Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus and the associated sports teams, known as the Golden Gophers, as well as the 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018 UCA Mascot National Champion. During the year, Goldy makes over 1000 appearances and is at virtually all home games for University teams, usually wearing the appropriate sporting attire.
History
Goldy's laundry dilemma - Goldy Gopher suffers from a lack of laundry knowledge. Can he wash maroon and gold together? Will a Badger shirt ruin his other clothing? Good thing U of MN Family Education Professor Yvonne...
Minnesota became known as the "Gopher State" in 1857, the result of a political cartoon ridiculing the $5 million Railroad Loan which helped open up the West. The cartoon portrayed shifty railroad barons as striped gophers pulling a railroad car carrying the Territorial Legislature toward the "Slough of Despond". The first U of M yearbook bearing the name "Gopher Annual" appeared in 1887.
Minnesota's athletic teams became widely known as the "Gophers" by the 1920s, but it was not until 1934 that Halsey Hall, great Minnesota sportswriter and broadcaster, dubbed Bernie Bierman's all-gold uniformed team "The Golden Gophers". Bierman had chosen the gold color because the football blended in with the uniforms.
The embodiment of the Gopher mascot came to life in 1952 when University of Minnesota assistant bandmaster Jerome Glass bought a fuzzy wool gopher suit with a papier-mâché head and asked one of the band members to climb into it. "Goldy" Gopher (the first name seems to have appeared sometime in the 1970s) became a fixture within the University of Minnesota Marching Band and Pep Band, as each year a band member was chosen to don the suit for that season. Wherever these two bands performed, Goldy was there to glad-hand with the crowd, hug the little kids, torment the cheerleaders and generally add a friendly Minnesota flavor to the event.
During the early 1960s, Goldy was written into the football pre-game and halftime shows with a specific place to be. Limited visibility from within the suit made it difficult to see out, and any of the suit’s wearers with glasses would fog up while trying to peer out the mouth hole, as the eyeholes were useless. One benefit during the cold games at Memorial Stadium in November was that Goldy Gopher was one of the few fans that stayed warm.
Each band member who was allowed the joy of being the Gopher developed an individual personality, a unique way of relating to the crowd. And the mystique of Goldy Gopher became a tradition that absolutely prohibited removal of the head while in public, maintaining an illusion for the younger children that Goldy Gopher was a real live huggable animal.
The style of the gopher suit changed many times through the years, sometimes by chance, sometimes by design. Until the early 1970s, the head was narrow and pointy-nosed, reminiscent of the real animal. Then in 1972, Goldy suddenly grew chubby cheeks and a wider, forward-looking face, almost cherubic in appearance. The gopher of the 1970s and early 1980s was comparable in appearance to a teddy bear, a favorite of children and grandmothers. For a brief period in 1985, a fierce-looking “mega-rodent“ appeared, with a barrel chest, clown feet and sinister eyes. This look didn't last long, and Goldy soon again became a lovable, friendly character.
From 1952 until 1990, the Gopher appearing at U of M sports events was a member of the Marching Band, and a symbiosis developed through the years that on more than one occasion kept Goldy out of trouble. With a propensity for attracting tail-pulling kids, Goldy relied on the band to save him from their clutches. And when the opposing team's cheerleaders or band members managed to “kidnap†the unfortunate rodent (a Big Ten tradition), band members would come to the rescue.
In the late 1980s the U of M Athletic Department began to make use of Goldy at an ever-increasing number of events, and held University-wide tryouts to secure a number of students who could cover the busy schedule. The marketing wing of the Athletic Department officially took charge of Goldy in 1992.
The students that portray Goldy maintain anonymity throughout their tenure. They are also recognized as student athletes due to their vigorous schedule and amount of work that goes into it.
National competitions
Goldy also competes in the UCA Mascot National Championships, and regularly makes the top 5. He placed 3rd in 2007, 4th in 2008, and 3rd in 2009 and 2010. Goldy won his first National Championship in 2011. In 2012, Goldy placed 5th, but in 2013, he won the championship again, giving him 2 wins in three years. In 2015 he finished 3rd and in 2016 finished as runner-up. He won his 3rd title with the 2017 UCA National Championship and defended the title in 2018 making him a four time national champion
Goldy was nominated to and made the 2004, 2007, and 2010 Capital One All-American Mascot Team. In 2007 he finished second to Zippy from the University of Akron.
Goldy Gopher statue
Due to the contributions from students, faculty, family, alumni, and friends, the University of Minnesota’s Student Union was able to fund the creation of an all bronze statue of Goldy the Gopher. This was a controversial issue for some in the University community because of the rising costs of tuition and the University’s concurrent appeals to the state legislature for a tuition freeze. The goal of the statue, located in the front of Coffman Memorial Union, was to promote school spirit and start new traditions. The University of Minnesota Administration hopes the iconic symbol will help students interact with the spirit and new traditions involving Goldy the Gopher. The statue is 6 feet, 3 inches (1.9 m) tall and made of bronze granite. Next to the statue is a solid granite "M" that is 63 inches in width, 24 Inches in depth, and 48 inches in height (160 x 61 x 122 cm). It was sculpted by Nicholas Legeros, who is a Minnesota graduate from the fine arts academy. He has sculpted many pieces for the Twin Cities Metro area. The total cost of the statue was $95,000 dollars.
On Monday, September 23, 2013, the Goldy statue was unveiled during the homecoming kickoff at noon - which happened to be Goldy Gopher's birthday. Governor Mark Dayton declared this day Goldy Gopher Day to create a new tradition for the students. Supposedly if someone was to rub Goldy's front teeth, it will bring them good luck.
References
External links
- Scallon, Sean (2013-09-23). "MINNESOTA SPORTS ROUND-UP: Goldy Gopher Statue Kicks Off U-Of-M Homecoming Week". Pierce County Herald. Retrieved 2017-05-27.Â
