2727Gopher
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My website contains the results from every Gopher Football game and a couple of years ago I was contacted by a Badger fan who gave me a link to the following article:
http://www.uwbadgers.com/blog/2011/11/it-started-innocently-enough-sundays.html
According to that article, the Gophers, who had been listed in the record books as 32-4 winners in that game, actually lost 40-32. Their evidence is from an 1894 Badger yearbook which lists the score that way. Their evidence was strong enough to convince the U athletic department because their current media guides list that score now, giving the win to Wisconsin. I also changed my website to reflect that updated score. It certainly seems reasonable to go with a source only two years removed from the game itself.
However, I was just looking through an old book of mine which was published in 1914 called Football at Minnesota. I went to the section on 1892 and it lists the game as a Gopher win, 32-4. It also has a three paragraph description of the game which describes how the game went, including the line "It was only a fumble of punt behind Minnesota's goal line that gave Wisconsin an opportunity to save herself from a shutout." Clearly, if this description is accurate, it could not have been a 40-32 Wisconsin win.
So, who do we believe? The 1894 source is only two years removed from the game while the 1914 source is 22 years removed, but I'd argue that it would be much easier to misprint a score from a single game than to write an entire game summary which is nothing like the game that was played. In my opinion, this game should go back to being listed as a Gopher win. Would you agree with me? And does anyone know who at the U I could contact about this?
For completeness, I'll type in the entire game description below:
Minnesota 32 - Wisconsin 4
The 1892 game with Wisconsin was played at Madison, on the 29th of October. It was only a fumble of punt behind Minnesota's goal line that gave Wisconsin an opportunity to save herself from a shutout. The Minnesota team played a magnificent game, and carried everything before it. Leary was unable to play on account of an injured knee and Patterson was in charge.
Early in the game the ball changed hands a number of times until Minnesota struck her pace, and then it was a mad rush for the Wisconsin goal. Harding, Patterson and Pillsbury vied with each other in advancing the ball for Minnesota. At the end of the first half the score stood 8 to 4 for Minnesota, Wisconsin's score coming early in the game on a fumble of a long punt.
In the second half Wisconsin started out with a rush, but soon lost the ball. Minnesota made two good runs and one rush, and carried the ball across the Wisconsin goal for a touchdown. Wisconsin neither gained through the line or around the ends. Minnesota's progress was a series of runs and rushes with an occasional punt. The game was characterized by unusually fine interference, and powerful rushes, with the whole team in every play. Harding did wonderful work in the line and in advancing the ball. There was no scrapping over decisions, and the Wisconsin men played up to their limit all of the time.
http://www.uwbadgers.com/blog/2011/11/it-started-innocently-enough-sundays.html
According to that article, the Gophers, who had been listed in the record books as 32-4 winners in that game, actually lost 40-32. Their evidence is from an 1894 Badger yearbook which lists the score that way. Their evidence was strong enough to convince the U athletic department because their current media guides list that score now, giving the win to Wisconsin. I also changed my website to reflect that updated score. It certainly seems reasonable to go with a source only two years removed from the game itself.
However, I was just looking through an old book of mine which was published in 1914 called Football at Minnesota. I went to the section on 1892 and it lists the game as a Gopher win, 32-4. It also has a three paragraph description of the game which describes how the game went, including the line "It was only a fumble of punt behind Minnesota's goal line that gave Wisconsin an opportunity to save herself from a shutout." Clearly, if this description is accurate, it could not have been a 40-32 Wisconsin win.
So, who do we believe? The 1894 source is only two years removed from the game while the 1914 source is 22 years removed, but I'd argue that it would be much easier to misprint a score from a single game than to write an entire game summary which is nothing like the game that was played. In my opinion, this game should go back to being listed as a Gopher win. Would you agree with me? And does anyone know who at the U I could contact about this?
For completeness, I'll type in the entire game description below:
Minnesota 32 - Wisconsin 4
The 1892 game with Wisconsin was played at Madison, on the 29th of October. It was only a fumble of punt behind Minnesota's goal line that gave Wisconsin an opportunity to save herself from a shutout. The Minnesota team played a magnificent game, and carried everything before it. Leary was unable to play on account of an injured knee and Patterson was in charge.
Early in the game the ball changed hands a number of times until Minnesota struck her pace, and then it was a mad rush for the Wisconsin goal. Harding, Patterson and Pillsbury vied with each other in advancing the ball for Minnesota. At the end of the first half the score stood 8 to 4 for Minnesota, Wisconsin's score coming early in the game on a fumble of a long punt.
In the second half Wisconsin started out with a rush, but soon lost the ball. Minnesota made two good runs and one rush, and carried the ball across the Wisconsin goal for a touchdown. Wisconsin neither gained through the line or around the ends. Minnesota's progress was a series of runs and rushes with an occasional punt. The game was characterized by unusually fine interference, and powerful rushes, with the whole team in every play. Harding did wonderful work in the line and in advancing the ball. There was no scrapping over decisions, and the Wisconsin men played up to their limit all of the time.
