The Barn

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PeterMac05

PeterMac05

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I was at the game tonight, great game very fun to watch. The barn was pretty full for a game like this, and it was awesome to see. Obviously the upper deck was pretty empty but it’s expected. It was awesome to hear how loud it got in there especially with all of those recruits in the building. Off topic, but at half I saw and took a picture with Naz Reid, then 10 seconds later took pics with Carrington and Payne. Cool dudes. The barn is definitely a little extra special after last year with no fans, and can only dream about how bonkers a couple of those Marcus Carr games would have been. Gets me stokes for the future!
 



PeterMac05 said:
I was at the game tonight, great game very fun to watch. The barn was pretty full for a game like this, and it was awesome to see. Obviously the upper deck was pretty empty but it’s expected. It was awesome to hear how loud it got in there especially with all of those recruits in the building. Off topic, but at half I saw and took a picture with Naz Reid, then 10 seconds later took pics with Carrington and Payne. Cool dudes. The barn is definitely a little extra special after last year with no fans, and can only dream about how bonkers a couple of those Marcus Carr games would have been. Gets me stokes for the future!
Click to expand...

So I’m not sure how old you are, but the Barn was never really rockin with Marcus Carr. That was part of the problem with the last coaching staff. My first experience in the Barn was in 1976 against the Indiana Hoosiers. That Indiana team was the last undefeated National Championship team. My older brother and some of his high school teammates took me to the game. I was too young to remember much about the game other than we were crammed into our seats and that Mychel Thompson wore bells on his shoes. I spent the next decade studying the standings in the Minneapolis Star every Wednesday and Thursday when they cane out. I think the Big Ten played games on Wednesday and Saturday primarily in those days. We listened to every game on WCCO radio. I remember laying in bed and listening o he Gophers best North Carolina late at night right around 1980 in a tournament in LA. That was before Cable TV....at least in our home.


​

My next memory of the Barn was coming up from Luther College in the late 80’s to watch Clem’s Gophers play a Big Ten team in January. We had obstructed seats with our backs against the old hockey arena. We had to duck our heads to see the floor from the stair case that was right above us. I went to many games throughout the 90’s when Clem was the coach. It was the best atmosphere in town to watch a game. And that is coming from someone who had viking’s season tickets for over 20 years.

in January 2020 I went to watch the Gophers against Penn State right before Covid hit. We had both Oturu and Carr and the upper deck was nearly all empty.....at least the end where the old hockey arena was at. I couldn’t believe it as I had only been to a few games since Pitino had been head coach. I was actually sad looking up at the nearly empty end of the upper deck.

Marcus Carr’s big year came in front of empty arenas because of Covid. But honestly, if Covid has never hit there would have been fewer fans at the games last year too. I know I had a hard time even watching them on tv last year as they were brutal to watch.

For me, this years team is at least going to be fun to watch. The ball moves and players are moving on offense. They probably won’t have a very successful record once they get to the B1G season....but I hope Ben Johnson can bring the Barn and the team back to the level I watched while growing up in the 70’s, 89’s and 99’s.
 

Brought back some memories....
I attended the U from 79 to 84 and was a cheerleader for a couple of those years and remember being on the court before the game and Sid asked me to come over to him and he gave me some candy and asked that I go give them to Bobby Knight over on the other side of the court...which I did and chuckled as those 2 were giving each other friendly grief during the course of the game during timeouts
I also remember taking Al Johnson, from Al's Clothing Store in Dinkytown (I worked there part time) to the Ohio St game in 1982 where we clinched the Big Ten and boy was the Barn rocking that day....Al was retired by then for the most part and he had tears in his eyes at the conclusion of the game...so excited and proud to be a Gopher fan.
Lastly, I was honored to serve on the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee as the student rep and we were provided 2 tickets to each game for the 2 years I was on the committee and my love of Gopher basketball and sports was cemented as I got to watch fantastic basketball in a very unique setting.

