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UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 11, 2015Tracy ClaeysBeth GoetzMinneapolis, Minnesota BETH GOETZ: Good morning. We are pleased to announce Tracy Claeys as the new head football coach at the University of Minnesota. Given the improvement of this program both academically and athletically and Coach Claeys' essential leadership role, we are convinced that he is the right coach to lead this program and our student-athletes. We know that Coach Claeys and his staff will continue to recruit talent and develop excellent young men both on and off the field while building on Jerry Kill's strong foundation. Tracy will bring his own energy and commitment to excellence while embracing Gopher athletic's unwavering commitment to its student-athletes. In addition to transforming Gopher's defense into one of the best in the Big Ten, Tracy was Minnesota's acting head coach in 2013 for seven games and led the Gophers to a 4-3 overall mark. This includes consecutive wins against Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana and Penn State. It was the first time since 1973 that our football program won four straight conference games in the season. After reviewing Tracy's career and his leadership and development of our student-athletes in the time he has been here at the University, we made the determination that Tracy was the leader to whom we wanted to entrust our football program and our student-athletes. I strongly believe we have a head coach and staff to continue the momentum and build a successful Big Ten football program long into the future. COACH CLAEYS: I'd like to thank Beth, President Kaler, Dean Johnson is here and the board for their support and trust in me to represent the University of Minnesota and be in charge as a head football coach. It's a great honor to follow a guy who trained all of us very well in Coach Kill, and what Rebecca meant to all of us and their family. I can't wait to actually get this over with and get started actually, officially. I did talk to coach last night, and the last thing I tried to get him to do is to take those last two games on his record since I'm officially starting today. But our kids have done a tremendous job, we'll continue to build on the same principles, education's important and competing for a Big Ten Championship. We'll do it the right way to make the whole state proud. So, again, thank you very much for the opportunity. Q. What is the number one thing you learned from Coach Kill, not just as a football coach, but recruiting, people skills and all those things? COACH CLAEYS: I think there are two things. One is how you treat people. You treat people with respect and along with that, don't judge people until you walk in their steps. If you haven't walked in their footsteps, don't judge people. There's good in everybody, there really is. So to respect people and how you treat them, you'll get a lot farther along in life than the alternative way. Q. Can you talk about how you're going to, with your personality, put your stamp on this team and you'll be different from Coach Kill? COACH CLAEYS: Well, as I said, we have different personalities and different personalities have different pet peeves, little things. Little things that may have bothered him that didn't bother me and vice versa. So as the season goes on, that will probably take over. But there won't be anything major. We're right here in the middle of the season. We've got three big games left that we feel good about. Kids are excited. So you won't see anything tremendously major here in the next three weeks. Like we always do when the season's over, we'll evaluate everything and be a few adjustments that fit my personality. Q. The job requires more than just coaching. You saw Jerry and how much he's out in the community doing all the external things, have you kind of come to grips with that part of it and how you're going to handle not being in the film room all day? COACH CLAEYS: Well, I think that getting up, we do a lot of our work in the morning. But it all comes down to we have a great staff and trusting the staff. But I'll always be there to watch practice video and do those types of things and be a part of it. But I'm ready to go. It's a lifestyle, not a job. It's a lifestyle and I've been a part of it the last 21 years. Q. Will you be defensive coordinator as well or will you bring somebody in for that? COACH CLAEYS: Right now Jay has been doing an awful lot of it. Saw Bill and the defensive staff and I sat in there, so I still think until the end of the year we'll just see where it all goes with that part of it. But he's done a great job with him and the staff, so feel good about that. Obviously, I don't have as much time to spend in there to do that, and I need to get to know the offensive kids more. That's something being a defensive coordinator, it's like a split team during the week as far as who you spend all your time with. Those kids on offense deserve as much of my time now as the kids on defense did. So that's where I'll try to get to know those kids more. Q. What were the factors with you and President Kaler in determining