The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference.

History

Early history

The Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team played its first game on September 29, 1882, a 4–0 victory over Hamline University. Eight years later in 1890, the Gophers played host to Wisconsin in a 63–0 victory. With the exception of 1906, the Gophers and Badgers have played each other every year since then. The 117 games played against each other is the most played rivalry in Division I-A college football.

Glory years

The Gophers enjoyed quite a bit of success in the early 20th century, posting winning records from 1900 - 1919. In 1932, Bernie Bierman became the Gopher head coach and led the Gophers to their first dynasty. From 1934 - 1936 the Gophers went on a run of winning three straight National Championships, the last Division I team to accomplish this feat. During the run, Minnesota went unbeaten in 28 straight games, 21 of which were consecutive victories. These are both school records. The Gophers then went on to win two more national championships in 1940 and 1941. Those two seasons comprised most of an 18 game winning streak that stretched from 1939 to 1942.

some mediocre seasons throughout the remainder of the 1940s and 1950s, the Gophers rose back to prominence in 1960 with their sixth national championship (because polling ended after the regular season, the Gophers were crowned AP and UPI national champions despite losing the Rose Bowl to Washington). That national championship followed a 1-8 record in 1958 and 2-7 record in 1959. Minnesota played in bowl games the two following years as well, in 1961 and 1962. The Gophers earned their first berth in the Rose Bowl by winning the 1960 Big Ten title. The following year, Minnesota returned to Pasadena despite a second-place finish in the conference. The Ohio State Buckeyes, the Big Ten champions in 1961, declined an invitation to the Rose Bowl because of tension between academics and athletics at the school. Minnesota beat UCLA 21-3 to claim its first and only Rose Bowl victory. This game also marked the Gophers last appearance in a New Year's Day bowl game. Minnesota's last Big Ten title was in 1967, tying the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers atop the standings.

Recent history

After their 8–2 record in 1967, the Gophers would not win 8 games in a season again until they went 8–4 in 1999. Their 10–3 record in 2003 gave the Gophers their first 10 win season since 1905.

The 2006 team had the dubious distinction of blowing a 38–7 third-quarter lead in the Insight Bowl against Texas Tech, losing 44-41 in overtime. The collapse, which was the biggest in the history of Division I-A postseason football, directly led to the firing of head coach Glen Mason. On January 17, 2007, Tim Brewster was officially announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

In 1981, the Gophers played their last game in Memorial Stadium and played their home games in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome until 2008.The Gophers moved back to campus with a 20-13 win against Air Force on September 12, 2009, when their new home, TCF Bank Stadium, opened.

Logos and uniforms

Championships

National Championships

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl
1934	Bernie Bierman	Billingsley, Boand, Dickinson, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation	8-0
1935	Bernie Bierman	Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling	8-0
1936	Bernie Bierman	AP, Billingsley, Dickinson, Dunkel, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling	7-1
1940	Bernie Bierman	AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation	8-0
1941	Bernie Bierman	AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling	8-0
1960	Murray Warmath	AP, FB News, NFF, UPI	8-2	Lost Rose
National championships claimed			6

Note: The NCAA itself does not award a championship for Division I-A football. A number of different organizations and publications designate a national champion.

Big Ten Conference Championships

Year	Coach	Overall Record	Conference Record
1900	Henry L. Williams	10-0-2	3-0-1
1903	Henry L. Williams	14-0-1	3-0-1
1904	Henry L. Williams	13-0	3-0
1906	Henry L. Williams	4-1	2-0
1909	Henry L. Williams	6-1	3-0
1910	Henry L. Williams	6-1	2-0
1911	Henry L. Williams	6-0-1	3-0-1
1915	Henry L. Williams	6-0-1	3-0-1
1927	Dr. Clarence Spears	6-0-2	3-0-1
1933	Bernie Bierman	4-0-4	2-0-4
1934	Bernie Bierman	8-0	5-0
1935	Bernie Bierman	8-0	5-0
1937	Bernie Bierman	6-2	5-0
1938	Bernie Bierman	6-2	4-1
1940	Bernie Bierman	8-0	6-0
1941	Bernie Bierman	8-0	5-0
1960	Murray Warmath	8-2	6-1
1967	Murray Warmath	8-2	6-1
Conference Titles			18