I surely hope that Ben is the coach that can recruit the type of players we need to help bring back the culture and atmosphere of the Barn...especially for the younger folks....memories that will never be forgotten
 


PeterMac05 said:
I was at the game tonight, great game very fun to watch. The barn was pretty full for a game like this, and it was awesome to see. Obviously the upper deck was pretty empty but it’s expected. It was awesome to hear how loud it got in there especially with all of those recruits in the building. Off topic, but at half I saw and took a picture with Naz Reid, then 10 seconds later took pics with Carrington and Payne. Cool dudes. The barn is definitely a little extra special after last year with no fans, and can only dream about how bonkers a couple of those Marcus Carr games would have been. Gets me stokes for the future!
Click to expand...
Great memories of the Barn, but as others have said it has a long way to go to match the environments of 70's, 80's and 90's. It may never happen even if the product on the floor improves substantially. Awful scheduling dictated by TV, boatloads of other entertainment and sports options, people preferring active to sedentary, and a generation less interested in spectator sports are all barriers to a return to glory. That's okay, it can still be great, if not what it once was.

Two surprise encounters in the corridor last night. Found out a friend is Elijah Stephens aunt and will be at a lot of games.

Also ran into a close relative of Ben Johnson. When I asked if he got comp seats in the front row, he politely said, "No" to both. Connections don't always pay off.
 

Holy Man said:
Great memories of the Barn, but as others have said it has a long way to go to match the environments of 70's, 80's and 90's. It may never happen even if the product on the floor improves substantially. Awful scheduling dictated by TV, boatloads of other entertainment and sports options, people preferring active to sedentary, and a generation less interested in spectator sports are all barriers to a return to glory. That's okay, it can still be great, if not what it once was.

Two surprise encounters in the corridor last night. Found out a friend is Elijah Stephens aunt and will be at a lot of games.

Also ran into a close relative of Ben Johnson. When I asked if he got comp seats in the front row, he politely said, "No" to both. Connections don't always pay off.
Click to expand...
Yes things do change. I remember a few years back going to Bloomington Jefferson to watch Cole Aldrich against that first class of Lakeville South players and very few people were at the game. When I was growing up, that’s what we did on Friday nights....went to the basketball, football or hockey games. There are still schools and players who come along who can draw a crowd, but it’s not like it used to be....

A couple of years ago I went to the section Final 4 at Prior Lake High School. The first night PL played Shakopee in the first semifinal and second game was Edina and EP. That night was pretty fun so my son and I decided to go to the section final the following Friday. I was told by someone I should get there early as there were already 1500 tickets pre-sold and they were going to sell the last 400 ticket at 5:00 with the doors opening at 6;00 to the gym. I got a call at 3:00 pm and was told to get down there because the line for the tickets was already forming. I arrived by 3:15 and the line for tickets snaked around the main floor and there was at least 400 people in front of me with many more arrive behind me. I ended up getting my tickets and was ushered upstairs where I had to walk to the back of the school to get in line to get into the gym. When I got in the gym both bands were there and the walkway around the court was several people deep to watch that basketball game. It was one of the most fun atmospheres to watch a sporting event I had been to. EP ended up beating PL that night in front of an incredible crowd.

I do believe the Barn can get back to the level of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.....but agree it will be much more difficult for all the reasons you gave. There is a lot of competition for the entertainment dollar....but if the product is outstanding....people will come and watch.
 

ethomasp31 said:
Yes things do change. I remember a few years back going to Bloomington Jefferson to watch Cole Aldrich against that first class of Lakeville South players and very few people were at the game. When I was growing up, that’s what we did on Friday nights....went to the basketball, football or hockey games. There are still schools and players who come along who can draw a crowd, but it’s not like it used to be....

