Beginnings
Minnesota football history was made on Sept. 29, 1882,
when Minnesota played Hamline at the Col. King State Fairgrounds, near Riverside
and Franklin in South Minneapolis. These two teams, along with Carleton, were to
take part in a “Field Day” at the Fairgrounds. Carleton failed to show up, and
Hamline nearly left, but Minnesota team captain A.J. Baldwin talked Hamline into
staying and playing what would be the first football game in U of M history.
Baldwin scored the first points of the game to lead the Gophers to a 4-0 win.
Alfred Pillsbury was one of the founders of football at
Minnesota. In the early days, there were no governing bodies regulating
collegiate eligibility, so Pillsbury played at Minnesota for eight seasons, from
1885-92. His greatest contribution may have been changing the team’s style of
play from the soccer style to the rugby style. He accomplished this mainly
because he owned the only rugby ball in town!
The First Championship
Minnesota recorded an undefeated season in 1892,
playing future Big Ten opponents Michigan and Northwestern that season. That
year the team won its first-ever conference title, the Intercollegiate Athletic
Association of the Northwest.
One of college football’s most honored players is
“Pudge” Heffelfinger, a three-time All-American guard at Yale (1889-91). But few
know that Heffelfinger’s career started at Minnesota. In 1887, the senior at
Minneapolis Central High School went to the train station to watch the Gopher
football team depart for a game against Shattuck Academy in Faribault. But the
Gophers were one man short, so Heffelfinger was pressed into action. He played
at Minnesota the rest of that year before going to Yale. He returned to
Minnesota in 1895 to coach the Gophers for one season.
Dr. Henry L. Williams
The first Big Nine title game for the Gophers was
played in 1900. That season, Minnesota went 10-0-2 under the first year
direction of Dr. Henry Williams. Dr. Williams was Minnesota’s first full-time,
salaried coach. He left his mark on the game as a member of the rules committee:
he was the first to propose legislation legalizing the forward pass. (The
forward pass was legalized in 1906.) In 21 years as football coach he compiled a
136-33-11 record. The Gophers won eight Big Ten titles under Williams. He was
honored in 1950 when the U of M Fieldhouse was renamed Williams Arena.
In 1904 Minnesota rolled to its most lopsided victory
ever, a 146-0 thrashing of Grinnell. In this game Minnesota broke what was
referred to as “the world’s record for scoring,” the previous high being a 130-0
Michigan victory over West Virginia. The Golden Gophers were consistent, scoring
73 points in each half. The record stood for 13 years. Minnesota went on to a
perfect season that year, winning 13 games.
In 1880, the University of Minnesota was preparing for
spring graduation. For the previous 29 years, different graduation colors were
used every ceremony. In the spring of 1880, President Folwell began a tradition
of common school colors at the University. He asked an English instructor, Mrs.
Augusta Smith, to select proper colors to use for graduation ribbons and other
occasions. She chose maroon and gold, which made a favorable impression on the
students and faculty in 1880. As the years passed and without any kind of formal
action, maroon and gold became the official school colors.
This famous Minnesota phrase, pronounced SKY-YOU-MAH,
is more than 115 years old. In 1884, two Minnesota rugby players, John W. Adams
and Win Sargent, tried to think of a fitting team yell. They used the word
“Ski”, a Sioux battle cry meaning victory, and combined it with “U-Mah”
(representing the University of Minnesota and rhyming with “rah-rah-rah”) to
create a team cheer. The phrase stuck and was incorporated into both official
school songs, “Hail Minnesota” and more commonly in the “Minnesota Rouser.”
One of the most visible traditions in sports was born
more than 100 years ago at the University of Minnesota. In the fall of 1898,
student Johnny Campbell offered to lead organized cheers at football games. This
offer came after three straight losses, and a subsequent editorial in the school
paper that said, “Any plan that would stir up enthusiasm for athletics would be
helpful.” Campbell had a plan, and he began to lead organized cheers at the home
game against Northwestern. Minnesota won 17-6, and much of the credit went to
Campbell and his “yell leaders.” At that late-season game, the tradition of
cheerleading was born.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have met more times than any
other NCAA Division I-A football rivalry, playing 109 games since 1890. The
Gophers lead the all-time series 57-45-8. Since 1907 the two teams have played
on an annual basis, the third-longest continuous series in college football.
Since 1948 the two teams have played for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, a seven-foot
traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the “Border Battle.”
The Gopher mascot is a tradition as old as the state.