Note: bold years indicate outright conference titles

Stadiums

• Northrop Field (1899 - 1923)
• Memorial Stadium (1924 - 1981)
• Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982 - 2008)
• TCF Bank Stadium (2009, current)

All-Time Records

All-Time Coaching Records

Tenure	Coach	Years	Record	Pct.
1882	No coach	1	1-1-0	.500
1883	Thomas Peebles	1	1-2-0	.333
1884-85	No games played	2	0-0-0	.000
1886-88	Frederick S. Jones	3	3-3-0	.500
1889	D. W. McCord, Al McCord, F. Heffelfinger, B. Morse	1	3-1-0	.750
1890	Tom Eck	1	5-1-1	.833
1891	Ed "Dad" Moulton	1	3-1-1	.750
1892	No coach	1	5-0-0	1.000
1893	"Wallie" Winter	1	6-0-0	1.000
1894	Tom Cochrane Jr.	1	3-1-0	.750
1895	Walt "Pudge" Heffelfinger	1	7-3-0	.700
1896-97	Alexander Jerrems	2	12-6-0	.667
1898	Jack Minds	1	4-5-0	.444
1899	John Harrison, Bill Leary	1	6-3-2	.682
1900-21	Henry L. Williams	22	136-33-11	.786
1922-24	William H. Spaulding	3	11-7-4	.611
1925-29	Clarence Spears	5	28-9-3	.757
1930-31	Herbert "Fritz" Crisler	2	10-7-1	.558
1932–41, 45-50	Bernie Bierman	16	93-35-6	.727
1942-44	George Hauser	3	15-11-1	.577
1951-53	Wes Fesler	3	10-13-4	.435
1954-71	Murray Warmath	18	87-78-7	.526
1972-78	Cal Stoll	7	39-39-0	.500
1979–83	Joe Salem	5	19-35-1	.352
1984-85	Lou Holtz	2	10-12-0	.455
1986-91	John Gutekunst	6	29-36-2	.441
1992-96	Jim Wacker	5	16-39-0	.291
1997–2006	Glen Mason	10	64-57-0	.535
2007-08	Tim Brewster	2	10-17	.333
Totals	30 coaches	124 seasons	636–455–44	.580

Bowl Games

Year and Bowl	Winning team		Losing team
1961 Rose Bowl	Washington	17	Minnesota	7
1962 Rose Bowl	Minnesota	21	UCLA	3
1977 Hall of Fame Classic	Maryland	17	Minnesota	7
1985 Independence Bowl	Minnesota	20	Clemson	13
1986 Liberty Bowl	Tennessee	21	Minnesota	14
1999 Sun Bowl	Oregon	24	Minnesota	20
2000 MicronPC.com Bowl	North Carolina State	38	Minnesota	30
2002 Music City Bowl	Minnesota	29	Arkansas	14
2003 Sun Bowl	Minnesota	31	Oregon	30
2004 Music City Bowl	Minnesota	20	Alabama	16
2005 Music City Bowl	Virginia	34	Minnesota	31
2006 Insight Bowl	Texas Tech	44	Minnesota	41 (OT)
2008 Insight Bowl	Kansas	42	Minnesota	21
13 Bowl Games	5 Wins		8 Losses

Note: From 1918-1945, the Big Ten did not allow its teams to participate in bowls. From 1946-1974, only the conference champion was allowed to attend a bowl.

Trophy Games

• Floyd of Rosedale - Iowa Hawkeyes
• Governor's Victory Bell - Penn State Nittany Lions
• Little Brown Jug - Michigan Wolverines
• Slab of Bacon/Paul Bunyan's Axe - Wisconsin Badgers