A couple of years ago I went to the section Final 4 at Prior Lake High School. The first night PL played Shakopee in the first semifinal and second game was Edina and EP. That night was pretty fun so my son and I decided to go to the section final the following Friday. I was told by someone I should get there early as there were already 1500 tickets pre-sold and they were going to sell the last 400 ticket at 5:00 with the doors opening at 6;00 to the gym. I got a call at 3:00 pm and was told to get down there because the line for the tickets was already forming. I arrived by 3:15 and the line for tickets snaked around the main floor and there was at least 400 people in front of me with many more arrive behind me. I ended up getting my tickets and was ushered upstairs where I had to walk to the back of the school to get in line to get into the gym. When I got in the gym both bands were there and the walkway around the court was several people deep to watch that basketball game. It was one of the most fun atmospheres to watch a sporting event I had been to. EP ended up beating PL that night in front of an incredible crowd.

I do believe the Barn can get back to the level of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.....but agree it will be much more difficult for all the reasons you gave. There is a lot of competition for the entertainment dollar....but if the product is outstanding....people will come and watch.
Click to expand...
What group of Lakeville South players did Cole Aldrich play against?
 

That first group that went to Lakeville South as juniors. That first graduating class from Lakeville South. I think their basketball coach was replaced mid season that year by long time football coach at Lakeville Larry Thompson. I watched a lot of high school basketball at that time, but I’m pretty certain that Aldrich was on that team.
 



ethomasp31 said:
That first group that went to Lakeville South as juniors. That first graduating class from Lakeville South. I think their basketball coach was replaced mid season that year by long time football coach at Lakeville Larry Thompson. I watched a lot of high school basketball at that time, but I’m pretty certain that Aldrich was on that team.
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Lakeville South had Marcus Brumm, Brady Soule, a Sorensen.
 


I loved the Barn. Hopefully Ben Johnson is successful enough to coach there when it's substantially remodeled (or replaced).
 






Wally said:
Upgrade sure, but they should keep the Barn. That elevated floor gives us a few wins. I hate the color of the new floor tho.
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The elevated floor helps with sightlines, though I don't know how much it helps with W/Ls.

Given how dreadful the Gophers have been on road going back to the Haskins tenure (except '97), maybe there's something to it. Who knows, maybe the adjustment to regular courts is why they struggle mightily away from home (even last year with no or limited crowds).
 

Something I just noticed, I mentioned earlier in the thread that I saw Nathan Knight and Naz at the last game, and thought originally oh they just want to watch a basketball game cool. But recently knight and bolmaro from the wolves posted on Instagram and Parker Fox and Treyton both reposted and commented. It seems as if there is some gopher/twolves connections going on which is sick. Would be awesome for recruiting if the two teams became connected.
 

The last time I was at the Barn was when my dad was offered two tickets in 1990 to watch the Gophers play Purdue.

I remember the crowd going crazy at Gene Keady whenever he's start yelling at officials. The crowd started chanting "Sit Down Gene!" whenever he started getting angry.

I went back for the exhibition game this year against Concordia. I was surprised at how much nice it appears in person than on TV. It seems on TV it doesn't show as well. The energy despite a small crowd felt good.

I understand some people want to upgrade it, but I'm not sure what you're really going to add by changing it.
 

Wally said:
Upgrade sure, but they should keep the Barn. That elevated floor gives us a few wins. I hate the color of the new floor tho.
Click to expand...
Tear down. Build replica with about 11-12 K seats and more suites etc.
 

The barn can be a very loud and intimidating place for teams to visit. It is hard to believe that it has a capacity of 14,625, it does not look that big. A full house feels like the whole crowd is right next to and above the court. Great history. My first game was back in Jan of 1980 with the Gophers beating Bobby Knight. The Gopher ran out onto the court bursting through one of those hand painted paper banners that you see at high school game.
 

alchemy2u said:
The barn can be a very loud and intimidating place for teams to visit. It is hard to believe that it has a capacity of 14,625, it does not look that big. A full house feels like the whole crowd is right next to and above the court. Great history. My first game was back in Jan of 1980 with the Gophers beating Bobby Knight. The Gopher ran out onto the court bursting through one of those hand painted paper banners that you see at high school game.
Click to expand...
They used that banner to run through for most of the 70's. Back then the barn held 18000 or so.
 



