The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the

college sports College athletics encompasses non- professional, collegiate and university-level competitive sports and games. World University Games The first World University Games were held in 1923. There were originally called the ''Union Nationale de ...

teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 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) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. The Gophers women's ice hockey team is a six-time

NCAA champion The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges a ...

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 athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

. 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 the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

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

Mariucci Arena 3M Arena at Mariucci 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 bowl plus club room ...

and

Ridder Arena Ridder may refer to: Places *DeRidder, Louisiana, city in US state of Louisiana * Ridder, Kazakhstan, settlement in Kazakhstan (named for Philip Ridder) Things *Ridder (title), Dutch and Belgian title equivalent to knight *Knight Ridder, newspaper ...

). The Gopher football team began playing at TCF Bank Stadium in September 2009. The women's soccer team plays on the St. Paul campus in the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. 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 Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota and the associated sports teams, known as the Golden Gophers, as well as the 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018 UCA Mascot National Champion. During the year, Goldy makes over 1000 appearances an ...

, 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

* National Championships (3): :

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

, 1960, 1964 *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, 1982,

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...

, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019 *Sweet 16 Appearances (3): : 1982,

*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

*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 Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

(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 :Hall of Fame Classic – 1977 :Holiday Bowl – 2016 :Independence Bowl – 1985 :Insight Bowl – 2006,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2009 :Liberty Bowl –

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...

:MicronPC.com Bowl – 2000 :Music City Bowl – 2002, 2004, 2005 :Outback Bowl – 2020 :Quick Lane Bowl – 2015,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

:Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas – 2012 :Rose Bowl –

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

, 1962 :Sun Bowl –

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, 2003 :Texas Bowl – 2013 * 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

Traveling trophies

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

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

coach Fielding H. Yost, it is painted with the victories of the two teams. * Floyd of Rosedale – Since 1935 the Gophers and the

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

Hawkeyes have fought to win this bronze 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 Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

– Minnesota and the Wisconsin Badgers have passed this trophy back and forth since 1948, although it records the two teams' encounters since 1890. * Governor's Victory Bell – The bell was created to commemorate the 1993 entrance of Penn State'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,

created a trophy with a parody account of the then coach of Nebraska Bo Pelini.

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 (4): :2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 * 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 (21): :

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

, 1954, 1961, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1983,

, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2012,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

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 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

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) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

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

, 1993, 1996, 1997,

, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007,

, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017,

*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 Big Ten Universities is a Division 1-A college rugby conference founded in summer 2012 by ten of the twelve schools that then made up the Big Ten Conference (which has since expanded to 14 members). The Big Ten Universities was formed to improve ...

conference against traditional Big Ten rivals such as

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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 Clarence Wiley "Doc" Spears (July 24, 1894 – February 1, 1964) was an American football player, coach, and doctor. He was an All-American guard at Dartmouth College (1914–1915) and served as the head football coach at Dartmouth (1917–1920), ...

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 songs for the university include Minnesota Rouser, Minnesota March, Go Gopher Victory, Our Minnesota, Minnesota Fight,

Hail! Minnesota "Hail! Minnesota" (also simply called "Minnesota" in early years) is the regional anthem (or "state song") of the U.S. state of Minnesota. A variation is used as a school song of the University of Minnesota. It originated at the university in the ...

, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Notable athletes and coaches

Baseball

* John Anderson * Harry Elliott * Brent Gates *

Jack Hannahan John Joseph "The Bangladesh Hammer" Hannahan IV (born March 4, 1980) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Cleveland India ...

* Mark Merila * Paul Molitor *

Denny Neagle Dennis Edward Neagle Jr. (; born September 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for six teams over a 13-year career. During the 1990s, he was one of the top pitchers in baseball, but his career, and personal life, deter ...

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

Randy Breuer Randall W. Breuer (born October 11, 1960) is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1983 NBA draft. A 7'3" center from the University of Minnesota, ...

