Memorial Stadium

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I went to many games at the Brickhouse in the 60's and 70's. So many great memories.
Saw two Big Ten championships and so many great players. I always thought Bobby Bell
was the greatest Gopher that I saw play. I remember watching Dick Butkus just
totally control the game from middle linebacker and watched OJ beat us in a great game in
1968. A real treat was watching the Gophs beat #1 ranked Michigan in 77 and defeat Ohio
State in 81 (the last year of the stadium. The gates had no turnstiles and we knew several
of the ticket takers that would let us in for free. I could park for free 3blocks from the
stadium and stop at Stub and Herb's for a $2 beer. I think of that now when I write out
my $2500 check for my season tickets. I too remember the cigar smell. Does anybody remember
the students passing up a stuffed dummy up to the top of the stadium and throwing
it over the top wall of the stadium. Great memories.
 


Married@SiebertField said:
I attended the demolition ceremony of Memorial Stadium in 1992—a profoundly sad day set in motion when Lou Holtz convinced the regents in 1984 the football Gophers’ future lay with the Metrofome. Of course, he was gone by the end of the 1985 season. I brought my copy of “Gold Glory” to the ceremony which Pug Lund; Dick Wildung; and Bill Daley autographed.
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Wow, wish I'd attended. I was a young working man, though - working 60-75 hours a week to keep myself alive at age 20. But realistically, that isn't why I missed the demolition ceremony. I just found the whole affair bitter and ugly.
 

I remember going there as a kid with my dad when I was in grade school in the late 60's. It was an old stadium then. I do remember I always needed binoculars to see. You were a long way from the field in the cheap seats. But it was the first sporting event that I attended it was special being a little kid with my dad but it could not have ever been made into a stadium that people would go to today. I did go to the opening game usc O.J. Simpson game. I think that was close to a sellout. I think 1968?
 

went to many games in their, I was 10 when went to the 1973 Nebraska game, I think they were rated #1 and seamrolled the gophers. They used to have special deals on tickets at the State Fair for the first game, our family went many times on that promotion. everytime I smell cigar or pipe smoke outside, I think of Memorial Stadium. Dad took me to the 1977 game when the Gophers shutout #1 Michigan, still my greatest Gopher Memory. Also was lucky enough to have a friend who got me Student tickets during the 1980 season, 2 rows from the top. The students used to grab a female student and pass her up the section. The Students would chant " Pass her up, Pass her up" when she got about 10 rows from the top, the chant changed to " Throw her over, Throw her over" That is when the panic of person being passed up set in. My family has had season tickets since 1984 and I have had my own season tix since the Opening of the new stadium, but the Memorial Stadium memories are still my favorite. I also still have a few of the Gold plastic stadium cups they sold at the Gopher Games back then
 



My first game Michigan 1962 and attended most games from 67 through 73. All of college sports was so different then but I do remember clearly the intensity of the crowd during key parts of the game. Today’s made for TV antics were unheard of both in the stands and on the field. Third downs in fourth quarter were a low pitched loud roar. Uncomfortable bench seats but the games were shorter with no artificial delays. It was all business.
 

I attended at least one game when I was in middle school maybe 1972 against Purdue and then again probably 1979. I remember the boy scouts manning the aisles to keep people from going down them during a play. (Miss them).
I wish they would have renovated it to keep team on campus. I do love The Bank though.
Remember though, in the early 80's, the multi purpose inflated dome was all the rage. I equate it to Disco. Hot for a couple years, then hated quickly. Only venue to host final 4, Super Bowl and World Series, though.
It was very sterile and it probably contributed to more females attending. As soon as we moved outdoors to then TCF, within a couple years my wife and sister-in-law no longer attended.
I think the perfect scenario would have been a couple years in the dome while they renovated and improved Memorial.
When it was vacant and before it was torn down, me and a buddy got an idea while drinking at Stub & Herbs to jump the fence and grab a couple pieces of the old Brick House. I still have a couple pieces of the wooden beaches. One I bring to every game tailgating for good luck.
 

I never got to experience a game there. For some reason my dad never took me to Memorial, though we went to Twins games at the Met, and had Gophers season tix during the Holtz-Guety years. I wish I had.

I have some friends who remember going, and the one thing I've heard, and this is true about other huge single deck old stadiums, is that the upper rows were REALLY far from the field making for some awful sight lines.
 



Went to a number of games as a child with my dad in the late 50's and through the 60's. We always sat high up. When the astroturf was installed in 1970 and attendance fell off, I was able to go to some games at close to ground level. I was struck by the pronounced crown that ran down the center of the field like a 100-yard hump to promote drainage. Talk about backs running downhill! Of course they also ran uphill.
 

GopherJack said:
A funny Memorial Stadium story:

Before we had season tickets, my buddy and I went over to the stadium and looked for a scalper to buy tickets from. We were quickly approached by a college age student that said he could get us in for $5. He said "Put this vendor apron on". He then handed us a handful of game programs and said to simply walk by the ticket takers at the nearby gate (no security guards back then), and they would let us pass (as they would think we were real vendors). He said once we got inside, his buddy would meet us to take our aprons and programs. The scam worked perfectly. And I even sold a program before his buddy inside intercepted us!

