Coaches in the post-Warmath realm

By Patrick Reusse, Star Tribune

Last update: January 16, 2007 - 10:24 PM

Seasons Big Ten Record vs. Iowa and Wis.

Cal Stoll 1972-78 27-29 9-5

Appeal: Recruiter, salesman, ex-Gopher, OK at Wake Forest

Joe Salem 1979-83 12-32-1 3-7

Appeal: Popular ex-Gopher, successful in the lower ranks

Lou Holtz 1984-85 7-10 2-2

Appeal: Champion salesman, excellent X's and O's

John Gutekunst 1986-91 18-28-2 6-6

Appeal: Popular Holtz assistant; players' choice

Jim Wacker 1992-96 8-32 3-7

Appeal: Geezo-beezo, could Jim sell public like Holtz?

Glen Mason 1997-2006 32-48 6-14

Appeal: Professional approach and proven rebuilder

Tim Brewster 2-0 vs. Gophers as Illinois tight end (1983-84)

Appeal: Recruiter; anti-Mason in selling program to public

Recent Sports stories

Mark Craig: The importance of kicker Ryan Longwell can't be overlooked - January 16, 2007

Mark Craig: The importance of kicker Ryan Longwell can't be overlooked - As long as the Vikings keep winning, we'll be dishing out praise to the Brad Childress regime. (Warning: This exercise could end extraordinarily abruptly with a first-round playoff exit). Childress and the organization have gotten well-deserved credit for the Jared Allen trade. Chasing and catching Brett Favre. Doing background work on Percy Harvin (so far, so good). But watching the Texans fall to 5-5 [Monday] night when kicker Kris Brown missed a last-second field goal for the second consecutive week made me think about one of Childress' first decisions as a Vikings coach: Ryan Longwell. Remember how bad the Vikings' kicking situation was under Mike Tice? Even Tice has admitted that kickers were his Achilles' heel. Well, Childress came in before the 2006 season and on Day 1 of free agency, one of the players he locked up was Longwell. Longwell has a career field goal percentage of 82.7, third-best in NFL history. He's 85.9 percent since he joined the Vikings. Longwell has made 15 of 16 field goal attempts this season. Just thought I'd throw that out there after watching Brown miss a 49-yarder that would have sent Monday night's game against Tennessee into overtime. It came a week after he missed a 42-yarder as time expired in a 20-17 loss to the Colts. More