Don’t be afraid of who you are, Gophers
Don’t Be Afraid of Who You Are, Gophers
Adam Hefty
So, here’s the deal. Being from Madison, it’s no surprise I am a Badger fan. And the longest rivalry the Badgers have is the Minnesota Gophers. Despite how we feel who has the most success as of 2019, the Gophers have actually had much more success throughout the years. Seven, count them, SEVEN national championships to go along with their 18 conference championships. As a program, that is nothing to sneeze at. Then why does it seem that the Gophers sometimes seem to run from that history?
It’s sort of a joke in Wisconsin circles that the University of Minnesota can’t seem to get out of its own way as of late. As far as I remember, they had a decent coach in Glen Mason and ran him out of town. As a coach for the Maroon and Gold, they went to 7 Bowl Games in 9 years. That’s not nothing. At times even flirting with a Rose Bowl berth. They replaced Mason with a silver-tongued Tim Brewster that seemed to push Gopher football back quite a bit. Since then with Kill, Claeys, and Fleck, they’ve been hovering around .500.
I’m not here to give you a history on Gopher Football. I might be the only one here who seeks out college football history. What I AM here for is my opinion the Gophers should stick to a classic jersey, helmet combination when out on the gridiron. You may be saying to yourself, “This couldn’t matter any less. Only weirdos care about jersey/helmet combinations.” To that I say, you’re right. Now lets move on…
The reason why football programs get flashy with their uniforms is because they feel that has more value than sticking with their classic jersey. How does a classic jersey get value, you may ask? It comes with success. It comes with winning. Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State. Teams like that don’t worry about looking flashy. There is no mystery of what they’re going to look like coming out of the tunnel. What they’re going to do is beat your butt and make you see the golden dome, plain white, and numbered helmets in your nightmares. I can’t imagine what it feels like to break into a petrified sweat when just seeing a color.
One school – just one – can get away with changing up looks often. That’s the University of Oregon. One of the Ducks alumni is Co-Founder and former CEO of Nike, Phil Knight. He seems to have a very close partnership with his former school and it seems to be working well for both parties. They were the original school of mixing up combinations and making it “cool.” That attracted high-level recruits which turned into winning. Even appearing in two national championships. They were the originals. Everyone else has either been copycats or trying to jumpstart interest forcefully.
When it comes to the Gopher program, they have everything they need already. They don’t need a gimmick. They have history, past success, and when people see that “Block M” everyone knows who that is.
I’m sure all of you are dying to hear what my personal preference for the Minnesota Golden Gopher football uniform is. Well, wait no longer. I favor the golden helmet. I mean, you have to stress the “Golden” part of Golden Gopher somehow, right? Maroon jerseys, and maybe a classic gold for the pants. *chef kiss* Perfection.
College football is a joy to all the senses. Be it the smell and taste of the grilled brats at the tailgate, the crisp fall weather that makes that hoodie the most comfortable piece in your drawer, the sound of the marching band and the click-clack of the drums coming into the stadium, and as we discussed here today, the visual memories you take from cherished times with your parents/children and the how it
looked on the field. I’m sure all of you remember exactly the maroon and gold you saw on those fall afternoons. Lean into that, Gophers. Be proud of your history. Where do you want your opponents to see you? On the clothing racks, or in their nightmares?