GLEN MASON
Game 508 | February 6, 1997 | Glen Mason
Hired in the off season to replace Jim Wacker, Mason came to Minnesota from Kansas where he had rebuilt the program into a top 10 team in 1995. A former Ohio State linebacker, Mason had previously coached at Kent State where his team built a 7-4 record in 1987, the team's first winning record in more than a decade. Before coming to Minnesota from Kansas, Mason had briefly accepted an offer to coach the Georgia Bulldogs, a perennial SEC powerhouse.
Game 517 | August 26, 1997 | Glen Mason, Football Captains
On the eve of his first season as Gopher football coach, Mason introduced his four captains to Dunkers. The group included quarterback Corey Sauter, wide receiver Tutu Atwell, linebacker Pare Williams and defensive back Crawford Jordan. The team finished 3-9 in Mason's first season.
Game 526 | February 11, 1998 | Glen Mason
The football Gophers improved in Mason's second year, finishing with a 5-6 record and ending the year with an impressive 49-7 victory over a visiting Iowa team in coach Hayden Fry's final Big Ten game as coach of the Hawkeyes. Billy Cockerham led the Gophers in passing while Thomas Hamner was the team's leading rusher. Tyrone Carter was named All American at strong safety.
Game 539 | September 2, 1998 | Glen Mason
This was Coach Mason's second appearance in 1998. He talked about his strategy of controlling the flow of the game by establishing a strong, consistent running game. His words proved to be prophetic as he developed Thomas Hamner, Tellis Redmon, Thomas Tepeh, Marion Barber and Laurence Maroney, five of the top running backs in the history of the Gopher football program.
Game 550 | August 24, 1999 | Glen Mason
Things came together for the Gopher football team in 1999. They won their first four games, finished the season 8-4 and lost 24-20 to 12th ranked Oregon in the Wells Fargo Sun Bowl. They lost in overtime to Wisconsin, lost by three points at 6th ranked Ohio State, lost by five to 18th ranked Purdue and upset previously undefeated Penn State, ranked number 2 in the nation, 24-23 on a last-second field goal by Dan Nystrom. The Gophers finished the season number 18 in the AP rankings.
Game 562 | March 23, 2000 | Glen Mason
The football Gophers made it back-t0o-back bowl appearances in 2QOO.The team finished 6-6 for the season and lost 38-30 in-the Micronpc.com Bowl to North Carolina State. Tellis Redmon rushed for 1,368 yards, and Ron Johnson set a team record with 61 receptions for 1,125 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Game 570 | August 3, 2000 | Glen Mason, Karon Riley, Ben Hamilton
On the eve of his fourth season as Gopher football coach, Glen Mason introduced two of his team's top players. Karon Riley, a defensive end, established a Gopher record with 29 sacks in 1999 and 2000. Ben Hamilton, a center; and son of former Vikings lineman Wes Hamilton, was named first-team All American in 2000.
Game 588 | August 23, 2001 | Glen Mason
The Gopher football team, coming off two straight bowl appearances, took a step backwards in 2001. The team finished 4-7 overall and tied for 10th in the Big Ten. Asad Abdul-Khaliq made his debut at quarterback, Tellis Redmon led the team in rushing, and Ron Johnson had 56 catches and nine touchdowns, making him the most prolific receiver in Gopher football history.
Game 607 | October 11, 2002 | Glen Mason
In Coach Mason's sixth year the team finished 8-5 and played in the Music City Bowl, where they defeated a favored Arkansas team 29-14. The Gophers were led that season by the passing of quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq, the receiving of All-American tight end Ben Utecht and the running and blocking of Thomas Tepeh.
Game 621 | July 22, 2003 | Glen Mason
The football Gophers in 2003 had their best year under Coach Mason, finishing 10-3 and ending the year with a 31-30 victory over Oregon in the Wells Fargo Sun Bowl. The team finished the season ranked 17th nationally by ESPN USA Today. The team featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney.
Game 637 | August 24, 2004 | Glen Mason
The football Gophers, in Coach Mason's eighth year, won their first five games, finished 7-5 and defeated a favored Alabama team 20-16 in the Music City Bowl. The Gophers featured one of the most explosive rushing offenses in the nation and was the only college team with two backs each rushing for more than 1,000 yards. Sophomore Laurence Maroney led the team with 1,368 yards, and senior Marion Barber III had 1,269.
Game 661 | August 25, 2005 | Glen Mason
Behind one of the strongest running games in America, Mason's Gopher football team again finished 7-5 and made a return trip to the Music City Bowl, where they lost 34-31 to Virginia. Laurence Maroney rushed for 1,464 yards and 10 touchdowns, before opting for the NFL draft after his junior season.
Game 680 | August 17, 2006 | Glen Mason
The Gophers finished 6-7 in Coach Mason's 10th and final season as head coach. He was dismissed shortly after the Gophers 44-41 overtime loss to Texas Tech in the 2006 Insight Bowl. His record at Minnesota was 47-54-1, and his conference record was 32-48. The team went to post-season bowl games in seven of his last eight years as coach. In 2007 he began a new career as a television color analyst on the Big Ten Network. He has been a Dunker member since 1997.
