Just curious.. What age are you and how long.......

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I'm 58 and really became a Gopher football fan during my time at the U 79-82. I was at the last game in the Brick House (loved the student tickets back then - great seats). Lot's of Gopher alums in our family, so maroon and gold is our preferred sports wear. 6 of us have had season football tickets for the past 13 years. We typically make one road trip each year - NE every-other-year, and we have also done CO State, IA, WI, and will be doing OR State this fall. I'm really excited to see what the Fleck era will bring.
 

I'm about to hit 50 and I have been a Gopher fan all my life, despite going to school elsewhere. I went to an MIAC school, which being D3 allows one to NEVER give up his fandom for the Gophers. I inherited my love of the Maroon and Gold from my dad, who was listening to or watching Gopher games (any sport) from our home in south central MN farm country when I was a kid. My folks took me to a couple Gopher games in the old brick house when I was a kid. I thought a lot about that this past season opener because one of those games at Memorial was a tight loss to Oregon State. At one of those games, they purchased a Gopher T-shirt for me and it was my prized shirt because it was the first one I had ever seen that incorporated "sparkles" of gold in the block M. Pretty fancy for the 70's. I am glad my wife got her grad degree at the U because that somehow gives me a closer connection and makes me feel more alumni-ish.
 

I'm 40. My earliest Gopher memories are of Gopher BB on Saturday nights on KMSP (I think this is right, long before they were a Fox affiliate) and listening to games on the radio. I don't have a lot of early Gopher football memories, maybe some more "experienced" fans can help me out, but what was the Gopher TV situation like in the early to mid 80s? We didn't have satellite or cable at my home growing up, so unless it was on one of the six antenna channels, I only saw highlights on the news. Anyway, started to become more of a Gopher football fan while in college (not at the U) when I could actually watch games occasionally. Went on a road trip with some buddies to Iowa in 99, became a season ticket holder in 06 and have been consumed by Gopher football ever since.
 

I'm 58. Been a fan since 1997 when Glen Mason was hired as coach.

Born a Georgia Bulldog...went to both UGA and UM...and when Mase was hired...who had been Georgia's coach for one week and then backed out (probably to his regret)...I knew something was changing in the Administration...a positive change. If Mason survived Georgia's hiring process then that was good enough for me.

Will always love the Red and Black but now bleed Maroon and Gold.

Also, Who Hates Iowa?
 

The title sounded a bit risque... thought I was in another forum for a bit.
 


I'm 33, and for me, it's been since the very early 90's when my Grandmother had great season tickets almost on the 50 about half way up at the Dome for a number of years. In the early 90's I was about 6-7 years old when I started going. This carried over all the way through High School and through college when I started attending the U my Freshman year in '03. Through good, bad and dog sh!t, I will always bleed Maroon and Gold. I have had my own season tickets (counting student season tickets) since my Freshman year in '03. I am now up to 6 Football season tickets a year. Been a fun, wild, sometimes disappointing and heart-breaking ride, but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything!
 

63. Saw first game at Memorial Stadium as a HS junior in 1970. Against Ohio State, Craig Curry was qb. Window was open at OSU locker room at halftime. Have never heard an ass chewing like the team got from Woody Hayes. I think he was inventing cuss words. OSU came out and beat Gophers in second half. Been a fan ever since. Season ticket holder for past 10 years.
 

41. Casual fan back to Wacker years and hardcore football fan since 1998-1999. Also hardcore basketball fan back to 1991-1992. Been to one bb game and one bb practice in my life.


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55.... Gopher fan my entire life.

My dad was from Green Bay, WI, and his first job out of college was in St. Paul... 1958 or 1959.... He was a big college football fan, and Gopher fan from that point on.

I grew up on the Iron Range, and dad and I would come down for 2 games every year. Usually 1 non conference game, and 1 B1G game. One was usually band day... he got a charge out of that for some reason. We' take the bus to the Brickhouse from the Criterion restaurant on University Avenue.

My earliest recollected games are around 1972 - 1973 ish..... I recall seeing Washington, Washington State, Nebraska (David Humm), TCU and others.

Dad was always yelling stuff about Murray Warmath (I think he was usually negative on the current regime...)
 



15 and have been a fan for around 4 years, right about when the Kill era started.
 


