Glen Mason has a national reputation for transforming struggling programs into winning organizations. Now entering his ninth year as Minnesota's head coach and his 20th as a Division I head coach, Mason has changed a struggling program that hadn't posted a winning season since 1990 into one of the top programs in the Big Ten. Under Mason, the Gophers have won three consecutive bowl games and have made bowl appearances in five of the past six seasons, both of which are unprecedented in Minnesota history. Mason is also second among current Big Ten coaches in career Division I victories with 110, trailing only Joe Paterno of Penn State. Mason earned his 100th career victory in 2003 with a 36-10 win over Illinois.

With his success at Kansas and Minnesota, Mason is one of only five active coaches to win at least 40 games at two different Division I schools and is one of only three active coaches to win at least two bowl games at two different Division I institutions.

In 2004, Mason led the Gophers to their second 5-0 start in two seasons, which marked the first time since 1940-41 that the Gophers had accomplished that feat. Under Mason, the Gophers continued their great offensive tradition by finishing among the top 30 in the nation in rush offense (5th, 256.8), total offense (15th, 438.3 ypg) and scoring offense (29th, 30.1). In 2004, the Gophers also became the only school in the nation to both run and pass for at least 2,000 yards in each of the past six seasons. The Gophers averaged 6.3 yards per play and 438.3 yards per game in 2004, the second- highest averages in school history. Mason has built a new level of offensive consistency as the Gophers have currently recorded 27 consecutive games with at least 300 yards of total offense. Minnesota also joins Boise State as the only teams to finish in the top 35 nationally in total offense each of the past six seasons.

With their victory in the Music City Bowl last season, the Gophers join Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin as the only Big Ten teams to play in bowl games five of the past six seasons. Mason has won 43 games over the past six seasons, which is the most wins during a six-year span at Minnesota since 1903-08.

In 2003, Mason led the Gophers to their first 10-win season since 1905 and their best conference finish since 1999. Under his direction, Minnesota also won its second straight bowl game with a 31-30 victory over Oregon in the Sun Bowl. That victory marked the first time in school history that the Gophers had won back-to-back bowl games. Mason's offensive unit was one of the most prolific in both Big Ten and school history in 2003. The Gophers set a Big Ten record for total offense (6,430) and finished with the fourth-highest rushing total (3,759) and sixth-highest point total (503) in Big Ten history. On top of those marks, the Gophers also set new school records in several other categories including: touchdowns (66), rushing touchdowns (46), yards-per-play (6.6), completion percentage (61.3%), first downs (326) and 500-yard games (7). Minnesota led the Big Ten and finished among the NCAA leaders in rushing offense (3rd, 289.2 ypg), total offense (4th, 494.6 ypg) and scoring offense (7th, 38.7 ppg) in 2003.

Mason also led the Gophers to a 6-0 start in 2003, which was the best opening to a season since 1987. The Gophers recorded seven straight victories under Mason dating back to 2002, which was the longest winning streak at Minnesota since 1961.

In 2002, Mason took the Gophers to new heights as Minnesota opened the season 4-0 for the second time in his tenure at Minnesota. The Gophers' success continued as Minnesota won seven of its first eight games, the school's most successful start since 1961.

Under Mason, the Maroon and Gold ventured into uncharted territory in 2002, earning their third bowl berth in four years, despite having only one senior starter on defense and only one senior who started all 13 games on offense. By earning a bid to the 2002 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl, Mason became the first coach in school history to lead the Gophers to three bowl games during his tenure. Mason then directed Minnesota to a bowl win with a convincing 29-14 victory over Arkansas.

The 2001 campaign was a transition season, with all but two new starters on defense and an entirely rebuilt offensive line. The Gophers missed out on a third straight bowl game after suffering three losses by less than a touchdown (Purdue in overtime, Northwestern by six and Ohio State by three).>

In 2000, Minnesota jumped out to a 5-2 record by defeating Illinois, Penn State and Ohio State in consecutive weeks. The Gophers' 29-17 victory over the fifth-ranked Buckeyes marked the second straight season that Minnesota upset a top-10 team. Minnesota earned a bid to the Micronpc.com Bowl in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. It was the first time since 1985-86, and only the third time in Minnesota history, that a coach led a Gopher team to back-to-back bowl berths.

In 1999, Mason's team posted an 8-3 regular season record and a fourth-place conference finish at 5-3. They missed an invitation to the Rose Bowl by a mere field goal. The eight victories were the most at Minnesota since 1967 when Murray Warmath led the Maroon and Gold to an 8-2 record and a share of the Big Ten Championship.

The 1999 season was a record year as Mason led the Gophers back into the national spotlight. Minnesota climbed all the way up to No. 12 in the national polls.

Coach Mason and the Gophers were rewarded for their hard work with an invitation to the 66th annual Wells Fargo Sun Bowl - Minnesota's first postseason bowl game in 13 years. For his efforts, Mason was named the National Coach of the Year by Football News and was a finalist for the Football Writers Association Eddie Robinson and Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year awards. Mason was the first U of M coach to garner nationwide honors since Murray Warmath did so in 1960 when he led Minnesota to a national title. In addition, Mason was the first Minnesota coach ever to be named the Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year by the conference coaches.

