The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. The university fields a total of 21 (9 men's, 12 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. The Gophers women's ice hockey team is a six-time NCAA champion and seven-time national champion. In women's ice hockey, the Gophers belong to the

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college ice hockey conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated as a me ...

. In all other sports, they belong to the

. Most of the facilities that the teams use for training and competitive play are located on the East Bank of the

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

campus. There are arenas for men's and women's basketball ( Williams Arena) as well as ice hockey (

Mariucci Arena 3M Arena at Mariucci ( ) or 3M Arena is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans (9,600 in the main b ...

and Ridder Arena). The Gopher football team began playing at Huntington Bank Stadium in September 2009. The women's soccer team plays on the St. Paul campus in the

Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, Falcon Heights on the Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. It is primarily used as the home of the Minnesota Golde ...

. The Cheerleaders and the Dance Team are also part of the university's athletic department; they are present at events for basketball, ice hockey, and football, and compete for UCA/UDA national titles in the winter. The University of Minnesota spirit squad was the first as sideline cheerleading was invented at the U of M, and it prides itself in being one of the largest spirit squads in the country. The U of M spirit squad currently consists of three cheerleading teams (all girl, coed, and small coed), a dance team, Goldy Gopher, and a unique ice hockey cheerleading team. The dance team won its 19th national title in 2019. During the 2006–07 academic year, the Golden Gophers wrestling team won the NCAA national championship and the Big Ten team title. The Golden Gophers also won conference championships in men's ice hockey, men's golf, women's rowing, men's swimming and diving, and women's indoor track and field.

Sports sponsored

Baseball

Siebert Field, baseball stadium Big Ten logo in Minnesota colors

* National Championships (3): :

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

, 1960,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

*NCAA Tournament Appearances (32): :1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2018 *Big Ten Regular Season Championships (24): :1933, 1935, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2016, 2018 * Big Ten Conference Tournament Championships (9): :1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2018

Men's basketball

* Big Ten Regular Season Championships (8): :1906, 1907, 1911, 1917, 1919, 1937, 1972, 1982 *NCAA Tournament Appearances (10): :

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

*Sweet 16 Appearances (3): :

*Elite Eight Appearances (1): :

* NIT Appearances (12): :1973, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2014 *NIT Championships (2): :1993, 2014 ''Note: A 1997 Big Ten regular season championship, NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994, 1995, 1997 (Final Four), and 1999, as well as NIT appearances in 1996 and 1998 (Championship) were vacated due to NCAA sanctions.''

Women's basketball

Minnesota v Nebraska game, 2024 *NCAA Tournament Appearances (10): :1994, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018 *Sweet 16 Appearances (3): :2003, 2004, 2005 *Elite Eight Appearances (1): :2004 *Final Four Appearances (1): :2004

Men's cross country

*Big Ten Team Championships (4): :1909, 1914, 1964, 1969

Women's cross country

*Big Ten Team Championships (2): :2007, 2008

Football

* National Championships (7): :1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960 * Big Ten Conference Championships (18): :1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1960, 1967 * Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest Championships (2): :1892, 1893 *Bowl Games (20): :Citrus Bowl –

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

:Duke's Mayo Bowl - 2025 :Guaranteed Rate Bowl - 2021 :Hall of Fame Classic –

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

:Holiday Bowl –

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

:Independence Bowl –

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

:Insight Bowl –

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

:Liberty Bowl – 1986 :MicronPC.com Bowl –

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

:Music City Bowl –

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

:Outback Bowl –

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

:Pinstripe Bowl - 2022 :Quick Lane Bowl –

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

:Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas –

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

:Quick Lane Bowl - 2023 :Rose Bowl – 1961,

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

:Sun Bowl –

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

:Texas Bowl –

* Bowl game victories: 1962 Rose Bowl, 1985 Independence Bowl, 2002 Music City Bowl, 2003 Sun Bowl, 2004 Music City Bowl, 2015 Quick Lane Bowl, 2016 Holiday Bowl, 2018 Quick Lane Bowl, 2020 Outback Bowl, 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 2022 Pinstripe Bowl, 2023 Quick Lane Bowl, 2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl

Traveling trophies

*The Little Brown Jug – Accidentally left in Minnesota back in 1903 by

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

coach Fielding H. Yost, it is painted with the victories of the two teams. * Floyd of Rosedale – Since

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

the Gophers and the

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Hawkeyes have fought to win this

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

pig. The Gophers won the 2010 and 2011 match up for the pig, upsetting the favored Hawkeyes at TCF Bank Stadium. * Paul Bunyan's Axe – Minnesota and the

Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...

have passed this trophy back and forth since

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, although it records the two teams' encounters since

1890 Events January * January 1 – The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony in the Horn of Africa. * January 2 – Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer in the White House. * January 11 – 1890 British Ultimatum: The Uni ...