Minnesota was tabbed the “Gopher State” in 1857 after a satirizing cartoon,
depicting nine Gophers with the heads of local politicians pulling a locomotive,
was published. The story was over legislative action for a $5 million railroad
proposal in western Minnesota. Later, the University picked up the nickname.
The “Golden” adjective has not always been a part of
the Gopher nickname. During the 1930s, the Gophers wore gold jerseys and pants.
Legendary KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined the term “Golden Gophers”
in reference to the team’s all-gold attire on the field. From 1932-41, Minnesota
compiled an impressive record, losing only 12 games in the 10-year span and
winning seven Big Ten titles and five national championships — a true “golden”
decade of Gopher football.
The “Minnesota Rouser” is one of two official school
songs at the University of Minnesota. It was written in 1909 by Floyd M. Hutsell
in response to a contest sponsored by the Minneapolis Tribune. The contest was
judged by University President Cyrus Northrop and Governor A.O. Eberhart, with
the winner receiving $100. The rouser is sung at Gopher sporting events, along
with the other official University song, “Hail Minnesota.”
After 117 seasons of Minnesota football, which included
18 conference titles, six national championships, a Heisman Trophy winner and
more than 50 first-team All-Americans, the Golden Gophers reached a new
milestone during the 1997 season. The final game of the year in Iowa City, Iowa,
was the team’s 1,000th game in school history. With the success of the first
1,000 games, the University and the state of Minnesota can take pride in knowing
that the next
1900: The first known action photo of a Minnesota football game.
1,000 games should be just as exciting. With fifth-year Head Coach Glen Mason at
the helm, the Golden Gophers will be a force to reckon with in the Big Ten
Conference again after returning to a bowl game for the second straight season,
making the Golden Gophers one of just four Big Ten schools to accomplish that
feat. However, the continuing journey into the future cannot begin without a
brief look back at what brought the Maroon and Gold through the first 1,000
games — although it would be difficult to mention every great moment.
They Called Him Coach
In the fall of 1883, Thomas Peebles came to Minnesota
to teach mental and moral philosophy. Soon after he arrived at the University,
some of the boys discovered that their professor had played football at
Princeton and asked him to help with their game against Carleton College. So in
the fall of 1883, Peebles became the first head football coach at the University
of Minnesota.
The turn of the century also marked the year for
Minnesota’s 100th football game. On Nov. 12, 1900, the Men of Gold took the
field to play Northwestern in front of 3,000 fans. Minnesota shut out
Northwestern 21-0 on that day, and many who saw the game said it was the best
performance of the year by the Gophers. One news source described the scene by
writing, that...“victory is again Minnesota’s, and by the convincing score of 21
to 0. Northwestern’s gritty and clever football players could not stand against
the terrific charges of the big North Star men, though they played a splendid
game and used their heads in every play today.”
The season of 1900 was a year of great achievement for
the Gophers. It was the first under the coaching of Henry “Doc” Williams. The
Gophers went 10-0-2 in 1900 and captured their first Big Ten title. Dr.
Williams, who coached the Gophers for 22 years, called the squad one of the best
teams he ever saw.
The Ironman
In 1909, John McGovern was named the best quarterback
in the country and given a place on the All-America Team, the second Gopher
player to gain this honor. Squatty and powerfully built, McGovern was an
outstanding player. Except for one game, he played every minute of every game
for three years.
The Legend of Memorial Stadium
On Thursday, March 6, 1924, in spite of snow and cold
wind, 500 Minnesotans gathered at the corner of Oak Street and University Avenue
to watch University President L.D. Coffman pitch the first spadeful of dirt,
which marked the official start to the building of Memorial Stadium. The stadium
was ready for the opening game of the 1924 season, 42 days ahead of schedule.
The first official game in the stadium was against North Dakota, in which the
Gophers won 14-0 after “playing far below expectations.” The formal dedication
took place Nov. 15 against Illinois, and the team responded by winning 20-7. The
first points scored in Memorial Stadium were by Minnesota’s Clarence Schutte,
who plunged over the goal line from two yards out to break a scoreless tie in
the third quarter against North Dakota. Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, the
last game at Memorial Stadium was Nov. 21, 1981, when Wisconsin defeated the
Golden Gophers, 26-21. The final points scored by Minnesota in the stadium came
when quarterback Mike Hohensee connected with Chester Cooper on a four-yard
touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Golden Gophers a 21-20 lead.
However, the legend of the stadium ended when Badger reserve quarterback Randy
Wright hit Michael Jones for a seven-yard TD pass with 1:05 remaining.
