University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Sports Decade In Review
1/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
The past decade brought plenty of excitement to Minnesota Gopher fans with national and conference championships, upgrades to facilities and even a whole new look to the athletics department. Overall, Minnesota’s team accomplishments are staggering with nine national titles and 48 Big Ten or WCHA championships. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from the past 10 years in Gopher athletics (click on each item header for a photo gallery):
Football returns to campus
September 12, 2009 ushered in a new era of Gopher football and was a day many Minnesota fans won’t soon forget with the opening of TCF Bank Stadium. Years of planning and fundraising resulted in the Gophers’ first game on campus since 1981. It was a story that lasted nearly the entire decade as feasibility studies began in 2002 and approval from the state legislature was finally granted on its third attempt in May of 2005. Construction began on July 11, 2007 and the stadium opened in grand fashion with a 20-13 win over the Air Force Academy two years later. The final price tag for the 50,805-seat stadium was $288.5 million. Minnesota became the first Big Ten school to open a new stadium since 1960 and the first Bowl Championship Subdivision school to do so since 1998.
A new look in facilities
Several Gopher squads moved into sparkling new facilities during the past decade, including the women’s hockey and men’s and women’s tennis teams, which debuted in Ridder Arena and the Baseline Tennis Center in the fall of 2002. Ridder Arena will host the women’s Frozen Four in 2010, while the Baseline Tennis Center was named the United States Tennis Association’s Member Organization of the Year in 2009.
The softball team played its first game in Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in 2000 and hosted an NCAA regional in 2002, while the women’s soccer team opened Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium during the 1999-2000 season and hosted an NCAA regional in 2008. The rowing team moved into a brand new boathouse along the Mississippi River in 2007. Legendary Williams Arena underwent renovation in the summer of the 2009 with the original floor from 1928 being replaced. The $600,000 project was completed in August.
United we stand
Two athletic departments became one in the summer of 2002 as Minnesota’s men’s and women’s athletic departments merged. Under the leadership of newly-hired athletics director Joel Maturi, the combined departments eliminated the need for separate staffs and became a more efficient unit overall. Minnesota was one of five schools nationwide with two separate departments when they merged in 2002. The projected department budget deficit over the next five years was $21 million before the merger.
During this period, it was also announced that the sports of men's golf, the sports of women's golf and men's gymnastics were on the chopping block due to financial reasons. Under Maturi's leadership, the trio were rescued by a group called Save Gopher Sports in a 10-month fund-raising effort. The goal of the group was to raise the $2.7 million dollars needed to continue to fund the sports. Highlighting the fund-raising was a three-hour telethon aired statewide on Kare 11, the local NBC affiliate. The telethon, which featured requests for donations from golf legend Arnold Palmer, former Minnesota governor/ex-pro wrestler Jesse Ventura and Hall of Fame baseball player Paul Molitor, raised nearly $700,000.
Drama at the X
One of the most thrilling moments of the decade came on April 6, 2002 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul when Grant Potulny scored an overtime goal to give the Gopher men’s hockey team a 4-3 victory over Maine and its first national championship since 1979. The Gophers trailed in the third period and tied the game on an extra attacker goal by Matt Koalska with 53 seconds left in regulation before Potulny’s goal 16:58 into overtime. Minnesota followed that dramatic win with a second straight national championship under coach Don Lucia on April 12, 2003 with a 5-1 win over New Hampshire in Buffalo, N.Y., scoring four third period goals to pull away for the victory.
Champions on the mat
One of the Gophers’ most successful squads of the decade was the wrestling team, which won three team national titles and had eight individual national champions. All 10 of the Gophers’ wrestlers earned All-American honors during Minnesota’s first national championship season in 2001 and the Gophers went 19-0 in dual meets during their 2002 title campaign. Senior Cole Konrad achieved his second straight undefeated season with a 35-0 record and 76 straight wins to conclude his career while leading the Gophers to the 2007 national title. Konrad and Damion Hahn each won two national titles, while Dustin Schlatter, Jared Lawrence, Luke Becker and Brock Lesnar also claimed national championships. Lesnar became well-known professionally during the decade as a three-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion and the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion.
From extinction to a title
Men’s golf was on the brink of extinction as a varsity sport early in the decade, but that all changed during two days in June of 2002 when the Gophers rallied from 16th place to become the first northern school to win a national championship since 1979. After learning on April 11 that the program would be dropped following the season for financial reasons, the Gophers used a final-day rally to capture their first Big Ten title since 1972 before the dramatic national title win in Columbus, Ohio. Under interim coach Brad James, the Gophers sat in 16th place after the second day and moved into fourth place through three days before walk-on Matt Anderson shot a 66 on the final day to lead Minnesota to the dramatic win. Three-time All-American Justin Smith led the Gophers with a fourth-place finish.
