Earliest Gopher football memory?

UpAndUnder43

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 3, 2017
Messages
13,743
Reaction score
11,630
Points
113
Recently a coworker asked me by first Gopher football memory. He is about 10 years older than I am, so his was obviously different.

For whatever reason, I remember Chris Darkins and his awesome visor. Ol' #44 running around. My dad told me he was out best player and he looked so damn cool. Big fan of his back in the early 90s. He is my first memory of Gopher football.

I was under 10 when he played for the Gophers.

What is your earliest Gopher football memory?
 

Marion Barber scoring on a big run after losing his shoe. Father Barber for the younger fans.

Also, fans throwing snowballs (maybe other things as well) at the ref's leaving the field. I think against Wisc.
 


Listening to the infamous 59-56 win over Purdue with my dad.

First game attended was the Tyrone Carter blowup win over McNabb/Harrison Syracuse in 1996.
 

My earliest college football memories are Notre Dame Fighting Irish games on NBC in the late '80s. I have no memory of Lou Holtz coaching the Gophers. Only fighting Irish.

I was introduced to gopher football by my dad during the Jim Wacker years. The teams were terrible but I loved how positive he was. If you won games based on being positive and rah rah Jim Wacker would have never lost. I also liked the idea of the Gophers being an underdog so I kept following them.
 


Sitting in the old memorial stadium with my dad watching a game against Illinois. Back before any of our games were ever on tv...
 

I grew up in South Dakota, not a Gopher fan. I became a Gopher fan when I started school here in 1998. I believe that was the last year the U was on the trimester schedule, so we didn't actually start classes until September 21. Consequently, the football team played 3 games before school even started. Nonetheless, I was on campus in time to attend the Memphis game on September 19 and we pounded them 41-14. The rest of the season was pretty underwhelming, but we did close out with a nice bonus by shellacking Iowa in the season finale. I've attended every home game since unless I was out of town for a wedding or funeral.
 

The oldest memory of the Gophers that I can point to a date with certainty is 1982 vs Ohio U where the Gophers won 57-3. When I remember was that Goldy Gopher couldn't do all his pushups, so he lay on his back and did pushups against the air. I wasn't at the game, I listened on the radio.

I do remember a game where I was hoping the Gophers so they wouldn't finish with a losing record. But that could have been 1978, 1979 or 1980. I remember the Gophers lost the final game to Wisconsin, but the Gophers lost the final game to Wisconsin in each of those years. The Gophers finished 5-6 in 1978, 4-6-1 in 1979 and 5-6 in 1980. It could have been any of those years, but I think it was 1979. I listened to the games on the radio back then, getting the Gophers on TV was pretty rare. I listened to a lot of games, but don't remember a lot of them.

I do have a vague memory of the bowl game in 1977 against Maryland, but I don't think I remember the Michigan game of that year.
 

I grew up in South Dakota, not a Gopher fan. I became a Gopher fan when I started school here in 1998. I believe that was the last year the U was on the trimester schedule, so we didn't actually start classes until September 21. Consequently, the football team played 3 games before school even started. Nonetheless, I was on campus in time to attend the Memphis game on September 19 and we pounded them 41-14. The rest of the season was pretty underwhelming, but we did close out with a nice bonus by shellacking Iowa in the season finale. I've attended every home game since unless I was out of town for a wedding or funeral.

I went to the 1991 MN vs WI game at the dome. Sconnie won when Haas dropped a pass in the end zone to win it. Iirc, mn went for the win instead of kicking a FG and ending the game in a tie which was still in use at the time
 



Eric Decker one handed catch in TCF Bank

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Watching the '49 Golden Gophers, Nomelenni, Tonnamaker Ev Faunce, Billy Bye, Gene Gange and Bud Grant in Memorial Stadium as a Boy Scout usher. (pardon the poor spelling).
 

1. My Dad at the Memorial Stadium screaming for the return of Murray Warmath.

2. The smell of diesel fumes in the bus parking area at the NE corner of Memorial Stadium. (We'd ride the bus from the Criterion Restaurant at Univ and Lexington).

3. It always seemed to be high school "band day", with the checkerboard of bands in the open end of the stadium.

4. "Gold Country".... Tony Dungy, Rick Upchurch, Marion Barber.

5. Julian Peralt, with his call of scores from around the Big 10, in his unique delivery.
 

The first game I ever watched was the Nebraska game in '83, when they dropped 84 points on us. I was nine years old.

My first happy memory was watching Ricky Foggie lead the Gophs to the Independence Bowl in beautiful Shreveport in '84, and my very best memory was listening to Ray Christensen describe Darrell Thompson running for 200+ yards against Bowling Green in what might have been his very first game as a Gopher. I had been fishing with my uncle, and we were driving home with the game on the radio. We listened in amazement as he broke run after long run.

