The good news is the University of Minnesota appears to have made a solid hire for athletic director in Mark Coyle, formerly the Syracuse athletic director.

The early reviews on the 47-year-old Iowa native indicate he has the ability to stabilize troubled athletic programs.

Well, he has found a good place to stabilize.

Let’s start with the hapless men’s basketball program. The Gophers under head coach Richard Pitino last season racked up a laughable record of 2-16 in Big Ten and 8-23 overall.

Several of Pitino’s players have exhibited embarrassing and possibly criminal behavior. In addition, a university audit found Pitino had exceeded his limit on use of private aircraft. The expenditures were approved by Norwood Teague, the previous athletic director who resigned after sending inappropriate texts to top female university administrators.

Coyle will have to decide what to do with Pitino if he has another dismal season. If he does fire Pitino early, the university would be required to pay a big money buyout of his contract.

Speaking of money, there is the fundraising needed to get the $166 million to pay for the Athletes Village project. It is Minnesota’s latest salvo in the never-ending arms race in college athletics to build bigger facilities to attract top recruits.

So far, the university has raised $80 million of the $166 million cost. Construction has already begun. Coyle had better get ready to visit loads of potential donors with a convincing argument that the athletic department is in capable hands.

Another challenge facing Coyle is what to do about the men’s hockey program and the future of head coach Don Lucia.

Coyle will have to decide whether failing to make the NCAA hockey tournament last year and struggling against in-state teams, including St. Cloud State University, is enough to merit a coaching change. Lucia is in the final year of his contract.

While Coyle is the point man on the efforts to clean up the athletic department, the board of regents needs to provide careful oversight each step of the way. That oversight has to include final decisions on any contracts for highest-paid coaches in the major sports, including football.

Coyle will have to make sure all the student-athletes, coaches and staff realize that while there are good things happening at the U of M, the athletic department is under a microscope.

We hope he can stabilize the programs and give Minnesota something to be proud of.

 

— St. Cloud Times, May 18