the length of the contract? Was that an easy conclusion to come to or how did that play out? BETH GOETZ: Yeah, you certainly evaluate what's best for the institution and with coaching. So we looked at that and the decision was made where the contract's going to run through the end of January here and there are another three years on top of that, and I think we were all comfortable with where we landed. Q. When you look at the job, it's a lot of PR work now. You're going to be the face of this university's football program. Your 21 years have been in the background, in the trenches. How comfortable are you taking on this role, being the face of the university? COACH CLAEYS: Very comfortable, very comfortable. I'll represent the University well. There are good people here in the state of Minnesota. I got to go out last year as part of the outreach with the bus tour, had a great time visiting with people in Minnesota, and I look forward to doing that more. Q. Tracy and/or Beth, just to be clear now, the assistants that have been part of this for so long, so there is no decision on that today or what is the time line in terms of this football staff? BETH GOETZ: Yeah, the assistants are under contract until the end of January, and then certainly we'll continue to evaluate as we always do. Q. Do you have any reservations at all knowing that Beth is the interim athletic director right now, but there may be a new athletic down the line, and many times you have to have a great relationship with that athletic director? COACH CLAEYS: I get along with people pretty good. I'm a pretty good people person, and I think I could work for a bunch of different personalities the way I am. But obviously as the people made the decision what they felt was best for the football program now, and that decision will be made later what is best for the university as far as athletic director. But Beth has been very good to me and been very good to us since we've been here. Hopefully she'll get that opportunity, but I'm sure they'll go through the same process as they did with me. Q. Can you outline the process you guys went through and why you decided not to go through an official search? BETH GOETZ: We believed in Tracy and his leadership and his abilities to run this football program from the beginning. But with any hire of this magnitude, it's really important that you do your due diligence. So we've spent obviously a handful of weeks really evaluating all of our options and making sure everybody was comfortable with that process. Q. Can you go through your journey a little bit just in terms of I was thinking about, I think you told us once that your mom wanted to not to become a coach, and just the decision you made when you were a full-time teacher and you quit that job for $3,000? COACH CLAEYS: Yeah, Coach took a chance on me. I talked to my folks late last night I called and visited with my family. I still think she thinks I'm crazy to do this, and that's not very supportive. But we went back and talked about that a little bit. Them not having a bunch and giving up a full-time teacher's salary to go to $3,000 with Coach Kill at Saginaw Valley State. But when you're young and you have dreams, just like our kids on the football team, you chase those dreams while you can, and I was fortunate enough to get on with a good, great guy and family and staff. I've always wanted to do this and be a head coach, but not as long as I worked for Coach Kill. And again, thank God he trained me as good as he did, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to feel like I'm prepared to do that. Q. Did you guys have sort of specific talks along the way sort of him intentionally giving you some advice assuming you'd be a head coach somewhere some day? COACH CLAEYS: Sure, and Coach does that for everybody on the staff. We have a book that has all the information of things that happened each year as far as running the football program. So if anybody took another job or got promoted, he was always all for that. At the same time, he did everything he could through contracts and things like that to keep us all together because continuity is important. Q. As far as being the face of the university, have you had to buy some more suits? COACH CLAEYS: Yes, this jacket, I did. I had to hurry out and get this done. It's probably the most -- what you would say is probably the most uncomfortable part of the job is the coat and tie. I'd much rather wear a sweater. But I told Beth that one of her main jobs is that when we schedule events to let me know what the attire's supposed to be, but I'll get more comfortable as the days go by. Q. Is it true you did this without an agent? COACH CLAEYS: Yes, yes. There was no back and forth on contractor anything like that. Like Beth said, we had little discussions and, hey, I wanted the opportunity to be the head football coach here and we were always on the same page as far as all that goes. So there was no need for an agent. No need for anything else. We got it done. Q. What was important to you in the process in terms of does that signal to recruits in terms of it could have been, for example, one year or something? COACH