– Former NBA player * Jim Brewer (basketball) – Former NBA player *

Willie Burton Willie Ricardo Burton (born May 26, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (9th overall pick) in the 1990 NBA draft from the University of Minnesota. Burton played for nume ...

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

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL) player and longtime Hall of Fame head coach of the Minnesota Vikings * Clem Haskins – coach * Lou Hudson – Former NBA player *

Kris Humphries Kristopher Nathan Humphries (born February 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA for the Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, New Je ...

– NBA player * Sam Jacobson – Former NBA player *

Bobby Jackson Bobby Jackson (born March 13, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He serves as the head coach of the Stockton Kings in the NBA G League, the development affiliate of the Sacramento Kings of the National Bask ...

– NBA player * Mark Landsberger – Former NBA player * Voshon Lenard – Former NBA player * Kevin McHale – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and former President of Basketball Operations/head coach of the Houston Rockets *

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 Basketbal ...

– Former NBA player *

Joel Przybilla Joel Przybilla (; born October 10, 1979) is an American retired professional basketball player who played the center position for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school career Przybilla was born in Monticello, Minn ...

– 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 sch ...

– Former NBA

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

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

Trent Tucker Kelvin Trent Tucker (born December 20, 1959) is an American retired 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) – Former NBA player * Trevor Winter

Women's

Janel McCarville Janel McCarville (born November 3, 1982) is an American professional basketball player from Custer, Wisconsin who is currently a WNBA free agent. High school years Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, McCarville attended Stevens Point Area Senior ...

– Former WNBA player for the Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, and Charlotte Sting * Lindsay Whalen – Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, current Gopher's Women's Basketball Head Coach, and former WNBA player for the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun * Linda Hill-MacDonald – Former head coach * Rachel Banham - WNBA Player for the Minnesota Lynx * Amanda Zahui B - WNBA Player for the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA 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 club of the league's Western Conference. The team was fou ...

Football

Players

Asad Abdul-Khaliq Asad Tajmmal Abdul-Khaliq (born August 4, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team from 2000 to 2003. The Gophers went 10-3 during his senior year in 2003 wit ...

–

Quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

Chicago Rush The Chicago Rush were a professional arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. The team played at the Allstate Arena from 2001 to 2013. They were a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League ( ...

Dominique Barber Dominique J. Barber (born August 2, 1986) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota. He is the son of former NFL running back Ma ...

– Safety, Houston Texans * 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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

Marion Barber III Marion Sylvester Barber III (June 10, 1983 – June 1, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Minnesota Golden ...

–

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

, Chicago Bears * Bert Baston – All-American, elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954. Awarded Navy Cross in World War I for extraordinary heroism. * Bobby Bell – Pro Football Hall of Famer *

Phil Bengtson John Phillip Bengtson (July 17, 1913 – December 18, 1994) was an American football player and coach. He was a longtime assistant coach in college football and the National Football League (NFL), chiefly remembered as the successor to Vince Lom ...

– Former NFL

* Bernie Bierman – Member of the College Football Hall of Fame *

McKinley Boston McKinley Boston Jr. (born November 5, 1945) is an American university administrator who most recently was athletic director at New Mexico State University. He was named athletics director on December 14, 2004 and retired effective December 31, 20 ...

– Former NFL Defensive end/Linebacker * Jack Brewer – Safety, Arizona Cardinals *

Win Brockmeyer Winfred Otto Brockmeyer (September 16, 1907 – March 14, 1980) was an American football coach from Mankato, Minnesota. Background Brockmeyer was born in Mankato, Minnesota on September 16, 1907, the son of Otto and Margaret Brockmeyer. He atte ...

– Former high school football

* Tom Brown- 1960 Outland Trophy winner, member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Gino Cappelletti – Former American Football League (AFL) Wide receiver/ Placekicker, AFL all-time leading scorer *

Tyrone Carter Tyrone M. Carter (born March 31, 1976) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Minnesota, earned All-American honors and won several national award ...

