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

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One other great memory from the early days was the Mpls. Tribune Sunday Peach section where they would show a sequence of photos of a particular play and diagram who was where on the play. Also, the great voice of Jules Perlt as the PA announcer and finally the beautiful voices of Dick Enroth, Bernie Bierman and Halsey Hall on the radio. I think about 5 radio stations carried the games.
 

35. Born into a Gopher family, even though I was the first ever to attend the U. Ray Christensen was the soundtrack of my youth. Even though most games for me were on MSC, we always had the radio on in the garage while doing fall projects. That voice brings back amazing memories of time spent with my father.
 

53 - grew up in southern MN and wasn't really aware of the Gophers until transferring to the U in 1984. Hubby was in the band and I was "staff" according to the jacket I got for the Independence Bowl. I immediately hated Bo and Hayden. Best memory by far was being on the field with the band at the Michigan game in 1986 when Chip won the game for us after an amazing Rickey Foggie scramble. The first word our daughter could spell was M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A. I'm loving all the stories you guys have about the legends you've seen play in football, basketball and hockey.
 

39. Grew up in SW Minnesota (sherburn). Watching Gophers football with my dad is a great childhood memory.

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short ornery norwegian said:
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.
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What, you have never seen a game at TCF? We need to change that, do you work every Saturday in the fall? I have season tickets, live in Houston, TX and would gladly give you my 2 seats and parking pass if we can make it work. Let me know if I can help remedy this situation.
 


Spoofin said:
Had to quote you. I'm 43 and that NE game was the first game I ever attended. RF14 is, to this day, my favorite Gopher of all time.

Went to U and was a season ticket holder for nearly 2 decades. My son has a Gopher room and 90% of his wardrobe is Gopher gear. My daughter is a badger fan because she likes to be oppositional. Gets that from her Mom.


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I'm also 43. Have been a fan as long as I can remember, but became hooked on Gopher football during the RF14 era. I attended the Michigan game in which Darrell Thompson cracked off that little 98 harder.


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64- I go back looking at the pictures in the Peach section I believe (Minneapolis) on Sunday mornings of Gopher games where they would have perhaps 8 large pictures recapturing a touchdown run.
 

21, unlike the majority of you it seems, my parents didn't go to college, so I didn't really get into the Gophers through them. I was a big sports fan as a kid and just kind of latched on, living in the cities. It was always a special treat when I got to go to Williams for my birthday, I've been to 3 games there in my life now and I love it. Never been to a football game, nor do I care that much about the football team.

Am currently a student at UMD, couldnt have made a better choice. I'll never cheer for the gophers in hockey, but the gopher basketball team is probably my favorite of any team in any sport to watch!
 

In addition to your age can each of you also list your height and weight for the GH user roster I'm compiling?
 





47. Moved to Minneapolis to attend the U from Southern California, graduating in 1992. Prior to that, was only moderately familiar with the Gophers. Have been a diehard fan of the team since my first day on campus.
 

I'll bite, simply because I feel like sharing.

53. Born and raised in the Twin Cities. Love the local sports teams, both pro and U of M. I had a grandfather who worked for the local newspapers and sold program advertising for the Lakers. He took me to my first sports game, a Twins game and showed me how to keep score for baseball. Vikings success in the 70s overshadowed any Golden Gopher football attention.

I have family that attended both the University of Minnesota & Augsburg during the late 1940s. My dad told me several tales about taking party trains to road football games, mostly to Wisconsin, to meet girls from the U. My mom, aunt & uncle attended the U. Mom & aunt were in a sorority.

My aunt & uncle took me to my first Gopher football game in fall of '77. We sat in the bleachers in front of Cook Hall as the Gophers beat Wisconsin.


I played basketball in a church league, baseball for local little league and was a two sport, two year letterman in high school (football and track & field). At the U, I played intramural sports with my fraternity.

My first fall in school was the last football season in Memorial Stadium. Held student football season tickets for my entire school career. Suffered through, arguably, the worst era of Golden Gopher football in history.

I am amazed that the last time the Men's Basketball team "officially" won the Big Ten Conference was during my first year in school. 2015-2016 MBB season was extremely painful, in light of my college experience with football team.