. *Governor's Victory Bell – The bell was created to commemorate the

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

entrance of

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

's Nittany Lions into the Big Ten. * $5-Bits-O-Broken-Chair Trophy – The newest of the five trophies. From a 2014 exchange on Twitter, Goldy Gopher created a trophy with a parody account of the then coach of Nebraska

Bo Pelini Mark Anthony "Bo" Pelini (born December 13, 1967) is a former American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers football, Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He is the youn ...

Golf

Men's golf * National Championships (1): :2002 *Individual National Champions (2): :1944 – Louis Lick :1998 – James McLean *Big Ten Team Championships (8): :1929, 1938, 1963, 1972, 2002, 2003, 2007 (co-champions), 2014 Women's golf *Big Ten Team Championships (1): :1989

Gymnastics

Men's gymnastics *Big Ten Team Championships (21): :1903, 1907, 1910, 1925, 1936, 1938, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995 Women's gymnastics *Big Ten Team Championships (5): :1988, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2006

Men's ice hockey

* National Championships (2 pre-NCAA, 5 NCAA): :1929, 1940, 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003 * WCHA Regular Season Championships (14): :1953, 1954, 1970, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013 * Big Ten Regular Season Championships (7): :2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2025 * Big Ten Tournament Championships (2): :2015, 2021 * WCHA Tournament Championships (14): :1961, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2007 *NCAA Frozen Four Appearances (22): :

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

, 1961, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2002,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 2023

Women's ice hockey

* National Championships (7): :2000 (AWCHA), 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 *WCHA Regular Season Championships (8): :2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 *WCHA Tournament Championships (7): :2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 *NCAA Frozen Four Appearances (15): :2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Women's rowing

*Big Ten Championships (1): :2007 *NCAA Champions in V2 :2007

Women's soccer

*Big Ten Championships (4): :1995, 1997, 2008, 2016

Softball

*Big Ten Regular Season Championships (4): :1986, 1988, 1991, 2017 *Big Ten Tournament Championships (5): :1999, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 *

Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States and is held annually in Oklahoma City, OK. The event is held at Devon Park (stadium), Devon Park loca ...

appearances (3): :1976, 1978, 2019

Spirit Squads

Dance Team *National Championships (13): :2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019

Swimming

Men's swimming *Big Ten Team Championships (9): :1922, 1926, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 Women's swimming *Big Ten Team Championships (7): :1999, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Men's tennis

*Big Ten Team Championships (15): :1910, 1911, 1912, 1918, 1932, 1933, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2015

Track and field

Men's track

Outdoor track and field * National Championships (1): :1948 *Big Ten Team Championships (6): :1949, 1968, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010 Indoor track and field *Big Ten Team Championships (4): :1998, 2009, 2010, 2011

Women's track

Outdoor track and field *Big Ten Team Championships (3): :2006, 2016, 2018 Indoor track and field *Big Ten Team Championships (4): :2007, 2008, 2009, 2018

Volleyball

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

Championships (3): :2002, 2015, 2018 *NCAA Tournament Appearances (21): :

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

*Sweet 16 Appearances (16): :1989, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 *Final Four Appearances (5): :2003, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2016

Wrestling

* National Championships (3): :2001, 2002, 2007 *Big Ten Team Championships (12): :1910, 1912, 1913, 1941, 1957, 1959, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007

Notable non varsity sports

Rugby

Minnesota rugby plays Division I college rugby in the Big Ten Universities conference against traditional Big Ten rivals such as

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

. Minnesota qualified for the national playoffs in 2008, and finished the 2008 season ranked 7th in the nation. Some of Minnesota's games have been well attended by fans, with the team drawing as many as 6,000 fans to watch the team play at TCF Bank Stadium.