Those were some fun times.
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I love this. What a difference we had from today and I would think back in the day was more fun
 

Back in the days of 18 yr. old legal age most of my discretionary spending went towards beer, but one of my roommates and I sprung for student tickets in 1976. I might be wrong, but I think they offered a 4-game package for students. I honestly don't remember anything about the concourse, concessions, bathrooms, etc., I suspect that's because those things were not at all "memorable" at the Brickhouse. I do remember the atmosphere in the stadium being a lot of fun. I remember my favorite players: Tony Dungy, WR's Ron Kullas and Mike Jones, LB's Stewart and Hunt, nose guard George Washington. The PA announcer calling "Dungy to Koooolllaassss!!" every time the pair connected for a completion
I remember passing girls up as described by previous poster, and the panicked look on her face when we tried to do it to the girl sitting behind us (we let her be, but I feel bad just thinking about the way she looked).
I remember a quick-punt being a fairly common thing on third and long.
I remember it being totally open on non-game days, cutting through to shortcut from University Ave to the other side of the stadium and feeling sorry for the players who had to deal with that horrendous artificial turf.
I remember University President C. Peter McGrath (sp?) giving a half-time speech and passing buckets to collect money for a legal defense fund against the NCAA for the basketball sanctions from the Michael Thompson ticket selling thing. Was not a good idea.
And lastly, I remember sitting in my seat pre-game and seeing a guy struggling up the steps towards me with an obviously heavy army style duffel bag over his shoulder, he settled in a few rows above and opened the bag to reveal an 8-gal keg, could it have been Oldrodent?
 

Pretty basic stadium but it was full of energy. Watched them beat UCLA, Washington, and then Michigan all at home in 1977. As the end of the year approached it was Michigan vs either UCLA or Washington in the Rose Bowl (ended up being Washington) but I remember how cool it was that we had beaten the Rose Bowl teams that year. Unfortunately way too many bad loses that year. I was a HS student and remember sitting close to where the UCLA cheerleaders were on the field and that made that game all the more interesting :oops:
 







Went to many games as a student, 1976-81. Someone mentioned the UCLA game in 77. Saw the upset of #1 Michigan. Worked at the bar across the street, the Brickhouse. In those days, students worked some of the gate entrances, so if you were lucky enough to know you of those students, you got to see a lot of games or at least part of games.
 

Schnauzer said:
This is so true. Now there are cameras everywhere and potential litigation around every corner.

I think of it all the time with my kids. They are used to a world where someone could start filming them at any moment, and the drinking age has been 21 for almost 40 years so they don’t understand what it would be like to get a keg every weekend, charge $5 per cup to any college kid without worrying about their age, and proceed to act like idiots til dawn.
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Jeez, we only only charged $3 a cup in the late 80s. We could have paid more rent at $5.
 

Unregistered User said:
Just looked it up and Jules called his first game in The Brickhouse in 1928!

gophersports.com

Jules Perlt - M Club Hall of Fame - University of Minnesota Athletics

Julius "Jules" Perlt Distinguished Service Award HOF Class of 1996 Gopher fans knew well the voice of Julius “Jules” Perlt, public address announcer at the U...
gophersports.com gophersports.com
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That is great information! I recall hearing him at games and to learn he went that far back makes the memory special. Thanks for sharing this.
 




60's Guy said:
Contrasts: I remember going to games at Met Stadium and Memorial Stadium.
I don't remember being aware of tailgating being a thing at Memorial Stadium?
Definitely a thing at Met Stadium. Way easier to park at the Met, but it took a half an hour to get out the parking lot. More walking with Memorial Stadium because parking was farther away.

Memorial Stadium...coolest thing was the brick facade surrounding the outside. "The Brickhouse". After that? Just the history of winning games and players.
Sightlines were good but felt far away. (I was usually in the bowl end. As you can see in the pic that is literally blocks away, especially when play is at the other end.) It was fun to be part of a huge crowd...you felt a brotherhood, seemingly all cheering for the Gophers. Bench seats, fighting to sit on your seat number, bundled up in warm weather gear it was crowded, sitting or walking.

The concourses were a disaster...walking: too narrow, too crowded, very congested.
Concessions were impossible. Bathrooms: plan ahead.

Like Williams Arena...there is just a time when it is time to start over.

Was I training for the Olympics? No. But, I spent quite a bit of time at Memorial Stadium. My brother wanted to get in peak shape to walkon for Musselman. We ran the steps one summer at Memorial Stadium probably 3, 4 or 5 times a week. It was an excellent workout. Sun beating down...exhausting. Then we got cocky and added ankle weights, switched to weighted vests. The things you do. Also playing 100 games of "serious" softball a summer together at the time.
My brother wussed out and went to Normandale JC. Junior college basketball in Minnesota was a big deal in the 70's. Musselman was '71 to '75 with the Gophers, so somewhere in this window of time. Normandale and Golden Valley Lutheran were national powerhouses. Gopher player, NBA coach Flip Saunders started his coaching journey at Golden Valley in 1977 and never lost a home game as coach, going 56–0.

Huntington is many times better. We just need to win more to develop a greater sense of love for it.
Penn State this year was awesome, but we gotta close the deal.
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At it's peak it held just over 56,000. The dome had bigger crowds.
 
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At its peak , capacity was 65,000. They took out a upper level of bleachers on Cooke Hall side in the late 60's
or early 70's. Check out the attendance for the 1960 Minnesota-Iowa game. Number 1 in the nation vs. Number 2. I think 65 or 66,000.
 

Had student tickets '64 through '68. The inside was a dump, but we students had a great time in the stands. Lots of peppermint schnapps consumed. If a late season game was played in snow, the visiting cheerleaders stayed away from the students in the NE corner so they wouldn't get pelted by snowballs. Seem to remember an irate Jules warning us. As others have noted, passing a female up was a tradition. Band days had extra energy. Spent lots of time playing handball in the courts underneath. Saw us grab the lead against O.J. on an across the field lateral that went for a touchdown. Then O.J. just took the game over. My graduation ceremony was in Memorial Stadium and it was cut short when a hell of a thunderstorm blew in. We were happy to be dismissed and ended up drinking beer at Mannings to celebrate.
 




I literally think my first game was the opening season of the Metrodome so unfortunately missed out on Memorial Stadium, but agreed nice threat.
 

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