If you're were never a Gopher, why are you a Gopher fan?

Donate To GopherHole
UpAndUnder43

UpAndUnder43

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
13,779
Reaction score
11,719
Points
113
I didn't go to the U of M. They were not interested in my academic services (I didn't get accepted into the school) but yes, I am still a huge Gopher fan. But why?

Well, none of my relatives went to the U of M. Went to most other B1G schools. But I'm from Minnesota. I love D1 sports and I lack other options to root for. Been a fan of the Gophers since I knew what being a fan meant. Pretty much true for all Minnesota sports but I really really love Gopher sports.

Anyone with a more interesting story? I hate bye week.
 

I don't know how interesting it will be but here is my story...

I'm not a Minnesotan, in fact, I've never even been to the state. I did have relatives that lived in Plymouth and I do intend to get there one day. I'm a Georgia boy, born and raised. My love for the Gophers actually started via the Vikings. I was born in 1969. By the time I was old enough to really watch any football and understand it, I fell in love with the Vikings. Anytime they were on tv down here I was glued to the tube. I was probably the only kid within 200 miles with Viking clothes. By the very early '80's my dad was the first person in our county to get the old hand crank satellite dish. I discovered a channel on the dish that many of you I'm sure will remember, Midwest Sports Channel. I soon discovered that i could change the audio frequency on my dish while on that channel, and get the radio feed from WCCO which they piggy backed on the dish. I did all of this to satisfy my thirst for information about my Vikings. I had discovered the world of Sid Hartman and Dark Star on WCCO and made sure that I was listening anytime they were on. This also meant that I was exposed to news on other Minnesota sports teams and I became a fan of basically ever Minnesota sports team. Really loved the North Stars! My dad loved hockey and the Blackhawks from when he was in the military and spent time in Chicago. I remember he and I watching North Stars/Hawks games all the time. Man I hated Al Secord! Anyway, my first real conscious memory of Gopher football was in a bowling ally one night as a 16 year old. Here I was, between my turns to roll, glued to the tv watching Rickey Foggie and the Gophers try to upset mighty Oklahoma. From that night on, while I almost never could watch the Gophers on tv, I was listening to WCCO to find out news about them just like the Vikings. I've been a Gopher fan ever since and a die hard Gopher since they hired Glen Mason. Now, I'm probably the only person, besides my son, within 200 miles wearing Gopher gear. Though that could change if Tift County's Rashad Bateman stays in the fold and becomes a Gopher. I now consider the Gophers much more important to me than the Vikings, whom I've had a fading interest in over the years. Today, I'm just a casual Viking at best. What I look forward to every weekend now is watching my Gophers and my other favorite college team, the Georgia Bulldogs. It would be awesome if these two met one day in a bowl game. It was mentioned they may play each other in Jacksonville a couple of years ago and I was sure hoping it was going to happen. I would have had to wear red and maroon, but would have ultimately been pulling for the Gophers. It would be so sweet for this team to knock of one of the SEC heavy weights! Hopefully, PJ will get us to that level.

I too hate bye weeks but at least Georgia is playing tomorrow. Hopefully we can handle Mississippi State, but already anxiously awaiting next weekend against Maryland.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Went to UM for Grad School. Was undergrad at an east coast school that played D-1aa (barely), so root for the "real" football team. Kid sister started undergrad at Madison the same year (1993) I started, so I had two straight years of bragging rights. Since then? Sigh.
 

Mother went to the U and my cousin and her husband are professors. I've got a bunch of family in the area so it was kinda natural. Grew up watching them on TV and getting my heart ripped out but that's to be expected being a Minnesota sports fan!
 

U2Gopher said:
I don't know how interesting it will be but here is my story...

I'm not a Minnesotan, in fact, I've never even been to the state. I did have relatives that lived in Plymouth and I do intend to get there one day. I'm a Georgia boy, born and raised. My love for the Gophers actually started via the Vikings. I was born in 1969. By the time I was old enough to really watch any football and understand it, I fell in love with the Vikings. Anytime they were on tv down here I was glued to the tube. I was probably the only kid within 200 miles with Viking clothes. By the very early '80's my dad was the first person in our county to get the old hand crank satellite dish. I discovered a channel on the dish that many of you I'm sure will remember, Midwest Sports Channel. ..
Click to expand...