– Defensive back, San Diego Chargers, 1999 Jim Thorpe Award winner * Tony Dungy – Former NFL safety for Pittsburgh Steelers, former

of the Indianapolis Colts & first African-American head coach to win a

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

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

Carl Eller Carl Eller (born January 25, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1979. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and played college footbal ...

– Pro Football Hall of Famer *

Greg Eslinger Greg Eslinger (born April 23, 1983) is a former American college and professional American football center. He played college football for the University of Minnesota, received consensus All-American honors, and was recognized as the best coll ...

– Center, Denver Broncos, 2005 Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy winner * George Gibson – Former NFL

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that ...

and

Paul Giel Paul Robert Giel (February 29, 1932 – May 22, 2002) was an American college football and professional baseball player from Winona, Minnesota. He was an All-American in both sports at the University of Minnesota. Collegiate career Giel at ...

– Member of the College Football Hall of Fame; also was Minnesota's athletic director from 1972 to 1988 and played

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

* Bud Grant – Pro Football Hall of Famer & Canadian Football Hall of Fame * Ben Hamilton –

Offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that ...

, Denver Broncos *Ed Hawthorne – Defensive tackle, Miami Dolphins * Mike Hohensee –

Head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

Herb Joesting Herbert Walter Joesting (April 17, 1905 – October 1, 1963) was an American football player and coach. He was a consensus All-American fullback while playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in both 1926 and 1927. He also played three seasons i ...

– Member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Rhys Lloyd – Kicker, Carolina Panthers * Bob McNamara – Former Running Back, Winnipeg Blue Bombers & Denver Broncos * John McGovern, College Football Hall of Fame, quarterback * Laurence Maroney –

, Denver Broncos * Bobby Marshall – One of the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL, member of the College Football Hall of Fame *

Karl Mecklenburg Karl Bernard Mecklenburg (born September 1, 1960), nicknamed "the Albino Rhino", is a former football linebacker for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League (NFL). National Football League In 1983, the Denver Broncos drafted Karl Mec ...

– Former NFL linebacker *

Willie Middlebrooks Willie Frank Middlebrooks (born February 12, 1979) is a former cornerback of the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). Middlebrooks was named First-Team All-State as a senior at Homestead High School in Homestead, F ...

– Defensive back, Toronto Argonauts * Bronko Nagurski – Pro Football Hall of Famer (charter member), member of the College Football Hall of Fame *

Leo Nomellini Leo Joseph Nomellini (June 19, 1924 – October 17, 2000) was an Italian- American Hall of Fame American football offensive and defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers and professional wrestler. He played college football for Minnesota and ...

– Pro Football Hall of Famer * Derek Rackley – Tight end, Atlanta Falcons * Darrell Reid – Defensive Tackle, Indianapolis Colts * 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 formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is p ...

, Washington Redskins *

Charlie Sanders Charles Alvin Sanders (August 25, 1946 July 2, 2015) was an American professional football player who was a tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977. Sanders was chosen for the NFL's 1970s Al ...

– tight end, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame * Cory Sauter – Former NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

* Jeff Schuh – Retired Linebacker * Mark Setterstrom –

, St. Louis Rams * Bruce Smith – 1941 Heisman Trophy winner, member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Sandy Stephens – First African-American major-college All-American

* Thomas Tapeh – Former NFL fullback *

Ryan Thelwell Ryan Thelwell (born April 6, 1973) is a Jamaican-Canadian former professional wide receiver of American football and Canadian football. Thelwell was originally drafted 9th overall by the Lions in the 1998 CFL Draft and by the San Francisco 49er ...

– Wide Receiver, BC Lions * Darrell Thompson – Former NFL running back * Rick Upchurch – Former NFL wide receiver * Ben Utecht – Tight end, Tennessee Titans *

Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...

– Member of the College Football Hall of Fame * Jeff Wright – Former Minnesota Vikings Defensive back * Eric Decker – Denver Broncos * Marcus Sherels – Minnesota Vikings Cornerback/Punt Returner * Simoni Lawrence – Minnesota Vikings linebacker

Coaches

* Bernie Bierman * Tim Brewster *

Fritz Crisler Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and ...