49 and started going to games with my dad when I was 5. My older brothers weren't interested in going, so I was elected to be my dads Gopher buddy. I was too young to have specific memories until the original Marion Barber played in the mid to late 70's.
 

tikited said:
49 and started going to games with my dad when I was 5. My older brothers weren't interested in going, so I was elected to be my dads Gopher buddy. I was too young to have specific memories until the original Marion Barber played in the mid to late 70's.
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My favorite non-family Gopher. I remember wearing 41. I'd get asked if I wore it because of Dave Osborne. "Nope Marion Barber!" I'd say.
 



49. A fan since I can remember. My first Gopher game was in 1979 at old Memorial Stadium when Purdue came here. The Boilermakers were led by quarterback Mark Herrmann. We beat them pretty handily that day. Minnesota didn’t do so well the rest of the year but I think Purdue finished in the top 10 in the national rankings.
The thing I remember most about that game was beforehand walking around outside the stadium and seeing Tommy Kramer buy a Gopher stocking hat (it was cloudy and a little chilly that day). Then after we get into our seats in the end zones bleachers, who comes and sits right in front of us?…Tommy Kramer, Rickey Young, and some other Viking I can’t remember. They watched for about a half an hour and left.
That same year, I remember cutting out a picture of Marion Barber that was on the cover of the StarTribune’s TV guide section that came with the Sunday paper and decoupaging it.:eek:
If Barber was on the cover of the TV guide section, that must have meant that the Gophers actually had a game on TV, at least once? Am I right? They were never on TV back then.
 

I'm 32. Grew up going to Gopher hockey games with my parent's season tickets, got into football in high school.
 


46 and my first game in person was I believe the first Big Ten home game at the dome vs the Illini in 1983. I was really excited, having only watched the team whenever I could and listen to them up to that point. The atmosphere was electric until it became a rout for the bad guys.
 

71 and graduated in '68. Missed the previous Rose Bowl teams but saw All-Americans like Gale Gillingham and Aaron Brown. Vaguely remember John Hankinson hitting Kenny Last over the middle on several long passes. Favorite players were small town Minnesota guys like Bob Bruggers. Football was respectable then but my introduction to Gopher basketball was watching the greatest Gopher basketball player ever, IMO, Lou Hudson and one of the best teams ever as he teamed with Archie Clark and other solid players like Northway and Yates. Unfortunately, only the conference champion went to the tournament and Michigan had Cazzie Russel and Bill Buntin.

Saw O.J. Simpson beat the Gophers after we stunned USC with a long lateral on a kick-off return. Last game I ever saw in Memorial Stadium was in a snow watching Wisconsin. Can't remember one thing about the game since alcohol might have been involved except maybe more than few Wisconsin cheerleaders might have been the targets of snowballs. Took an extra year to matriculate to avoid the draft--didn't work--and got back into civilian life just in time to catch Bill Musselman's team that was so much fun to watch. And that stomped the hell out of Luke Witte.

Watched Seibert teams with Winfield. Garrison Keillor used to sit in the stand dressed in a white linen suit and a large white hat. So he was working on his image early on. Loved Gopher hockey in old Mariucci with the rubber chickens dangled from the second deck and the chant taunting Emil Bessone (sp?) the old Michigan State coach. Got to see greats like Broten and Larson and once watched Bill Butters take a wide swing around the rink that ended in him diving into the Michigan bench and setting off a brawl.

Favorite Gopher athlete ever is Lindsey Whalen followed by Bobby Jackson.

More downs than ups over the years but it's been a journey I wouldn't have wanted miss by going to college anywhere else.
 

The first Gophers game that I can clearly recall was the Wisconsin game in 1979. I had been listening to the Gophers on the radio for a while, but this is the first game I recall. We were cutting some wood in the back yard and I had the Gophers game on the radio. I remember that I wanted the Gophers to win so they wouldn't have a losing record. Back then, games on TV were a rare treat. We lived a long ways away from Minneapolis, and never got to go down for a game. When I went into the Air Force, I followed the Gophers as well as I could, which was pretty much just the ESPN ticker and the scores in the paper. When I got out of the Air Force and went back to college, I could watch the Gophers on MSC. I have to admit I don't recall the first Gophers game I attended. It was in the mid 90's after I graduated from college.

