Iceland12
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On Sakal’s visit to Minnesota, Gophers coach Murray Warmath sat him in the film room on a Saturday morning to watch the 1960 Iowa game. Sakal’s jaw dropped while watching Tom Brown destroy the Hawkeyes, part of a season that netted him the Outland Trophy and ended in the Rose Bowl.
“I had never seen a football game like that in my life,” Sakal said. “The hitting was unbelievable. I remember siting there and saying to myself, ‘This is where I want to play.’ ”
Sakal kept the tradition alive as the captain of the 1967 Gophers team that won a share of the Big Ten championship. He and about 40 members of that team will be honored before and during Minnesota’s 2017 Big Ten opener against Maryland at 11 a.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.
“We want to make sure, when the 1967 team watches our game, they’re inspired,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “It brings them back to their day.”
The ’67 players, a majority from Minnesota, beam with pride over their accomplishment, but the reunion will be tinged with disappointment. While Minnesota’s 8-2 campaign ended in three-way title share with Indiana and Purdue, conference rules sent the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl, even though Minnesota held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
It’s hard to believe now, but because there were no other bowl options, the Gophers stayed home.
“We had a good time, a lot of fun, a few heartaches,” Sakal said...
http://www.twincities.com/2017/09/2...nd-heartache-on-way-to-us-last-big-ten-title/
“I had never seen a football game like that in my life,” Sakal said. “The hitting was unbelievable. I remember siting there and saying to myself, ‘This is where I want to play.’ ”
Sakal kept the tradition alive as the captain of the 1967 Gophers team that won a share of the Big Ten championship. He and about 40 members of that team will be honored before and during Minnesota’s 2017 Big Ten opener against Maryland at 11 a.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.
“We want to make sure, when the 1967 team watches our game, they’re inspired,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “It brings them back to their day.”
The ’67 players, a majority from Minnesota, beam with pride over their accomplishment, but the reunion will be tinged with disappointment. While Minnesota’s 8-2 campaign ended in three-way title share with Indiana and Purdue, conference rules sent the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl, even though Minnesota held the head-to-head tiebreaker.
It’s hard to believe now, but because there were no other bowl options, the Gophers stayed home.
“We had a good time, a lot of fun, a few heartaches,” Sakal said...
http://www.twincities.com/2017/09/2...nd-heartache-on-way-to-us-last-big-ten-title/