Minnesota

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 (Exit 18) to the west. Interstate 94 (Exit 235B) also serves the campus. One of the main roads, Washington Avenue is being redeveloped as a pedestrian and rail mall to accomodate the new Blue Line light rail service connecting downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The west bank portion is a square-like campus centered around Washington Avenue. The Saint Paul campus, which houses agricultural studies, 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 and served by its own busline. 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, Mariucci Arena (10,000) is on 3rd Street, opposite Williams Arena.

Minnesota's main rival is its border buddy, Wisconsin. The two play for Paul Bunyan's Axe and (previously) the Slab of Bacon in football, and the rivalry extends to all other sports they compete in. 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 four Hall of Famers, LB Bobby Bell, FB Bronko Nagurski, G Leo Nomellini, and TE 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 first pick Mychal Thompson. Dave Winfield, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was drafted by the NFL, NBA, and ABA. But its hockey, where the Gophers have had the most impact. Over 100 former Gophers have played in the NHL and/or WHA, including Mike Antonovich, Neal Broten, Paul Holmgren, Phil Kessel, Jack McCartan, Joe Micheletti, Lou Nanne, and Mike Ramsey, many of whom were vital players on two gold-medal winning US Olympic teams (1960 and 1980). Prominent coaches include John Mariucci, namesake of the team's rink, and Herb Brooks, whos resume includes 3 NCAA hockey championships, 4 coaching jobs in the NHL, and was coach of 1980 Olympic Team, who produced "The Miracle on Ice" versus the Soviet Union.