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Quiz about Minnesota Golden Gopher Football

Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Quiz

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers have a rich history in college football. Let's see how much you know about the Gophers and hopefully you'll learn something new!

A multiple-choice quiz by pyonir. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
pyonir

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
333,303

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
207

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Minnesota Golden Gophers played their first game on September 29th, 1882. The final score of the game was 4-0, with the Gophers coming out on the winning end. Who did they play? Hint

University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN)

Hamline University (St. Paul, MN)

University of Wisconsin

Brown University

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Question 2 of 10

2. From 1900 to 1911, the Gophers won 7 conference championships. This coach reigned from 1900 to 1921 and led Minnesota to 136 wins, 33 losses, 11 ties, and a total of 8 conference championships. Who was he? Hint

Murray Warmath

Dr. Clarence Spears

Henry L. Williams

William H. Spaulding

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Question 3 of 10

3. Bronko Nagurski played for the Gophers from 1927 to 1929. The Gophers went 18-4-2 while Nagurski played for them and won the Big Ten Conference championship in 1927. Bronko grew up in International Falls, Minnesota. Which country was he born in? Hint

Canada

Poland

United States

Ukraine

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Question 4 of 10

4. The University of Minnesota won 5 National Championships from 1934 to 1941 under the tutelage of Bernie Bierman. Bierman played for the Gophers before going into coaching. Which position did Bierman play in the Gophers' hard-running offense? Hint

Quarterback

Halfback

Lineman

Wide receiver

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Question 5 of 10

5. The 1961 Rose Bowl was the first bowl game the Golden Gophers played in, following the 1960 season. The top ranked Gophers were beaten 17-7 by the sixth ranked University of Washington Huskies. What ranking did the Gophers finish in both the Associated Press and coaches polls? Hint

Sixth

Tenth

First

Third

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Question 6 of 10

6. From 1973 to 1976, this man played quarterback for the Gophers. He played defensive back in the NFL from 1977 to 1980 before going into coaching. As a head coach, he led his team to a Super Bowl win in February 2007. Who was this former Gopher? Hint

Mike Tice

Jon Gruden

Tony Dungy

Bill Cowher

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Question 7 of 10

7. What is the name of the Gophers mascot? Hint

Goldy Gopher

Gordie the Gopher

Gopherzilla

He doesn't have a name

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Question 8 of 10

8. Lou Holtz was the head coach of the Gophers for two years, 1984 and 1985. He won 10 games and lost 12 as head coach, but also led the Gophers to an Independence Bowl win in 1985. Why did Holtz only coach for two years at Minnesota? Hint

He retired from coaching

He was fired for rules violations

He took the head coaching job at Notre Dame

He took a head coaching job in the NFL

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Question 9 of 10

9. The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football team began play in TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. Before moving to their new outdoor stadium, where did the Gophers play their home games from 1982 to 2008? Hint

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Metropolitan Stadium

Memorial Stadium

Williams Arena

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Question 10 of 10

10. Following the 2010 season, the Gophers hired a new head coach. He left his head coaching job at the University of Northern Illinois. What is his name? Hint

Jerry Kill

Glen Mason

Nick Saban

Les Miles

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The Minnesota Golden Gophers played their first game on September 29th, 1882. The final score of the game was 4-0, with the Gophers coming out on the winning end. Who did they play?

Answer: Hamline University (St. Paul, MN)

The Gophers only played two games in their first year of existence. Both games were played against Hamline University. Hamline won the second game on October 7 by a score of 2-0.

Answer: Henry L. Williams

Williams invented the "Minnesota shift" in which the offense would line up, then shift to a new formation before the ball was snapped. Teams struggled to stop the Minnesota offense with this new shifting maneuver, and it led to the success that Williams enjoyed at the U of M.

Answer: Canada

Nagurski was born in Rainy River, Ontario, in 1908. His parents were immigrants from Western Ukraine and Bronko was of Polish-Ukrainian descent. Nagurski was large for a running back in that era and was larger than most offensive and defensive linemen at the time.

He went on to play for the Chicago Bears from 1930-1937, 1943, and was a three-time world champion wrestler. He died in International Falls in 1990 at the age of 81.

Answer: Halfback

Bierman played halfback from 1913 to 1915. He was head coach of the Gophers from 1932-1941 and 1945-1950. In his 16 coaching seasons, the Gophers won 8 conference titles and had 5 undefeated seasons. The team went 93-35-6 under his reign.

Answer: First

The final AP and coaches polls for the 1960 season actually came out on November 29th, 1960. Bowl results were not considered in the final poll rankings so the Gophers were still considered the AP and coaches poll National Champions.

Answer: Tony Dungy

When Dungy finished his career with Minnesota, he was the Gophers' all-time leader in passing completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes. He went on to win a Super Bowl as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978, and coaching the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win in 2007.

He became the third man to win both a Super Bowl as a player and a coach, with Mike Ditka and Tom Flores being the other two. Dungy also became the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl.

7. What is the name of the Gophers mascot?

Answer: Goldy Gopher

Goldy Gopher made his first appearance in 1940. Up until 1992, the University of Minnesota marching band was in charge of the mascot, and the members of the band rotated wearing the costume. After 1992, control of the mascot was given to the athletic department.

Answer: He took the head coaching job at Notre Dame

Lou Holtz had a Notre Dame clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the University of Minnesota and take the head coaching job at the University of Notre Dame, should it become available. Holtz took the job in 1986 and led Notre Dame to a 100-30-2 record in his tenure of 11 seasons, including a National Championship in 1988.

In that same time frame, the Gophers went 45-75-2. Holtz only had one losing season at Notre Dame in 1986 when they went 5-6.

Answer: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

The Gophers played in the Metrodome, the same home stadium of the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings. Before the Metrodome, the team played at Memorial Stadium, an outdoor stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota from 1924 to 1981.

10. Following the 2010 season, the Gophers hired a new head coach. He left his head coaching job at the University of Northern Illinois. What is his name?

Answer: Jerry Kill

Jerry Kill was hired on December 5th, 2010. Kill's two previous coaching jobs were Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. The teams were 1-10 and 6-7, respectively. Within three years, their records were 10-2 and 10-3. Minnesota ended 2010 with a 3-9 record.

Source: Author pyonir

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