The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 23 teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Ten Conference.
Clarence Wiley "Doc" Spears was an American football player, coach, and doctor. He was an All-American guard at Dartmouth College (1914–1915) and served as the head football coach at Dartmouth (1917–1920), West Virginia University (1921–1924), the University of Minnesota (1925–1929), the University of Oregon (1930–1931), the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1932–1935), the University of Toledo (1936–1942), and University of Maryland, College Park (1943–1944), compiling a career college football record of 148–83–14. Spears was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1955.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers football program represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. Founded in 1882, the program is one of the oldest in college football. Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its inception in 1896 as the Western Conference. The Golden Gophers claim seven national championships: 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. Since 2009, the Gophers have played all their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In January 2017, the Gophers fired head coach Tracy Claeys and hired former Western Michigan head coach P. J. Fleck as the new head coach.
The 2003 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their seventh year under head coach Glen Mason, the Golden Gophers compiled a 10–3 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 503 to 285. The team made an appearance in the Sun Bowl. The 2003 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was ranked 17th in the final USA Today/AFCA Coaches poll and 20th in the final Associated Press poll. This was the most recent season in which Minnesota defeated the Wisconsin Badgers and received Paul Bunyan's Axe until 2018.
The Minnesota–Wisconsin football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers. It is the most-played rivalry in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, with 128 meetings between the two teams. The winner of the game receives Paul Bunyan's Axe, a tradition that started in 1948 after the first trophy, the Slab of Bacon, disappeared after the 1943 game when the Badgers were meant to turn it over to the Golden Gophers. Minnesota and Wisconsin first played in 1890 and have met every year since, except for 1906. The series is tied 60–60–8 through 2018. Wisconsin took the series lead for the first time after shutting out Minnesota 31–0 in the 2017 game; Minnesota had led the overall series since 1902, at times by as many as 20 games. Minnesota won the last meeting, snapping a 14-game winning streak by Wisconsin.
The 1984 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1984 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Golden Gophers compiled a 4–7 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 316 to 194.
The 1956 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Minnesota in the 1956 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third year under head coach Murray Warmath, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–1–2 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 127 to 87. The team finished 12th in the final AP Poll and ninth in the final Coaches Poll.
The 2010 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2010 college football season. The Golden Gophers are members of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were led by fourth-year head coach Tim Brewster until his firing on October 17, 2010, the result of 1–6 start. Co-offensive coordinator Jeff Horton was tapped as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The Golden Gophers finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in Big Ten play.
The 1896 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1896 Western Conference football season. In their first season under head coach Philip King, the Badgers compiled a 7–1–1 record, shut out six of nine opponents, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 206 to 30, and won the first Western Conference championship.
The 1947 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1947 Big Nine Conference football season. The team compiled a 5–3–1 record and finished in second place in the Big Nine Conference. Harry Stuhldreher was in his 12th year as Wisconsin's head coach. The team was ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll before losing to Michigan on November 15, 1947. The team averaged 280.1 yards per game of total offense, 205.9 yards per game by rushing, and 74.2 by passing.
The 1890 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1890 college football season. This season marked the largest margin of victory in Wisconsin Badgers football history, a 106–0 win to open the season against Whitewater Normal, and the first game between the Badgers and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the most played rivalry in Division I football history.
The 1892 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1892 college football season.
The 1918 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1918 Big Ten Conference football season. In its first and only season under head coach Guy Lowman, the team compiled a 3–3 record, finished in seventh place in the Big Ten Conference, and was outscored by its opponents by a combined total of 44 to 42.
The 1932 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1932 Big Ten Conference football season. The team compiled a 6–1–1 record, finished in third place in the Big Ten Conference, outscored all opponents by a combined total of 151 to 48, and was ranked No. 11 at the end of the season under the Dickinson System. Clarence Spears was in his first year as Wisconsin's head coach.
The 1934 Wisconsin Badgers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Wisconsin in the 1934 Big Ten Conference football season. The team compiled a 4–4 record and finished in a tie for fifth place in the Big Ten Conference. Clarence Spears was in his third year as Wisconsin's head coach.
The Badger-Illini Conference was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from 1932 to 1956. It had members in the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. After the departure of certain members in 1956, the league subsequently became the Badger-Gopher Conference.
The 1935 Purdue Boilermakers football team was an American football team that represented Purdue University during the 1935 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Noble Kizer, the Boilermakers compiled a 4–4 record, finished in third place in the Big Ten Conference with a 3–3 record against conference opponents, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 65 to 57. E.J. Skoronski was the team captain.
The 1900 Western Conference football season was the fifth season of college football played by the member schools of the Western Conference and was a part of the 1900 college football season. This was the first season the league expanded, as Indiana and Iowa began competing for the conference title.
The 1962 Big Ten Conference football season was the 67th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1962 NCAA University Division football season.
The 2018 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by second-year head coach P. J. Fleck. They finished the season 7–6, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl where they defeated Georgia Tech.
