Maroon & Gold Forever: Celebrating 125 Years of Gopher Football

by Ross Bernstein

Book Overview

The University of Minnesotas football history comes to life. Along with hundreds of photos, this book is full of timeless stories, historical facts and personable biographies, many from the stars... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0978780957
• ISBN13: 9780978780951
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Bernstein Books
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.1" x 12.0"

Customer Reviews

INTRODUCTION FROM THE AUTHOR, ROSS BERNSTEIN

INTRODUCTION FROM THE AUTHOR, ROSS BERNSTEIN Welcome to "Maroon & Gold Forever" and thank you for supporting Golden Gopher football. History will be made on September 12, 2009, when the Gophers take the field for the very first time at TCF Bank Stadium to do battle against Air Force. It is a day many die-hards such as myself have longed for in Gold Country, a day in which we can watch our beloved rodents play the game as it was originally intended -- outside in the elements. That's right, "old school." I say rodents, by the way, with not only a deep sense of love and admiration, but also with some authority. That's right. You see, I used to be a rodent. In fact, I was THE rodent... as in "Goldy the Gopher." It's kind of a crazy story, but back in the late `80s I was a walk-on to Coach Woog's Gopher Hockey team and wound up getting cut. I had always dreamt of wearing the Maroon and Gold, so I was really crushed when I got the news. It turned out, however, that there was another job opening on the team -- one not quite as sexy as "first line center," but pretty darn close: team mascot. Now, there were two basic criteria for the job: first, you had to be a decent hockey player (because in years past the mascot had always been a member of the marching band and I think the powers-that-be were just tired of Bucky the Badger coming to town and beating the snot out of Goldy); and secondly, you had to be a complete idiot. I apparently fit on both accounts and got the gig. From there I began dressing up as a giant rodent and making a fool out of myself in front of thousands of people at old Mariucci Arena. Go figure. My love for the Gophers has always been there though, ever since I was a kid. I grew up in a Gopher household for sure. My mom and dad met at the U back in the early 60s and my two big brothers are Gopher grads as well. I have great memories of walking down University Avenue with my dad and brothers on homecoming, watching in amazement as the floats drove by in the parade and looking up in awe at the fraternity houses all decorated with pomp and chicken wire. From there, we would head over to old Memorial Stadium, the Brick House, to watch our beloved Gophers. What a place. It just wreaked of history and tradition in there. I, like so many other fans, was pretty bummed out when they finally tore it down. I was actually living in a frat house across the street during those days when it sat empty. I even remember playing intramural football in there. How surreal is that, me playing on the same field as Bruce Smith and Paul Giel? It was so sad to see the old gal all dilapidated at that point, just a shell of her former self. I gotta be honest, I was never a big fan of the Dome. To see Gopher football leave campus was tough. I even lived in Middlebrook Hall my freshman year too, which was only a 15 minute walk through the West Bank to get there. My buddies and I all had season tickets and we lived for Saturday