BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 60,898
- Reaction score
- 16,487
- Points
- 113
My intent of this post isn’t meant to be personal as we all have our “real lives” and GH would be a bore if we actually talked about them! I am writing this because for many/most of us, we have a special relationship with a friend/spouse/parent/child that Gopher sports is a big part of that relationship, and I’d love to hear each of your stories. For me, my foundation in Gopher sports and the person who I shared so many Gopher memories with (my Dad) just passed.
I titled this post that Williams Arena will forever be quieter because my Dad would often say he’s the “self-proclaimed loudest clapper in Williams Arena!” We never questioned this proclamation because he had an odd ability to clap really loud, and the passion behind his clap for the Gophers had a sincere pride that added to the strength of his clap.
My Dad and his best friend had Gopher football and basketball tickets since 1965. Even when our family moved away to different states, he kept the tickets. It was his passion. Our first family dog was named “Clyde” after Clyde Turner. While some kids grew up to Dr. Seuss books, I grew up to bedtime stories about Sweet Lou Hudson, Archie Clark and Ollie Shannon. Literally the earliest memory I have in my life is my Dad picking me up in the air and running around our family basement when Darryl Mitchell hit two free throws with one second left against Purdue in 1982.
When the Gophers lost to Georgia Tech in the Elite 8, I cried. My Mom said “It’s just a game, no reason to cry.” My Dad heard her say that, pulled me aside and said “What’s great about sports is you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Your Mom isn’t wrong, but at the same time, she isn’t right either.” His comment makes no sense if taken literally, but I knew exactly what he meant.
I remember coming home from college spring break the morning after we beat Clemson in the Sweet 16, in what is arguably the greatest Gopher basketball game ever played. He picked me up from the airport and we hugged extra tight and extra long. As happy as we were to see one another after me being away, we both knew that hug was as much about us being a game away from the Final Four! After we beat UCLA, we went down to the Barn together for the welcome home celebration, and of course we were in Indy together in what still goes down as one of the best memories I have with him, in spite of the loss to Kentucky.
When Jason started GopherHole, my Dad became a dedicated reader. He was a longtime lurker, but never a poster. Back in the day, Jason used to highlight one post a day as the “Post of the Day” and when one of mine was selected, my Dad would literally print out the “Post of the Day” recognition and show it to my Mom as if he was proud of a math test I had in middle school.
A prerequisite for me marrying my wife and my sister marrying her husband is each had to go with my Dad for breakfast to Al’s on campus prior to the wedding – and both happily did! A few years later my Dad became a Grandfather and he was appropriately and affectionately called “Grandpa Gopher” – a name he was so proud of! As much fun as we had going to games together, nothing was better to him than taking his grandchildren.
I was fortunate to attend hundreds of Gopher games with him for years. And I am fortunate now to attend games with my buddy IAM4Goldy and we each bring our kids to build that next generation. Later this week our extended family is having a big dinner at Vescios in Dinkytown. I don’t think my Dad actually liked the taste of the food there, but it’s a place that he always chose to go to whenever it was time for him to pick a dinner locale. So we’ll go to the Gopher game on Friday, try to make up the void that his loud clap left behind, and toast to Grandpa Gopher who instilled in me my passion for the Gophers and taught me why it’s important to be a part of something bigger than oneself.
I’d love to hear from others – who is it that you go to the games with, and share that Gopher pride?
Go Gophers!!
I titled this post that Williams Arena will forever be quieter because my Dad would often say he’s the “self-proclaimed loudest clapper in Williams Arena!” We never questioned this proclamation because he had an odd ability to clap really loud, and the passion behind his clap for the Gophers had a sincere pride that added to the strength of his clap.
My Dad and his best friend had Gopher football and basketball tickets since 1965. Even when our family moved away to different states, he kept the tickets. It was his passion. Our first family dog was named “Clyde” after Clyde Turner. While some kids grew up to Dr. Seuss books, I grew up to bedtime stories about Sweet Lou Hudson, Archie Clark and Ollie Shannon. Literally the earliest memory I have in my life is my Dad picking me up in the air and running around our family basement when Darryl Mitchell hit two free throws with one second left against Purdue in 1982.
When the Gophers lost to Georgia Tech in the Elite 8, I cried. My Mom said “It’s just a game, no reason to cry.” My Dad heard her say that, pulled me aside and said “What’s great about sports is you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Your Mom isn’t wrong, but at the same time, she isn’t right either.” His comment makes no sense if taken literally, but I knew exactly what he meant.
I remember coming home from college spring break the morning after we beat Clemson in the Sweet 16, in what is arguably the greatest Gopher basketball game ever played. He picked me up from the airport and we hugged extra tight and extra long. As happy as we were to see one another after me being away, we both knew that hug was as much about us being a game away from the Final Four! After we beat UCLA, we went down to the Barn together for the welcome home celebration, and of course we were in Indy together in what still goes down as one of the best memories I have with him, in spite of the loss to Kentucky.
When Jason started GopherHole, my Dad became a dedicated reader. He was a longtime lurker, but never a poster. Back in the day, Jason used to highlight one post a day as the “Post of the Day” and when one of mine was selected, my Dad would literally print out the “Post of the Day” recognition and show it to my Mom as if he was proud of a math test I had in middle school.
A prerequisite for me marrying my wife and my sister marrying her husband is each had to go with my Dad for breakfast to Al’s on campus prior to the wedding – and both happily did! A few years later my Dad became a Grandfather and he was appropriately and affectionately called “Grandpa Gopher” – a name he was so proud of! As much fun as we had going to games together, nothing was better to him than taking his grandchildren.
I was fortunate to attend hundreds of Gopher games with him for years. And I am fortunate now to attend games with my buddy IAM4Goldy and we each bring our kids to build that next generation. Later this week our extended family is having a big dinner at Vescios in Dinkytown. I don’t think my Dad actually liked the taste of the food there, but it’s a place that he always chose to go to whenever it was time for him to pick a dinner locale. So we’ll go to the Gopher game on Friday, try to make up the void that his loud clap left behind, and toast to Grandpa Gopher who instilled in me my passion for the Gophers and taught me why it’s important to be a part of something bigger than oneself.
I’d love to hear from others – who is it that you go to the games with, and share that Gopher pride?
Go Gophers!!