Minnesota Golden Gophers stats records schedule and standings

Golden Gophers

Minnesota Golden Gophers

NCAAF – BIG 10

Minnesota Golden Gophers

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Minnesota Golden Gophers Team News

The Minnesota Golden Gophers represent the University of Minnesota in College Football in the NCAAF. They’re a Division I school founded in 1882 and has been a part of the Big Ten Conference since its birth in 1896. They’re a member of the Western Conference of the Big Ten and were relatively successful initially.

The Golden Gophers have won seven national championships, 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. They haven’t been great since those early days, but back then were considered one of the best in the country. However, they’ve fallen off since many still remember the formulation of the team.

Their reason for early success was due to Head Coach Henry L. Williams. Williams came up with the “Minnesota Shift,” which was a predecessor to quick line shifts. This style ended up being adopted by many. Currently, the Golden Gophers still use this style of play under Head Coach P.J Fleck.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Standings

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have been a force to be reckoned with in the NCAAF this season, as their stats and standings show.

The team has been led by a balanced attack on offense and a stingy defense that has been giving opponents fits. They are a solid team that is well-coached and well-prepared, and they will be a tough out for anyone they face.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Betting Trends

Recent Minnesota Golden Gophers History

Their days of winning national championships came to a close in 1960. In between then and now, the Golden Gophers have been mediocre. They were known for not claiming an 8-win season from 1967 to 1999, a terrible streak. They also blew a 38-7 lead to Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl, losing in overtime 44-41.

In 2010, the Gophers started their season off with a 1-6 record, which led to the firing of Tim Brewster. The Golden Gophers hired Jerry Kill, the former Northern Illinois University coach, by the end of the year. In 2014, the Gophers had an 8-4 record and went 5-3 in Big Ten games.

In 2017 P.J. Fleck was hired as head coach, and the Gophers have seen much more success. They ended up defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in 2018 to reclaim Paul Bunyan’s Axe. This was the first time they were able to do so in 14 seasons. In 2019, the Golden Gophers boasted an 11-2 record. They also went 9-0 to start the season for the first time since 1904.

Golden Gophers History

Although there have been some notable players in Golden Gophers history, there are a few standouts. One of these standouts is RB Darrell Thompson, who played from 1986-1989. Thompson was a stat padder that was one of the best ever to wear a Minnesota jersey. He was the only running back in school history to rush for over 4,000 yards.

If you’d like to hop in our time machine, we’ve got an extraordinary player from the late 1920s. Bronko Nagurski played both Full Back and Defensive Tackle. This was during the days where players would play both ways. Sports Illustrated named Nagurski as one of the four greatest athletes in Minnesota state history. In 2007, ESPN named Nagurski the No. 17 best college football player of all time.

Lastly, we have the only Minnesota Golden Gopher ever to win a Heisman Trophy, Bruce Smith. He could be said to be the main reason for the national championships in 1940 and 1941. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972. Along with that, he’s the first player in Golden Gophers history to have his jersey retired.

Key Championships

As stated earlier, the Golden Gophers had plenty of championships very early in their history. They started it off in 1904 under Head Coach Henry L. Williams. While Henry L. Williams was running the program, they performed incredibly well. However, the national championship in 1904 would be the only national championship while Williams was coaching.

Their next championship was in 1934, under Head Coach Bernie Bierman. The most success the Gophers ever experienced was under Bierman. Out of seven national championships, Bierman is responsible for five of them. This includes the back-to-back championships in 1940 and 1941.

After the 1941 championship, Bernie Bierman departed, which led to the collapse of the team. For 19 years, the Golden Gophers didn’t win a national championship. In 1960, Murray Warmath became the third coach to win a national championship with the Golden Gophers. From 1960 and on, the Gophers have yet to claim another national championship.

Conference Outlook

Playing in the Big Ten is no easy task, and there are a lot of great teams. However, the Golden Gophers are currently second in the Big Ten West. Their record isn’t great, at 3-2, but they’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries. Some of their key starting players are out, which makes it tough to win games.

The best part about Head Coach P.J Fleck is his “never-say-die” attitude. He constantly keeps his team motivated to do better, something other coaches emulate. Even die-hard Golden Gophers fans see a little Bernie Bierman in him. He’s also been the coach that has led them to as much success.

Sure, they’ve yet to claim that Big Ten Conference Championship, but they’re in good hands. With Fleck at the head coaching spot, they’ve been better at recruiting too. If not for the injuries this year, they could be fighting for a College Football Playoff spot. Fleck leading this team to a national championship isn’t a large stretch either.

Head Coaching History

The Golden Gophers have a long and storied history with a lot of coaches. Here are all the coaches the Golden Gophers have had, the periods in which they coached, and their overall record.

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