Men’s Hockey has been disappointing, especially since the move to the Big Ten Hockey Conference.


Volleyball is fantastic. Love to see them go deep in the NCAA tournament especially since I have a daughter who plays and this fuels her fire.

Love to hear about softball team success. Would like to hear more about baseball team, WBB, women’s hockey on local sports newscasts, in addition to the other sports that fly under the media radar.

As an alumni, I am tired of the antagonism leveled against sports at the U by academics and critics looking for issues to be exploited for their personal gain. It is an easy target simply because athletics are a highly visible platform for the school. There always seems to be a tinge of resentment associated with academics who are quick to criticize and disinclined to support athletics. To my knowledge, the U hasn't turned out many alumni who have been financially successful enough to counteract funding cuts from the State of Minnesota, at least since the late sixties or early seventies.

Continued unwarranted criticism of athletics is a surefire way to strangle further interest in providing financial support to the University. The University of Minnesota has struggled against criticism and expectations for the last forty-some years. It has seemed to come from both within and outside the school and it has certainly tarnished the image of the Golden Gophers. I only hope a turnaround can happen and the University of Minnesota can viewed in a light that allows alumni to hold up their heads with a modicum of dignity.


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23. Grew up watching Maroney and Barber III in the dome. My buddies 10th birthday party was the 2003 heartbreaker vs. Michigan. Transferred to the U after one semester, became a diehard Gopher football guy after covering the 2015 team for GH. Great experience writing and attending press conferences. Highs as fan include home wins vs. Iowa in 2010 (I think?) and 2014. Low was the 2015 Michigan loss at home on Halloween weekend. Have attended away games in IA, WI, and NE. All losses. Attending MI and NW this fall. Can't wait to RTB.

- Gopher Gildy (B.A., journalism 2016)


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I am 59 and have been a Gopher fan for 45 years. I watched Tony Dungy play quarterback and loved watching Kent Kitzmann run over people.
 

I'm 28-years-old and my journey to being a Gophers fan was a bit different.

My sister and I were actually the first of my family to go to college and I didn't attend the University of Minnesota. Instead, I went to school in Moorhead, attending Minnesota State University. Additionally, I didn't really follow sports that much for a while.

However, about 11 years ago, I was working at a hotel that had a bar and on Saturdays they had the Gophers games on, so I started checking them out, got hooked and at the same time I started watching the U of M hockey team, too. From there I just got sucked into the world of maroon and gold and Minnesota sports in general and now I watch all of the big three sports.

Even though I didn't attend the U of M, I'm proud of the work it does and I'm glad it represents the state so I love wearing the maroon and gold and cheering on the Gophers. It also helps that my school competes at the DII level so I can still cheer on the Dragons without it clashing with the Gophers!
 

I'm 36 and I don't think I became a huge football fan until I came to the U in 1999. After that I put blood sweat and tears into the program and loved every minute of it.
Unfortunately I have had to move away from MN, but got season tickets with the opening of the new stadium that my parents could use. Initially my mom wasn't a huge fan, but now she LOVES going to the games and the festivities thanks to the seat relocation to the open end (party central).
Even though I have been thousands of miles away from TCF I have been able to get my daughter to meet Goldy at a game when she was 6 months and my son was at the TCU game at 4 months. We have also been able to meet up for road games at UNLV, USC, TCU, Penn St.
It sucks living far away, but we are making the best of it and I love that my parents can enjoy the gameday experience in my place.


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HoustonTXGopher said:
What, you have never seen a game at TCF? We need to change that, do you work every Saturday in the fall? I have season tickets, live in Houston, TX and would gladly give you my 2 seats and parking pass if we can make it work. Let me know if I can help remedy this situation.
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Great move HoustonGopher, very classy! Much applause [emoji122]


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WindyCityGopher said:
In addition to your age can each of you also list your height and weight for the GH user roster I'm compiling?
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You want our playing weight or weight now?[emoji848]. 40 time also?


