Minnesota Golden Gophers football explained

Currentseason:2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Teamname:Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Firstyear:1882
Athleticdirector:Mark Coyle
Headcoach:P. J. Fleck
Headcoachyear:7th
Hcwins:49
Hclosses:34
Location:Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stadium:Huntington Bank Stadium
Stadcapacity:50,805[1]
Ncaadivision:I FBS
Conference:Big Ten Conference
Confdivision:West
Websitename:gophersports.com
Websiteurl:https://gophersports.com/sports/football
Atwins:733
Atlosses:543
Atties:44
Bowlwins:12
Bowllosses:12
Natltitles:7 (1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960)
Unnatltitles:2 (1911, 1915)
Conftitles:18
Divtitles:1 (2019)
Heismans:Bruce Smith – 1941
Allamericans:34
Fightsong:Minnesota Rouser
Mascotdisplay:Goldy Gopher
Marchingband:Minnesota Marching Band
Pagfreelabel:Outfitter
Pagfreevalue:Nike
Rivalries:Iowa (rivalry)
Michigan (rivalry)
Nebraska (rivalry)
Penn State (rivalry)[2] Wisconsin (rivalry)

The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its inception in 1896 as the Western Conference. The Golden Gophers claim seven national championships,[3] including four (1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll.

Since 2009, the Golden Gophers have played all their home games at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[4] The team is currently coached by P. J. Fleck.

History

See also: List of Minnesota Golden Gophers football seasons. The Minnesota Gophers college football team played its first game on September 32, 1882, a 4–0 victory over Hamline University. Eight years later in 1890, the Gophers played host to Wisconsin in a 63–0 victory. With the exception of 1906, the Gophers and Badgers have played each other every year since then. The 132 games played against each other is the most played rivalry in Division I-A college football.

Early years

The sport's beginnings were humble. Students began gathering to play the game recreationally and its popularity grew.

Once the sport had taken off, it was only a matter of time before a team was formed to play against other schools. Early teams were very loosely organized, not requiring all of the players to be students and not having designated coaches. The players on the team started to recruit faculty members who had played football at schools in the East to help organize the team. The team gained their first coach in 1883: Thomas Peebles, a philosophy professor who also recruited a cheer team for the football players, which later established him as the father of American cheerleading.[5] Like many of the early coaches, his term lasted just one year.[6]

Some years, the football team played without a coach. Other years, they played with multiple coaches. In total, from 1882 through 1899, the team played 16 seasons of football and had 15 different coaches. As the years went by, the leadership structure started to become more formal. In 1900, the hiring of Dr. Henry L. Williams, the school’s first full-time salaried coach, signaled the end of the early, chaotic days.[7]

Glory years

The Gophers enjoyed quite a bit of success in the early 20th century, posting winning records from 1900 to 1919. Head coach Henry L. Williams developed the "Minnesota shift", a predecessor to later quick line shifts, which was adopted widely.[8] Also Henry L. Williams led Minnesota to one of the NCAA's longest unbeaten streaks of 35 games, from 1903 to 1905 with 34 wins and 1 tie.[9] In 1932, Bernie Bierman became the Gophers' head coach and led the Gophers to their first dynasty. From 1934 to 1936 the Gophers went on a run of winning three straight National Championships, the last Division I team to accomplish this feat. During the run, Minnesota went unbeaten in 28 straight games, 21 of which were consecutive victories. The school record for consecutive victories is 24, which spanned 3 seasons from 1903 to 1905. Led by halfback Bruce Smith, the Gophers also won two more national championships in 1940 and 1941, with Smith winning the Heisman Trophy in 1941. Those two seasons comprised most of an 18-game winning streak that stretched from 1939 to 1942.

