University of Minnesota Athletics
Get Gopher Smart (June, 2008)
7/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
June 30, 2008 Gopher All-American and 2003 U of M graduate Shani Marks became the first Gopher women's track and field American athlete to earn a berth in the Olympic Games after she won the triple jump at the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 29. Her leap of 47 feet, 2 1/4 inches was a career-best in the finals.
June 25, 2008 Melvin Calvin, a 1935 U of M graduate and biochemist, received the 1961 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of the chemical pathways of photosynthesis.
June 24, 2008 Minnesota freshman swimmer Jillian Tyler became second Gopher women's swimmer to qualify for an Olympic team when she finished second in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Montreal this April. The previous swimmer to earn a spot an Olympic team was Olga Splichalova, who swam in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics with the Czech Republic. Tyler, a Calgary, Alberta native, will compete for Canada in Beijing in August.
June 23, 2008 When Gopher junior Nate Hanson was selected by the Minnesota Twins on June 6 in the Major League Baseball Draft, he became the 20th Gopher to chosen by the hometown team (since 1966). Hanson was taken in the 28th round with 846th overall pick.
June 19, 2008 The University of Minnesota was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, seven years before the territory of Minnesota became a state. Financial problems forced the school to close during the Civil War, but with the help of Minneapolis entrepreneur John Sargent Pillsbury, it reopened in 1867. Known as the father of the University, Pillsbury, who was a University regent, state senator, and governor, used his influence to establish the school as the official recipient of public support from the Morrill Land-Grant Act, designating it as Minnesota's land-grant university.
June 18, 2008 Senior women's track and field athlete Liz Roehrig finished as the national runner-up in the heptathlon last week at the NCAA Championships in Iowa. She became the sixth Gopher to place second at the outdoor national meet, tying the best finishes in school history. Roehrig finished her career as a four-time All-American in the multi-events.
June 17, 2008 The Honeycrisp apple, developed at the University of Minnesota, recently was named one of the "25 Innovations That Changed the World" by the Association of University Technology Managers, alongside advances like the Google search engine and electronic hearing implants for the deaf.
June 11, 2008 Gopher, created in 1991 by a University of Minnesota team led by programmer Mark McCahill, was the Internet's first widely used search-and-retrieval system. It was the standard tool of online research in the early- to mid-1990s, like the World Wide Web is today. Gopher opened up the Internet and made it much easier for computer users, anywhere in the world, to find information online and make their own articles, images and data available to others.
June 10, 2008 The first and only one of its kind in the world, the Tucker Center on the U of M campus is an interdisciplinary research center leading a pioneering effort to examine how sport and physical activity affect the lives of girls and women, their families, and communities.
June 6, 2008 Tom Lehman, a 1981 U of M alum, is the Gophers' most decorated professional men's golfer. Lehman is a 19-year PGA Tour veteran, has won five times on the Tour, including the 1996 British Open. Lehman was also named the 1996 PGA Tour Player of the Year and has over $20 million in career earnings. He also played on three Ryder Cup teams and was the captain in 2006. During his college career, he was Minnesota's first three-time All-American.
June 5, 2008 Several former U of M football assistant coaches hold top coaching positions in the National Football League. Current Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was Minnesota's offensive coordinator in 1979 while Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was the quarterbacks coach at the U of M from 1995-96. Longtime Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore was a Gopher assistant from 1972-73 and 1975-76. He is an assistant for Gopher alum and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.
June 3, 2008 The University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management's China executive MBA program was ranked the best such program in China, according to a survey of leading Chinese media organizations. The Carlson School joins with Sun Yat-sen University's Lingnan College to offer the degree. It's just one of several exchange opportunities building on the Minnesota-China connection that began with the first Chinese students arriving on the U of M campus in 1914. The China Center, established in 1979 when U.S.-China relations were normalized, is one of only two such university centers in the country.
