I saw this on the Yahoo front page on the firing. It's an article from a Purdue site where the author admits he was excited about the hiring when it happened but is glad he's gone now...but wishes him well. http://www.hammerandrails.com/2016/10/16/13299516/darrell-hazell-purdue-fired-reasaons-why
Just by his location and history you have to figure that P.J.Fleck will be coaching in the B1G next year, will that be Purdue? What other B1G jobs are likely to come open. RU and Maryland have new guys, MSU, UM, OSU aren't coming open. Wisc isn't coming open. Iowa unlikely, Illinois just hire Lovie, Penn State fans are maybe a little antsy about Franklin but I can't see him being replaced. IU's Kevin Wilson is solid, only way he leaves is if there is a job opening for a more traditional power. Minn, Claeys' got an odd contract when he was moved from Interim to HC, but he's 3-2 and both losses were very close. So if he's moving to the B1G this year, Purdue looks to be the place. With a new Ath Director I'm sure Bobinski is thinking this is a big, big , big hire for him. Makes his bones if he makes the right move. I wonder if he has the financial backing of big Purdue contributors to put money into the program that article I linked seemed to indicate that Purdue is lagging behind the rest of the B1G. Since B1G members get a ton of money from the BTN/Bowl payouts you would think there would be a lot of money for all the members to hire better staff, have better facilities, etc.
The Gophers job may open up as a .500ish season with their easy schedule might cause their AD to go all in on Fleck. With their new stadium and the money spent to upgrading facilities, I think the fans in Minny believe they should be able to now field a team competitive with Wisky and Iowa, their arch rivals. Plus Minneapolis is one of the nicest cities in the Midwest if you can handle 5 months of Siberian winter weather. They fired Mason after he took them to several mid tier bowl games but screwed the pooch by hiring an NFL tight ends coach who ran the program into the ground. They rectified that mistake by hiring Jerry Kill but health issues ended his career. IMHO Minnesota has the resources to compete in the Big 10 West and would be an attractive job for a coach seeking a new challange.
I remember when they hired Lou Holtz and he brought the program to prominence. He spoke in Ft. Wayne while head coach there, and I go his autograph. My then-12 yr. old son, who lived and breathed Notre Dame wasn't interested. The very day that ND announced the hiring of Holtz, he called me at the office and asked where the Lou Holtz autograph was. He became interested.
Sid, I agree that ND is way way higher up on the food chain than Minnesota in terms of being a football blue blood ( ignoring for the moment the fire ants posting at NDNation). Lou's choice to move was a no brainer. But... Minny, well respected academically, was a solid national football program until the 1960s and then spiraled into the abyss. Decades of mismanagement have kept them in the abyss. But, being the only state school in a pretty big state and based in one of the few thriving cities in the rust belt, it is a program that can do much better. They have taken major steps in the right direction the past decade. The missing piece is finding a dynamic coach who looks at the school as a destination point rather than a resume enhancer. Easier said than done though.
I agree, Bobda. I'm old enough to remember the great Paul Giel (sp?). In Lou's case, ND was his life's ambition. I've never considered ND higher or better than any Big 10 school, but I understand the gist of your comments. I also appreciate your assessment of the school's potential. I hope they get it done. I've never been up there, but I'd like to visit sometime. A HS and college classmate who moved there in the late 60s once invited me up during the summer.....a two-week period in August. His sense of humor rivaled yours.