Fall from power

In the seasons immediately following the end of World War II, Bernie Sanders did not adopt the 2 most important innovations in on-field strategy: substituting the 60-minute player for two-platoon of offensive-only and defensive-only players, and the split-T offensive formation. Instead, Bierman continued to use two-way players and the single-wing formation.[10]

Off the field, Bierman had to contend with the most conservative administration in the Big Ten. President James Morrill's public and private advocacy for the less-professional rules of the pre-World War II era led Minnesota to become the only Big Ten school to vote against the 3 most consequential conference decisions in the immediate post-war years: the legalization of athletic scholarships in 1949, and the 1946 and 1950 Rose Bowl deals.[11]

Return to prominence

After some mediocre seasons throughout the remainder of the 1940s and 1950s, the Gophers rose back to prominence in 1960 with their seventh national championship (because polling ended after the regular season, the Gophers were crowned AP and UPI national champions despite losing the Rose Bowl to Washington). That national championship followed a 1–8 record in 1958 and 2–7 record in 1959. Minnesota played in bowl games the two following years as well, in 1961 and 1962. The Gophers earned their first berth in the Rose Bowl by winning the 1960 Big Ten title. The following year, Minnesota returned to Pasadena despite a second-place finish in the conference. The Ohio State Buckeyes, the Big Ten champions in 1961, declined an invitation to the Rose Bowl because of tension between academics and athletics at the school. Minnesota beat UCLA 21–3 to claim its first and only Rose Bowl victory. Minnesota's last Big Ten title was in 1967, tying the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers atop the standings.

Recent history

After their 8–2 record in 1967, the Gophers did not win 8 games in a season again until they finished 8–4 in 1999.[12] Their 10–3 record in 2003 gave the Gophers their first 10 win season since 1905.

The 2006 team had the dubious distinction of blowing a 38–7 third-quarter lead in the Insight Bowl against Texas Tech, losing 44–41 in overtime. The collapse, which was the biggest in the history of Division I-A postseason football, directly led to the firing of head coach Glen Mason. On January 17, 2007, Tim Brewster was officially announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.[13]

In 1981, the Gophers played their last game in Memorial Stadium and played their home games in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome until 2008. The Gophers moved back to campus with a 20–13 win against Air Force on September 12, 2009, when their new home, TCF Bank Stadium, opened.

In 2010, after a 1–6 record to start the season, the Gophers football head coach Tim Brewster was fired. Jeff Horton served as the interim head coach going 2–3. On December 6, 2010, Jerry Kill, former Northern Illinois University head coach, was hired to take over the University of Minnesota football program.[14]

In 2014, The Gophers reached an 8–4 record while going 5–3 in Big Ten games, falling just short of making the Big Ten Championship Game by losing to The Wisconsin Badgers in the season finale. After being revitalized in the Big Ten contention, The Gophers were awarded an appearance in the Citrus Bowl on January 1 against Missouri.

In 2018, the Gophers defeated the Badgers to reclaim Paul Bunyan's Axe and end a 14 season losing streak.

In 2019, the Gophers turned in a historic season, going 11-2 (7-2 in conference play)[15] including a home victory against No. 4 Penn State 31-26, their first victory over a top 5 team in 20 years.[16] The win also marked the first time since 1904 that the Gophers started out a season 9-0.[17]

Conference affiliations

All-time Big Ten records

TeamWonLostTiedPct.StreakFirst meetingLast meeting
12 5 1 Won 7 1895 1934
40 33 3 Lost 3 1898 2023
40 26 3 Won 4 1906 2021
63 51 2 Won 1 1891 2023
3 4 0 Won 1 1977 2021
25 77 3 Lost 4 1891 2023
19 30 0 Won 2 1950 2023
37 25 2 .578 Won 5 1900 2023
55 37 5 Lost 1 1892 2023
7 47 0 Lost 12 1921 2023
6 10 0 Lost 1 1993 2022
41 35 3 Lost 2 1894 2023
3 0 0 Won 3 2016 2022
62 63 8 Lost 1 1890 2023

Championships

National championships

Minnesota has been selected nine times as national champions from NCAA-designated major selectors, including four (1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960) from the major wire-service: AP Poll and/or Coaches' Poll.[18] [19] Minnesota claims seven (1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960) of these championships.[20]

13–0
Billingsley, Boand, Dickinson, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) 8–0
Bernie Bierman 8–0
Bernie Bierman AP, Billingsley, Dickinson, Dunkel, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling 7–1 No. 1
Bernie Bierman AP, Berryman, Boand, DeVold, Dickinson, Football Research, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) 8–0 No. 1
Bernie Bierman AP, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELO-Chess) 8–0 No. 1
8–2 No. 1 No. 1

Toledo Cup

See main article: Toledo Cup.