CLAEYS: Right, right. We were talking. I'm comfortable with three years because really any head coach has got three years. They could say there are five years on the contract. If they don't have three good years, they're done. You know what I'm saying? So very comfortable with everything about the contract. It's our job to continue to improve, which we will, and then all that stuff will take care of itself. That's one thing Coach said, just work hard every day and things will take care of itself, and I believe we'll be here for a long time. Q. Have you shared the news with the kids and if so what was their reaction? COACH CLAEYS: Beth came in this morning and we did it this morning with the kids, and it was a great reaction. You could tell it was a big relief from them. It's been a tough two weeks on those kids. We all felt like we lost a best friend having him around all the time. So it was great to see them smile again and actually look forward to going to class, I think. Q. What does that reaction mean to you? COACH CLAEYS: Oh, it means a lot. It's just like after going into the locker room and winning, the look on their face. This is all about the kids and making the experience as positive as it can be. At the same time, knowing they need their education. I would not be sitting here today if I would not have gotten my education. I'm the first one from my family to get a college education, so that's where that basis always comes from and will. So it was great to see them smile and make sure. I think the one thing with Beth and O.B. and all of them, I think we've done everything we can the last two weeks to make those kids as comfortable as possible, and I think they appreciate that. Q. I think you mentioned on the radio recently, but like with coach's restaurant and stuff and just about how even though you're closing that down, you'll take care of that family. If you could get into the humble beginnings of the family a little bit and what this contract might mean? COACH CLAEYS: I'll always make sure I take care of family. That's why one thing I'm very thankful for the way things have worked here, even before this. But the good thing is when you are raised and you don't have a lot, I think it keeps you humble. For me to go home, it keeps me humble. I feel guilty when I go home. My folks still work extremely hard for what they have and what football coaches get paid, yeah, in that regard it's a little unfair. At at same time they tell me don't feel guilty. Because you did, you left home, get your degree and did a lot with it. Then O.B., when I don't know how long ago it was, it's been a while when I got here, O.B. said don't let what you do become who you are. I'm very proud of where I come from. That's why I make a point to go back every year because I don't want to forget where I come from. And there's kids come from a lot worse background than me, believe me. I never went to bed at night wondering if somebody cared about me. I always knew that. So we may not have had as much as other people but we had a hell of a lot of fun and enjoyed each other. Q. The restaurant is closed though? COACH CLAEYS: Yes, yes. It was best. My folks are getting ready to retire, and we just had a discussion. They said, hey, it's yours. We're always going to worry about it when you're not around and when you're coaching, and that's unfair to them. I want them to enjoy their retirement. So we did that, so they can enjoy their retirement some day I'll go down that road again. Q. How big of Claeys Center, how big of a fandom do you have there? COACH CLAEYS: It will get a lot bigger. The issue is Kansas State sits 30 miles from where I was born and raised. So there is an awful lot of Wildcat fans there. But the stadium on game day is 15 times bigger than what my hometown is. So they're all a close community, and I'm sure they all have great pride in today. Because, again, I wouldn't be here without the way I was raised. Q. You talked about dreams of being head coach, when did those start? How did those change in 2013, and what did you dream about? COACH CLAEYS: Yeah, I think you always have thoughts of writing your own program and you prepare for that. But I also was smart enough to know that working for a guy like Coach Kill, there was no need. Too many people think the grass is greener on the other side, and it always isn't. It's important when you go to work each day that you enjoy the people you work with and the kids you work with. I can tell you that for the last 21 years I have loved to get up every morning and go to the office because we have great people and great kids to go to work with. Why take a chance when at the same time coach was helping me do things that would help me be a head coach when and if that presented itself. Q. If his health allowed it, would you have Coach Kill on your staff? COACH CLAEYS: I told him he's welcome any time, any time. I told him he could come in from 8:00 to noon and be there just as an advisor. But I talked to him two or three times a week, and always will, always will, as a friend and as a coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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