The Gophers won three Big Ten titles in the decade and also finished third at the NCAA Championships in 2006 and ninth in 2007. Bronson La’Cassie became the first four-time All-American in school history from 2004-07.
A run for the ages
An unforgettable postseason run captured the hearts of fans throughout Minnesota as the Gopher women’s basketball team reached the 2004 Final Four under coach Pam Borton. The seventh-seeded Gophers hosted the first and second rounds of the tournament and knocked off second-seeded Kansas State 80-61 in front of 13,425 fans at Williams Arena. Minnesota then beat Boston College 76-63 and top-seeded Duke 82-75 in the Mideast Regional in Norfolk, Va. to earn its first Final Four berth. Lindsay Whalen, the school’s all-time leading scorer, was the regional MVP with 27 points in the title game. The Gophers lost in the national semifinals to eventual national champion Connecticut 67-58. A year later, forward Janel McCarville was the first overall selection in the WNBA draft by the Charlotte Sting.
Women’s basketball emerged on the national scene during the decade, appearing in seven NCAA Tournaments after qualifying just once prior to 2002.
Dominance on the Ice
One of the most dominant teams in the short history of college women’s hockey, the 2004-05 Gopher squad posted a 36-2-2 record and its second straight national championship. The Gophers outscored their opponents 197-45 with 13 shutouts for the season. They featured two prolific scorers as Natalie Darwitz amassed 114 points and Krissy Wendell scored 104 points, which stand as two of the three highest single-season totals in NCAA history. Minnesota won all six of its postseason games and downed Harvard 4-3 in Durham, N.H. for the championship under coach Laura Halldorson. A year earlier, the Gophers finished 30-4-2 and also beat Harvard for the title with a 6-3 win in Providence, R.I. Minnesota also won the American Women’s College Hockey Association national title in 2000 with a 4-2 win in Boston, marking the school’s first national title in a female sport.
More on the Gopher women's hockey program over the last decade
Volleying for a title
The Gopher volleyball team made three Final Four appearances during the decade, including a national runner-up finish in 2004. Minnesota reached the national finals in Long Beach, Calif. by ending USC’s NCAA record 16-match tournament winning streak in the semifinals before losing to Stanford in the title match. The Gophers were ranked No. 1 for the only time in school history midway through the 2004 campaign and reached the Final Four with a pair of dramatic five-set wins in the regional at the Sports Pavilion over Georgia Tech and Ohio State. A year earlier, the Gophers advanced to their first Final Four in Dallas, Texas in similar fashion with five-set victories over Pepperdine and Washington in a regional in Long Beach before losing to eventual champion USC in the semifinals. In 2009, Minnesota knocked off third-seeded Florida State at the Sports Pavilion and fell to Texas in the national semifinals in Tampa, Fla.
Gophers head to Cooperstown
Two former Gopher baseball players joined baseball’s elite as members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Dave Winfield, a pitcher and outfielder for the Gophers from 1971-73, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, while Paul Molitor, who played shortstop at Minnesota from 1975-77, was inducted in 2004. Winfield was the fourth player selected overall in the 1973 draft by the San Diego Padres and played 22 major league seasons, totaling 3,110 hits and 465 home runs. Molitor was chosen third overall in 1977 by the Milwaukee Brewers and collected 3,319 hits and 234 home runs over his 21 professional seasons.
Duel under the Sun
A field goal by Rhys Lloyd with 23 seconds left gave the Gophers a dramatic 31-30 victory over Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl and clinched the football team’s first 10-win season since 1905. Minnesota finished 10-3 for the year under coach Glen Mason and achieved one of three straight Bowl game victories. The Gophers also won the Music City Bowl against Arkansas in 2002 and Alabama in 2004. Laurence Maroney, who went on to star for the New England Patriots, led the Gophers with 131 yards and one touchdown in the Sun Bowl victory.
The 2003 Sun Bowl came in the midst of one of the most productive stretches in Gopher Football history. After only reaching two bowl games from 1977-98, the Gophers reached eight bowls during the 2000s.
Tubby comes to town
Minnesota made a giant splash in the college basketball world with the hiring of national champion coach Tubby Smith from the University of Kentucky on March 23, 2007. Smith coached the Wildcats to the 1998 national championship and led his teams to 20-win seasons in each of his 14 seasons prior to coming to Minnesota. “Tubby Time” ushered in a rejuvenated interest in Gopher basketball both locally and nationally. He led the Gophers to a 20-14 record in his first season and a 22-11 mark in his second year, guiding Minnesota to the NCAA tournament.