* Pudge Heffelfinger * Wesley Fesler * George Hauser * Lou Holtz * Jerry Kill *

Glen Mason Glen Orin Mason (born April 9, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. Mason served as the head football coach at Kent State University from 1986 to 1987, the University of Kansas from 1988 to 1996, and the University of Minnesota ...

* William H. Spaulding *

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 Henry Lane Williams (July 26, 1869 – June 14, 1931) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1891 and the University of Minnesota from 1900 to 1921, compiling a care ...

Golf

* Tom Lehman *James McLean

Gymnastics

Newt Loken Newton C. Loken (February 27, 1919 – June 28, 2011) was an artistic gymnast and coach of gymnastics, trampolining and cheerleading. While a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's gymnastics team, Loken was NCAA all-around gymnastics c ...

* Marie Roethlisberger * John Roethlisberger

Hockey

Men's

* Wendell Anderson * Keith Ballard * Kellen Briggs * Herb Brooks *

Aaron Broten Aaron Kent Broten (born November 14, 1960) is an American former professional ice hockey player. Drafted in the sixth round, 106th overall in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Rockies, Broten went on to play 748 regular season games in the ...

* Neal Broten *

Kris Chucko Kristopher J. Chucko (born March 13, 1986) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who played two National Hockey League (NHL) games for the Calgary Flames. He was a first round selection, 24th overall, of the Flames in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft ...

* Ben Clymer * Mike Crowley *

Alex Goligoski Alexander Goligoski (born July 30, 1985) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his NHL career, he has also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, the organization that d ...

* Tim Harrer *

Steve Janaszak Steven James Janaszak (born January 7, 1957) is an American former ice hockey goaltender who played three games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars and Colorado Rockies between 1980 and 1982. Amateur career Janasz ...

* Bob Johnson *

Phil Kessel Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh ...

Trent Klatt Trent Thomas Klatt (born January 30, 1971) is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played 14 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks an ...

* 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 E ...

Jordan Leopold Jordan Douglas Leopold (born August 3, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was drafted in the second round, 44th overall, by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1999, though never making an appearance with the team. In ...

* Don Lucia * John Mariucci * Paul Martin * John Mayasich *

Joe Micheletti Joseph Robert Micheletti (born October 24, 1954) is an American ice hockey analyst and reporter, and a former defenseman who played in 142 World Hockey Association (WHA) games with the Calgary Cowboys and Edmonton Oilers between 1977 and 1979, ...

Pat Micheletti Patrick John Micheletti (born December 11, 1963) is an American former ice hockey center who played 12 games in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars during the 1987–88 season. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1986 ...

* Lou Nanne * Ryan Potulny * Johnny Pohl *

Robb Stauber Robert Thomas Stauber (born November 25, 1967) is an American ice hockey coach and former player. He was the head coach of the United States women's national ice hockey team. He played the goaltender position at the University of Minnesota and pro ...

* Jeff Taffe * Thomas Vanek * Phil Verchota *

Blake Wheeler Blake James Wheeler (born August 31, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Dra ...

* Doug Woog

Women's

* Winny Brodt * Natalie Darwitz *

Courtney Kennedy Courtney Kennedy (born March 29, 1979) is an American ice hockey player. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Kennedy was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. She went to elementary school ...

* Gisele Marvin * Noora Raty * Jenny Schmidgall-Potter *

Krissy Wendell Kristin Elizabeth "Krissy" Wendell-Pohl (born September 12, 1981) is an American former women's ice hockey player, and current amateur scout for The Pittsburgh Penguins. During the 2004–05 season, Wendell set an NCAA record for most short-ha ...

Swimming

Justin Mortimer Justin Mortimer (born 1970) is an English painter, recognized for his paintings of well known high society including Harold Pinter, Sir Steve Redgrave and Queen Elizabeth II. He won the National Gallery's BP Portrait Award in 1991. Early life an ...

