Bye week talker: Earliest Gopher Memories

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Junior year of high school. Our football team was on a bus to play DeLa Salle. Usually the bus was dead quiet going to a game, but our coach let the bus driver have the radio on for the end of an epic Gophers victory over Michigan. They won the Little Brown Jug, and we thrashed the Islanders. Good day!
 

I didn't grow up in Minnesota so I wasn't a Gophers fan until I attended the U. But my family lived in Indianapolis when I was in sixth grade, and dad took us to a few random Big Ten games that fall, one of which was Minnesota at Illinois. I remember sitting in the corner of the end zone and that Illinois was the far superior team. The biggest memory of that day was listening to baseball on the drive back and hearing my Dodgers get eliminated from the NL West race on the next-to-last day of a season in which LA had led almost the entire way - the first of the Braves' 14 consecutive division titles.
 

Nomellini said:
The Gophers won at Michigan in 1956 and my dad took me out to Wold-Chamberlain to meet the team.
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This alone really shows your age. I would venture a guess that at least 90% of the readers here have no idea what W-C is. But its cool with me.
 

Jike Spingleton said:
I didn't grow up in Minnesota so I wasn't a Gophers fan until I attended the U. But my family lived in Indianapolis when I was in sixth grade, and dad took us to a few random Big Ten games that fall, one of which was Minnesota at Illinois. I remember sitting in the corner of the end zone and that Illinois was the far superior team. The biggest memory of that day was listening to baseball on the drive back and hearing my Dodgers get eliminated from the NL West race on the next-to-last day of a season in which LA had led almost the entire way - the first of the Braves' 14 consecutive division titles.
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1991. Sorry about your Dodgers but excellent world series that year.
 

My 1st memory was listening to the Rose Bowl loss to Washington.
My fondest memory was doing it with a babe on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium at 2:00am (right between the M's) in 1975. I had been chasing after her for quite some time before I got to the promised land. I shed a special tear when they announced the demolition of that hallowed ground.
 


Tully55 said:
This alone really shows your age. I would venture a guess that at least 90% of the readers here have no idea what W-C is. But its cool with me.
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Yes, I was born in 1950 and have loved the Gophers for a very long time. I didn't feel compelled to explain the former name of the MSP airport. Delighted that it's cool with you.
 

When I was two years old I went toe-to-toe with the Varmit Cong. After circling a bit to see what I was matched up against, I pounced, using my two front teeth to gouge out his left eye, but he rallied and bit me on the @$$, right through my cloth dipes. Now, every Saturday, during the fall, I turn into Goldy and bring it to the field. I am a weregoph and there's nothing you can do cause I don't need no cure.
 

Best single live memory is DT taking it around the right side to the promise land against Mich. Electronic.
 

Earliest Gopher memory was watching some non- Gopher show on ice as a toddler in the early 80's. Goldy was there for some reason. He came up to me and I had a Popeye doll. I had Popeye punch Goldy in the nose at Goldy's egging. Goldy dropped like a sack of potatoes and we all laughed.
 



Earliest for me was 2007 and 2008, my first two years of college when I got into football/sports in general. I was working at a hotel and they always had Gopher games on in the lounge. On my downtime I would check in and see some of the action. I've always been a root for Minnesota type person and wanted the Gophers to win but 07 of course was rough. When they went on that win streak to start off 08, though, I was really hooked.
 


Remember as a kid, 5th or 6th grade maybe, watching the Gopher football replays on WCCO, followed by the Bedtime Newz with Dave Moore.

Also remember being in the grocery store with my Mom. They had the Gopher basketball team was on the radio. All I can remember was hearing the name "Larry Mikan" being said over and over again.
 

Born in 1955. I was aware of the Gophers as a kid, from reading the paper (once I could read), but I don't remember ever seeing a Gopher game on TV. Of course, in those days, we got 3 TV stations - CBS, NBC and PBS. Later we we able to get an ABC station on UHF.

First Gopher sporting event I attended was the Gopher-USC football game in 1968. It was band day, so I attended with my High School band. After that, I followed the Gophers more closely. Once I began attending college in the Twin Cities (Augsburg), I was able to attend more Gopher games - football and men's hoops - as time and money allowed.

And, in the brush with greatness dep't: back in the 70's, before Mariucci Arena, the Gopher Men's hockey team used to hold early practices at the Augsburg Ice Arena before the ice was put in at Williams Arena (what is now the Sports Pavilion). I did some work at the Arena, so I got to watch the Gophers practice, and after practice, BS with the Coach - Herb Brooks. Got to know Brooks well enough so that, when I saw him on occasion at the U campus or Dinkytown, he would say "Hi, Augsburg." Brooks used to tell some great "off-the-record" stories about other Gopher coaches. I also had some friends from the Iron Range who knew the Micheletti brothers.
 



My earliest memories was listening to my grandfather talk about the game the next day while doing farm chores and knowing even as a 5 yr old kid that the Umn was important to your family. Both my parents went there as did 7 aunts and uncles, 6 cousins, and 1 sibling.

My first sports memory was 1990 vs WI. I actually didn't know that we hated them at the time. We almost won as a pass in the end zone fell incomplete. I kept every game stub on a pin in my room after that game.

Best memory: 1999 Penn st and 2005 mich. Both teams has snatched victory from for 2 years prior to these wins yet both were very satisfying watching, especially the mich win as I had been obsessed w winning the jug in my lifetime and wasn't sure if it would happen.

Worst: Easy..... We all know it....that damn Friday night game in 2003. I got to the dome at 8am and was one of the first ppl in the front row to watch us take the jug and secure our trip to Pasadena... but alas
 

The pregame lunch at the long gone Criterion Restaurant on Univ Ave in St Paul.... The bus ride to the game.... The diesel fumes in the bus parking area at the NW corner of the Brickhouse.... Jules Perlt announcing other game scores..... My Dad yelling to bring back Murray Warmath..... Rick Upchurch.
 

I go back to the Cal Stoll years and QB Tony Dungy. Good memories of that Marion Barber/Kent Kintzmann RB duo too.
 

Nebraska game which we lost 48-7 in 1973. More red in Memorial Stadium than maroon and gold.
 

My first favorite player was Rick Upchurch.
 

First memories are Tutu Atwell in the mid-90s with Ray on radio.

Early and best ever Gopher FB memory was Nystrom's kick. Was very nervous. LaVar Arrington's hand reached higher than a basketball backboard - but I think he jumped too early!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxEIwAKVfuA
 

When I was 7 or 8 years dad somehow got a Gopher football media guide. I think that John Hankenson was the starting QB that year. I'm pretty sure that Verne Gagne's son backed up Hankenson that that year.
 

Tully55 said:
My 1st memory was listening to the Rose Bowl loss to Washington.
My fondest memory was doing it with a babe on the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium at 2:00am (right between the M's) in 1975. I had been chasing after her for quite some time before I got to the promised land. I shed a special tear when they announced the demolition of that hallowed ground.
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You clearly win..
 

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