This week’s Tuesday Trivia focuses on the football rivalry between the universities of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The Gophers and Badgers will play for the 134th time Friday (yes, Friday) at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
Answers are below.
Questions
1. Paul Bunyan’s Axe is the second trophy the Gophers and Badgers have played for. What was the first?
2. Only one game separates the schools in rivalry, which started in 1890. Who does lead the series?
3. When was the last time the rivalry determined a Big Ten Conference champion?
4. Which school has the most Heisman Trophy winners?
5. There has only been one year since the first meeting in 1890 the schools did not play, What year and why?
6. In what cities has the Minnesota-Wisconsin game been played.
7. Huntington Bank Stadium (previously known as TCF Bank Stadium) is the fourth home stadium for the University of Minnesota football team. What are the first three?
8. Who coached the Badgers for three seasons prior to becoming the head coach at then-Mankato State College for six seasons?
9. What is the long winning streak in the series for each school?
10. What’s the origin of Goldy Gopher as a mascot?
Answers
1. From 1930-1943 Minnesota and Wisconsin played for the Slab of Bacon Trophy. However, that trophy went missing in 1943. The trophy resurfaced more than a half-century later in a Camp Randall Stadium storage locker in 1994. The trophy had been well cared for and had all of the game scores from 1930 through 1970 painted on the back.
2. Wisconsin holds a 63-62-8 advantage in the series. The Badgers took the series lead for the first time in 2017 with a 31-0 win. Minnesota had led the overall series since 1902, at times by as many as 20 games.
3. In 1962 when No. 3 Wisconsin defeated No. 5 Minnesota 14-9 in Madison for a berth in the 1963 Rose Bowl.
4. Wisconsin has had two Heisman winners (Alan Ameche, 1954; Ron Dayne, 1999). Minnesota has had one (Bruce Smith, 1941).
5. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt suspended college football rivalry games for safety concerns, due to player injuries and fatalities on the field. Subsequently, it is now the longest uninterrupted rivalry in FBS Division 1 college football.
6. Two. Minneapolis and Madison.
7. Northrop Field, Memorial Stadium, and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.
8. John Coatta was the head coach at Wisconsin from 1967-1969, compiling a 3-26-1 record. He set an NCAA record for most consecutive games without a win to begin a career with 23. Coatta did not win a game in his first two seasons. Allegedly, the Badgers passed on future Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler when they hired Coatta. Schembechler was the head coach at Miami University at the time. He coached at Mankato State from 1970-1975, compiling a 35-24-2 record. The school temporarily dropped football after the 1975 season. It’s difficult to imagine Luke Fickell going from Wisconsin to Minnesota State now. Or Barry Alvarez or Bret Bielema before that.
9. Wisconsin won 14 straight from 2004-2017. Minnesota won nine in a row from 1933-1941.
10. Goldy Gopher was born in 1952 when an assistant bandmaster bought a fuzzy wool suit and asked one of the marching band members to climb into it. The University’s first tie to gophers came when Minnesota was dubbed the “Gopher state” in 1857.
Here’s a story as it appeared in the Nov. 16, 1890 edition of the Milwaukee Sentinel on the first-ever game between Minnesota and Wisconsin, won 63-0 by Minnesota.
Sports writing was a bit different in those days. And apparently punctuation wasn’t a thing.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Nov. 15.'About 800 people witnessed the foot ball game between the State university and the Wisconsin university. The visitors seemed to lack courage and training. L.K. Hull of Yale, was referee, and A.P. Kletzsch umpire. The score stood 20 to 0 in favor of the Minnesotas, when time was called at the end of the first half the Madison boys couldn't hold back the 'Varsity kickers, who rushed them to the goal lines in short order. Little Sumner was about the only man on the Wisconsin team who seemed to play with any success. He tackled well and made several long runs. Patterson scored the first touch down, from which Minnesota tried to punt out, but failed. Soon after Harding scored another touch down and Belden kick a goal. Patterson followed with another touch down and another attempt was made to punt, which also proved a failure. Patterson had hardly regained his wind, when he was pushed through and scored another touch down. Belden kicked a goal. It was evident at the end of the half that it was a walk-over for the 'Varsity eleven. Madison realized this better than anybody, and the best they hoped for in the second half was to keep Minnesota from shutting them out.
About five minutes after time was called Patterson scored another touch down and Belden kicked a goal. Then Patterson gave way to Leary, who scored three touch downs in succession. Belden kicked a goal twice on Leary's touch downs. Leary's fine work provoked the Wisconsin men to shout 'Look for the man with the bloody nose!' But Patterson wasn't to be held back and equaled Leary by scoring three touch downs in succession also. A goal was kicked with each of these. The score was then 58 to 0 and but one minute was left. This was sufficient, however, as the score was swelled to 63 by Belden kicking a goal from the field, a feat that has never been accomplished before by any of the Northwestern college teams. All though Minnesota blocked well, and Wisconsin could not withstand her beefy rush line. Davidson and Sumner had to retire from the Madison team and were replaced by Miller and Oppenheimer. Guthrie gave way to Harris in the second half. Ann Arbor will likely be the next team to meet Minnesota.