In November 1995, the announced that they would be nicknamed the "Fighting Pike" and that Art Haege was named the team's head coach.[2]
During the team's first tryout, Haege walked out, stating he was going "Back to Iowa." The next day, Haege faxed in his resignation to team owner Tom Scallen.[3][4]
The Pike were 0-7 at home, and the average attendance for the seven home games was 8,894.[5]
The roster was full of players who had played at the University of Minnesota or other Minnesota colleges and universities. Tony Levine, a former Golden Gopher, joined the team and received 8 passes for a total of 83 yards and 1 touchdown. Former Gopher Rickey Foggie was the quarterback and he struggled adapting to the Arena Football League after many years in the Canadian Football League. Once during the season he was benched in favor of Southwest State's Jeff Loots, who threw four interceptions in a game. Loots was playing on his third expansion team in three seasons. Another player from Southwest State was Alvin Ashley. The best-known ex-Pike is kicker Mike Vanderjagt, later a star in the CFL and NFL.
Ray Jauch was the head coach. He was assisted by John Coatta Jr. on offense and Frank Haege on defense.
The team's lack of exposure or advertising was the key reason for the team's folding at the end of the 1996 season.[citation needed] The team did not have a regional television deal to promote their games or have the games advertised in newspapers and other media.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League's (NFL) Minnesota Vikings and Major League Baseball's (MLB) Minnesota Twins, and Memorial Stadium, the former home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team.
The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League. The franchise was originally based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and then later in Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Cleveland for the 2008 AFL season. The Gladiators qualified for the playoffs eight times in their history, reaching the ArenaBowl in 2014.
Matthew Louis D’Orazio is a former American football quarterback who played in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football at Otterbein College.
Frank Haege is an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, compiling a record of 57–93. Haege was also the head coach for the Quad City Steamwheelers of AF2 from 2000 to 2001 and the New Jersey Gladiators the Arena Football League from 2002 to 2004.
The 1987 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second year under head coach John Gutekunst, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–5 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 262 to 257.
The 2007 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was the first for new head coach Tim Brewster. They began play on September 1, 2007 at home against Bowling Green and finished the season with a record of 1 win and 11 losses.
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 1985 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1985 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second and final year under head coach Lou Holtz, the Golden Gophers compiled a 7–5 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 293 to 240.
The 1980 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Minnesota in the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second year under head coach Joe Salem, the Golden Gophers finished in fifth place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 5–6 record, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 250 to 210.
The 1964 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1964 Big Ten Conference football season. In their 11th year under head coach Murray Warmath, the Golden Gophers compiled a 5–4 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 136 to 131.
Rickey Foggie is a former gridiron football quarterback. Foggie was the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers for four seasons, before going on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). Foggie is currently a head football coach in high school football in Red Wing, Minnesota.
The 1925 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Minnesota in the 1925 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Clarence Spears, the Golden Gophers compiled a 5–2–1 record and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 176 to 91.
The 1944 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1944 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third year under head coach George Hauser, the Golden Gophers compiled a 5–3–1 record but were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 225 to 162.
The 1935 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1935 college football season. In their fourth year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled an undefeated 8–0 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 194 to 36.
The 1941 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1941 Big Ten Conference football season. In their tenth year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled an undefeated 8–0 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 186 to 38. The team's national championship run in the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor was chronicled in journalist Danny Spewak's book, "From the Gridiron to the Battlefield: Minnesota's March to a College Football Title and into World War II," published in 2021 by Rowman & Littlefield.
The 1946 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1946 Big Nine Conference football season. In their 12th year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 5–4 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 130 to 114.
The 1947 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1947 Big Nine Conference football season. In their 13th year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–3 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 174 to 127.
Jeff Loots is a former American football quarterback who played eight seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Milwaukee Mustangs, Minnesota Fighting Pike, Albany Firebirds, Oklahoma Wranglers, Chicago Rush, Buffalo Destroyers and Grand Rapids Rampage. He played college football at Southwest Minnesota State.
Bruce Wayne LaSane is a former American football wide receiver who played eight seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Cincinnati Rockers, Miami Hooters, Minnesota Fighting Pike, Milwaukee Mustangs, Orlando Predators, New Jersey Red Dogs, and Los Angeles Avengers. He played college football at Florida State University and attended Wildwood High School in Wildwood, Florida. He was also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando Thunder.
The 1986 Liberty Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on December 29, 1986, in Memphis, Tennessee. The 28th edition of the Liberty Bowl, the game featured the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Tennessee Volunteers.
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