U names Brewster new head football coach

By Rick Moore

Jan. 17, 2007

The University of Minnesota named Tim Brewster as the new head football coach of the Golden Gophers at a special press conference on Jan. 17 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis.

U athletics director Joel Maturi introduced Brewster to the media, as well as to a few hundred fans who gathered for the public event. The hiring of Brewster caps an accelerated search that began when Glen Mason was dismissed on Dec. 31. Brewster was offered the position late Monday evening and the deal was solidified yesterday morning, Jan. 16. Maturi said that he was dedicated to finding a head coach who would energize students, alumni and fans, who would be committed to the academic performance of the athletes, and who would bring a Big Ten title to the U. Said Maturi: "Tim Brewster fits those qualities."

Bruininks comments on Brewster

Hear the audio of a statement by University President Robert Bruininks about the hiring of Tim Brewster as the new Gopher football head coach.

"I pledge to you, I'm going to do everything in my power to bring a championship to the Twin Cities," said Brewster, who played collegiately in the Big Ten at Illinois. "I can't wait to get out and sing the praises of the U," he said, adding that he has no fear or anxiety about this being his first collegiate head coaching job. "What I've got is total exhilaration about being the head coach here." Brewster, 46, has spent the last five seasons in the NFL. For the past two seasons he has been the tight ends coach with the Denver Broncos, and for the previous three seasons he was the tight ends coach for the San Diego Chargers. In San Diego, he held additional responsibilities as the club's assistant head coach for the 2004 season, and he oversaw the rapid development of tight end Antonio Gates; in 2004 Gates earned first-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press and a Pro Bowl selection after playing only his second year of football since high school. Before joining the Chargers, Brewster enjoyed success at the University of Texas (1998-2001) and the University of North Carolina (1989-97), where he also coached special teams and was the Tar Heels' recruiting coordinator. North Carolina finished fourth in the country in the final USA Today/CNN Top 25 in 1997 following an 11-1 season. He worked on head coach Mack Brown's staffs at both schools.

"I pledge to you, I'm going to do everything in my power to bring a championship to the Twin Cities," said Brewster.

He began his coaching career in 1986 in the Big Ten at Purdue University, where he coached tight ends and offensive tackles as a graduate assistant. He is known as an energetic and tenacious recruiter, and Maturi noted that Brewster was once recognized as a national recruiter of the year. He's also credited with bringing star quarterback Vince Young to the University of Texas. Brewster said he will personally recruit the state of Minnesota and vowed that every young football player in the state will know his name. "We're going to wake up in the morning thinking about recruiting, we're going to go to sleep thinking about recruiting, and we're going to dream about recruiting," Brewster said. A former two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection at the University of Illinois, Brewster led the nation's tight ends in receiving in 1983 and captained the Illini to the 1984 Rose Bowl vs. UCLA. Brewster, who graduated from Illinois with a degree in political science, played in the training camps of the New York Giants (1984) and Philadelphia Eagles (1985). For more information on Gopher football, visit GopherSports.com.

--Contains information from University of Minnesota Athletics Related reading: Regents approve stadium design, new price tag U breaks ground for new stadium