Scoggins: Williams Arena needs to get a piece of its history back

A piece of cloth is stashed away somewhere on the University of Minnesota campus. It has become somewhat of an obsession of mine in recent years, a reporter’s curiosity to find it and see it, just to know that it still exists.

It’s been out of sight but not out of mind for a long time, and its whereabouts are a mystery even to employees who work on campus every day.

I’ve received different answers when I’ve inquired about it.

Some shrug and say they’re not sure of its location. I’ve heard stories about it being discarded or stolen, though I’ve been assured that it is still in the university’s possession.

Apparently, its location is a storage area inside one of the campus sports venues, tucked away since Oct. 25, 2000, when, at 5 a.m., two workers removed the giant piece of fabric hanging from the rafters of Williams Arena.

It’s time to bring the 1997 Final Four banner out of hiding and put it back up.

The Gophers men’s basketball program is beginning a new chapter with Niko Medved’s return to his hometown and alma mater as head coach. The moment feels like a reboot. New coach, new roster, new financial commitment with revenue sharing, new optimism within the fan base.

Moving forward can also include a visible reminder of the program’s history without having to feel embarrassed about what is attached to it.

It’s been nearly 30 years since an academic scandal rocked the program, athletic department and university. The harsh punishment levied by the NCAA has been felt and has served its purpose. Pretending that ‘97 didn’t happen by forcing the university to remove the banner, photos, statistics and every other reminder serves no purpose at this point.

University leaders should petition or simply tell NCAA officials that the banner is going back up. What are they going to do, penalize them again almost three decades later?

Back in 2017, a debate broke out about whether the school should celebrate Clem Haskins and his players on the 20th anniversary of their magical season. I argued that rehoisting the banner would send a bad message, given all the damage that had been done by the academic fraud case.

I’ve changed my stance largely because the world of college athletics has changed.

College sports no longer operate under the guise of amateurism. They have become professional sports, particularly in the two main attractions, football and men’s basketball.

Role players on teams receive six-figure compensation. Stars at some schools are raking in millions. Relationships between universities and athletes have become transactional.

This summer, schools are expected to start distributing $20.5 million to their athletes in a pay-for-play system. Nose guards and point guards, hockey goalies and volleyball setters will earn a salary, plus whatever earnings they can command in name, image and likeness deals.

The transfer portal enables athletes to play for two, three, four different schools. The NCAA hands out extra years of eligibility as freely as candy at Halloween.

Hanging a banner is not going to cause the empire to crumble.

The NCAA has been rendered a relic, stripped of its authoritarian governance that was grotesquely one-sided for decades. NCAA concessions are happening in many areas. This should be one, too.

The Gophers paid dearly for the misdeeds that took place in the basketball program, which involved a tutor doing coursework for players. Academic fraud is not OK, obviously, but there have been far more unethical acts inside college sports than what took place at Minnesota.

Let’s be clear, that doesn’t condone academic cheating. People lost their jobs. The investigation cost $2.5 million. Penalties set the basketball program back years. But again, does the punishment and shame need to last for eternity?

The fallout had far-reaching implications on the university and its approach to athletics. The school treated the arms race happening inside college sports with cautiousness. The need to prioritize athletics was met by trepidation over what dangers that might present.

Beyond brief flashes, Gophers basketball has struggled to find its way ever since.

It’s time to move forward. Hoisting the Final Four banner can be a symbol in that process.

Why? Because fans loved that team. They felt a deep emotional connection to it. I had not moved to Minnesota yet, but those who lived it and experienced it never forgot the memories or the emotions. “Hang the banner” has become a rallying cry for a fan base that is tired of feeling despair over its program.

Keeping it locked in storage seems silly at this point. Same with the removal of player statistics and game scores. Nobody would honestly believe that bringing those things back would somehow signal that the school places athletic success over academic integrity.

The university got rocked to its core. Lessons were learned, institutional changes were made. In some ways, recovery is still ongoing.

If people can look up and see the banner, they will remember what they want to remember. The good times, yes, and maybe the heartache that came after it.

Time has a way of healing, or perhaps changing perspectives. Mine has changed. Especially when one examines all that has happened in college athletics since the banner came down.

The Gophers have served their time. Williams Arena needs to get a piece of its history back.