By winning the Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year Award, Mason became only the third coach in NCAA history to win a coach of the year award in three different conferences (Kent - MAC; Kansas - Big Eight; Minnesota - Big Ten). He joins John Mackovic (Wake Forest - ACC; Illinois - Big Ten; Texas - Southwest) and Denny Stolz (Michigan State - Big Ten; Bowling Green - MAC; San Diego State - WAC) on that elite list.

Mason's immediate impact was clearly evident during his first season at the U of M in 1997. It was the program's finest effort to that point since 1985. The Gophers broke or tied a total of 28 school records during the '97 season. In 1999, Minnesota broke or tied 26 individual and team school records, and in 2000, they matched or surpassed 15 school marks.

Mason's impact on the University of Minnesota football program isn't limited to wins and losses. Since taking the controls in 1997, 14 Gophers have been selected in the NFL Draft. Compare that with the five seasons prior to Mason's arrival in Gold Country when only two Minnesota players were drafted. Minnesota had seven draftees between 2001 and 2002, the most in a two-year span since 1990-91. In 2001, Willie Middlebrooks became the first Gopher to be selected in the first round since Darrell Thompson in 1990.

Prior to taking over the reins of the Gopher program, Mason spent nine seasons turning around the fortunes of the University of Kansas football program. Named head coach of a struggling Kansas program prior to the 1988 season, Mason proceeded to direct one of the most monumental turnarounds in all of college football. Before his arrival, the Jayhawks had gone winless in 15 consecutive Big Eight games, and had won a total of four games in the previous two seasons. On top of that, Mason had just 50 scholarship student-athletes in camp for his first spring practice.

After going 1-10 in his first season in 1988, 4-7 in 1989 and 3-7-1 in 1990, Mason led the Jayhawks to a 6-5 record in 1991, the school's first winning season since 1981. That earned him Big Eight Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career.

It only marked the beginning of what was to come for Jayhawk fans. From 1992-95, he guided the Jayhawks to 29 wins, the most in any four-year period at Kansas in the previous 85 years.

In 1992, Mason was named the Kodak Region IV Coach of the Year and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors when he led the Jayhawks to an 8-4 overall record, a third-place finish in the conference with a 4 -3 mark and a 23-20 victory over Brigham Young in the Aloha Bowl. It was the first bowl appearance for Kansas since 1981 and its first bowl win since 1961. The Jayhawks were ranked No. 22 in the final AP national poll, the first time a KU team ended the season nationally ranked since 1973.

Mason was honored as the 1995 Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Football Writers "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, when he led Kansas to a second-place tie in the league, a win over UCLA in the Aloha Bowl, and a No. 9 ranking in the final Associated Press poll with a 10-2 overall record. It marked the first time since 1905 that a Kansas team had won 10 games in a season and the first time since 1968 that a Jayhawk squad was ranked in the nation's top 10 in the final Associated Press poll.

Mason is a 33-year coaching veteran who coached more games (102) than anyone in Kansas' school history. Succeeding with programs that had previously suffered through hard times is nothing new for the Colonia, N.J. native. Prior to taking the head job at Kansas, he had two successful seasons at Kent State University. In 1986, he led the Golden Flash to a 5-6 record and a runner-up finish in the Mid-American Conference. In 1987, Kent registered a 7-4 mark, the program's first winning season in more than a decade.

A 1972 graduate of Ohio State with a bachelor's degree in education and a letterwinner on the Buckeyes' 1970 Big Ten championship team, Mason began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Ball State in 1972. His first full-time position was as the defensive coordinator at Allegheny College in 1973. He returned to Ball State for one season in 1974 as defensive line coach, then worked for two seasons (1975-76) as offensive line coach at Iowa State before coming back to the Big Ten Conference in 1977 as the offensive line coach at Illinois.

In 1978, Mason returned to his alma mater and spent the next eight years under Ohio State head coaches Woody Hayes and Earle Bruce. In each of those seasons, the Buckeyes appeared in eight postseason bowl games - Fiesta Bowl (1980, 1983), Liberty Bowl (1981), Holiday Bowl (1982), Gator Bowl (1978), Citrus Bowl (1985) and Rose Bowl (1980, 1984). Mason coached outside linebackers and the offensive line before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 1980, where he served until 1986. During his tenure as offensive coordinator in Columbus, the Buckeyes led the Big Ten in scoring offense four times and total offense twice.

Mason-coached teams have had an impressive track record for moving the football and scoring points. The year prior to his arrival at Kansas, the Jayhawks ranked 101st in the country in scoring offense, last in the Big Eight in rushing offense and 101st nationally in total offense. From 1991-96, the Jayhawks averaged more than 27 points per game and set a host of school records. On the other side of the ball, the defense forced 127 turnovers from 1993-96 to rank near the top of the Big Eight/Big 12.

