College football’s last 3-peat: The Minnesota national title history Georgia is chasing

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Per the link:

What happened to Minnesota?​

There are a few theories. The prevailing one is the Gophers, once the only game in town, were swallowed up by pro teams: The Vikings were founded in 1960, the Twins moved in the next year, the NHL’s North Stars arrived in 1967 and the NBA’s Timberwolves in 1989. (The North Stars left in the ’90s but were soon replaced by the Wild.)

“There’s too many competitive sports up here now,” said Piche, the 92-year-old Gophers fan. “And it’s really cut into the fan base of the Gophers. That’s really why they didn’t have a bigger following. I mean, I think they’ve got a big following in the state. But you can watch all this stuff on TV now, and there’s so many other sports you can go to.”

Minnesota also struggled to find the coach who could build and then sustain. Lou Holtz was a home-run hire in the mid-’80s, but he stayed only two years before going to Notre Dame, the only job Holtz said would make him leave. Glen Mason had some strong years in the mid-2000s but was fired after going 6-7 in his 10th year.

(Mason, for a couple days in 1995, was going to be Georgia’s coach, before backing out and returning to Kansas. One of the Georgia players who Mason didn’t end up coaching was a then-sophomore safety named Kirby Smart.)

Minnesota is now coached by P.J. Fleck, entering his seventh season. Fleck’s teams have been good: 11-2 in 2019, 9-4 each of the past two seasons. Fleck has talked about re-connecting Minnesota with its championship tradition, talking to recruits about Minnesota being a “sleeping giant,” and when he arrived he did some research on the ’30s teams.

“They could score a lot of points, played incredible defense,” Fleck said. “You see the seven national titles, 18 Big Ten national championships. And you’re brought into that to bring that type of tradition back, and connect that tradition from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and connect it to the 2020s. That’s a massive job. A lot of respect for our program and our tradition of what we’ve done. But it’s put upon me, with the culture we’ve run, to connect that to the tradition of old.”

That can be tough, though, when there aren’t constant reminders of it. The team moved to the Metrodome when it opened in 1982, sharing it with the Vikings and Twins rather than doing extensive renovations to Memorial Stadium, which was demolished. That may have made financial sense, but it disconnected the Gophers from their tradition and took them away from campus. The school essentially admitted the mistake when it built its own stadium and moved back to campus in 2009 rather than follow the Vikings to their new stadium.

Still, when fans are at Huntington Bank Stadium, they’re not at the same stadium that saw all those championship teams. Fleck isn’t walking the same sideline as Bierman, and Fleck and the coaches can’t tell recruits they’re playing on the same field as all those greats from the past.

The years of the national titles are posted inside the stadium, and there are banners in the team’s facility. Otherwise, there are scant reminders. Maybe it’s the midwestern reserve, not wanting to brag. Maybe it’s just not dwelling on the past. Which may be why the silver, three-foot tall trophy has gone largely unnoticed.

Go Gophers!!
 

I'm guessing there aren't any members of the '36 team around to pop the champagne bottle if the threepeat stays intact!
 




Did the players/media at the time care about the “national championship?” I’ve always thought it strange in reading about the ‘36 “national championship” team because that team did not win the Big Ten, having lost to Northwestern, who went 6-0 in conference, while the Gophers went 4-1 in conference.

I wonder if the polls matter more in hindsight. Along this line, Tom Moe once told me that the players at the time thought 1961 was a better season than 1960, because the ‘61 team won the Rose Bowl, and the ‘60 team lost the Rose Bowl.
 

BleedGopher said:
Per the link:

What happened to Minnesota?​

There are a few theories. The prevailing one is the Gophers, once the only game in town, were swallowed up by pro teams: The Vikings were founded in 1960, the Twins moved in the next year, the NHL’s North Stars arrived in 1967 and the NBA’s Timberwolves in 1989. (The North Stars left in the ’90s but were soon replaced by the Wild.)

“There’s too many competitive sports up here now,” said Piche, the 92-year-old Gophers fan. “And it’s really cut into the fan base of the Gophers. That’s really why they didn’t have a bigger following. I mean, I think they’ve got a big following in the state. But you can watch all this stuff on TV now, and there’s so many other sports you can go to.”

Minnesota also struggled to find the coach who could build and then sustain. Lou Holtz was a home-run hire in the mid-’80s, but he stayed only two years before going to Notre Dame, the only job Holtz said would make him leave. Glen Mason had some strong years in the mid-2000s but was fired after going 6-7 in his 10th year.

(Mason, for a couple days in 1995, was going to be Georgia’s coach, before backing out and returning to Kansas. One of the Georgia players who Mason didn’t end up coaching was a then-sophomore safety named Kirby Smart.)

Minnesota is now coached by P.J. Fleck, entering his seventh season. Fleck’s teams have been good: 11-2 in 2019, 9-4 each of the past two seasons. Fleck has talked about re-connecting Minnesota with its championship tradition, talking to recruits about Minnesota being a “sleeping giant,” and when he arrived he did some research on the ’30s teams.

