Sports Decisions to Command Attention of New U President
Eric
Kaler officially starts his job as University of Minnesota president on July
1. Perhaps never in UM history has a new president’s arrival been so
anticipated by those who passionately follow the school’s sports teams.
Kaler’s reputation for being supportive of
athletics was documented at Stony Brook University in New York where he
was provost. And those who conducted the search for the Minnesota
presidency to succeed Bob Bruininks put a priority on candidates
willing and able to help the Gophers' athletics department.
Jerry Kill
talked to Kaler before he accepted the Gophers football job last fall.
Kill must have liked what he heard from Kaler or he could have remained
at Northern Illinois, or perhaps accepted another major college job
other than Minnesota.
The Gophers trail several other Big Ten
Conference schools in football budgets and there is an arms race across
the country to spend on facilities, recruiting and coaches' salaries. Kaler’s decisions about football and particularly other revenue
producing sports at Minnesota will play an important role in the success
of Gophers teams.
It’s not just about throwing more money at
trying to be successful, but the dollars are important when combined
with the right coaching leadership. All signs so far are that Kill and
his staff have the expertise, if they have the resources, to make
Gophers' football much better than it has been in decades.
Kaler probably has already received input on
coaches at Minnesota. He’s had meetings with athletics director Joel
Maturi and it’s known that contracts remain to be finalized with
Kill, basketball coach Tubby Smith, hockey coach Don Lucia
and baseball coach John Anderson.
Kaler will also need to address Maturi’s
future because his contract ends next year. Maturi told Sports
Headliners he expects his future to be discussed with Kaler this fall. “He has to get to know me. I need to get to know
him,” Maturi said.
Maturi has expressed interest in staying
on as athletics director but it has to be a situation that is good for
the school and him. Among the factors on his side of the decision is
the input of wife Lois who has been hurt by criticism of her
husband.
Maturi has been a devout advocate of
retaining all 25 men’s and women’s sports. It’s a constant challenge
maintaining a balanced budget and many athletic departments across the
country, including ones that excel in football and men’s basketball,
don’t have the large number of sports that Minnesota supports.
Kaler’s position on either maintaining or
reducing the 25 teams will be interesting. The educational mantra to
provide participation opportunities is strong, but so too is the
temptation to reduce some expenditures and direct those monies into
football, men's basketball and men's hockey, the programs that captivate fans and
really are the “window” to the University as viewed by the public. The
athletic department is almost entirely self-supporting, generating its
revenues through gate receipts, broadcast rights, fundraising and other
sources.
