Just noticed last night that there's a banner for 1902 as well.
In 1902 Yale was generally regarded as the best team in the country, I think they were considered to have been the national champ in 1901. Anyway, the Gophers were unbeaten that year and Yale was touring and came here to the Armory a lost to the Gophers 32-23. Center George Tuck from Mpls. Central was the star, he would be the Gophers first all-American in 1905. But after beating Yale they were pretty unanimously regarded as the best team in the country.
In 1903 the Gophers may have lost 1 or 2 games, I'm not sure, but 1 of 2 unofficial groups that chose a national champ did choose the Gophers. The Gophers apparently don't even claim the title but somebody back then thought they were deserving.
There was no Big 10 in 1902-1903 by the way. Big 10 basketball started about 1906-1907 and by 1919 the Gophers had won as many conference titles as just about anybody, I'm going say maybe 6 or 7. In 1919 they were unbeaten and again pretty unanimously rated #1. There was of course no national tournament in any of those 3 years.
Coach Louis J. Cooke coached the Gophers from about 1897 to about 1924 and with all those titles, he was as close to being the dean of college coaches nationally as anybody. But after 1919 the Gophers won the Big 10 again only in 1937 and 1972 and 1982 and maybe in 1997 depending on your perspective. By the way, the only players ever to win a state high school championship and a Big 10 championship at Minnesota were Harold Gillen of Stillwater (1914, 1917), Dick Seebach of Red Wing (1933 and 1937) and Randy Breuer (1978-1979, 1982).