“They could score a lot of points, played incredible defense,” Fleck said. “You see the seven national titles, 18 Big Ten national championships. And you’re brought into that to bring that type of tradition back, and connect that tradition from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and connect it to the 2020s. That’s a massive job. A lot of respect for our program and our tradition of what we’ve done. But it’s put upon me, with the culture we’ve run, to connect that to the tradition of old.”

That can be tough, though, when there aren’t constant reminders of it. The team moved to the Metrodome when it opened in 1982, sharing it with the Vikings and Twins rather than doing extensive renovations to Memorial Stadium, which was demolished. That may have made financial sense, but it disconnected the Gophers from their tradition and took them away from campus. The school essentially admitted the mistake when it built its own stadium and moved back to campus in 2009 rather than follow the Vikings to their new stadium.

Still, when fans are at Huntington Bank Stadium, they’re not at the same stadium that saw all those championship teams. Fleck isn’t walking the same sideline as Bierman, and Fleck and the coaches can’t tell recruits they’re playing on the same field as all those greats from the past.

The years of the national titles are posted inside the stadium, and there are banners in the team’s facility. Otherwise, there are scant reminders. Maybe it’s the midwestern reserve, not wanting to brag. Maybe it’s just not dwelling on the past. Which may be why the silver, three-foot tall trophy has gone largely unnoticed.

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting this.
 

Bamagopher said:
It really is a shame that the school administration did not fight harder to keep the Brick House and renovate it like every other major team in college football had done. No foresight whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Maybe, but we have a fantastic new stadium now!
 



Seth Emerson
Aug 20, 2023
26
MINNEAPOLIS — It’s a nice day and a nice crowd. Not huge, but nice, a hundred or so fans at Minnesota taking in an open practice. And none of them have the slightest idea why someone from Georgia would be here.
That is Seth's guesstimate on the open practice attendance....a hundred or so. Little bit less than a couple thousand mentioned elsewhere.
 


BleedGopher said:
Per the link:

What happened to Minnesota?​

There are a few theories. The prevailing one is the Gophers, once the only game in town, were swallowed up by pro teams: The Vikings were founded in 1960, the Twins moved in the next year, the NHL’s North Stars arrived in 1967 and the NBA’s Timberwolves in 1989. (The North Stars left in the ’90s but were soon replaced by the Wild.)

“There’s too many competitive sports up here now,” said Piche, the 92-year-old Gophers fan. “And it’s really cut into the fan base of the Gophers. That’s really why they didn’t have a bigger following. I mean, I think they’ve got a big following in the state. But you can watch all this stuff on TV now, and there’s so many other sports you can go to.”

Minnesota also struggled to find the coach who could build and then sustain. Lou Holtz was a home-run hire in the mid-’80s, but he stayed only two years before going to Notre Dame, the only job Holtz said would make him leave. Glen Mason had some strong years in the mid-2000s but was fired after going 6-7 in his 10th year.

(Mason, for a couple days in 1995, was going to be Georgia’s coach, before backing out and returning to Kansas. One of the Georgia players who Mason didn’t end up coaching was a then-sophomore safety named Kirby Smart.)

Minnesota is now coached by P.J. Fleck, entering his seventh season. Fleck’s teams have been good: 11-2 in 2019, 9-4 each of the past two seasons. Fleck has talked about re-connecting Minnesota with its championship tradition, talking to recruits about Minnesota being a “sleeping giant,” and when he arrived he did some research on the ’30s teams.

“They could score a lot of points, played incredible defense,” Fleck said. “You see the seven national titles, 18 Big Ten national championships. And you’re brought into that to bring that type of tradition back, and connect that tradition from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and connect it to the 2020s. That’s a massive job. A lot of respect for our program and our tradition of what we’ve done. But it’s put upon me, with the culture we’ve run, to connect that to the tradition of old.”

That can be tough, though, when there aren’t constant reminders of it. The team moved to the Metrodome when it opened in 1982, sharing it with the Vikings and Twins rather than doing extensive renovations to Memorial Stadium, which was demolished. That may have made financial sense, but it disconnected the Gophers from their tradition and took them away from campus. The school essentially admitted the mistake when it built its own stadium and moved back to campus in 2009 rather than follow the Vikings to their new stadium.

Still, when fans are at Huntington Bank Stadium, they’re not at the same stadium that saw all those championship teams. Fleck isn’t walking the same sideline as Bierman, and Fleck and the coaches can’t tell recruits they’re playing on the same field as all those greats from the past.

The years of the national titles are posted inside the stadium, and there are banners in the team’s facility. Otherwise, there are scant reminders. Maybe it’s the midwestern reserve, not wanting to brag. Maybe it’s just not dwelling on the past. Which may be why the silver, three-foot tall trophy has gone largely unnoticed.

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
And what did the crowded sports metro get us? Many years of misery and 2 championships 30+ years ago lol.
 