Traditions

The "Golden" Gophers

The University Mascot is derived from a nickname for the state of Minnesota, "The Gopher State." The original design was based on the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. The state nickname derives from a political cartoon by R. O. Sweeny, published as a broadside in 1858. The cartoon depicted state legislators as gophers dragging the state in the wrong direction. The nickname was associated with the university as early as the publication of the first yearbook in 1888, which was titled "The Gopher". Other early yearbooks included depictions of gophers as well, and the University of Minnesota football coach Clarence Spears officially named the football team the Gophers in 1926. After the radio announcer Halsey Hall began referring to the team as the Golden Gophers due to the color of their uniforms, the team was renamed under coach Bernie Bierman.

School songs

School song A school song, alma mater, school hymn or school anthem is the patronal song of a school. In England, this tradition is particularly strong in public schools and grammar schools. Australia * Somerville House — '' Our God, Our Help in Ages ...

s for the university include Minnesota Rouser, Minnesota March, Go Gopher Victory, Our Minnesota, Minnesota Fight, Hail! Minnesota, and the

Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic music, American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song "John Brown's Body" in N ...

Notable athletes and coaches

Baseball

* John Anderson * Harry Elliott * Brent Gates * Jack Hannahan * Mark Merila * Paul Molitor * Denny Neagle * Greg Olson * Glen Perkins * Robb Quinlan * Dick Siebert – coach * Terry Steinbach * Dave Winfield (also played basketball at Minnesota) * Dan Wilson

Basketball

Men's

* Ron Behagen – Former

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) player * Walter Bond – Former NBA player, and motivational speaker * Randy Breuer – Former NBA player *

Jim Brewer (basketball) James Turner Brewer (born December 3, 1951) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Brewer was the first notable player to come out of Proviso East High School, which has one of the most successful high ...

– Former NBA player * Willie Burton – Former NBA player * Archie Clark – Former NBA player * Louis 'Doc' Cooke, coach (1897–1924) *

Bud Grant Harry Peter "Bud" Grant Jr. (May 20, 1927 – March 11, 2023) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Grant was head coach of the NFL's Minnesota Viki ...

– Former NBA player,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) player and longtime

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

head coach of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

* Clem Haskins – coach * Lou Hudson – Former NBA player * Kris Humphries – NBA player * Sam Jacobson – Former NBA player * Bobby Jackson – NBA player * Mark Landsberger – Former NBA player * Voshon Lenard – Former NBA player * Kevin McHale –

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

r and former President of Basketball Operations/head coach of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

Mark Olberding Mark Allen Olberding (born April 21, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player born in Melrose, Minnesota. A 6'8" forward from the University of Minnesota, Olberding played 12 seasons (1975–1987) in the American Basketb ...

– Former NBA player * Joel Przybilla – Former NBA player *

Flip Saunders Philip Daniel "Flip" Saunders (February 23, 1955 – October 25, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach. During his career, he coached the La Crosse Catbirds, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, and Washington Wizards. High schoo ...

– Former NBA

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

* Tubby Smith – Former head coach * John Thomas – Former NBA player *

Mychal Thompson Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian sports commentator and former professional basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and cen ...

– Former NBA player *

Trent Tucker Kelvin Trent Tucker (born December 20, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A shooting guard, Tucker attended the University of Minnesota from 1978 to ...

– Former NBA player *

Ray Williams (basketball) Thomas Ray Williams (October 14, 1954 – March 22, 2013) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1977 to 1987. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, he was the younger brother of Gus ...

– Former NBA player * Trevor Winter

Women's

* Janel McCarville – Former WNBA player for the

Minnesota Lynx The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Lynx compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference. The team won the WNBA ...

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...

, and Charlotte Sting * Lindsay Whalen –

r, current Gopher's Women's Basketball Head Coach, and former WNBA player for the

and

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Sun compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference. The team i ...

* Linda Hill-MacDonald – Former head coach * Rachel Banham - WNBA Player for the

* Amanda Zahui B - WNBA Player for the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Crypto.co ...