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35 years old, started becoming an avid Gopher fan when a local boy from my hometown was recruited as a TE,
started 95-97 and have been a bigger and bigger fan every year. Would do road trips to Iowa City, attended the
Citrus Bowl and have taken my now 4 year old to the last 3 spring games. #skiUmah #RTB
 

50...my maternal grandfather, who attended the U for a year or two in the late 1930s before settling down to farm near Comfrey, got me hooked when I was about 5 or 6. I'll never forget Ray C's voice vibrating off my grandfather's quonset hut/machine shed walls the more excited Ray got. I also remember grabbing the Sunday Mpls Tribune from our front door each weekend and immediately looking for that football on the lower front page which listed all the scores so I could update the Big 10 standings I kept in a notebook.

First game at Memorial Stadium was in fall of 1980, which was a 24-7 loss to USC which featured Marcus Allen, Keith Van Horn, and many other standouts. Gophers gave them a game for about three quarters but Marcus Allen and the Trojans eventually wore Smokey Joe's charges out. Sat in the bowl end of the stadium and during the pregame festivities the USC offensive linemen warmed up in front of us. Had really never observed humans that large up close before and this then-HS freshman was in awe of them.

Only other game I attended at Memorial was in fall of 1981 in a rout over Oregon State on a cool, rainy fall day. Mike Hohensee was on fire that day and I believe Chester Cooper had a big game as well. The game was an ABC regionally televised game and, thru binoculars, I could see their broadcast booth was a make shift one set up on top of the regular press box on the visitor's side of the field. One other highlight, was the fact our seats that day were near where Trent Tucker, Barry Wohler and several other Gopher hoops players were standing (seats were too wet to sit on).

As much as I hated the Dome, I was fortunate enough to be there for Gophers' near upset of highly-ranked Oklahoma in 1985, Darrell Thompson's big second half in his Gopher debut vs. Bowling Green the next year, Tyrone Carter's two fumble returns for TDs vs. Syracuse in late 90s, and "Churchill's game winning FG to beat Wisconsin in 2003...to name a few. Also more than happy to have been at TCF Stadium when Gophers downed Air Force in first ever game at our own, beautiful brand new outdoor and on-campus stadium.

Later on I took a road trip with a friend (a U of M alum) to LA to watch Gophers lose a nailbiter vs. USC in Jerry Kill's debut. After game, we decided to let traffic die down a bit before departure, so we dropped by a beer garden set up just outside the nearby LA Arena and tipped some cold ones with several Gopher fans and a few fun Trojan fans. The next year we doubled our traveling crew and headed to Vegas to join thousands of other Golden Gopher fans on a steamy night to watch our favorite grid squad win an OT thriller in the desert.

Now I never attended the U as a student, but my oldest is nearing completion of his freshman year in the College of Liberal Arts and has strengthened the long-time bond I've felt with the U. When we dropped him off for start of his first year last fall I felt such a sense of comfort, that I wouldn't have felt at any other school, because it felt like I was like I was dropping him off with an old friend. My HS-junior daughter wants to follow in big brother's footsteps to the U, which would be awesome, but we'll see if she still feels that way in a few months before pursuing that route.

Sorry this got so long, but as you can tell the U of M has come to mean so much to me and when I started typing the memories came flooding out through my finger tips and onto my keyboard. Thanks for posting the topic!
 

51. A fan my whole life (my parents met and graduated at the U), I graduated from the U in 1989. My first memories are listening to BB in the 70's on WCCO listening to Ray. Man, I miss that voice on the radio! I'd sit with a pencil and paper and tallied up scoring. Also remember listening to football games either in the garage with my dad, or in the car riding with the family on Saturday afternoons.
 

I'm 60 and have been a Gopher Fan for about 48 years even though nobody else in my family was. I have to admit that I get too worked up during Gopher games. So I have to record games ... see the score ... and then watch the game. Foggie was my favorite player.
 

Thanks guys. Love the stories and passion of being a Gopher fan. A few more younger fans than I tbought.
 