The Gophers were the inaugural winners of the Toledo Cup national championship trophy in 1934 and repeated the feat in 1935 and 1936.[21] The poll's rules stated the traveling trophy would be retained permanently by the first team to win it three times; Bernie Bierman's teams completed the three-peat without any other team winning the cup.[22] The Toledo Cup is currently displayed in the lobby of the Gibson-Nagurski Athletic Center at the University of Minnesota.[21] [22]

Rockne Memorial Trophy

Minnesota won Dickinson System national championships in 1934, 1936, and 1940. The three wins gave them permanent possession of the Knute Rockne Memorial Trophy, which had been introduced in 1931.[23] Following tradition, the university set their own new trophy into play and named it for former football coach Henry L. Williams.

With professor Frank Dickinson retiring from the ratings business, the new Williams Trophy was instead linked to the nascent AP Poll and served as the first AP Trophy.

Conference championships

Minnesota has won 18 conference championships, 11 shared and 7 outright.

No coach 5–0 3–0
Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the Northwest 6–0 3–0
190010–0–2 3–0–1
1903Henry L. Williams Western Conference 14–0–1 3–0–1
1904Henry L. Williams Western Conference 13–0 3–0
1906Henry L. Williams Western Conference 4–1 2–0
Henry L. Williams Western Conference 6–1 3–0
1910Henry L. Williams Western Conference 6–1 2–0
Henry L. Williams Western Conference 6–0–1 3–0–1
1915Henry L. Williams Western Conference 6–0–1 3–0–1
19276–0–2 3–0–1
1933Big Ten Conference 4–0–4 2–0–4
Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 8–0 5–0
1935Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 8–0 5–0
Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 6–2 5–0
Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 6–2 4–1
Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 8–0 6–0
Bernie Bierman Big Ten Conference 8–0 5–0
1960Big Ten Conference 8–2 6–1
1967Murray Warmath Big Ten Conference 8–2 6–1
† Co-champions

Division championships

Big Ten Football adopted divisions in 2011, with the winner of each division playing for the conference championship. The divisions were known as Legends and Leaders from 2011 to 2013. In 2014, the divisions were realigned geographically into East and West. Minnesota competes in the Big Ten West Division. Minnesota has shared one division title, in 2019.[24]

2019Big Ten – West N/A lost tiebreaker to Wisconsin
† Co-champions

Bowl games

See main article: List of Minnesota Golden Gophers bowl games. Minnesota has played in 24 bowl games, amassing a record of 12–12.[25]

11960Murray WarmathRose BowlWashingtonL 7–17
21961Murray WarmathRose BowlUCLAW 21–3
31977Cal StollMarylandL 6–21
41985John GutekunstIndependence BowlClemsonW 20–13
51986John GutekunstLiberty BowlTennesseeL 14–21
61999Glen MasonOregonL 20–24
72000Glen MasonNC StateL 30–38
82002Glen MasonArkansasW 29–14
92003Glen MasonOregonW 31–30
102004Glen MasonAlabamaW 20–16
112005Glen MasonVirginiaL 31–34
122006Glen MasonTexas TechL 41–44
132008Tim BrewsterKansasL 21–42
142009Tim BrewsterIowa StateL 13–14
152012Jerry KillMeineke Car Care Bowl of TexasTexas TechL 31–34
162013Jerry KillTexas BowlSyracuseL 17–21
172014Jerry KillCitrus BowlMissouriL 17–33
182015Tracy ClaeysQuick Lane BowlCentral MichiganW 21–14
192016Tracy ClaeysWashington StateW 17–12
202018P. J. FleckGeorgia TechW 34–10
212019P. J. FleckOutback BowlAuburnW 31–24
222021P. J. FleckGuaranteed Rate BowlWest VirginiaW 18–6
232022P. J. FleckPinstripe BowlSyracuseW 28–20
242023P. J. FleckQuick Lane BowlBowling GreenW 30–24
Bowl record by game
1 0 1 .000
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Insight Bowl) 4 1 3 .250
1 0 1 .000
1 1 0 1.000
1 1 0 1.000
1 0 1 .000
1 0 1 .000
3 2 1 .666
1 1 0 1.000
1 1 0 1.000
3 3 0 1.000
2 1 1 .500
2 1 1 .500
2 0 2 .000