Bronko
The 1929 season will be remembered as the final season
for Bronko Nagurski. Sportswriters decided after his senior season in 1929, that
he was the best fullback and the best tackle in the nation, making Nagurski the
only player ever to be named first-team, consensus All-American at two different
positions in the same season. In 1979, his No. 72 was officially retired from
the Minnesota roster.
The First of Six National Championships
The 1934 season will be remembered as one of the most
memorable in Golden Gopher history. A 34-0 win over Wisconsin in the final game
of the season gave Minnesota an undefeated season and shot them into national
prominence as they were voted national champions in every poll for the first
time. Bernie Bierman, who was in his third year of coaching, led the team with
the modesty and quietness that became typical of him. It wasn’t until the end of
the season when the Little Brown Jug, the Big Ten title and the national
championship were secure, did Bierman smile.
The Heisman Trophy
The 1941 season will not only be remembered as a
national championship season, but also as a year in which, possibly the best
football player in Golden Gopher history, Bruce Smith, became the first and only
U of M player to be honored with the Heisman Trophy Award. Smith was a great
ballcarrier, a fine passer, a superb blocker and a very strong defensive player.
Beyond that he was an outstanding spiritual leader.
Smelling Roses
The 1960 season will always be remembered as the
biggest turnaround in the history of Minnesota football. The Golden Gophers
finished the 1959 season 2-7 overall and dead last in the Big Ten at 1-6. The
1960 season saw the Gophers finish 8-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference to earn
the school’s first trip to the Rose Bowl. The national champion Golden Gophers
lost the Rose Bowl game, 17-7, to Washington.
Rose Bowl Champions
All-American Sandy Stepens led the Golden Gophers to
their only Rose Bowl victory on Jan. 1, 1962. Stephens was named Rose Bowl MVP.
On January 1, 1962, Minnesota evened its record in the
Rose Bowl with a 21-3 win against UCLA. Murray Warmath’s Golden Gophers simply
outclassed and overpowered UCLA before nearly 100,000 fans in Pasadena. Sandy
Stephens, who would eventually be named to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, ran for
two touchdowns and Bill Munsey added the other score in the Gopher win.
The Little Brown
Jug Oscar Munson may not be known throughout college
football, but the long-time equipment manager at the University of Minnesota
started one of college football’s most recognized traditions—the battle for the
Little Brown Jug. The most famous Little Brown Jug battle came in 1977. Michigan
waltzed into Memorial Stadium with the nation’s No. 1 ranking, but left with a
stunning 16-0 loss to the Golden Gophers. The game marked the first time
Michigan had been shut out in nine years. The victory also returned the Little
Brown Jug to Minnesota for the first time since 1967.
The Last Time
In 1985, assistant coach John Gutekunst took over for
Lou Holtz in the final game of the season against Clemson in the Independence
Bowl. The Golden Gophers’ 20-13 victory gave Gutekunst a victory in his first
collegiate game as a head coach and Minnesota’s most recent victory in a bowl
game. The 1986 season ended with an invitation to the Liberty Bowl for the
Golden Gophers, which was the last bowl game Minnesota played in prior appearing
in the 1999 Wells Fargo Sun Bowl against the Oregon Ducks.
Homecoming Heroes
One of the great traditions anywhere in college
football, homecoming also has its place at Minnesota. With a .619 winning
percentage in homecoming games since the first game in 1914, the Golden Gophers
have a history of “homecoming heroes.” The list includes such performances as
the Golden Gophers’ 490 yards of offense in 1936 that led to the most lopsided
win in homecoming history, a 52-0 thumping of Iowa. Minnesota fans will never
forget Paul Rogind’s last-second 31-yard field goal in 1978 that defeated
Indiana, 32-31, after the Hoosiers owned a second-quarter 24-0 lead. Finally, no
one will ever forget the Golden Gophers scoring 10 points in the final three
minutes of the 1998 homecoming game, the 1,007th overall game in school history,
to earn a 19-18 victory against Michigan State.
Gophers and Awards
Minnesota has had its name on several major individual
awards. In addition to Bruce Smith’s Heisman Trophy Award in 1941, Tom Brown won
the Outland Trophy in 1960 as the nation’s finest interior lineman. He also
finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. The Golden Gophers rode his broad
shoulders to a No. 1 national ranking, a trip to the Rose Bowl and a national
championship. Bobby Bell earned the Outland Trophy in 1962 by a landslide vote.
A member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bell led the Golden
Gophers to a Rose Bowl win in 1962. Called “the best football player we’ve ever
had here” by the legendary Butch Nash, Bell could run as fast as the running
backs and throw farther than the quarterbacks but ended up playing offensive and
defensive tackle. He became one of the best tackles in Big Ten history.
