, like maybe top 3 research university in the Big 10?

Prepare for hilarity.

Rumors coming out of Minny are that they will interview none other than John L. Smith for their head coaching position.

Really...