Head coaches

1882No coach1 1–1
1883 1 1–2
1884–1885No games played 2
1886–1888 3 3–3
1889 1 3–1
18901 5–1–1
1891 1 3–1–1
1892 No coach1 5–0
18931 6–0
18941 3–1
1895 1 7–3
1896–1897 2 12–6
1898 1 4–5
1899 1 6–3–2
1900–1921 22 136–33–11
1922–1924 3 11–7–4
1925–1929 5 28–9–3
1930–1931 2 10–7–1
1932–1941, 1945–1950 1693–35–6
1942–19443 15–11–1
1951–1953 3 10–13–4
1954–1971 18 87–78–7
1972–1978 7 39–39
1979–1983 5 19–35–1
1984–1985 2 10–12
1986–1991 6 29–36–2
1992–1996 5 16–39
1997–2006 10 64–57
2007–2010 4 15–30
2010 1 2–3
2011–2015 5 29–29
2015–2016 2 11–8
2017–present P. J. Fleck7 50–34

Rivalries

Iowa

See main article: Iowa–Minnesota football rivalry. The winner of the game is awarded the Floyd of Rosedale, 98 lb (44 kg) a bronze pig trophy. The trophy began in 1935, when, in an effort to deescalate tensions between the two teams and fan bases, Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson bet Iowa Governor Clyde L. Herring a prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota would win the game. After Minnesota's victory, Governor Herring obtained a pig donated by Rosedale Farms and named the hog after Governor Olson, giving birth to Floyd of Rosedale. Minnesota leads the series with Iowa 63–52–2 through the 2023 season.[26]

Michigan

See main article: Little Brown Jug (college football trophy). The Michigan–Minnesota football rivalry is the first and oldest trophy game in college football history. The winner of the game is awarded the Little Brown Jug, a five-gallon earthenware jug. The jug was used by Michigan in the 1903 matchup to prevent Minnesota from tampering with its water supply, and, according to folklore, stolen from Michigan by a Minnesota custodian after the game. Michigan leads the series 77–25–3 with the last game played in 2023.[27]

Nebraska

See main article: Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry. The winner of the Minnesota-Nebraska game is awarded the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy, which is an unofficial trophy created by fans after a good-humored back and forth between the Twitter accounts for Minnesota mascot Goldy Gopher and a parody account for then-head coach Bo Pelini. The trophy was officially rejected by both universities, although groups associated with each university continue to use the trophy as a fundraiser around the annual matchup. Minnesota leads the series with Nebraska 37–25–2 through the 2023 season.[28]

Wisconsin

See main article: Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry. The Minnesota-Wisconsin rivalry is the most-played rivalry in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The winner of the game receives Paul Bunyan's Axe, a tradition that started in 1948 after the first trophy, the Slab of Bacon, disappeared. Minnesota dominated the series for most of the first half of the 20th century, and Wisconsin similarly dominated the series from the early 1990s until 2018, accruing a 14-game win streak for the Badgers which gave Wisconsin its first-ever lead in the series in 2017. Wisconsin leads the series 63–62–8 through the 2023 season.[29]

Facilities

Huntington Bank Stadium

Huntington Bank Stadium is the football stadium for the Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 52,525-seat on-campus "horseshoe" style stadium is designed to support future expansion to seat up to 80,000 people, and cost $303.3 million to build. The stadium was the temporary home of the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League for the 2014 and 2015 seasons while U.S. Bank Stadium was being built.

Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex

The complex houses the team administrative offices, locker room, meeting rooms, equipment room, training room, and players’ lounges. It is named after Gopher teammates from the 1920s, George Gibson and Bronko Nagurski.

Former venues

Individual award winners

See also: Minnesota Golden Gophers football annual team awards.

Retired numbers

The Golden Gophers has retired three numbers.[30] [31] [32]

10 1951–1953 September 24, 1991
54 1939–1941 June 27, 1977
72 1927–1929 October 27, 1979

Retired jerseys

Additionally, the Golden Gophers have retired two jerseys. This honor is distinguished from "retired numbers" because the numbers of these players can be worn by any player normally.[32]

15 1959–1961 November 18, 2000
78 1960–1962 September 18, 2010

National

Players

Bruce Smith – 1941[33]

Tom Brown1960[34]

Bobby Bell1962[35]

Greg Eslinger2005[36]

Tyrone Carter1999[37]

Greg Eslinger2005[36]

Matt Spaeth2006[38]

Coaches

Bernie Bierman1958[39]

Murray Warmath1960[40]

Murray Warmath1960[41]

Big Ten Conference

Players

Biggie Munn – 1931[42]

Pug Lund – 1934[43]

Paul Giel – 1952, 1953[44]

Tom Brown – 1960[45]

Sandy Stephens – 1961[46]

Greg Eslinger2005[47]

Karon Riley2000[48]

Darrell Thompson1986[49]

Laurence Maroney2003[50]

Rashod Bateman - 2019[51]

Maxx Williams2014[52]

Antoine Winfield Jr. - 2019[53]

Peter Mortell – 2014[52]

Coach

Glen Mason1999[54]

Jerry Kill2014[55]

P. J. Fleck2019[56]

College Football Hall of Famers

Inductees as of 2024.[57] [58]

Bert BastonE19541914–1916[59]
Bobby BellT19911960–1962[60]
Bernie BiermanHC19551932–1941
1945–1950
[61]
Tom BrownG20031958–1960[62]
Fritz CrislerHC19541930–1931[63]
Carl EllerT20061961–1963[64]
George FranckHB20021938–1940[65]
Paul GielHB19751951–1953[66]
Lou HoltzHC20081984–1985[67]
Herb JoestingFB19541925–1927[68]
Pug LundHB19581932–1934[69]
Bobby MarshallE19711904–1906[70]
John McGovernQB19661908–1910[71]
Bronko NagurskiFB, T19511927–1929[72]
Leo NomelliniT, G19771946–1949[73]
Eddie RogersE19681900–1903[74]
Bruce SmithHB19721939–1941[75]
Bob SteinDE20201966–1968[76]
Sandy StephensQB20111959–1961[77]
Clayton TonnemakerC19801946–1949[78]
Ed WidsethT19541934–1936[79]
Dick WildungT19571940–1942[80]
Henry L. WilliamsHC19511900–1921[81]

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Inductees as of 2017.

Bobby BellDE, LB1983Kansas City Chiefs, 1963–1974
Tony DungyHead Coach2016Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1996–2001
Indianapolis Colts, 2002–2008
Carl EllerDE2004Minnesota Vikings, 1964–1978
Seattle Seahawks, 1979
Bud GrantHead Coach1994Minnesota Vikings, 1967–1983, 1985
Bronko NagurskiFB1963Chicago Bears 1930–1937, 1943
Leo NomelliniDT1969San Francisco 49ers 1950–1963
Charlie SandersTE2007Detroit Lions 1968–1977

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Inductees as of 2017.[82] [83]

Tom BrownDL1984BC Lions, 1961–1967
Bud GrantTE
Head Coach
1983Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 1953–1966

Current professional players

NFL

Golden Gophers in the NFL
NFL Draft selections
Total selected:333
1st Round:18
NFL achievements
Total Players:215
Hall of Famers:7
Source:

