Morris fans ought to cringe at Colorado incident

(image from "Mediaite")

One thing about college football: it sure makes the humanities division appear civilized by comparison. A calamity happened in Colorado earlier this month that would make Morris people cringe. The calamity involved football goalposts. I would have thought insurance companies all around the country were warning colleges "don't let fans fool around with goalposts." 

The big lesson came in 2005 here in our Morris MN. Has it really been 20 years? Well I guess it has. Our institution in Morris would not wish to remind people of it. It was too tragic for us to rationalize that it was a "teachable moment." No, it was an incident that simply should not have happened. 

Right now in October of 2025 we can read about a similar incident having happened in Colorado. A Colorado "Buffaloes" fan got trapped underneath goalposts in the unfettered post-game celebrating after a significant win. But who cares if it was a significant win? Fans react with such excessive emotions. I'm consulting this morning with coverage from the "Daily Mail." It tells of the wild display by Colorado fans after their team's 24-17 win over nationally-ranked Iowa State. But who cares who was nationally ranked? 

Why do we attach such enormous importance to such things? A humanities event at a college is so peaceful and uplifting by comparison. In past times our U of M-Morris had the "Homecoming concert" presented by the music discipline. The event appears gone off the slate now. 

So much about UMN-Morris appears uncertain now. Storm clouds of decline. The abrupt resignation announcement by the chancellor who appeared in the prime of her career. Even more suspicious, no explanation of the circumstances leading to the unusual move. The institution cannot blame us for speculating in light of the shroud of ambiguity. 

While it is generally understood now (among those most interested) that Janet's departure was involuntary, no official statement that I am aware of has implied this. A replacement for her was announced immediately. Word came from "up top" in the U's administration. The standard practice is for local people to take the lead in choosing the new person. We'd normally look to a "search committee." 

A cynic would often laugh at the notion of a "search committee," oh and especially a "nationwide search." That's because many of us assume that an insider is in position to get the job. So let's say the search becomes kind of a ruse, a pretentious ruse. 

We might want to temper our impulse to laugh or be amused right now. That's because we should be thankful if we can even count on the continued existence of UMN-Morris. So, ahem, bring on the pretentious search, be our guests. If that's what it takes to feel assured that UMM can stay open, please. Go ahead with the pomp of an "inauguration" too. 

Janet was in the spotlight for the standard inauguration. I cannot feel certain that the new chancellor will even have an inauguration. Also, there's usually an "interim." 

 

Actions coming 

It's hard not to have the impression right now that the U's top leaders see the need for expeditious and harsh judgments to be made for our campus. And toward that end, the U president is going to make sure decisions are made her way. Why? Because of a pressing need of course. And such actions might be made for our own good frankly. 

But the U cannot trust people at the local level to handle things acceptably. Morris may be small but its operations can reflect on the overall U system. Can the U risk allowing "DEI" to be promoted so openly and nakedly here? Are we "daring" people with the national government to come down hard on us, hard on the whole U system perhaps with rescinded Federal grant $? 

You must realize this is very serious business. It matters not at all whether you like all the "woke" stuff that DEI is part of. "Where the rubber meets the road" is whether the U gets an optimal amount of financial support. The last thing the U needs is a crisis precipitated by its little Morris campus. 

 

Goalpost incident, 2005 

It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall in 2005, to listen in on when U higher-ups learned of the goalpost incident here in Morris. 

Many of us have long felt that the top U people aren't exactly enamored with having to deal with the "coordinate campuses." So, they have their plates full dealing with what goes on in the Twin Cities? I think they do, Kemosabe. And in 2005 there was an urgent communication made to the U's top offices about a student having been killed in the abject silliness of a post-game football celebration. All to celebrate a very small-college win out here on the prairie. 

Of course it was Homecoming. The top U people had their normal focus diverted as they had to deal with the crisis in Morris, a crisis that could easily spell "lawsuit." I don't know what kind of lawsuit could have resulted. I wouldn't be surprised if there was one. 

The incident even affected me, as I was with the Morris newspaper. 

I wouldn't hesitate in telling anyone that I had very little interest in UMM's football game that day. I covered the local high school teams too, and those teams attracted more interest because of course the kids were from here. 

UMM? Today the UMM website covers all UMM athletics so thoroughly. In 2005 the site was in an early stage of development. Everyone seemed to assume that I would know everything about the goalpost incident. I took my photos in the first half. I left. I came back to campus for the volleyball match. Can anyone at least give me credit for the effort I made? Well no, of course not. 

I ended up quoting from the ESPN2 website in order to cover the disaster. And it was that quoted material that led to some hot-air criticism of me, that in time could have led to my departure from the newspaper. 

Now in 2025 we have an echo of our "goalpost incident." This time a student was not killed. The "Daily Mail" reported that a Colorado fan's celebrations took a nasty turn after he found himself trapped underneath the goalposts. There were wild celebrations across Folsom Field. 

Is such behavior a "release" for us, helping us deal with our regular frustrations and ennui with life? So much safer to support the humanities on campus. 

The fan rushed onto the turf as the goalpost came crashing down, knocking him to the ground. The weight bore down on the fan. "Other fans eventually noticed his struggles," the article continued, "and came to his rescue before he ended up trampled underneath the stampede." 

Again, can't the nation's insurance companies warn colleges against allowing this kind of display? 

Two weeks previous at Folsom Field, "fans directed expletives and religious slurs toward Mormons as BYU beat Colorado 24-21." 

Is there any hope for college football? 

There is a haven in the humanities.

 

Negligence?

In the aftermath of a catastrophe like the UMM goalpost incident of 2005, the institution would take pains not to admit to any negligence by anyone. The idea is to avoid a lawsuit, not that there wasn't lawsuit potential anyway. 

KSTP-TV finally aired video of it all and frankly the scene looked worse than what I had thought. I was not aware of anyone within UMM being formally blamed or found responsible. Then a few years later I inquired with a well-placed person about who might have been blamed "internally" or "behind the scenes." 

This individual had an answer: he said it was the athletic director. And now in 2025 we learn that that individual is inducted into the UMM Hall of Fame. Looks like a checkered background.

 

Mark Fohl

Name-dropping:

UMM's outgoing chancellor: Janet Schrunk Ericksen.

UMM's incoming chancellor: Michael Rodriguez.

U of M president: Rebecca Cunningham.

UMM student killed in 2005 incident: Rick Rose.

UMM athletic director in 2005: Mark Fohl.

The letter writer who may have ended my career: Mike Busian. He had at least the appearance of credibility with his "Dr." title.  

My name: Brian Williams.