Gopher Football
Rhys Lloyd or “œWinston Churchill” as Coach Glen Mason refers to him as, became an immediate fan favorite with his laid-back attitude and cannon of a leg. In addition, Lloyd cemented his place in Gopher highlight history with game winning field goals versus rival Wisconsin and Oregon in the Sun Bowl.
The game winning kicks have brought notoriety and confidence to the Dover, England native. “œI guess I have become somewhat of a fan favorite which I did not expect when I got to Minnesota,” Lloyd said. “œI really enjoyed my first year at Minnesota and am very excited to get this season started and hopefully we can improve upon last season.”
Part of what makes Lloyd so popular is his unique laid-back attitude that Lloyd takes in stride. “œAfter the Wisconsin and Oregon games I had a ton of people coming up to me on campus congratulating me and thanking me for making the field goal,” Lloyd said. “œI just looked at them and wondered why they were thanking me for doing my job. I guess it is a big deal to beat the Badgers and win a bowl game, but to me it was just another kick.”
Lloyd’s approach has drawn praise from Mason. “œWhat you like about him is that nothing bothers that guy. He has no clue sometimes how big those kicks are. He just makes them and I guess that’s just what you need to be able to perform in that type of arena.”
Lloyd enters the 2004 season as a Lou Groza Award candidate and has been named to a number of pre-season All Big Ten teams, but the added pressure did not alter his untraditional off-season preparation. “œI didn’t kick at all during the off-season,” Lloyd said. “œI hardly touched a ball, well, an American football that is. More than anything I just rested my leg so I’ll be ready to go for Toledo.”