Finding right football coach seen as key to health of U athletic department

The new interim coach of the Minnesota Gophers football team promises little change to how the team is run, but big change is in the air for the university's athletic department overall.

Two key positions are now filled by caretakers; the department is beset by scandal; and the U must raise about $85 million for a new practice and training facility for athletes.

"A lot of moving parts right now," said U of M President Eric Kaler.

An athletic department in flux

The athletic department is beset by several issues:

• Citing health problems, football coach Jerry Kill retired Wednesday.

"This is not the way I wanted to go out, but you all know about the struggles and I did my best to change," Kill said.

One of Kill's top deputies, Tracy Claeys, is running the team for now.

"I've been with him (Kill) for 21 years," Claeys said. "I believe in what we're doing."

• In August, Athletic Director Norwood Teague stepped down amid sexual harassment allegations. Teague was replaced by interim athletic director Beth Goetz.

• Shortly after that, Teague's senior associate athletic director took a leave of absence for an investigation into undisclosed complaints against him.

• Earlier this month, several U of M football players were accused of sexual harassment, retaliation and assault, though those allegations did not result in criminal charges.

• The athletic department is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights for its compliance with Title IX requirements for gender equity.

• The U needs to raise about $85 million in private donations for the Athletes Village project, which was on of Kill's priorities. The Board of Regents recently approved spending $166 million for the new practice facility.

Fundraising committee chair Lou Nanne doesn't think Kill's departure will affect fundraising.

"People still give to the University and to an institution, not to an individual," Nanne said.

The next football coach

Finding the right replacement for Kill will go a long way toward fixing the athletic department, but it won't be easy, says Gerald Gurney, a former senior associate athletic director at the University of Oklahoma who now teaches classes there.

"The health of the athletic program is dependent on the health of the football program," he said. "And the health of the football program is dependent upon hiring a capable head coach that is able to continue the success that Jerry Kill had."

Kill made strides in reviving the underperforming Gophers, leading them to eight wins and a Citrus Bowl appearance last season. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Gurney says the U is also in a tough situation because a new athletic director will want to bring in a new coach, but hiring a new coach quickly is essential to retaining and finding strong recruits.

"We are well aware of the calendar," said Kaler, who's waiting for outside attorneys to finish an investigation into the events and timeline surrounding Teague's resignation before hiring a new athletic director.

  "And then we will launch a search for the permanent athletic director and probably contemporaneously with that, although we haven't sorted the timeline yet, a search for the permanent head football coach," he said.  

Shortly after football practice Wednesday, Claeys made one thing clear.

"I want to be the next head football coach here," Claeys said. "That's all there is to it, OK?"

MPR News reporter Matt Sepic contributed to this report.