June 2, 2008 Current U of M women's swimming and diving co-head coach Terry (Ganley) Nieszner was the first Minnesota woman athlete to earn All-America honors in 1974. She went on to claim four AIAW All-America honors and be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame and Minnesota Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
June 25, 2008 Melvin Calvin, a 1935 U of M graduate and biochemist, received the 1961 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of the chemical pathways of photosynthesis.
June 24, 2008 Minnesota freshman swimmer Jillian Tyler became second Gopher women's swimmer to qualify for an Olympic team when she finished second in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Canadian Olympic Trials in Montreal this April. The previous swimmer to earn a spot an Olympic team was Olga Splichalova, who swam in both the 1992 and 1996 Olympics with the Czech Republic. Tyler, a Calgary, Alberta native, will compete for Canada in Beijing in August.
June 23, 2008 When Gopher junior Nate Hanson was selected by the Minnesota Twins on June 6 in the Major League Baseball Draft, he became the 20th Gopher to chosen by the hometown team (since 1966). Hanson was taken in the 28th round with 846th overall pick.
June 19, 2008 The University of Minnesota was founded as a preparatory school in 1851, seven years before the territory of Minnesota became a state. Financial problems forced the school to close during the Civil War, but with the help of Minneapolis entrepreneur John Sargent Pillsbury, it reopened in 1867. Known as the father of the University, Pillsbury, who was a University regent, state senator, and governor, used his influence to establish the school as the official recipient of public support from the Morrill Land-Grant Act, designating it as Minnesota's land-grant university.
June 18, 2008 Senior women's track and field athlete Liz Roehrig finished as the national runner-up in the heptathlon last week at the NCAA Championships in Iowa. She became the sixth Gopher to place second at the outdoor national meet, tying the best finishes in school history. Roehrig finished her career as a four-time All-American in the multi-events.
June 17, 2008 The Honeycrisp apple, developed at the University of Minnesota, recently was named one of the "25 Innovations That Changed the World" by the Association of University Technology Managers, alongside advances like the Google search engine and electronic hearing implants for the deaf.
June 11, 2008 Gopher, created in 1991 by a University of Minnesota team led by programmer Mark McCahill, was the Internet's first widely used search-and-retrieval system. It was the standard tool of online research in the early- to mid-1990s, like the World Wide Web is today. Gopher opened up the Internet and made it much easier for computer users, anywhere in the world, to find information online and make their own articles, images and data available to others.
June 10, 2008 The first and only one of its kind in the world, the Tucker Center on the U of M campus is an interdisciplinary research center leading a pioneering effort to examine how sport and physical activity affect the lives of girls and women, their families, and communities.
June 6, 2008 Tom Lehman, a 1981 U of M alum, is the Gophers' most decorated professional men's golfer. Lehman is a 19-year PGA Tour veteran, has won five times on the Tour, including the 1996 British Open. Lehman was also named the 1996 PGA Tour Player of the Year and has over $20 million in career earnings. He also played on three Ryder Cup teams and was the captain in 2006. During his college career, he was Minnesota's first three-time All-American.
June 5, 2008 Several former U of M football assistant coaches hold top coaching positions in the National Football League. Current Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was Minnesota's offensive coordinator in 1979 while Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn was the quarterbacks coach at the U of M from 1995-96. Longtime Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore was a Gopher assistant from 1972-73 and 1975-76. He is an assistant for Gopher alum and Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy.
June 3, 2008 The University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management's China executive MBA program was ranked the best such program in China, according to a survey of leading Chinese media organizations. The Carlson School joins with Sun Yat-sen University's Lingnan College to offer the degree. It's just one of several exchange opportunities building on the Minnesota-China connection that began with the first Chinese students arriving on the U of M campus in 1914. The China Center, established in 1979 when U.S.-China relations were normalized, is one of only two such university centers in the country.
June 2, 2008 Current U of M women's swimming and diving co-head coach Terry (Ganley) Nieszner was the first Minnesota woman athlete to earn All-America honors in 1974. She went on to claim four AIAW All-America honors and be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame and Minnesota Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
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