I'm 47. Been a lifelong fan, although didn't become a very serious Gopher fan until my own college FB playing days were over, early-mid 90's, but I most definitely remember the Nebraska game in the Dome. Ashamed to say that I was more of a Michigan fan (Yikes!) when I was really young (pre-teen). I was a much more hardcore Gopher BB fan long before a more serious Gopher FB fan.

Been to some bowl games and road games but amazingly enough, my first Gopher home game was last fall against Oregon St at TCF. Never saw a Gopher game in the Dome.

Side note; my two most "remember where I was when it happened" Gopher highlights were Nystrom's kick against Penn State and when Gary Russell scampered up the sideline in the Big House. I also remember (but try to forget) where I was during the Michigan meltdown in the Dome; Driving to a hunting trip, changing the radio station whenever something bad happened, changing it back 10 minutes later hoping things had gotten better. They didn't.
 

58, 6'-0' 180 lbs.

First Gopher Game in 1968. My grandma was at the 1926 game versus Illinois dedicating Memorial Stadium. 60 years later, she still spoke of how "we knocked that Grange out of the game". Maroon and Gold run deep in our family. My dad got me back as a STH in 1999. Saw lots of disastrous losses and incredible victories.

I was at Murray's last game and hope to be at Fleck's first.

Been to road games in Los Angeles, Syracuse, Evanston, Champaign, Berkeley, Ft. Collins, Iowa City, Murfreesboro, Las Vegas, Las Cruces, and bowl games in Nashville, Phoenix, Houston, Orlando, and San Diego.

Moved to AZ in 2013, but my support hasn't wavered. I've never publicly criticized an active coach or player on the Minnesota roster. Not once. Since I never coached or played college ball, I have no idea what the pressures of football and school are like. I'm a Gopher football booster, through and through.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
I'm 47. Been a lifelong fan, although didn't become a very serious Gopher fan until my own college FB playing days were over, early-mid 90's, but I most definitely remember the Nebraska game in the Dome. Ashamed to say that I was more of a Michigan fan (Yikes!) when I was really young (pre-teen). I was a much more hardcore Gopher BB fan long before a more serious Gopher FB fan.

Been to some bowl games and road games but amazingly enough, my first Gopher home game was last fall against Oregon St at TCF. Never saw a Gopher game in the Dome.

Side note; my two most "remember where I was when it happened" Gopher highlights were Nystrom's kick against Penn State and when Gary Russell scampered up the sideline in the Big House. I also remember (but try to forget) where I was during the Michigan meltdown in the Dome; Driving to a hunting trip, changing the radio station whenever something bad happened, changing it back 10 minutes later hoping things had gotten better. They didn't.
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What a lucky man you are...You'll miss out on the Gopher trauma class action lawsuit, but you don't have the scars.;) Still salty after the Northwestern hail Mary, and the ref rack overs against Purdue(twice in one game; clock and calling foot out of endzone when it was in.) and Penn State pass interference call(06?)...The game that we shall not mention was oh so painful...
 

Why do people continue to reference a game I am certain we all agreed to never discuss. It didn't happen


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I'm 84, I first recall Gophers on the radio in 1940, when Bruce broke it for 80yards against Michigan to win 7-6 National Champs. I attended my first game in 1944 Wisconsin game where MN won 25-12. I no longer live there, but I still get one game year.
 

59, been a fan since Stoll's first season with Bob Morgan running the veer. Many great memories over the years. Usually attend one game per year and then the bowl game if its out West. I went to the recent bowl game in San Diego and greatly enjoyed it. Little story from after the game: Took the train to Old Town, ate dinner and then walked to the airport to catch a late flight back to Vegas. While waiting I met a father and his son, who were also waiting for the flight. They were from Vegas and seemed to have no Minnesota connection other than the son getting some kind of scholarship to attend the U. The young lad had only been on campus for one semester, but his love for the U was fun to listen to. Never went to the U (Luther College, and U of South Carolina for grad school). At South Carolina I QB'd our intramural team to a championship, and they let us play that championship game at Williams Brice Stadium. To this day, every time The Gamecocks are playing a home game on TV, and my wife is present, I say, "Have I ever told you that I have played on that field?" She is sick of it, but I'm not stopping. Go Gophers!!
 

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