Off on a tangent, the first college football game I saw was a Concordia Moorhead game. I was still in high school, and I thought that stadium was truly enourmous. It had a capacity of 7,000 - of course, I was from a town of 500 people.
 

37, I was Gopher basketball fan before a football fan mainly because most of the basketball games were on TV growing up and many football games were not. At least not in the middle of nowhere in western MN.
 

STPGopher said:
My favorite non-family Gopher. I remember wearing 41. I'd get asked if I wore it because of Dave Osborne. "Nope Marion Barber!" I'd say.
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Me as well. I still remember a game where he lost a shoe and still ran for the TD.
 

I am 80. Started seeing Gophers in the late '40s. Billy Bye, Ev Faunce , The great '49 team. (all this as a Boy Scout Usher). Attended the U from '55 to '60.
Have lived in Southern California since then. Always a fan, loved both Rose Bowls. Several dear friends on the 60 National champs.
Please, one more Rose Bowl.
 

68.5.

been a gopher fan since 2004. adamweberlife
 

30 years old. Gopher fan since I was born. First QB I remember is Billy Cockerham. Favorite Gophers are MBIII and Maroney.
 

36 years old. Became a Gopher Fan in 2000 after I transferred from UND after two years there. Attended my first gopher game that fall and never missed one while I was living in the Twin Cities area. Was fortunate watch MBIII and Maroney run all over teams. Had my first real heart break at the 2003 Michigan game...after that game I wanted to jump off the 10th ave bridge on my walk back to campus.
 

61 years old (62 in September). My 1st in-person Gopher game was the game against OJ Simpson and USC in '68. Went with my HS band as part of band day. I went to Augsburg college, but still attended a few Gopher games when they didn't conflict with the Auggies. Truth be told, was probably more of a hoops fan than football.

later on, I lived in WI and IA for several years, and followed the Gophers long-distance. Moved back to MN in '97. thanks to tix through work, was able to go to at least one non-conference game a year for a number of years.

But, if I'm being honest, I really didn't become a hard-core Gopher FB fan until more recently. started out arguing with Wren in the comments section on the Strib, and then started lurking on the Hole before taking the plunge and starting to post. Now, I live and die for Gopher FB games. Unfortunately, due to work commitments, I have yet to attend a game at TCF. I either watch on TV or listen to the radio. Once I retire in a few years (I Hope), I will take a hard look at my finances and see if I can afford season tickets - or at least pick up single-game tickets and start going to more games in person.
 

I can't remember exactly, but I do remember a Gopher game being on TV here and there during the 70's. Network TV. Then, as cable came around and the glory days of MSC arrived, I recall most (all?) Gopher games being on TV. If not ESPN or network, at the very least they could be counted on to be on MSC.

Ironically, I think there were MORE Gopher basketball games on in those days than there are NOW.
 

59 and started around 12 from what I can remember. maybe earlier. Started at the U in 1979 remember memorial stadium very well. Ricky Foggie my favorite of all time. Started my season tix first year of the dump. Been to more road games than most of the head coaches. At a low point of fandom since the events of last fall but slowly coming back into the fold and looking forward to the season...no choice there, I wont quit.
 

WAGopher said:
I'm 57 and attended my first Gopher game in 1970 as an 11 year old Boy Scout usher. I was a U freshman in 1977 and was also in the Marching Band.


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I'm 51 and started as a Boy Scout usher at the Brick House, the original Mariucci and the Barn. Grew up with Dungy, Upchurch, Broten, Baker, McHale and Thompson as my heros. Even got to work in the penalty box for hockey, opening the door for those future Miracle On Ice players.

Later I was a Gold Coat volunteer usher. Ray Christiansen's voice was the soundtrack for much of my youth. I've been a football season ticket holder for 10 years and go to multiple other Gopher sports events throughout the year.


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Schnauzer said:
I can't remember exactly, but I do remember a Gopher game being on TV here and there during the 70's. Network TV. Then, as cable came around and the glory days of MSC arrived, I recall most (all?) Gopher games being on TV. If not ESPN or network, at the very least they could be counted on to be on MSC.

Ironically, I think there were MORE Gopher basketball games on in those days than there are NOW.
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Their games were on TV in the 50s. Not all of them, but quite a few
 

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