Individual Award Winners

National

Players

• Heisman Trophy

Bruce Smith - 1941

• Outland Trophy

Tom Brown - 1960

Bobby Bell - 1962

Greg Eslinger - 2005

• Jim Thorpe Award

Tyrone Carter - 1999

• Dave Rimington Trophy

Greg Eslinger - 2005

• John Mackey Award

Matt Spaeth - 2006

Coaches

• Amos Alonzo Stagg Award

Bernie Bierman - 1958

• Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year

Murray Warmath - 1960

• Paul "Bear" Bryant Award

Murray Warmath - 1960

Big Ten Conference

Players

• Chicago Tribune Silver Football

Biggie Munn - 1931

Pug Lund - 1934

Paul Giel - 1952, 1953

Tom Brown - 1960

Sandy Stephens - 1961

• Offensive Lineman of the Year

Greg Eslinger - 2005

• Defensive Lineman of the Year

Karon Riley - 2000

• Freshman of the Year

Darrell Thompson - 1986

Laurence Maroney - 2003

Coach

• Dave McClain Coach of the Year

Glen Mason - 1999

College Football Hall of Famers

Inductee	Position(s)	Class	Year(s)
Bert Baston	End	1954	1914-1916
Bobby Bell	Tackle	1991	1960-1962
Bernie Bierman	Head Coach	1955	1932-1941 1945-1950
Tom Brown	Guard	2003	1958-1960
Fritz Crisler	Head Coach	1954	1930-1931
Carl Eller	Tackle	2006	1959-1962
George Franck	Halfback	2002	1938-1940
Paul Giel	Halfback	1975	1951-1953
Lou Holtz	Head Coach	2009	1984-1985
Herb Joesting	Fullback	1958	1925-1927
Pug Lund	Halfback	1958	1932-1934
Bobby Marshall	End	1971	1904-1906
John McGovern	Quarterback	1966	1908-1910
Bronko Nagurski	Tackle Fullback	1951	1927-1929
Leo Nomellini	Tackle Guard	1977	1946-1949
Eddie Rogers	End	1968	1900-1903
Bruce Smith	Halfback	1972	1939-1941
Clayton Tonnemaker	Center	1980	1946-1949
Ed Widseth	Tackle	1954	1934-1936
Dick Wildung	Tackle	1957	1940-1942
Henry L. Williams	Head Coach	1951	1900-1921

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Inductee	Position(s)	Class	Team(s), Years
Bobby Bell	Defensive End Linebacker	1983	Kansas City Chiefs, 1963-1974
Carl Eller	Defensive End	2004	Minnesota Vikings, 1964-1978 Seattle Seahawks, 1979
Bud Grant	Head Coach	1994	Minnesota Vikings, 1967-1983, 1985
Bronko Nagurski	Fullback	1963	Chicago Bears 1930-1937, 1943
Leo Nomellini	Defensive Tackle	1969	San Francisco 49ers 1950-1963
Charlie Sanders	Tight End	2007	Detroit Lions 1968-1977

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Inductee	Position(s)	Class	Team(s), Years
Tom Brown	Defensive Lineman	1984	BC Lions, 1961-1967
Bud Grant	End Head Coach	1983	Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 1953-1966

Current Players

• Duane Bennett - Running Back
• Eric Decker - Wide Receiver
• Adam Weber - Quarterback

Current Professional Players

NFL

Golden Gophers in the NFL
NFL Draft selections
Total selected:	333
First picks in draft:	0
1st Round:	17
NFL achievements
Total Players:	215
Hall of Fame:	6

Player	Position(s)	Draft Class	Team
Marion Barber III	Running Back	2005	Dallas Cowboys
Tyrone Carter	Safety	2000	Pittsburgh Steelers
Greg Eslinger	Center	2006	Houston Texans
Ben Hamilton	Offensive Guard	2001	Denver Broncos
Michael Lehan	Cornerback	2003	Miami Dolphins
Rhys Lloyd	Kicker	Undrafted in 2005	Carolina Panthers
Laurence Maroney	Running Back	2006	New England Patriots
Anthony Montgomery	Defensive Tackle	2006	Washington Redskins
Logan Payne	Wide Receiver	Undrafted in 2007	Seattle Seahawks
Darrell Reid	Defensive Tackle	Undrafted in 2005	Indianapolis Colts
Gary Russell	Running Back	Undrafted in 2007	Oakland Raiders
Mark Setterstrom	Offensive Guard	2006	St. Louis Rams
Matt Spaeth	Tight End	2007	Pittsburgh Steelers
Thomas Tapeh	Running Back	2004	Minnesota Vikings
Ben Utecht	Tight End	Undrafted in 2004	Cincinnati Bengals
Stylez White	Defensive End	2002	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dominique Barber	Safety	2008	Houston Texans
Ernie Wheelwright	Wide Receiver	Undrafted in 2008	Baltimore Ravens