Great story.
 


Most fans of Power 5 programs are made of up people who have a connection to the school but did not actually attend. This is especially true of programs that for a period of time were consistent winners or are the only game in town. Nebraska and Alabama in football and Kentucky and Kansas in basketball are great examples.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

maroonfive said:
Most fans of Power 5 programs are made of up people who have a connection to the school but did not actually attend. This is especially true of programs that for a period of time were consistent winners or are the only game in town. Nebraska and Alabama in football and Kentucky and Kansas in basketball are great examples.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Very true. The joke down here is "You are an Auburn fan because you went to Auburn. You are an Alabama fan because you went to Walmart."
 

Grew up in Duluth, so rooted against the Gophers in hockey. Left to go to college in TX, but brother, sister, and tons of cousins all went to the U. For some of us, we were never really Minnesotans until we left. That was certainly true for me. Since living in TX, I've become much more of a Minnesota fan at every level, but mostly Gopher sports (still a UMD hockey fan though!).

Living in exile in Texas has made me much more of a Minnesotan! And, therefore, more of a Gopher.
 

I did not attend the U either. I was looking for the smaller town experience and ended up at Bemidji State. I follow the Gophers because as I was growing up, my Dad and I would go hunting in the fall, grouse, ducks or pheasants and would always listen to the football games on the radio. When I am up at the cabin and listen on the radio when I am out doing stuff it brings back memories of listening with my Dad who passed away several years ago. As U2Gopher said, I am a passing fan of the Vikings but diehard Gopher fan.
 



Been a Gopher fan since 1972 when my Father, a professor at the U, took me to a game. One of my daughters attends the U now, the other is waiting to hear about acceptance. My sister, brother and nephew all attended the U. The Gophers have been a part of my entire life and the University is the reason we live in MN when my Father accepted the job as professor in 1966 and moved us here. I attended UMD for a year and a half but I am fully willing to admit that is not the same as attending the U of M Twin Cities. I graduated from Augsburg in 1985.

Like others have said, the Gophers are the official college football team of the entire state of MN. Go Gophers!!
 

Grew up watching them and went to the main U of M campus - Duluth. D1 football is more exciting to watch than the pros in my opinion.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

I sort of mentioned it in another thread but I'll just reiterate. My first two years of attending higher ed, I was going to Rainy River Community College and working at a hotel in 2007 and 2008. They always had Gopher games playing in the lounge and more or less I got hooked with the Maroon and Gold from there. After getting my AA degree I transferred to Minnesota State University Moorhead based on grades as well as their mass communications and film programs.

So when I went to MSU, I was already a Gophers fan and since my school is Division II, I was able to root for my team, the Dragons, while also fully supporting the Gophers at the Division I level. I think my situation in that sense is pretty common considering Minnesota's status with only one Division I team in football and basketball. All of the other universities are either Division II or III, so I think a lot of us really get behind the Gophers and root for them.

Speaking for myself, when I became a fan of the Gophers, I went all in. I bought Gophers Illustrated and read that along with every other Wikipedia article there exists about the University of Minnesota and its athletic program.

I know I'll never get to say I went to the U, but I can say that I respect and enjoy what the university does for this state and that I love the athletic teams.
 

My dad is an alum, a big time supporter and season ticket holder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



Been a lurker on this site for a while now, figure there is no better time for my first than here. Growing up, I fell in love with basketball, even though my father wasn't into athletics he always was there for me to support me and give me the hard truth when I needed it. The Timberwolves were coming to town and the Gophers had just hired Clem Haskins. He let me pick, either season tickets to the T-wolves or season tickets to the Gophers, I took the Goph's in a heart beat, I have always loved the energy and excitement around college sports. We went to every game, I wasn't good enough athletically to even consider the U and wasn't ready to give up my basketball dream and wound up going to college close enough so I could come home for most if not all the games. It was the best 20+ years of my life getting to spend that time with my Dad not as Father and Son but as Friends and two true fans of the Sport. Since his passing I have not been able set foot back in Williams Arena (for however much longer we will be able to call it that) and don't know that I want to but whenever there is a Gopher game (B-Ball, Football, Hockey etc.) on TV I will always watch it for at least a little while and think about all the good times we had cheering for the the Gophers.
P.S. I don't care what the NCAA says, 1997 happened and it was one of the best years of my life, the Road Trip to the Final Four with my dad and cousin will be one of the most cherished memories in my lifetime.
 

