To me, you guys that have bought season tickets to the Gophers football games are some of the REAL HEROES. You have stuck with the Gophers through thick and thin. You could have easily spent your money somewhere else. But you chose to enjoy(and suffer) through a lifetime of memories of Gopher football that could impact generations older and younger. The Gopher football program is indebted to you, for all future years..
Even those that could not attend for just about any reason but stayed faithful to the Gophers, you deserve the same credit...I have lived far enough away and had other responsibilities that I needed to be close to family so I could not travel to Minneapolis over the years. But I still bleed Maroon and Gold as do many others who love the Gophers.
Now, to enjoy the twilight years and 'PASS THE TORCH' of the love for Gopher football... That is the heart of what it will take to be ELITE......For Minnesota to be great, we as fans cant just watch PJ Fleck and staff become a 'one-man' show...It will take people behind-the-scenes who have an EQUAL or EXCEEDING love of Gopher football that can help in any small way. It may be to just recruit fans in the areas you live.. Maybe talk up the love for the Gophers in whatever town you live.....Anything positive for the program would be moving the program forward.
People have to attend games, especially home games...Create a positive buzz as an atmosphere that is as attractive to the fringe attender to the Gopher games as it would to the diehards. A great way to start is to go to the football program in campus and ask "How can I help Coach Fleck make this program even greater??" It may be to hand out flyers, it could be to clean up a small area around the stadium to show pride in the school..It could be funding or donations, making a speech for a civic group to support Minnesota.. It may be just greeting people and shaking their hands at the game telling fans "Great to see you, today" (You would be surprised on how people respond to a simple inviting smile).....PEOPLE WANT A SENSE OF COMRADERIE IN THEIR LIVES!! Anything to promote that in a positive way for the Gophers, will help the program become more elite.
When it comes to INITIATING things to help the program, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission... The point is to not worry so much about being too scared to initiate something but just plan whatever you can do, to do it with excellence..
A BIG DEAL IS GETTING YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO BUY INTO MINNESOTA FOOTBALL.. This will not be an overnight process... This has been 50 years since a team has been to a Big Ten title so there is no relationship in a young person's life to winning football being associated at Minnesota, on a consistent basis. 2 generations passing is a really big "8 ball" to be behind... But that is where persistence has to be prevalent.. This may be our best chance to re-start a proud tradition...The question to ask is "What can we do to encourage a younger fan base to attend the games?" "How can we get them to invest resources without a history of success behind them, in their lives?" That will take the football team connecting with fans and vice versa. YES, THE SUCCESS OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM IS A HUGE PART OF IT BUT POTENTIAL RECRUITS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WATCH A GREAT ATMOSPHERE, both in attending games and seeing them on TV. NO SMALL EFFORT is TOO SMALL in affecting the program in a positive way.
In my case, my parents are getting older and probably need to focus my resources on helping them as they age. I know that will eventually include less time on this site for me and more time tending to their needs. But I can still talk up the Gophers to people around me and discuss it with friends, coaches, and players as a fan....Not as a booster doing anything illegal but just stating "Hey, Minnesota has something that could really be good." In my discussions, I educate myself in the success of other programs so that the person I am talking to understands I at least know enough to identify what success in a program is, for other colleges....So I will say positive things about Ohio State or a Michigan State.. Even Wisconsin, where I live... But then I will say "I honestly think Minnesota is heading that way with Coach Fleck..Keep an eye on the program as I think it will be really exciting!!"
The football team has to do its part. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.... But all Gopher fans need to understand that it is EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY THAT CLAIMS THE MAROON AND GOLD AS THEIR SQUAD, to make this thing great on a consistent basis.
Even those that could not attend for just about any reason but stayed faithful to the Gophers, you deserve the same credit...I have lived far enough away and had other responsibilities that I needed to be close to family so I could not travel to Minneapolis over the years. But I still bleed Maroon and Gold as do many others who love the Gophers.
Now, to enjoy the twilight years and 'PASS THE TORCH' of the love for Gopher football... That is the heart of what it will take to be ELITE......For Minnesota to be great, we as fans cant just watch PJ Fleck and staff become a 'one-man' show...It will take people behind-the-scenes who have an EQUAL or EXCEEDING love of Gopher football that can help in any small way. It may be to just recruit fans in the areas you live.. Maybe talk up the love for the Gophers in whatever town you live.....Anything positive for the program would be moving the program forward.
People have to attend games, especially home games...Create a positive buzz as an atmosphere that is as attractive to the fringe attender to the Gopher games as it would to the diehards. A great way to start is to go to the football program in campus and ask "How can I help Coach Fleck make this program even greater??" It may be to hand out flyers, it could be to clean up a small area around the stadium to show pride in the school..It could be funding or donations, making a speech for a civic group to support Minnesota.. It may be just greeting people and shaking their hands at the game telling fans "Great to see you, today" (You would be surprised on how people respond to a simple inviting smile).....PEOPLE WANT A SENSE OF COMRADERIE IN THEIR LIVES!! Anything to promote that in a positive way for the Gophers, will help the program become more elite.
When it comes to INITIATING things to help the program, it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission... The point is to not worry so much about being too scared to initiate something but just plan whatever you can do, to do it with excellence..
A BIG DEAL IS GETTING YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO BUY INTO MINNESOTA FOOTBALL.. This will not be an overnight process... This has been 50 years since a team has been to a Big Ten title so there is no relationship in a young person's life to winning football being associated at Minnesota, on a consistent basis. 2 generations passing is a really big "8 ball" to be behind... But that is where persistence has to be prevalent.. This may be our best chance to re-start a proud tradition...The question to ask is "What can we do to encourage a younger fan base to attend the games?" "How can we get them to invest resources without a history of success behind them, in their lives?" That will take the football team connecting with fans and vice versa. YES, THE SUCCESS OF THE FOOTBALL TEAM IS A HUGE PART OF IT BUT POTENTIAL RECRUITS HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WATCH A GREAT ATMOSPHERE, both in attending games and seeing them on TV. NO SMALL EFFORT is TOO SMALL in affecting the program in a positive way.
In my case, my parents are getting older and probably need to focus my resources on helping them as they age. I know that will eventually include less time on this site for me and more time tending to their needs. But I can still talk up the Gophers to people around me and discuss it with friends, coaches, and players as a fan....Not as a booster doing anything illegal but just stating "Hey, Minnesota has something that could really be good." In my discussions, I educate myself in the success of other programs so that the person I am talking to understands I at least know enough to identify what success in a program is, for other colleges....So I will say positive things about Ohio State or a Michigan State.. Even Wisconsin, where I live... But then I will say "I honestly think Minnesota is heading that way with Coach Fleck..Keep an eye on the program as I think it will be really exciting!!"
The football team has to do its part. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.... But all Gopher fans need to understand that it is EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY THAT CLAIMS THE MAROON AND GOLD AS THEIR SQUAD, to make this thing great on a consistent basis.