AFL

• Aaron Hosack - Wide Receiver, Colorado Crush
• Ron Johnson - Wide Receiver/Linebacker, Cleveland Gladiators
• Karon Riley - Defensive Lineman, Cleveland Gladiators

af2

• Travis Cole - Quarterback, Rio Grande Valley Dorados

CFL

• Arland Bruce - Wide Receiver, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Jerome Davis - Defensive Tackle, Toronto Argonauts
• Jermaine Mays - Defensive Back, Toronto Argonauts
• Willie Middlebrooks - Cornerback, Toronto Argonauts
• Ryan Thelwell - Wide Receiver, Calgary Stampeders

Season awards

	Bronko Nagurski	Bruce Smith	Carl Eller	Bobby Bell	Butch Nash	Paul Giel	Neil Fredenburg	Practice Squad
Year	Team MVP	Outstanding Offense	Outstanding Defense	Outstanding Special Teams	Competitive on Classroom/Field	Unselfishness	Love of the Game	Offensive	Defensive
1930	Clarence Munn
1931	Clarence Munn
1932	Roy Oen
1933	Francis "Pug" Lund
1934	Francis "Pug" Lund
1935	Vernal "Babe" LeVoir
1936	Ed Widseth
1937	Rudy Gmitro
1938	Larry Buhler
1939	Harold Van Every
1940	Bob Paffrath
1941	Bob Sweiger
1942	Dick Wildung
1943	Paul Mitchell
1944	John Lundquist
1945	Bob Fitch
1946	Billy Bye
1947	Larry Olsonoski
1948	Everette Faunce
1949	Bud Grant
1950	Wayne Robinson
1951	Ron Engel
1952	Paul Giel
1953	Paul Giel
1954	Bob McNamara
1955	Don Swanson
1956	Bobby Cox
1957	Dick Larson
1958	Everette Gerths
1959	Tom Moe
1960	Tom Brown
1961	Sandy Stephens
1962	Bobby Bell
1963	Carl Eller
1964	Joe Pung
1965	John Hankinson
1966	Tim Wheeler
1967	Tom Sakal
1968	Wayne King
1969	Ray Parson
1970	Jeff Wright
1971	Tom Chandler
1972	John King
1973	Matt Herkenhoff Steve Neils
1974	Ollie Bakken
1975	Tony Dungy
1976	Tony Dungy
1977	Steve Midboe
1978	Marion Barber Jr.
1979	Mark Carlson	Elmer Bailey	Keith Edwards
1980	Marion Barber Jr.	Garry White	Jeff Schuh
1981	Mike Hohensee	Chester Cooper	Randy Rasmussen
1982	Mike Horensee	Jim Fahnhorst	Karl Mecklenburg
1983	Randy Rasmussen	Jay Carroll	Peter Najarian
1984	Rickey Foggie	Mark Vondehaar	Peter Najarian	Larry Joyner	John Kelly	Dwayne McMullen
1985	Rickey Foggie	Ray Hitchcock	Peter Najarian	Chip Lohmiller	Andy Hare	David Puk
1986	Darrell Thompson	Darrell Thompson	Mark Dusbabek	Chip Lohmiller	Anthony Burke	Norries Wilson
1987	Rickey Foggie	Darrell Thompson	Jon Leverenz	Chip Lohmiller	Brian Bonner	Dan Rechtin
1988	Chris Gaiters	Chris Gaiters	Joel Brown	Brent Herbel	Ross Ukkelberg	Pat Hart
1989	Darrell Thompson	Darrell Thompson	Eddie Miles	Brent Berglund	Dan Liimatta	Jon Melander
1990	Mike Sunvold	Marquel Fleetwood	Mike Sunvold	Kenneth Sebree	Frank Jackson	Jim King
1991	Sean Lumpkin	Patt Evans	Sean Lumpkin	Ken McClintock	Joel Staats	Scott Schaffner
1992	Keith Ballard	Antonio Carter	Dennis Cappella	Jon Lewis	Russ Heath	Ken McClintock
1993	Omar Douglas	Omar Douglas	Andrew Veit	Scott Williams	Omar Douglas	Antonio Carter
1994	Chris Darkins	Chris Darkins	Craig Sauer	Rishon Early	Justin Conzemius	Ed Hawthorne
1995	Craig Sauer	Cory Sauter	Craig Sauer	Mike Chalberg	Justin Conzemius	Chris Darkins
1996	Ryan Thelwell Gann Brooks	Tutu Atwell	Parc Williams	Rishon Early	Cory Sauter	Jerome Davis
1997	Lamanzer Williams	Tutu Atwell	Lamanzer Williams	Tutu Atwell	Parc Williams	Cory Sauter		Michael Mullen	Curtese Poole
1998	Tyrone Carter	Luke Leverson	Tyrone Carter	Adam Bailey	Parc Williams	Troy Duerr		Scooter Baugus	Karon Riley
1999	Tyrone Carter	Thomas Hamner	Tyrone Carter	Dan Nystrom	Ben Mezera	Ben Hamilton	Sean Hoffman	Ben Utecht	DaVonta Bell
2000	Ben Hamilton Ron Johnson	Ron Johnson	Karon Riley	Preston Gruening	Ben Hamilton	Justin Hall	Sean Hoffman	Clarence Woods	Darrell Reid
2001	Ron Johnson	Ron Johnson Tellis Redmon	Jack Brewer	Marion Barber III	Derek Burns	Jack Brewer	Steve Murray	Jerry Macken	Charlton Keith
2002	Jermaine Mays	Terry Jackson II	Eli Ward	Jermaine Mays	Dan Kwapinski	Jeremiah Carter	Jeremiah Carter	Zack Kartak	Eric Clark Pat McCarthy Eric Washington
2003	Asad Abdul-Khaliq	Asad Abdul-Khaliq	Eli Ward	Rhys Lloyd	Greg Eslinger	Joe Quinn	Dan Kwapinski	Kevin Salmen	John Shevlin
2004	Marion Barber III Laurence Maroney	Marion Barber III	Darrell Reid	John Shevlin	Mark Setterstrom	Dominique Sims	Jakari Wallace	Tommy Jacobs	Seth Thompson
2005	Greg Eslinger Laurence Maroney	Greg Eslinger	John Pawielski	Jakari Wallace	Greg Eslinger	Mark Setterstrom	Matt Spaeth	Joe Swanson	Brody Grandas
2006	Matt Spaeth	Logan Payne	Mike Sherels	Tom Hennessey	Dominic Jones	Dom Barber	Mike Sherels	Matt Krueger	Mike Hart
2007	Dom Barber	Eric Decker	Dom Barber	Justin Kucek	John Shevlin Steve Shidell	Todd Meisel Tony Brinkhaus	Mike Sherels Justin Valentine	Kyle Moore	Andre Tate’

