| Year: | 1896 |
| Team: | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Western Conference |
| Short Conf: | Western |
| Record: | 8–2 |
| Conf Record: | 1–2 |
| Head Coach: | Alexander Jerrems |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Captain: | Jack Harrison |
The 1896 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1896 Western Conference football season. The 1896 season was the first season under head coach Alexander Jerrems and was the first season of competition in the Big Ten Conference, or Western Conference as it was commonly referred to at the time. Minnesota won its first ever conference game over Purdue but lost its other two matches to Michigan and Wisconsin.