USC Minnesota 1980

oak_street1981

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I never saw this video before and there are quality issues with it. I think it is worth the watch, though. When i think of USC in MN I think of the OJ Simpson game, and the Brewster era game at TCF.

There was zero recall on this game, and I must have been too into Disco or video games, because Marion Barber and the one and only Marcus Allen was at University and Oak St. that day.

The only online video i had seen before of a full game at Memorial Stadium was the 1981 game the next year vs. Ohio State.

USC, Minnesota 1980, second to last year at Memorial with Salem at HC. A lot of interesting comments and a couple of shots of the MPLS downtown that I recall from recent BTN broadcasts.

I sort of forgot that that Marion Barber was already a legend by then. (233 yards , Illinois game 1979, all time rushing leader, career)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nu8AjmrnSk
 
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I love the crowd shots of these old games - long before fan apparel became the norm.
"Hey, what are you wearing to the game today?"
"I don't know. Probably this button up shirt, my Farah slacks, and this sailor hat. What about you?"
"I was thinking of going with this green windbreaker and my tan corduroys. And look at this...It's my Gopher homecoming button from last year. I'll put that on to show everyone how big of a fan I am!"
"Dynomite!"
 

Just from watching the first offensive drive... I wouldn’t have liked the coaches son playing quarterback
 

My lord, is that the best college defensive backfield of all time?
Ronnie Lott
Joey Browner
Dennis Smith
Jeff Fisher
 



Ronnie Lott didn't mind...

It’s not so much getting picked off by an all time great...it is hanging your teammate out to dry while throwing an interception
 

USC somehow managed to lose two games and tie another with that team stocked with future NFL stars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Oy! I was there. Smokey Joe and son Tim. What a disaster.
Not the worst loss against a highly ranked team though.
I also forgot that future Viking Joey “Jump on the Pile” Browner was on that Trojan team.
 

The picture of the Minneapolis skyline around the 3:00 minute mark is interesting.
 



I love the crowd shots of these old games - long before fan apparel became the norm.
"Hey, what are you wearing to the game today?"
"I don't know. Probably this button up shirt, my Farah slacks, and this sailor hat. What about you?"
"I was thinking of going with this green windbreaker and my tan corduroys. And look at this...It's my Gopher homecoming button from last year. I'll put that on to show everyone how big of a fan I am!"
"Dynomite!"

I miss the homecoming buttons...
 

The picture of the Minneapolis skyline around the 3:00 minute mark is interesting.

They still use the same shot today with a slightly different angle and there are a lot more buildings, of course.

A few more random thoughts, no time to re-order:


I just watched the video with several pauses in the last few hours and it was very interesting. The game was not reflective of the final score, and the crowd was 55K plus, the largest crowd since 1974 according to the USC commentators. (Mike Garrett and some flack)

The Game was 7-10 at the 8:43 mark of the fourth quarter so it was a game, and I still do not remember it. I think I was working in my first job at the local grocery store and just zoned out. edit, just reconsidered in fall of 1980 not still working at store- wonder what the hell I was doing- my dad for sure had WCCO blaring on the console stereo all afternoon.


If our HC Joe Salem had a Mike Hohensee or Rickie Foggie (or even an Asad) that day Minnesota easily could have won. They were not getitng beat at the line and Salem's son was awful a QB all day.

I think the father of the Basketball Player Kris Humphreys might have been on the O line in this game. Fahnhorst and other memorable GophersI had forgotten about played that day. (Gary White, Foxworth, Bailey, Jeff Schuh, ect)

USC must have kicked ass in the final 8:42.... probably a Tim Salem turnover and big Marcus Allen TD run, i'll find out in a second. Good old fat John Robinson was pretty slick way back then.
 
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St. Cloud's Fahnhorst brothers were the first brothers to each win a Super Bowl. Take that, Manning brothers. Keith recently passed away.
 




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