Tim Brewster: The Salesman

Tim Brewster is a salesman. It’s that mentality that got him the job at Minnesota. It's that mentaility that got the larger than expected crowd of 15,000 to the Metrodome for this years spring game. It is also that mentality that has garnished him more than expected positive publicity. Brewster’s buddy Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News has been praising his hiring since the get go. More recently, the news of Brewster hiring six minority assistant coaches made a splash. However, it must be remembered that Tim Brewster is a salesman. ESPN’s Ivan Maisel sums up the situation well. “’I went out to hire the best coaches,’ Brewster said. ‘I wanted strong role models for my players. It just so happens that six of them are minorities.’ If it just so happens that Brewster hired them, why did he volunteer the information?” Not to write off Brewster, but let’s be very clear: the publicity he’s gotten has less to do with the quality of coach he is and much more to do with the quality of salesman he is.

The short book on Brewster is that he’s an excellent recruiter, but he has no head coaching or coordinator experience. First, I have little doubt that Brewster will recruit at Minnesota. Hiring six minority coaches was largely recruiting driven. Moreover, many of his assistant hires were made with an eye on gaining a recruiting edge in a particular geographic region. In a few years the Gophers will be chalk full of elite talent similar to what’s happening with Ron Zook and Illinois. But the question, of course, is will he be able to coach those talented recruits? Again, similar to Zook. My problem with Brewster’s lack of coordinator experience lies not so much in missing out on the value of such an experience, but more with the indication it gives to the quality of coach he is. If he really is a guy who can bring Minnesota back to the top, wouldn’t he have been given a similar opportunity previously?

Brewster, the salesman, spins his lack of experience problem well. He claims he’s been putting himself in positions to learn and prepare for his first head coaching gig in a hand picked situation, rather than jumping at any promotion he could get. He was rumored to be the new head coach at Iowa State, but claims he wasn’t interested in the job. Whether Iowa State had interest in him or not, Gene Chizik was Iowa State’s first choice. Another downer on Brewster is if he answers everybody’s question and can coach, he would undoubtedly jump ship, ironically, to coach at Illinois. Brewster played tight end on Illinois’ 1983 Big Ten championship team, but was passed up in favor of another salesman, Ron Zook, two years ago. No question, that one hurt Brewster. If Brewster turns out to be a Willy Lohman, Minnesota will be wishing they still had white toothed Glen Mason.

The more interesting thing about the Brewster hire that’s been largely ignored by the media has nothing to with Brewster, but rather the situation in Minnesota. They chose to fire their first coach with over a .500 record since the legendary Murray Warmath retired in 1971. Glen Mason’s tenure was unfulfilled due to giving up 31 fourth quarter points to Michigan in 2003, preventing them from starting the season 7-0 with Pasadena in their sites. Mason’s failure to maintain a 31 point lead against Texas Tech in this past years Insight Bowl, a game he wasn’t expected to be competitive in and wasn’t expected to be in at the season’s outset, broke the camel’s back. Nonetheless, Mason’s firing had less to do with his on field product and more to do with how he was perceived by the Minnesota faithful. While the rest of college football had been impressed with Mason’s work in Minneapolis, the Gopher fans never appreciated him. Last season the students had a “fire Mason” chant and there were grumblings from big cat alums. But if every coach who had naysayer’s got fired, we’d have a lot more turnover. Again, the Minnesota situation was different.

The Gophers will open up the 2009 season in the brand new, on campus, open air, TCF Bank Stadium. There was a major struggle to get funding for the stadium and the Minnesota people want everything to be perfect when it opens. Being perfect includes having everybody on board with the guy on the sideline. Again, Maisel hits the nail on the head, “With a new stadium to fill, Minnesota wants fresh, even if that may not mean better.” The day the Gophers run out of the tunnel at TCF Bank Stadium on a golden early fall Minnesota afternoon - three blocks from the ground where Bronco Nagurski and Heisman winner Bruce Smith stared for the Gophers during the now too distant glory days - with a lineup full of prized in-state recruits and alums peering in from luxury boxes, Minnesotans want a perfect picture. Mason didn’t fit into that picture. Instead, when the Gophers kickoff the 2009 season against UNLV in The House Mason built, Minnesota will be gambling on the salesman.