I was there when they upset Donovan McNabb and Syracuse, when they beat Purdue 59-56, and a couple years ago when Jalen Myrick locked up the Northwestern game by returning a kickoff for a touchdown, but nothing beats that game on the radio.
 



Grew up in southern MN. Have followed the Gophers all my life. Recall going to games at Memorial stadium seeing Rick Upchurch be dominant.
As I got a little older and in JH/HS, our HS Football team use to go to a game every year sitting in the end zone seats. Gary White and Marion Barber
running wild with those tear away jerseys. It was great in the endzone seats as you could stand and be next to the visiting team as the entered and left the field and locker room.
Remember looking at Anthony Carter from Michigan and couldn't believe how small he was but what a great player.
Went to many games at the Metrodome. Favorite even though it was a loss was when Darrell had the 90 some yard run vs. Michigan.
Was at the first game at TCF vs. Air Force and the atmosphere that night was electric. I've tried to get to a few games each year but have other games to see on Saturdays as my son plays
DIII ball, so that is not a possibility for a few more years.
 

This is gonna show how young I am compared to many on this board, but the 2005 loss to wisconsin is my first prominent Gopher Football memory. I remember being so happy until the punt was blocked, and being completely shocked and disappointed. I remember having watched a game or two before this, but don't remember the actual games.
 

My older brother coming home for Christmas during his freshman year at the U and excitedly reporting to our family that he helped hang Murray Warmath in effigy from a light pole on campus. The following year he came home for Christmas and gave me a "Minnesota National Champions 1960' pennant to hang on my bedroom wall.
 
Last edited:

Watching Rickey Foggie as a freshman in 1984.
 

This is gonna show how young I am compared to many on this board, but the 2005 loss to wisconsin is my first prominent Gopher Football memory. I remember being so happy until the punt was blocked, and being completely shocked and disappointed. I remember having watched a game or two before this, but don't remember the actual games.

Watched this game in my dorm room my freshman year. My parents were visiting. The last time I saw my mom outside of our house/the hospital. One of the worst games I can remember, but she was there, which was amazing.
 


Tony Dungy and Rick Upchurch wearing the all gold uniforms. Ron Kulas and Kent Kitzman after that with Cal Stoll the head coach.
 

I have vague memories watching and listening (I think the games were on tv sometimes in the lates 70’s), and my brothers got me excited for Smokey Joe.
For my birthday my oldest brother took me to the Gophers first Big Ten game in the Metrodome vs Illinois. There was so much energy and hype early in that game. I was loving it and then Illinois ended up winning in a rout. I was still hooked.
 


Tony Dungy and Rick Upchurch wearing the all gold uniforms. Ron Kulas and Kent Kitzman after that with Cal Stoll the head coach.

Started going to games in 1968. First tangible memory is a long punt return or reverse by Rick Upchurch versus Ohio State in 1974. Somewhere I have a picture I took with my Instamatic of him just about to cross the goal line.

To tell you how good Upchurch was, in 2000 he was voted into the Top 300 NFL players of all time.
 

Started going to games in 1968. First tangible memory is a long punt return or reverse by Rick Upchurch versus Ohio State in 1974. Somewhere I have a picture I took with my Instamatic of him just about to cross the goal line.

To tell you how good Upchurch was, in 2000 he was voted into the Top 300 NFL players of all time.

He had 4 punt returns for td's in 76 (nfl). Think about that... My dad's favorite Gopher all-time.
 
Last edited:

Going to the NW game at Memorial Stadium in 1977. Gophers won in a pretty boring game. A week later they shutout Michigan.
 

Geez, you guys make me feel old.

Once upon a time, kids, there were things called "newspapers." And way back when, late '60s maybe into the early '70s, the Sunday sports section of the Tribune (it wasn't the StarTribune then) was printed on peach-colored newsprint. My earliest memory of the Gophers is reading game stories (and cutting out pictures) from the Sunday peach sports section ... 'cuz that was before the days of wall-to-wall TV coverage. Or any TV coverage at all, for the Gophers.

So nothing specific, just the Sunday peach ... and of course listening to the wonderful tones of Ray Christiansen on the radio. Those were the days.

JTG
 

Rickey Foggie is the first Gopher player I remember hearing about, the first game I Remember watching is the Win over Syracuse with Donovan McNabb at the Helm.
 

Minnesota beating UCLA at Memorial Stadium. When UCLA had the ball it rained (or seemed to) like crazy. When the Gophers were on offense the clouds parted and the sun shone. Ray Christensen congratulated Cal Stoll after the game for controlling the weather!
 

Ray describing the exploits of Craig Curry in the early 70’s.
 

Listening on the radio with my dad when Lohmiller kicked the field goal to beat Michigan in 1986.
 




Top Bottom