Other Famous Coaches and Players

• Marion Barber Jr. - Retired NFL Running Back
• Phil Bengtson - Retired NFL Head Coach
• Gino Cappelletti - All-time AFL scoring leader
• Gil Dobie - Won two national championships as head coach of the Cornell Big Red football team
• Tony Dungy - Retired NFL Head Coach
• Verne Gagne - Professional wrestler; founder AWA
• Chip Lohmiller - Retired NFL Kicker
• Karl Mecklenburg - Retired NFL Linebacker
• Cory Sauter - Retired NFL Quarterback
• Darrell Thompson - Retired NFL Running Back, current Gopher football radio announcer
• Rick Upchurch - Retired NFL Wide Receiver
• DeWayne Walker - Head Coach, New Mexico State Aggies football team
• Murray Warmath - Last head coach to lead Minnesota to the Rose Bowl and National Championship
• Bud Wilkinson - Won three national championships as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team
• Norries Wilson - Head Coach, Columbia Lions football team, first African American head football coach in the Ivy League

External links

• Official Site
• Big Ten Conference

References

1. Gopher football historyericthrall.com
2. Jeff Shelman, New U coach: Rose Bowl is the goal, Star Tribune, January 17, 2007
3. College Football Data Warehouse
4. College Football Hall of Fame
5. Canadian Football Hall of Fame
6. NCAA Football Alumni Tracker - CBSSports.com
7. CFL Players