Stadium Blog Post

The Gophers, the university and the coach are excited, to be sure, but students, alumni and others who attend the games will be the true beneficiaries.

June 19, 2006
StarTribune
Glen Mason

The University of Minnesota recently received some incredibly good news that we've been awaiting for years -- approval for an on-campus football stadium -- thanks to the Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty. While this is great news for me, personally, and certainly for the athletics department at the U, it's even better news for our students, alumni and fans.

Yes, I am a football coach, but first and foremost, I am a resident of the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

I've been in Minnesota now for just short of a decade, and I've come to a number of conclusions. We live in a wonderful state filled with great people. Our lakes and rivers and North Shore are legendary, our fishing is fantastic and our summertime weather can't be beat. We even have some of the finest mosquitoes you'll find anywhere in the world. They're big and athletic, and they're hungrier than some of the linebackers I've coached.

We also have the University of Minnesota -- our state's flagship university, with its renowned medical school and top-ranked colleges, groundbreaking research and commitment to public service.

Last, but not least, we have talented, ambitious students, most of whom are destined to do greater things than win a few football games. That's one of the reasons we're so grateful to the executive leadership of the U, the Legislature and the governor for bringing a stadium back to campus. Students at one of the world's premier universities deserve to have a student experience that's second to none.

To read the full article, visit http://www.startribune.com/503/story/503067.html