Champions among us
Along with the Gophers’ six individuals who won wrestling national titles, three other Minnesota athletes captured national championships during the past decade. Men’s gymnast Clay Strother was a four-time national champion, winning titles in both the pommel horse and floor exercise in 2001 and 2002. In track and field, Adam Steele ran to an outdoor track national title in the 400 meters in 2003, becoming Minnesota’s first track sprint champion. Heather Dorniden won the indoor national championship in the 800 meters in 2006 as a freshman. Dorniden was also a four-time Big Ten champion and nine-time All-American.
The nation’s host
Few schools hosted as many national championship events in as many different sports as Minnesota over the past decade. In fact, the decade began with one of Minnesota’s most notable events hosted when the university played host to the 2001 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four at the Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. Mariucci Arena was also the site of the inaugural women’s hockey Frozen Four in 2001. Minnesota also hosted the women’s hockey Frozen Four in 2006 and will again in 2010. Minnesota hosted the men’s hockey Frozen Four in 2002 and won the championship at the Xcel Energy Center. The Gophers became the first school to host the NCAA men’s and women’s swimming and diving championships on consecutive weekends in 2007. Minnesota also was the site of the 2009 NCAA men’s gymnastics championships and numerous NCAA regional events throughout the decade. Minnesota hosted the 2003 and 2006 NCAA men’s basketball Midwest Regionals at the Metrodome and several first and second round events in both men’s and women’s basketball.
A new man in charge
Joel Maturi took over as the first director of the merged Minnesota athletic departments on July 12, 2002 and has overseen nearly all the changes and achievements of the past decade. A tireless worker, Maturi came to Minnesota from Miami University and can be seen on the sidelines of nearly every Gopher athletics contest. The Gophers have placed in the top 30 of the Learfield Director’s Cup during each year of his tenure and piled up seven national titles and 42 conference championships. Maturi has overseen fiscal responsibility, balanced budgets and a refocused fundraising effort in addition to first-class academic support and a renewed emphasis on NCAA compliance.
A new oar in the water
Minnesota added a new varsity sport in 2000-01 when women’s rowing officially became the school’s 25th sport. Wendy Davis was tabbed as the squad’s head coach and remains the only coach the Gophers have had. It didn’t take long for the rowers to achieve success, winning a Big Ten championship and qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2007.
Making waves
Minnesota’s men’s swimming and diving team was the dominant program in the Big Ten during the past decade, winning five conference titles (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007). The Gophers finished in at least the top 11 at the NCAA meet every season during the decade including five top 10 finishes. Freestyler Terry Silkaitis (2002-05) became one of the most decorated athletes in the history of the University, accumulating 23 All-America awards and 10 Big Ten titles.
All-around athlete
Liz Roehrig became one of the most-accomplished track and field athletes in conference history winning four straight pentathlon Big Ten titles and three heptathlon crowns from 2005-09. She also earned five All-America awards during her career and helped Minnesota claim four conference titles.
Many more highlights
John Anderson’s baseball team winning three straight Big Ten regular season titles from 2002-04…Anderson becoming the Big Ten's all-time winningest coach in 2006 and earning his 1,000th career win in 2009 and being inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame...Gopher women’s track and field and cross country programs winning six conference titles (indoor and outdoor and cross country) between 2006 and 2009 after never claiming a conference title previously….men’s track and field team sweeping the Big Ten indoor and outdoor titles for the first time in 2009….volleyball winning its first Big Ten title in 2002…women’s tennis claiming its first Big Ten title in 2003…women’s gymnastics team ending an eight-year conference title drought in 2006…football center Greg Eslinger winning the Lombardi Trophy and Rimington Trophy in 2005…track and cross country star Hassan Mead winning seven Big Ten titles in just two and a half seasons at the U of M from 2008-09…Gopher soccer winning the Big Ten regular season title in 2008 for the first time in 11 years…women’s swimmer Jillian Tyler finishes as the national runner-up in the 100 breaststroke in her freshman and sophomore seasons in 2008 and 2009 and swims for Canada at the 2008 Olympic Games…women’s swimming and diving wins the Big Ten title in 2008 for the first time in eight seasons…gymnast Carmelina Carabajal becoming the Gophers’ first Big Ten all-around champion in 20 years in 2009...Guillermo Alvarez winning the 2005 Nissen-Emery Award as the nation's top senior gymnast.