Football

Players

* Asad Abdul-Khaliq –

Quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, Chicago Rush * Dominique Barber –

Safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

* Marion Barber Jr. – Former

(NFL)

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

* Marion Barber III –

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Bert Baston –

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

, elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 1954. Awarded

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

in World War I for extraordinary heroism. * Bobby Bell –

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

r * Phil Bengtson – Former NFL

* Bernie Bierman – Member of the

* McKinley Boston – Former NFL Defensive end/Linebacker * Jack Brewer – Safety,

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

* Win Brockmeyer – Former high school football

* Tom Brown- 1960

Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...

winner, member of the

* Gino Cappelletti – Former

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

(AFL)

Wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

, AFL all-time leading scorer * Tyrone Carter –

Defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

, 1999 Jim Thorpe Award winner * Tony Dungy – Former NFL safety for

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, former

of the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

& first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

head coach to win a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

championship ( Super Bowl XLI) *Mark Dusbabek – Former NFL Linebacker * Carl Eller –

r * Greg Eslinger – Center,

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, 2005

and

Rimington Trophy The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982. A member of the National College Football Awards ...

winner * George Gibson – Former NFL

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

and

* Paul Giel – Member of the

; also was Minnesota's athletic director from 1972 to 1988 and played

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

–

r &

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about the CFL, ...

* Ben Hamilton –

Offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

*Ed Hawthorne –

Defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

* Mike Hohensee –

Head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

, Chicago Rush * Herb Joesting – Member of the

* Rhys Lloyd – Kicker,

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

* Bob McNamara – Former Running Back,

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

* John McGovern,

, quarterback * Laurence Maroney –

* Bobby Marshall – One of the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL, member of the

* Karl Mecklenburg – Former NFL

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

* Willie Middlebrooks –

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

* Bronko Nagurski –

r (charter member), member of the

* Leo Nomellini –

r * Derek Rackley –

Tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

* Darrell Reid –

* Karon Riley –

Defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

* Charlie Sanders –

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

, member of the

* Cory Sauter – Former NFL

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

* Jeff Schuh – Retired

Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

* Mark Setterstrom –

, St. Louis Rams * Bruce Smith – 1941

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner, member of the

* Sandy Stephens – First African-American major-college All-American

* Thomas Tapeh – Former NFL fullback * Ryan Thelwell – Wide Receiver,

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

* Darrell Thompson – Former NFL running back * Rick Upchurch – Former NFL

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

* Ben Utecht –

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

* Bud Wilkinson – Member of the

* Jeff Wright – Former

Defensive back * Eric Decker –

* Marcus Sherels –

Cornerback/Punt Returner * Simoni Lawrence –

linebacker

Coaches

* Bernie Bierman * Tim Brewster * Fritz Crisler *

Pudge Heffelfinger William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger (December 20, 1867 – April 2, 1954), also spelled Hafelfinger, was an American football player and coach. He is considered the greatest lineman of his time, and the first athlete to play American football p ...

* Wesley Fesler * George Hauser * Lou Holtz * Jerry Kill * Glen Mason * William H. Spaulding * Clarence Spears *

Jim Wacker James Herbert Wacker (April 28, 1937 – August 26, 2003) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Texas Lutheran University (1971–1975), North Dakota State University (1976–1 ...

* Murray Warmath * Henry L. Williams

Golf

* Tom Lehman *James McLean

Gymnastics

* Newt Loken * Marie Roethlisberger * John Roethlisberger

Hockey

Men's

* Wendell Anderson * Keith Ballard * Kellen Briggs * Herb Brooks * Aaron Broten * Neal Broten * Kris Chucko * Ben Clymer * Mike Crowley * Alex Goligoski * Tim Harrer * Steve Janaszak * Bob Johnson *

Phil Kessel Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger (ice hockey), winger who is an unrestricted free agent. Nicknamed "Phil the Thrill", he has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Lea ...

* Trent Klatt * Reed Larson *

Nick Leddy Nicholas Michael Leddy (born March 20, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL ...

* Jordan Leopold *

Don Lucia Don Lucia (born August 20, 1958) is an American former ice hockey head coach, who was named as inaugural commissioner of the second Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) on June 17, 2020. The CCHA, which began play in the 2021–22 NCAA D ...

* John Mariucci *

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

* John Mayasich * Joe Micheletti *

Pat Micheletti Patrick John Micheletti (born December 11, 1963) is an American former ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), center who played 12 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars during the 1987–88 NHL season, 1987–88 season. The ...

