Arne Carlson - M Club Hall of Fame - University of Minnesota Athletics

Upcoming Events

Schedule

Feb 14

8:00 PM

Men's Basketball

at Washington

Feb 15

8:30 AM

Baseball

vs Ball State

Feb 15

9:00 AM

Tennis

vs Colorado

Arne Carlson
Distinguished Service Award
HOF Class of 1998

Often called the Gophers’ No. 1 fan, Arne Carlson’s support for the University of Minnesota began when he was a grad student here.

Carlson was born in New York City and graduated from Williams College in 1957, heading to the Twin Cities for grad studies. Before long he felt the draw of politics. He served one term on the Minneapolis from 1965 to 1967, and was the Republican candidate for mayor in 1967. Carlson served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1971 to 1979, and then was elected state auditor from 1979 to 1991, when he was elected governor of Minnesota.

Carlson was governor for eight years, until 1999; his official portrait in the State Capitol shows him wearing a Gopher letter jacket. He often gave pre-game motivational speeches to the Gophers, entertained Minnesota teams at the Governor’s residence, and consistently promoted Gopher athletics.