BleedGopher said:
Per the link:

What happened to Minnesota?​

There are a few theories. The prevailing one is the Gophers, once the only game in town, were swallowed up by pro teams: The Vikings were founded in 1960, the Twins moved in the next year, the NHL’s North Stars arrived in 1967 and the NBA’s Timberwolves in 1989. (The North Stars left in the ’90s but were soon replaced by the Wild.)

“There’s too many competitive sports up here now,” said Piche, the 92-year-old Gophers fan. “And it’s really cut into the fan base of the Gophers. That’s really why they didn’t have a bigger following. I mean, I think they’ve got a big following in the state. But you can watch all this stuff on TV now, and there’s so many other sports you can go to.”

Minnesota also struggled to find the coach who could build and then sustain. Lou Holtz was a home-run hire in the mid-’80s, but he stayed only two years before going to Notre Dame, the only job Holtz said would make him leave. Glen Mason had some strong years in the mid-2000s but was fired after going 6-7 in his 10th year.

(Mason, for a couple days in 1995, was going to be Georgia’s coach, before backing out and returning to Kansas. One of the Georgia players who Mason didn’t end up coaching was a then-sophomore safety named Kirby Smart.)

Minnesota is now coached by P.J. Fleck, entering his seventh season. Fleck’s teams have been good: 11-2 in 2019, 9-4 each of the past two seasons. Fleck has talked about re-connecting Minnesota with its championship tradition, talking to recruits about Minnesota being a “sleeping giant,” and when he arrived he did some research on the ’30s teams.

“They could score a lot of points, played incredible defense,” Fleck said. “You see the seven national titles, 18 Big Ten national championships. And you’re brought into that to bring that type of tradition back, and connect that tradition from the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s and ’60s and connect it to the 2020s. That’s a massive job. A lot of respect for our program and our tradition of what we’ve done. But it’s put upon me, with the culture we’ve run, to connect that to the tradition of old.”

That can be tough, though, when there aren’t constant reminders of it. The team moved to the Metrodome when it opened in 1982, sharing it with the Vikings and Twins rather than doing extensive renovations to Memorial Stadium, which was demolished. That may have made financial sense, but it disconnected the Gophers from their tradition and took them away from campus. The school essentially admitted the mistake when it built its own stadium and moved back to campus in 2009 rather than follow the Vikings to their new stadium.

Still, when fans are at Huntington Bank Stadium, they’re not at the same stadium that saw all those championship teams. Fleck isn’t walking the same sideline as Bierman, and Fleck and the coaches can’t tell recruits they’re playing on the same field as all those greats from the past.

The years of the national titles are posted inside the stadium, and there are banners in the team’s facility. Otherwise, there are scant reminders. Maybe it’s the midwestern reserve, not wanting to brag. Maybe it’s just not dwelling on the past. Which may be why the silver, three-foot tall trophy has gone largely unnoticed.

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
I am in awe of the rich Gopher Football history in the bygone era. Seven national titles are quite an accomplishment. The Gophers played their first football game on September 29, 1882! That was 141 years ago.

The program has fallen into hard times since the end of the 1960s.

PJ Fleck is a once-in-lifetime hire. When have seen how Gopher Football has transformed in seven years. He is stirring up echoes of the ancient past.

He is shooting for a lofty goal of a national title. He may just do that!
 



Great story...really, really well done.

The Bud Wilkinson playing on the Gophers and then coaching on a team that arguably should have gotten the three-peat is great stuff.

Bernie being the first guy to miss out on a three-peat as he was coaching a Marine team in 1942 that beat the Gophers is also great stuff.

How cool would it be to be the team to prevent Georgia from a three-peat?
 

theathletic.com

Searching for a 3-peat: A journey to Minnesota to find the history Georgia is chasing

In the annals of college football, how is it that Minnesota owns the three-peat national championship history that Georgia is chasing?
theathletic.com theathletic.com

The art of the 3-peat​

Even as chaotic as the term “national title” has been in college football history, there are no firm claimants to a three-peat since Minnesota did it. Fourteen teams have won back-to-back titles in the poll era, but nobody has won three in a row. And since the advent of the BCS and then the Playoff, the distinction has been clear.

The first team to fail to three-peat, in fact, was Minnesota: It won two more titles in 1940 and 1941, then didn’t come close the next year. But that came with an asterisk: World War II had started and Bierman rejoined the Marines — and coached a team of Naval trainees that beat Minnesota during the 1942 season.

College football three-peat attempts
TEAMYEARRECORDFINAL AP RANK
Alabama201311-27
USC200512-12
Nebraska199611-26
Alabama198010-26
Oklahoma19769-2-15
Nebraska19729-2-14
Texas19718-318
Michigan State19673-7NR
Alabama196611-03
Oklahoma195710-14
Notre Dame19489-0-12
Army19469-0-12
Minnesota19425-419
 
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Wouldn't it be better/more comprehensive to say Minnesota is the only team to win three consecutive national titles, rather than saying the last team to do so?
 

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