* Lou Nanne * Ryan Potulny * Johnny Pohl * Robb Stauber * Jeff Taffe * Thomas Vanek * Phil Verchota * Blake Wheeler * Doug Woog

Women's

* Winny Brodt * Natalie Darwitz * Courtney Kennedy * Gisele Marvin * Noora Raty * Jenny Schmidgall-Potter * Krissy Wendell

Swimming

* Yoav Meiri (born 1975), Israeli Olympic swimmer * Justin Mortimer * Bar Soloveychik (born 2000), Israeli swimmer

Track and field

Women's

* Gabriele Grunewald

Men's

Hassan Mead Hassan Mead (Somali language, Somali: ''Xassan Miicaad'', ; born June 28, 1989) is a Somali-American long-distance runner. He was a Cross country running, cross country and Track and field, track athlete for the University of Minnesota. An eigh ...

* Buddy Edelen

Wrestling

* Shelton Benjamin — professional wrestler, 36–6 record in two seasons with the Gophers. *

Verne Gagne the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling, Minnesota Golden Gophers Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne ( ; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Amer ...

– NCAA champion, owner of the defunct American Wrestling Association and its former heavyweight champion (10 times), member of Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and several others. *

Cole Konrad Cole Konrad (born April 2, 1984) is an American retired mixed martial arts fighter. Konrad won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan-American Championships. He won the NCAA wrestling championships in 2006 and 2007 at 285 pounds and finished third at the ...

– 2 time undefeated, NCAA individual champion at 285 lbs; current

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and the former Bellator Heavyweight Champion * Nik Lentz, wrestler; current

for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(featherweight) *

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

– Former UFC Heavyweight Champion and current WWE champion. * Dustin Schlatter – 79–2 record in two seasons with the Gophers * Jacob Volkmann – 3-time all-American, former UFC fighter. * Gable Steveson - Olympic gold medalist

Athletic directors

:''Note: From 1974 to 2002, there were separate athletic departments for men and women's sports.'' *1922–30 Fred Luehring *1930–32 Herbert O. (Fritz) Crisler *1932–41 Frank G. McCormick *1941–45 Lou Keller (acting) *1945–50 Frank G. McCormick *1950–63 Ike J. Armstrong *1963–71 Marshall J. Ryman *1971–88 Paul Giel (men's) *1974–76 Belmar Gunderson (women's) *1976–81 Vivian M. Barfield (women's) *1981–82 M. Catherine Mathison (women's interim) *1982–88 Merrily Dean Baker (women's) *1988–89 Holger Christiansen (men's interim) *1988–2002 Chris Voelz (women's) *1989–91 Rick Bay (men's) *1991–92 Dan Meinert (men's interim) *1992–95 McKinley Boston (men's) *1995–99 Mark Dienhart (men's) *1999–2002 Tom Moe (men's) *2002–2012 Joel Maturi *2012–2015 Norwood Teague *2015–2016 Beth Goetz (interim) *2016-pres Mark Coyle

Facilities

Current facilities

*Baseline Tennis Center — tennis *Bierman Track and Field Stadium — track *

— women's soccer *Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex *Jane Sage Cowles Stadium — softball * Les Bolstad Golf Course — golf, cross country * 3M Arena at Mariucci — men's hockey * Ridder Arena — women's hockey * Siebert Field — baseball *Maturi Pavilion — gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling * Huntington Bank Stadium — football * Williams Arena — basketball, wrestling *U of M Boathouse — rowing *Jean K. Freeman University Aquatic Center — swimming and diving *University FieldhouseInvalid Access
Admin.xosn.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.

Former facilities

* Northrop Field (1899–1923) * Memorial Stadium (1924–1981) * Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982–2014)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Sports in Minneapolis

Sports sponsored

Baseball

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

Men's cross country

Women's cross country

Football

Traveling trophies

Golf

Gymnastics

Men's ice hockey

Women's ice hockey

Women's rowing

Women's soccer

Softball

Spirit Squads

Swimming

Men's tennis

Track and field

Men's track

Women's track

Volleyball

Wrestling

Notable non varsity sports

Rugby

Traditions

The "Golden" Gophers

School songs

Notable athletes and coaches

Baseball

Basketball

Men's

Women's

Football

Players

Coaches

Golf

Gymnastics

Hockey

Men's

Women's

Swimming

Track and field

Women's

Men's

Wrestling

Athletic directors

Facilities

Current facilities

Former facilities

See also

References

External links