Difference between revisions of "Minnesota"

Revision as of 12:44, 13 January 2012

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Division: NCAA Division I FBS Conference (football): Big Ten Conference Stadium: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Conference (basketball): Big Ten Conference Arena: Williams Arena

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Golden Gophers compete as members of the Big Ten Conference in NCAA Division I FCS football and in NCAA Division I basketball. Minnesota is a public land-grant institution located on dual campuses in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has an undergraduate enrollment of around 29,000.

The Minneapolis campus is bisected by the Mississippi River. The east bank campus starts from the river and heads up to University Avenue in the north, Oak Street in the east, and Interstate 35-E to the west. The west bank portion is a square-like campus centered around Washington Avenue. The Saint Paul campus is bordered by Larpenteur Avenue to the north, Cleveland Avenue to the west, and Como Avenue and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to the east and south. The two main campuses are connected by the U of M Transitway. TCF Bank Stadium (50,805) is located on the East Bank campus at the NE corner of 4th Street and Oak Street. Williams Arena (14,625) is at the opposite corner.

Minnesota's main rival is it's border buddy, Wisconsin. The two play for Paul Bunyan's Axe and the Slab of Bacon. The Gophers have other rivalries with Iowa (Floyd of Rosedale) and Michigan (Little Brown Jug). There are also rivalries in hockey with Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato, North Dakota, and Saint Cloud State, though those will be diminished in stature as the Gophers join the Big Ten's new hockey conference in 2013.

Although the Gophers have become a weak link in the Big Ten recently, the school still boasts around 250 players who have gone to play in the NFL. Among the most well known are Hall of Famers Bobby Bell, Bronko Nagurski, Leo Nomellini and Charlie Sanders, plus future hall of famer Tony Dungy. Bud Grant, a member of both the Pro Football and Canadian Football halls of fame, also played for a year in the NBA, one of 46 such men who made the pro ranks, which also include, among others, Hall of Famer Kevin McHale and former 1st pick Mychal Thompson. Dave Winfield, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was drafted by the NFL, NBA, and ABA.