In 1999, Minnesota ranked second in the Big Ten (11th in the nation) in rushing offense with an average of 227.2 yards per game on the ground. Minnesota was third in the Big Ten (24th nationally) in total offense at 410.2 yards per game, and sixth in the Big Ten (20th nationally) in scoring offense with 30.7 points per game.

The results on the other side of the ball were just as impressive, if not more so. The 1999 Gophers ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation in total defense, allowing just 319.9 yards per game. That was the program's best since 1985. In addition, Minnesota was first in the Big Ten in passing defense (179.4), the best since 1969. They were second in pass defense efficiency (98.4), and second in scoring defense, which both ranked eighth nationally. Those were the best categorical numbers since 1967. In contrast, Minnesota ranked dead last in total defense, pass defense and 10th in scoring defense in the Big Ten the year before Mason arrived.

Mason earned his master's degree in education from Ball State in 1973. In January of 2002, Mason was named the president of the American Football Coaches Association. He was the third Minnesota coach to be awarded this honor joining Bernie Bierman (1935) and Murray Warmath (1968). Mason was elected president by his peers at the 2002 AFCA convention in San Antonio. He had previously served as the first vice president. The board is responsible for formulating policy and providing direction for the more than 10,000-member organization.

Mason and his wife, Kate, a dentist at Veker and Mason in Edina, are very active with a variety of charitable organizations in the Twin Cities area, including the Children's Cancer Research Fund and Catholic Charities. Despite his very busy schedule, Mason has served as the Annual Fundraising Chairman for Catholic Charities and as the Co-Chair of the Red Cross Annual Gala.

In April 2003, the St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center presented Mason with the Isaac Hecker-Cardinal Newman Award at their first annual awards banquet at the McNamara Alumni Center on the U of M campus. The Isaac Newman-Cardinal Newman Award recognizes the contributions of individuals in living out Catholic values in society.

The Masons have five children - sons, Pat and Brian, and daughters, Chris, Alissa and Mallory.

Born:
Glen Orin Mason, April 9, 1950

Hometown:
Colonia, N.J. High School: Colonia (N.J.) High School

Academic Degrees:
B.A. in education, Ohio State University, 1972
M.S. in education, Ball State University, 1973

Coaching Experience:
Ball State: graduate assistant, 1972
Allegheny College: assistant coach, 1973
Ball State: defensive line coach, 1974
Iowa State: offensive line coach, 1975-76
Illinois: offensive line coach, 1977
Ohio State: outside linebackers coach and offensive line coach, 1978-79
Ohio State: offensive coordinator, 1980-85
Kent: head coach, 1986-87
Kansas: head coach, 1988-96
Minnesota: head coach, 1997-present

Career Records:
As a head coach: 110-109-1 (19 seasons)
At Minnesota: 51-45 (eight seasons)
Bowl Games: 7 (5-2 record)

Family:
Wife: Kate
Sons: Pat, Brian
Daughters: Chris, Alissa, Mallory

• Led Minnesota to five bowl games in the last six years and has won three consecutive bowl games. He is the only coach in school history to take Minnesota to five bowl games during his tenure.
• Directed the Gophers to a 29-14 victory over Arkansas in the 2002 Music City Bowl. Posted a 31-30 victory over Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl, giving Minnesota consecutive bowl victories. Earned a third consecutive bowl championship against Alabama with a 20-16 victory in the 2004 Music City Bowl, becoming one of only eight teams to win three bowls the past three seasons.
• His 43 wins over the last six seasons (1999-2004) represent the best six-year win total at the University of Minnesota since 1903-08.
• One of only five active coaches with at least 40 victories at two different Division I schools and one of only three active coaches with at least two bowl wins at two different Division I institutions.
• Has coached five players to eight All- America citations in his eight seasons at Minnesota. He has also coached 14 Gophers who were selected in the NFL Draft. Seven Gophers were taken in the 2001 and 2002 drafts, the most in a two-year span since 1990-91.
• Was elected by his peers as the president of the American Football Coaches Association at the 2002 AFCA convention in San Antonio.
• In just his third season, he led Minnesota to an 8-4 record and the Wells Fargo Sun Bowl.
• Led Minnesota to a No. 12 ranking in 1999.
• 1999 Football News National Coach of the Year and finalist for the 1999 FWAA Eddie Robinson and the 1999 Paul "Bear" Bryant National Coach of the Year awards.
• 1999 Dave McClain Big Ten Coach of the Year
• Has directed three of the most monumental turnarounds in college football at Kent State, Kansas and Minnesota.
• Is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to be named the conference coach of the year in three different conferences, (Big Ten - 1999, Big Eight - 1995, 1991, Mid-American - 1986).
• 1995 Football Writers Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award finalist, 1995 Region IV Coach of the Year and 1995 Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year
• 1992 Football Writers Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award finalist and 1992 Kodak Region IV Coach of the Year
• 1991 Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year
• 1986 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year
• 223-164-4 overall record in 33 seasons as a head/assistant coach