My Gopher Football History

[nevisgopher]

My 50 years of Gopher Football history started when I was 5 years old. I’ll always be a Gopher football fan. Long time GopherHole viewer…first time poster. Times are lean right now but it might be a good time to remember why we’re fans and why we support this program. It’s in my blood…some of my memories. What are yours?

1960’s: Formative Gopher football years. Driving down southern Minnesota gravel roads, pheasant hunting with my dad, listening to Gopher football on a static-filled WCCO car radio broadcast, straining to hear the action. Success and pride…1960 and 1967. Sandy Stephens, Bobby Bell, Murray Warmath, Carl Eller and Aaron Brown.

1970’s: High school and college. Many distractions but still a Gopher fan. I remember listening to a Ray Christensen broadcast of Gopher football while attempting to study in my dorm room in Bemidji. I smile every time I hear Ray do a radio commercial now. Rick Upchurch, Doug Kingsriter, Stan Sytsma, Marion Barber, Kent Kitzmann and Elmer Bailey.

1980’s: Living in Stevens Point, WI. Still a loyal Gopher fan despite the temptations to switch over to the dark side. Listening to faint radio broadcasts, Sid on Sunday AM with coaches and following the team via a special delivery of the Star Tribune. Jon Leverenz, Chip Lohmiller, Gary White, Ricky Foggie and Mike Hohensee.

1990’s: Teaching my young son to be a Gopher fan. He’s hooked and still is. Tyrone Carter, Lamanzer Williams, Chris Darkins, Thomas Hamner, Tutu Atwell and Ryan Thelwell.

2000’s: My son and I enjoy Saturday afternoons together listening to Gopher broadcasts while splitting wood at our cabin. Football Saturdays don’t get much better than that. Micheal Lehan, Ron Johnson, Marion Barber III, Laurence Maroney, Eric Decker, Ernie Wheelwright and Darrell Reid.

2010’s: Now what? Where do we go from here? Hoping that if I ever have a grandson/daughter, I’ll be able to chop wood on crisp Saturday afternoons with them while listening to Gopher football…passing along the tradition and, maybe more important…the hope.

 

[metrolax]

Our love for the state of Minnesota keeps us loyal- and hoping!

Welcome aboard!

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Great first post. My first memories of the Gophers were in 1983. I was 6 years old and remember listening to my dad and grandpa complain about how bad the team was and how far removed they were from the glory years. My dad would tell me how he was a student at the University when they won their last national championship and how much of a great season it was.

In 1987 I got to attend my first game. It was a nationally televised game against Michigan, the year after we won the JUG. The Gophers lost 30-20 but I remember Darrell Thompson breaking off a 98 yard TD run which still stands as a Big Ten record. He's been my favorite all-time Gopher ever since. I had so much fun with my dad and grandpa that day that I made my dad promise to take me to a game every year. It was a promise which he kept. When I was 19 I was a student at Bethel but I bought season tickets to the Gophers anyway because I wanted to go every Saturday. Since the start of the 1996 season I've missed just 2 home games. When I got married in 2002 I introduced my wife to college football and she's attended most of the games with me...except in the years when we have an infant (like this one). We started our quest to attend visit every stadium in the Big Ten and only have East Lansing left on our "to-do" list (although we'll add Lincoln to that list next year). Unfortunately since we have a baby at home it won't be feasible to attend East Lansing this year...but we'll get there eventually.