The 1890 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

as an independent in the

1890 college football season The 1890 college football season was the season of American football played among colleges and universities in the United States during the 1890–91 academic year. The 1890 Harvard Crimson football team compiled a perfect 11–0 record, outsc ...

. It was the only season under head coach

Tom Eck Tom Eck (April 10, 1856 – June 6, 1926) was an American athlete and sports coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Minnesota for one season, in 1890, compiling a record of 5–1–1. He died on June 5, 1926, in Chicago ...

and featured the historic first meeting between Minnesota and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, the most-played rivalry at the top level of NCAA college football. The two teams have played each other every year since then except for

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

. That game was canceled by

President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

who had decided to "cool off heated college football rivalries because of injuries and deaths on the field." The game was a decisive 63–0 Minnesota win. Coach Eck started holding signal drills before each game and established a training table. This is considered to be the start of "scientific football" at

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. He also acted as the team's trainer. The week before that game, Minnesota took on in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, the first out-of-state opponent in Minnesota football history. The game was a hard fought 18–13 Minnesota victory. The

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declared this team to be the "champions of the northwest".

Schedule

Roster

Horace R. Robinson (captain), William C. Leary, George K. Belden, J.A. Harris, S.S. Start, Grant B. Rossman, Eugene L. Patterson, William C. Muir, George C. Sikes, Alf F. Pillsbury, Harry E. White, Charles E. Guthrie, James E. Madigan, David R. Burbank, Everhard P. Harding; ''Trainer'' Tom Eck.

References

{{Minnesota Golden Gophers football navbox

Minnesota Golden Gophers football seasons

Minnesota Golden Gophers football The Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represents the University of Minnesota in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Founded in 1882, Minnesota has been a member of the Big Ten Conference since its ince ...