Face The Facts said:
I understand some people want to upgrade it, but I'm not sure what you're really going to add by changing it.
Click to expand...

Access to restrooms and concessions in the upper deck just for starters.
 

Lincoln gopher said:
They used that banner to run through for most of the 70's. Back then the barn held 18000 or so.
Click to expand...
Attendance history in the Barn linked below. 19,121 back in '71-'72 was the highest and I'm pretty sure that was the Indiana game where the hockey arena had another several thousand watching on closed circuit TV. People were sitting in the aisles- no fire codes. The feeling of the place in those days was amazing, even though it looked like a dump.

gophersports.com

Williams Arena Attendance Figures - University of Minnesota Athletics

Year G Attend. Avg. BT G BT Attend. BT Avg. High 1946-47 11 132,949 12,087 7 107,399 15,343 16,519 1947-48 11 136,692 12,427 7 104,764 14,967 16,690 1948-49 ...
gophersports.com gophersports.com
 


PeterMac05 said:
Something I just noticed, I mentioned earlier in the thread that I saw Nathan Knight and Naz at the last game, and thought originally oh they just want to watch a basketball game cool. But recently knight and bolmaro from the wolves posted on Instagram and Parker Fox and Treyton both reposted and commented. It seems as if there is some gopher/twolves connections going on which is sick. Would be awesome for recruiting if the two teams became connected.
Click to expand...
I would bet money that this iteration of Gophers and Wolves teams have played pick up games together… Not suggesting it’s organized by Ben Johnson or the Wolves front office. There’s only so many gyms in the city.
 

PeterMac05 said:
Something I just noticed, I mentioned earlier in the thread that I saw Nathan Knight and Naz at the last game, and thought originally oh they just want to watch a basketball game cool. But recently knight and bolmaro from the wolves posted on Instagram and Parker Fox and Treyton both reposted and commented. It seems as if there is some gopher/twolves connections going on which is sick. Would be awesome for recruiting if the two teams became connected.
Click to expand...

Knight was at W&M when Kemp was an assistant there.

cute video of Knight playing with Kemp’s kids
 

bga1 said:
Attendance history in the Barn linked below. 19,121 back in '71-'72 was the highest and I'm pretty sure that was the Indiana game where the hockey arena had another several thousand watching on closed circuit TV. People were sitting in the aisles- no fire codes. The feeling of the place in those days was amazing, even though it looked like a dump.

gophersports.com

Williams Arena Attendance Figures - University of Minnesota Athletics

Year G Attend. Avg. BT G BT Attend. BT Avg. High 1946-47 11 132,949 12,087 7 107,399 15,343 16,519 1947-48 11 136,692 12,427 7 104,764 14,967 16,690 1948-49 ...
gophersports.com gophersports.com
Click to expand...
Did they remove 94-98 as part of the sanctions or what?
 

bga1 said:
Attendance history in the Barn linked below. 19,121 back in '71-'72 was the highest and I'm pretty sure that was the Indiana game where the hockey arena had another several thousand watching on closed circuit TV. People were sitting in the aisles- no fire codes. The feeling of the place in those days was amazing, even though it looked like a dump.

gophersports.com

Williams Arena Attendance Figures - University of Minnesota Athletics

Year G Attend. Avg. BT G BT Attend. BT Avg. High 1946-47 11 132,949 12,087 7 107,399 15,343 16,519 1947-48 11 136,692 12,427 7 104,764 14,967 16,690 1948-49 ...
gophersports.com gophersports.com
Click to expand...
In the 70's when we sat up in the student section, which was on the upper level back then, we would stomp our feet and you could actually feel the structure move.
Definitely held 18k back in those days and we were probably talking our lives in our own hands just being there.
 

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