Amazingly, none of our children went to the U , unlike their dad. My son played football at Moorhead. The 3 daughters went to UMD, Bemidji State, and St. Scholastica. They never go back to their respective schools for games, but they all attend Gopher games, and wear Gopher gear.
 

My dad's an alum and it's his fault that I became not only a Gopher fan, but a fan of every Minnesota team. I would have loved to attend the U but unfortunately they don't have a meteorology degree.
 

Grew up in Minneapolis loving Gopher football and basketball. They were always the hometown team to me. They don't have a great design program so I went to a small private school but I'll always love the Gophers.
 

U2Gopher said:
I don't know how interesting it will be but here is my story...

I'm not a Minnesotan, in fact, I've never even been to the state. I did have relatives that lived in Plymouth and I do intend to get there one day. I'm a Georgia boy, born and raised. My love for the Gophers actually started via the Vikings. I was born in 1969. By the time I was old enough to really watch any football and understand it, I fell in love with the Vikings. Anytime they were on tv down here I was glued to the tube. I was probably the only kid within 200 miles with Viking clothes. By the very early '80's my dad was the first person in our county to get the old hand crank satellite dish. I discovered a channel on the dish that many of you I'm sure will remember, Midwest Sports Channel. I soon discovered that i could change the audio frequency on my dish while on that channel, and get the radio feed from WCCO which they piggy backed on the dish. I did all of this to satisfy my thirst for information about my Vikings. I had discovered the world of Sid Hartman and Dark Star on WCCO and made sure that I was listening anytime they were on. This also meant that I was exposed to news on other Minnesota sports teams and I became a fan of basically ever Minnesota sports team. Really loved the North Stars! My dad loved hockey and the Blackhawks from when he was in the military and spent time in Chicago. I remember he and I watching North Stars/Hawks games all the time. Man I hated Al Secord! Anyway, my first real conscious memory of Gopher football was in a bowling ally one night as a 16 year old. Here I was, between my turns to roll, glued to the tv watching Rickey Foggie and the Gophers try to upset mighty Oklahoma. From that night on, while I almost never could watch the Gophers on tv, I was listening to WCCO to find out news about them just like the Vikings. I've been a Gopher fan ever since and a die hard Gopher since they hired Glen Mason. Now, I'm probably the only person, besides my son, within 200 miles wearing Gopher gear. Though that could change if Tift County's Rashad Bateman stays in the fold and becomes a Gopher. I now consider the Gophers much more important to me than the Vikings, whom I've had a fading interest in over the years. Today, I'm just a casual Viking at best. What I look forward to every weekend now is watching my Gophers and my other favorite college team, the Georgia Bulldogs. It would be awesome if these two met one day in a bowl game. It was mentioned they may play each other in Jacksonville a couple of years ago and I was sure hoping it was going to happen. I would have had to wear red and maroon, but would have ultimately been pulling for the Gophers. It would be so sweet for this team to knock of one of the SEC heavy weights! Hopefully, PJ will get us to that level.

I too hate bye weeks but at least Georgia is playing tomorrow. Hopefully we can handle Mississippi State, but already anxiously awaiting next weekend against Maryland.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Great story. Did you make it to the Citrus Bowl?
 

