GopherSports: Who is your Gopher Defensive Lineman Mount Rushmore?

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Mine was the same as Bleed, but I went Mecklenburg over Leo
 

Probably nobody after 1982 should Even be considered.

If we did a metrodome and TCF DL Mount Rushmore

Coughlin
VandeSteeg
Riley
Richardson
 

One of the first where the old timers have a clear edge over some of the more contemporary guys.
 

Seeing this list and how weighted it is towards many decades past makes me all the more excited about the new talent we have been landing on the DL the past couple years (and also for 2021). It's really been since maybe the 1999 Gophers that we had a somewhat formidable D-Line. We've had some standout individuals, but we've always had a couple undersized guys mixed in who seemed to neutralize the unit as a whole.
 


WriterGoph said:
Seeing this list and how weighted it is towards many decades past makes me all the more excited about the new talent we have been landing on the DL the past couple years (and also for 2021). It's really been since maybe the 1999 Gophers that we had a somewhat formidable D-Line. We've had some standout individuals, but we've always had a couple undersized guys mixed in who seemed to neutralize the unit as a whole.
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Lemanzer Williams and Karon Riley were two of the more recent guys that maybe deserve a spot with this group but has been a while since we have had truly dominant players along the D-Line. Hopefully that changes here at some point in the near future. We are seeing superstars emerge on offense, now we just have to hope the defense follows suit.
 

He's usually first thought of as an offensive lineman, but Tom Brown has to be considered. Was a hell of an interior defensive lineman. You don't finish second in Heisman voting for your blocking.
 

Ra'Shede Hageman is one I thought of as well for the modern version. I agree with Bleed on the over all list. Those guys achieved things nobody has at the U since.
Mulligan said:
He's usually first thought of as an offensive lineman, but Tom Brown has to be considered. Was a hell of an interior defensive lineman. You don't finish second in Heisman voting for your blocking.
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He was never All B1G or All-American on D, so I'd have a tough time putting him on there vs. ones that were. That said, I'm sure part of it is that people were putting him on those lists on offense, so maybe were reluctant to name him twice, whether he deserved it or not.
 

Tom Brown
Bobby Bell
Carl Eller
Aaron Brown (All-American as a defensive end in 1965, All-Big Ten in 1964 & 1965)
 



Lakeville Goldy said:
He was never All B1G or All-American on D, so I'd have a tough time putting him on there vs. ones that were. That said, I'm sure part of it is that people were putting him on those lists on offense, so maybe were reluctant to name him twice, whether he deserved it or not.
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I had to go back and refresh my memory if it was Brown who dominated the line in the Gopher's beating #1 Iowa way, way back in 1960. Listened to it as a kid and was one happy boy. Well, it was Brown, and I came across this quote by Murray Warmath.

“None of our opponents has been able to block Brownie,” Warmuth told reporters afterward. “Northwestern used a 300-pound center in an effort to try to stop him. Iowa double-teamed him in the second half. But he seems to handle three men as well as one man.”

Followed Canadian football back then because we could get the Winnipeg broadcasts. (Loved Bud the coach way before he came to the Vikings) Brown played for the BC Lions as a defensive lineman and was a star before he got hurt and had his career cut short.

So, ya, guessing the no defensive honors in college was mostly on not wanting to name a player on both offense and defense.
 

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I know sacks are a relatively new stat, but Karon Riley having 23% more sacks than the next closest, and doing it in half the time, has to be the most dominant stat in our books.
 

Bronko Nagurski - International Falls mascot is named after him! Hall of Famer!
Bobby Bell - Pro & College Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl Champ
Carl Eller - Pro & College Football Hall of Fame, National Champion
Leo Nomellini - Pro & College Hall of Fame, NWA Tag Team World Champion
 




Mulligan said:
I had to go back and refresh my memory if it was Brown who dominated the line in the Gopher's beating #1 Iowa way, way back in 1960. Listened to it as a kid and was one happy boy. Well, it was Brown, and I came across this quote by Murray Warmath.

“None of our opponents has been able to block Brownie,” Warmuth told reporters afterward. “Northwestern used a 300-pound center in an effort to try to stop him. Iowa double-teamed him in the second half. But he seems to handle three men as well as one man.”

Followed Canadian football back then because we could get the Winnipeg broadcasts. (Loved Bud the coach way before he came to the Vikings) Brown played for the BC Lions as a defensive lineman and was a star before he got hurt and had his career cut short.

So, ya, guessing the no defensive honors in college was mostly on not wanting to name a player on both offense and defense.
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In addition to the College Football Hall of Fame, Tom Brown is in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (joining Bud Grant - not sure if other gophers are enshrined)
 

Some guy said:
Probably nobody after 1982 should Even be considered.

If we did a metrodome and TCF DL Mount Rushmore

Coughlin
VandeSteeg
Riley
Richardson
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I'd probably put Hageman above Couglin and Richardson.
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We will take these four against any four. <br><br>- Bronko Nagurski <br>- Carl Eller <br>- Bobby Bell <br>- Karl Mecklenburg <br><br>Voting returns on Monday with a look at the LBs! <br><br>Full recap: <a href="https://t.co/RPZNyFu5Lp">https://t.co/RPZNyFu5Lp</a> <a href="https://t.co/cBiGNgMWNq">pic.twitter.com/cBiGNgMWNq</a></p>&mdash; Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) <a href="">May 14, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 




No one talking about Ed Duren's 95-yard interception return. 2nd-longest in Gopher history.
 

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