What is your favorite Gopher football memory?

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John Galt said:
Reading the brilliance of MNVCGuy and Slab of Bacon as the 2nd and 3rd posts of every thread on GH for the past 20 years.
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Randomly bumping into Laurence Maroney at the Purdue game last year with my 8 year old son, who uses Laurence as his primary RB in NCAA Football 2004 on my old PS2. Laurence is my favorite Gopher and my son was THRILLED to meet the real guy!
 

Many of my favorites have been mentioned here, but one game not mentioned at all that was a really fun moment/day/point in a season was being at the white out drubbing at Colorado on a picture perfect day in what was trending as a super fun season, bringing both of my sons for a day of mountain trail climbing… a road trip I’ll never forget!
 


short ornery norwegian said:
1968 - Gophers vs USC and OJ Simpson (before he killed anyone).

I was there with my HS Band as part of Band Day. This was a promotion where HS Bands sat in the end zone and played along with the Gopher marching band at halftime.

It rained on and off during the 1st half. USC won 29-20 and Simpson had a big game. But the highlight was provided by the Gophers. after a USC TD, the Gophers ran a trick play on the ensuing kickoff - a cross-field lateral that turned into a KO Return for a TD.

there were over 60,000 people at the Brick House for the game. Incredible atmosphere.
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Yes! I think it was thrown by George Kemp to John Wintermute. I remember Walter Bowser throwing a crushing block around midfield. Gophers up 20-16 halfway through the 4th quarter but too much OJ, He ran for about 240 that day. While it rained in the early going, Simpson got hit around the Gopher 10-yard line and the wet ball squirted up 10 feet in the air. The Gophers recovered and got up 10-0. Looked like it would be our day. I believe it was the last time the Gophers drew 60,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.
 

My first in-person Gopher experience that got me hooked for life. Gophers score upset at Michigan in 1956. I am 6 years old and Dad takes me out to Wold Chamberlain to see the team file through the airport. Everyone is so happy, several players grinning broadly with missing teeth. Looked like the Gophers were on their way to something called "The Rose Bowl". Even the nuns at Assumption (in Richfield) were excited. But then Minnesota gave away the big game to Iowa to dash those hopes. A foretaste of future heartbreak but no regrets 66 years later!
 

I’ve followed the Gophers since I was a little kid and I have had season tickets since the mid 00’s and for me it was 2019 Penn State.

That game checked every box for me. Going 9-0 and sliding into the college football playoff picture after all the losing and dysfunction over the years was soooooo much fun for me.
 

Started at the U in 2006, here are the ones that stand out to me (in chronological order):

1. Horton beating Iowa for the first trophy in several years and rushing the field for a struggling team whose coach was fired.

2. Beating WSU in the holiday Bowl shorthanded, first 9+ win season of my Gopher Fandom.

3. PJ winning at Madison to break the way too long losing streak, then going to the field house for the impromptu pep rally to welcome home the team and the Axe.

4. Winning 11 games in 2019, especially the hone win against top ten PSU and then the bowl win against Auburn.

5. Beating Wisconsin at home and dancing to Jump Around.
 



I went to the -U- from 1978-1984. 6 years season tickets. Saw the Nebraska game. I have posted about that before.

The best game I saw was the 1981 beating of OSU where Quinn Carroll's dad Jay caught three TD passes from Mike Hohensee. Another memorable game I caught was th 1999 Sun Bowl (in El Paso). Close loss to Oregon, but we were (FINALLY) competing in a Bowl Game@!
 

I can also throw in a bunch of Darrell Thompson electrifying run games. He was a beast.
 

Recently, I feel it's either 2018 at Wisconsin or the Outback Bowl. Finally getting the Axe back after an up and down season with a bowl season on the line, and getting a win on New Year's Day.
 







PhiloVance said:
Wisconsin in 1928.

Nursing cracked ribs, Nagurski wore a corset during the game to protect himself.

Despite the constrictive chest piece, Nagurski still outshined everyone on the field.

His stats that day included a fumble recovery, six consecutive runs to score the go-ahead touchdown and an interception to seal the Gophers’ victory.
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Did you have good seats?
 



Tie between 2019 Penn State and 1999 @Penn State. I'd go with the former if forced to pick.
 



Schnauzer said:
I’ve followed the Gophers since I was a little kid and I have had season tickets since the mid 00’s and for me it was 2019 Penn State.

That game checked every box for me. Going 9-0 and sliding into the college football playoff picture after all the losing and dysfunction over the years was soooooo much fun for me.
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That entire 2019 season was so weird in a wonderful way. Seeing us end the season in the top 10 after years of "I hope we qualify for a bowl that isn't in Detroit this year" is still surreal to me.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
Horton's win over Iowa. It was so out of the blue.
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After all the things that happened over the course of the Brewster era. The 1-11 season, the 08 Northwestern loss, barely beating South Dakota State, the 1 point bowl defeat and the 2010 losing streak, winning Floyd was the definition of cathartic.
 




ON RADIO - Tie / 1977 winning Little Brown Jug defeating #1 Michigan 16-0
1986 winning Little Brown Jug defeating #2 Michigan 20-17

ON TV - 2000 - defeating Ohio St 29-17

IN PERSON - 2019 - defeating Penn St 31-26
 

Sitting in the front row and when the ball went up I thought it was an easy TD. Incredible and exhausting game that got me thinking things were changing...

 

2019 Penn State game or 2021 Wisconsin game.
 

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