Track and field

Women's

* Gabriele Grunewald

Men's

Hassan Mead Hassan Mead ( Somali: Xassan Miicaad, ar, حسن ميد; born June 28, 1989) is a Somali-American long-distance runner. He was a cross country and track athlete for the University of Minnesota. An eight-time All-American in his Minnesota ca ...

* Buddy Edelen

=NCAA Champions indoor

= * Ron Backes 1986 (Shot Put, 68–11¼) * Martin Eriksson 1993 (Pole Vault, 18–0½) * Vesa Rantanen 1998 (Pole Vault, 18–2½) *Kaitlyn Long 2018 (Hammer, 76–05.50)

=NCAA Champions outdoor

= * Fortune Gordien 1946 (Discus, 153–10¾) * Fortune Gordien 1947 (Discus, 173–3) * Fortune Gordien 1948 (Discus, 164–0¼) * Garry Bjorklund 1971 (Six Mile, 27:43.1) *Obsa Ali 2017 (3000m steeplechase, 8:32.23)

Wrestling

Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...

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

Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence Gagne (February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur and professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and wrestling promoter. He was the owner and promoter of the Minneapolis-based American Wrestl ...

– 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 – 2 time undefeated, NCAA individual champion at 285 lbs; current mixed martial artist and the former Bellator Heavyweight Champion * Nik Lentz, wrestler; current mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (featherweight) * Brock Lesnar – Former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

and current WWE champion. *

Dustin Schlatter Dustin Schlatter is a graduated folkstyle wrestler and winner of the 2006 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and a three-time NCAA All-American at 149 pounds for the University of Minnesota. As a high school wrestler Schlatter was a NHSCA ...

– 79–2 record in two seasons with the Gophers * Jacob Volkmann – 3-time all-American, former UFC fighter. *

Gable Steveson Gable Steveson (born May 31, 2000) is an American professional wrestler and retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he was appointed to the Raw brand under his real name, but has yet to have his debut m ...

- 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

(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 Richard M. Bay (born 1941 or 1942) is a former American football player, wrestler, college athletics administrator, Major League Baseball executive. He was a football player and wrestler at the University of Michigan from 1961 to 1965. He also se ...

(men's) *1991–92 Dan Meinert (men's interim) *1992–95

(men's) *1995–99 Mark Dienhart (men's) *1999–2002 Tom Moe (men's) *2002–2012

Joel Maturi Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Braz ...

*2012–2015 Norwood Teague *2015–2016

Beth Goetz Beth Goetz (born July 30, 1974) is the current director of athletics for Ball State University. She previously served as chief operating officer at the University of Connecticut from 2016 to 2018, as interim athletic director at the University o ...

(interim) *2016-pres

Mark Coyle Mark Coyle (born 1969) is the 23rd director of athletics at the University of Minnesota, replacing Norwood Teague. He resigned as the athletics director at Syracuse University in May 2016 after spending only 11 months with the Syracuse Orange. ...

Facilities

Current facilities

*Baseline Tennis Center — tennis *Bierman Track and Field Stadium — track * Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium — women's soccer *Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex *Jane Sage Cowles Stadium — softball * Les Bolstad Golf Course — golf, cross country *

3M Arena at Mariucci 3M Arena at Mariucci 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 bowl plus club r ...

— men's hockey *

— women's hockey * Siebert Field — baseball *Maturi Pavilion — gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling * TCF 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 Northrop Field was the on-campus stadium of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team from 1899 to 1923. The original field had seating of around 3,000 and was named for University President Cyrus Northrop. After the 1902 season, the playing fi ...

(1899–1923) * Memorial Stadium (1924–1981) *

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League' ...

(1982–2014)

References

External links

* {{Minnesota Sports

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

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

=NCAA Champions indoor

=NCAA Champions outdoor

Wrestling

Athletic directors

Facilities

Current facilities

Former facilities

See also

References

External links