List current as of May 19, 2024.[84]

PlayerPositionDraft ClassCurrent Team
Rashod BatemanWR2021Baltimore Ravens
Kyler BaughDTUndrafted in 2024New Orleans Saints
De'Vondre CampbellLB2016San Francisco 49ers
Blake CashmanLB2019Minnesota Vikings
Chris CollinsLBUndrafted in 2024Los Angeles Chargers
Carter CoughlinLB2020New York Giants
Corey CroomsWRUndrafted in 2024Dallas Cowboys
Daniel FaaleleT2022Baltimore Ravens
Jack GibbensLBUndrafted in 2022Tennessee Titans
Jordan HowdenS2023New Orleans Saints
Tyler JohnsonWR2020Los Angeles Rams
Ko KieftTE2022Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Boye MafeDE2022Seattle Seahawks
Eric MurrayS2016Houston Texans
Tyler NubinS2024New York Giants
Esezi OtomewoDE2022Jacksonville Jaguars
Thomas RushLBUndrafted in 2023Tennessee Titans
John Michael SchmitzC2023New York Giants
Terell SmithCB2023Chicago Bears
Brevyn Spann-FordTEUndrafted in 2024Dallas Cowboys
Benjamin St-JusteCB2021Washington Commanders
Damien WilsonLB2015Dallas Cowboys
Antoine Winfield Jr.S2020Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Other professional leagues

[85]

!Player!Position!Current Team!League
Shannon BrooksRBArizona RattlersIFL
Chuck FiliagaOLSan Antonio BrahmasUFL
Ryan SantosoKSan Antonio BrahmasUFL
Drew WolitarskyWRWinnipeg Blue BombersCFL

Other notable coaches and players

Future opponents

Non-conference opponents

Announced schedules as of October 11, 2022 [105]

No opponents currently scheduled for the 2029 and 2031 seasons.

vs North Carolinavs Buffalovs Eastern Illinoisvs San Jose Statevs North Dakotavs North Dakotavs Alabamaat Alabama
vs Rhode Islandvs Northwestern Statevs Mississippi Stateat Mississippi Statevs Bowling Green
vs Nevadaat Californiavs Akronvs California