Born in Northwest Minnesota played college baseball at North Dakota but always dreamed about being a Gopher.. Iv been to a lot of different places in the country and I always find myself saying there is no better place then home.. Its a sense of pride in where I'm from that made me a gopher fan as a kid,, funny story, in college on a road trip to Lawrence to play Kansas. I was in the hotel room the night before the game playing video games and our coach popped in to see if were in our rooms. Turns out I forgot I had My Minnesota Golden Gophers hoodie on and he made me take it off or I wouldn't start the next day.. North Dakota doesn't like us very much believe it or not.. anyway Iv always felt the best way to represent the home you love is to play for or be a fan of your home state school.. sorry for the length
 

I grew up listening to Gopher games on the radio - it was a rare treat to see them on TV. I graduated from Bemidji State. I might go to a BSU game if I happen to be in Bemidji when there's a game. But that's not often.

Sent from my MotoG3 using Tapatalk
 

I grew up following the gophers as a kid. My parents never attended college but my dad was an avid college football fan - especially the gophers. He watched every game he could and I soon followed his lead. I developed a passion for gopher sports ever since. When the time came to attend college I applied to a variety of schools throughout the state. I got accepted into my dream school, the University of Minnesota. I scheduled a campus visit with my parents and when I got down there, the "big city" scared the sh!t outta me. Being from the country and never really having any experience in a large metro setting I decided to go to the University of Minnesota - Duluth. Which turned out to be a huge adjustment as well, but I survived haha. Looking back, I don't regret my decision as things have worked out better then I could have ever asked for. So yeah maybe I don't have the connection to the gophers like some of you guys who attended school in the twin cities but hey more fans the better right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I grew up in Minnesota. It's pretty simple. I went to the university of South Dakota & Brown. But I was a Gopher fan since childhood. My father watched Gopher games on Saturday, Vikings on Sunday. He was a community college attendee, until being drafted during the Vietnam war. So geography was the reason I'm a Gopher fan(as is the case with most people who didn't go to the U).

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
I didn't go to the U of M. They were not interested in my academic services (I didn't get accepted into the school) but yes, I am still a huge Gopher fan. But why?

Well, none of my relatives went to the U of M. Went to most other B1G schools. But I'm from Minnesota. I love D1 sports and I lack other options to root for. Been a fan of the Gophers since I knew what being a fan meant. Pretty much true for all Minnesota sports but I really really love Gopher sports.

Anyone with a more interesting story? I hate bye week.
Click to expand...

Born into it. First memory was as a four year old(?) Minnesota vs USC. Related to a Gopher, had two coaches that were Gophers. Used to go to games as a teenager. It's all I've ever known. I liked other teams, but my first love has always been the Gophers.
 

Grew up around here watching them and got into the school but wanted to get away from home, so I went to a small D-3 school and remained a Gopher fan.
 

Hunting pheasants and listening to Gopher football on the radio were required duties in my household. My father told me about the virtuous Bruce Smith and that hooked me. I chose a smaller school but my heart has been a Gopher football fan for over 50 years.
 


I'm from Minnesota and was a have always been a huge sports rube. I couldn't be more proud to be a Minnesotan, and have never understood why some of these kids can't wait to get out of here instead of representing their home (another conversation).

I stayed in state for for my undergrad and MBA (I'm a Husky). I was accepted into the U for both, but when it came down to it, there was no chance I was paying that much. I'm an outstater, born silver-spoonless in a modest farming community. Wouldn't go back and change it for a second. The Herbeger School of Business at SCSU is one of the more underrated business schools in the country. I ended up doing just fine, in fact, got a better internship and job straight away than many who paid twice as much for their education.

All that said, still a die-hard Gopher fan, and even attend a few games every year. I feel like I am just as invested emotionally in the program as any alum.
 

Living in outstate MN, not much on tv growing up (no ESPNs, BIG 10 etc.). You listened to the radio. Ray Christensen's voice and style drew me in (listening to the games at friend's home etc.).
 

Grew up in MN listening to game growing up.
 

Always a all things MN sports fan which meant Gophers as our only D1 teams. Played three sports in high school and always dreamed of being a Gopher. Went to football camp at the U before my jr year of high school and realized I was an okay small town athlete but that didn't coorelate to playing or the Gophers. The experience made me follow those teams very closely. I never went to a game until I was in my 30's and my wife bought me tix for my b-day. Fell in love with the experience and now it is just a part of my fall and winter to attend a few games.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom