The
University of Minnesota Twin Cities was originally
built in 1851 and was located about a mile upstream of the Mississippi
river from where it stands today. Today's campus has buildings on
both banks of the river, but the East Bank is the main portion of campus and
covers 307 acres. The West Bank of the campus currently
covers 53 acres and is home to many of the arts buildings and the business
school. The Twin Cities location is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota
school system and has the second-largest student body in the United States according to autumn
2005 statistics, with 51,175 students.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is the home of the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was dubbed the "Gopher State"
by the union in 1857 and the University appropriately adopted the animal as its
mascot. However, the golden adjective has not always been a part of the Gopher name.
During the 1930s, the University
of Minnesota Gophers wore
gold jerseys and pants. Legendary KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined
the term "Golden Gophers" in reference to the teams all-gold attire on the
field. The golden term stuck and the University amended their formal moniker to
the Golden Gophers. Despite the golden term, the teams' colors are actually maroon,
white and gold.
The Golden
Gophers are members of the Big Ten Conference and the Western Collegiate Hockey
Association in the NCAA. Most of the facilities that the teams use for training
and competitive play are located on the East Bank of the Minneapolis campus. There are arenas for male
and female basketball (Williams Arena) as well as hockey (Mariucci Arena and
Ridder Arena). The Golden Gophers football team plays at the Hubert H Humphrey
Metrodome, home of the NFL Minnesota Vikings and MLB Minnesota Twins, in downtown
Minneapolis.
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are a team rich with history and success. The school has
held recent national championships in men's hockey in 2002 and 2003, in women's
hockey in 2004 and 2005, in wrestling 2001 and 2002 and in men's golf in 2002.
The University has a long tradition of strong football teams as well, winning
the National Championship in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960.
The
Golden Gopher Men?s Hockey team is cloaked in deep tradition. Dating back to
1922, the University of Minnesota has been known as a definite hockey
stronghold and the state of Minnesota
is known as "The State of Hockey." The Gophers have had many great players wearing
their maroon and gold jerseys including the legendary Herb Brooks,
John Mariucci and Neal Broten. The hockey team has several championship titles
and will continue to be strong for many years to come. Selling out Mariucci
arena to a sea of excited fans is a regular occurrence for the Men's Golden
Gopher Hockey team.
The Golden
Gophers Men's Basketball team is no stranger to sold-out arenas either. The men
play their games at Williams Arena, which seats 14,000 fans. In the large Minneapolis market, fans
are constantly clamoring for college basketball tickets at Williams Arena. The Golden
Gophers Men's basketball team have been to Final Fours, won Big Ten titles, and
produced NBA legends like Kevin McHale, Flip Saunders and Bobby Jackson. Despite
any controversies surrounding the Gophers basketball team, the most recent
being an academic scandal a few years ago, the Gopher Men's Basketball team is
moving forward and doing things the right way. The experienced coaching staff
is working toward improving the talent level and keeping the team in the hunt
for the Big Ten title.
The rich
history of the Golden Gopher Football program is well known by most college
football fans. Winning six national championships and home to many outstanding
players, including Bronko Nagurski,
the only college football player ever voted to be an All-American at two
different positions in the same season, and Bruce Smith, the winner of the 1941
Heisman Trophy, the University's Big Ten football
program is top notch. The team is working hard to bring another Championship to
Minnesota.
The University of Minnesota is a large school in an
enormous market, so Golden Gophers tickets are extremely hot. Whether you want
to see the football team at the big Dome, the Men's Basketball team at "The Barn"
or the Men's Hockey team at Mariucci, the University of Minnesota
Golden Gophers are sure to impress! Call
now to reserve your seats to see the Golden Gophers put on a great show!
Minnesota Golden Gophers sports have recently been revitalized with the influx of new experienced coaching personnel. Tubby Smith comes in as the new Gophers men's basketball coach, bringing a long winning tradition with him. The Gophers men's basketball team will look to seriously dig deep into recruiting pools around the nation because of high school player's desire to play for a distinguished coach like Tubby Smith. On the football side, the Gophers have hired Tim Brewster to be the new head coach. Brewster's has the same task as Smith - to bring back a winning tradition to the University of Minnesota. He also has the added task of removing the "urban tomb" stigma from the Gophers football program. Many college campuses around the nation are in rural areas and their football program does not have to compete with professional teams for fans. The Gophers football team has four professional teams to compete with in the Twin Cities, but a new Gophers football stadium will help bring Gophers football back to campus where it belongs and out of the Metrodome. The new football stadium in 2009 will certainly help sell Golden Gopher tickets.
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