Notes and References

  1. Web site: TCF Bank Stadium . September 2, 2016 . CBSi Advanced Media . Minnesota Athletics Official Athletic Site: Football blog . 2 September 2016.
  2. Web site: The history of Gophers football trophy games. mndaily.com. August 4, 2023. May 17, 2024.
  3. Web site: Gophersports.com :: University of Minnesota Official Athletic Site. www.gophersports.com. September 19, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202033904/http://www.gophersports.com/trads/championships.html. December 2, 2014. dead.
  4. Web site: TCF Bank Stadium – University of Minnesota Athletics. August 1, 2018.
  5. Web site: Being a Cheerleader - History of Cheerleading . Varsity Spirit . Varsity Spirit LLC . April 17, 2019.
  6. Web site: All Time Coaching Records . gophersports.com . 25 May 2020.
  7. Book: Turtinen. Ralph. 100 Years of Golden Gophers Football. John Roberts. 1981.
  8. [Mary Mapes Dodge]
  9. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/footba...s/2011/FBS.pdf – pp. 70–79
  10. Madsen . Rob . Spring 2023 . The Cost of Conservatism: The University of Minnesota's Lofted Ideals and Fallen Football Teams . Journal of Sport History . 50 . 1 . 85-100 .
  11. Madsen . Rob . Spring 2023 . The Cost of Conservatism: The University of Minnesota's Lofted Ideals and Fallen Football Teams . Journal of Sport History . 50 . 1 . 85-100 .
  12. http://www.ericthrall.com/gophers/football Gophers football history
  13. Jeff Shelman, New U coach: Rose Bowl is the goal, Star Tribune, January 17, 2007
  14. Web site: Brewster out after sixth loss. August 1, 2018.
  15. Web site: 2019 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule and Results. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. en. 2020-03-10.
  16. Web site: Minnesota beats Penn State 31-26 in a battle of unbeatens, the Gophers' 1st win over a top-5 team in 20 years. Campbell. Dave. chicagotribune.com. November 9, 2019 . 2020-03-10.
  17. Web site: One for the decades: Gophers stun Penn State, move to 9-0, set off a celebration. Star Tribune. 2020-03-10.
  18. Book: Christopher J. Walsh. Who's #1?: 100-Plus Years of Controversial National Champions in College Football. 2007. Taylor Trade Pub.. 978-1-58979-337-8. 79–81.
  19. Book: 2018 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . National Collegiate Athletic Association . August 2018 . December 11, 2018.
  20. Web site: Golden Gophers National Champions – University of Minnesota Athletics . University of Minnesota Athletics Department . December 11, 2018.
  21. News: Briggs . David . January 8, 2023 . What if one of the greatest trophies in sports was named after Toledo? In college football, it once was . The Blade . Toledo, Ohio . February 3, 2023.
  22. News: Emerson . Seth . August 20, 2023 . College football’s last 3-peat: The Minnesota national title history Georgia is chasing . . . September 14, 2023.
  23. Book: Dickinson, Frank G. . Dickinson System . February 1941 . Dickinson's Football Ratings — from Grange to Harmon . Minnesota is the Top Team in Recent Ten Year Rankings . Omaha, Nebraska . What's What Publishing Company . 4–5.
  24. Web site: 2020 Big Ten Football Media Guide. Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference. December 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204182352/https://bigten.org/documents/2020/10/19/2020_BIG_TEN_FOOTBALL_MEDIA_GUIDE.pdf. 7. December 4, 2020. dead.
  25. Web site: Minnesota Golden Gophers Bowls. College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  26. Web site: Winsipedia - Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes football series history. Winsipedia.
  27. Web site: Winsipedia - Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Michigan Wolverines football series history. Winsipedia.
  28. Web site: Winsipedia - Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers football series history. Winsipedia.
  29. Web site: Winsipedia - Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers football series history. Winsipedia.
  30. Web site: Archived copy . grfx.cstv.com . 11 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170826154908/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/minn/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2017-18/misc_non_event/2017_Football_Media_Guide.pdf . 26 August 2017 . dead.
  31. Web site: FBall Retired Jerseys. GopherHole.com. August 2, 2018.
  32. Web site: Retired Jerseys & Numbers. March 17, 2020. October 11, 2023. gophersports.com.
  33. Web site: Bruce Smith . heisman.com . February 21, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100404063045/http://www.heisman.com/winners/b-smith41.php . April 4, 2010 .
  34. Web site: Tom Brown . Football Writers Association of America . February 21, 2014.
  35. Web site: Bobby Bell . gophersports.com. February 21, 2014.
  36. Web site: Greg Eslinger . Sports Reference LLC.. February 21, 2014.
  37. Web site: Tyrone Carter. Sports Reference LLC.. February 21, 2014.
  38. Web site: Matt Spaeth . gophersports.com. February 21, 2014.
  39. Web site: Bernie Bierman . afca.com. February 21, 2014. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140301104835/http://www.afca.com/article/article.php?id=2413. March 1, 2014.
  40. Web site: Murray Warmath . Football Writers Association of America . February 21, 2014.
  41. Web site: Murray Warmath . February 21, 2014.
  42. Web site: Biggie Munn. University of Minnesota Football. February 21, 2014. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319114310/http://www.gophergridiron.com/page/show/330916-big-ten. March 19, 2014.
  43. Web site: Pug Lund. University of Minnesota Football. February 21, 2014. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319114310/http://www.gophergridiron.com/page/show/330916-big-ten. March 19, 2014.
  44. Web site: Paul Giel. University of Minnesota Football. February 21, 2014. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319114310/http://www.gophergridiron.com/page/show/330916-big-ten. March 19, 2014.
  45. Web site: Tom Brown. University of Minnesota Football. February 21, 2014. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319114310/http://www.gophergridiron.com/page/show/330916-big-ten. March 19, 2014.
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