GOPHER FOOTBALL THROUGH THE DECADES

Nomellini

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I miss Minnesota football so today I will entertain myself by looking back on some past Gopher wins. Maybe you will have fun naming the players referred to below.
1) October 24, 1931
Minnesota 34 Iowa 0
Gophers get a scoring plunge and 4 extra points from a running back from South Dakota who will go on to be a 2-time NFL Champion with the Bears (1933-1940). He had 40 NFL field goals and 1,500 career rushing yards.

2) October 26, 1940
Minnesota 34 Iowa 6
4 touchdowns are scored by a speedy back from Iowa who was a first round pick by the Giants in 1941. When war came, he joined the Marines, fought on Iwo Jima and then became a fighter pilot. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

3) October 29, 1955
Minnesota 25 #10 USC 19
Gophers upset Trojans with the help of an early blizzard. USC has a flashy running back who will go on to be a member of the College Hall of Fame and a 5-time Pro Bowler with the Rams. On this day, he is held to just 38 yards on 17 carries.

4) October 6, 1962
Minnesota 21 Navy 0
Gophers record one of their 5 shutouts as the Middies have -13 rushing yards. A late and unproductive appearance is made by a future Heisman winner.

5) November 14, 1970
Minnesota 23 Michigan State 13
Gophers get an interception and an 82-yard touchdown return of a fumble by a defensive back from Virginia who will go on to a long career as a Ramsey County District Court Judge.

6) November 7, 1981
Minnesota 35 Ohio State 31
Gophers get their last win in Memorial Stadium as Mike Hohensee has a record-setting day. 3 touchdown passes are caught by a Winona native, the last of which is on a tipped pass in the end zone from 28 yards out with 2:38 to go.

7)November 24, 1990
Minnesota 31 Iowa 24
Gophers down Rose Bowl-bound Hawkeyes. One Minnesota touchdown is scored on a punt blocked by a freshman receiver from New Orleans who will go on to catch 5 touchdown passes in a wild 59-56 win over Purdue in 1993.

8) October 14, 2000
Minnesota 29 at #6 Ohio State 17
Gophers get their first win in Columbus since 1949. Buckeyes have just 200 yards of total offense and a quarterback from Oregon via a California JC has the game of his life.

9) November 13, 2010
Minnesota 38 at Illinois 34
A 4th quarter rally is fueled by a 90-yard kickoff return by a defensive back/return specialist from Dallas who will finish as the all-time FCS leader in kickoff return yardage. In two weeks, he will seal an emotional win over Iowa by forcing a recovered fumble with a huge hit on a raw day at TCF.
 

Leo, Let's try these:
1. Jack Manders
2. Nile Kinnick
3.Jon Arnett
4. Roger Staubach
5. Walt Bowser
6. Jay Carroll
7. Omar Douglas
8. Travis Cole
9. Rishon Early
 

Fun quiz. I thought Paul Giel would be in there somewhere but no. 1949-2000 VS Ohio State in Ohio. I think it would be fair to call that a drought.
 

Leo, Let's try these:
1. Jack Manders
2. Nile Kinnick
3.Jon Arnett
4. Roger Staubach
5. Walt Bowser
6. Jay Carroll
7. Omar Douglas
8. Travis Cole
9. Rishon Early

My expertise is too limited, I know my pre-Wes Fesler Gophers much better than I do the post Bernie Bierman Gophers, up until Glen Mason's time and going forward. So I knew the Jack Manders one, but I'm thinking #2 is not Nile Kinnick, didn't he graduate after the 1939 season? And to imagine that Bernie turned him away? 1939 was our only losing season with Bierman at the helm, imagine if Kinnick was in our lineup, do we win Titles in 37 and 38 and 1939? I have stated on more than one occasion that our 1939 team could have been the best team ever in history that ended the season with a losing record. But I think the answer to #2 is George Frank? All of the rest of the questions got me wanting to know the answers, but I don't know them.
 

My expertise is too limited, I know my pre-Wes Fesler Gophers much better than I do the post Bernie Bierman Gophers, up until Glen Mason's time and going forward. So I knew the Jack Manders one, but I'm thinking #2 is not Nile Kinnick, didn't he graduate after the 1939 season? And to imagine that Bernie turned him away? 1939 was our only losing season with Bierman at the helm, imagine if Kinnick was in our lineup, do we win Titles in 37 and 38 and 1939? I have stated on more than one occasion that our 1939 team could have been the best team ever in history that ended the season with a losing record. But I think the answer to #2 is George Frank? All of the rest of the questions got me wanting to know the answers, but I don't know them.
2 is definitely Franck, I believe 9 is Troy Stoudermire and should have read FBS leader in kick return yardage.

Also I had no idea Bernie turned Kinnick away. Had he been a gopher we would no doubt be playing at Nile Kinnick Stadium. Fun fact, Kinnick was Bob Fellers catcher when they played American Legion ball.
 


Thanks to all of you who read this thread and a special thanks to those who responded. All of the questions were answered correctly in a cumulative way. Here are the answers.
1) Jack Manders
2) George Franck
3) Jon Arnett
'4) Roger Staubach
5) Walter Bowser
6) Jay Carroll
7) Omar Douglas
8) Travis Cole
9) Troy Stoudermire

Let's do this again!
 

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