Mariucci Arena Facts

Mariucci Arena is home to the Minnesota Gophers hockey team. Mariucci Arena is considered one of the most historic hockey facilities in college hockey. The student section is one of the loudest in all of college hockey. The Minnesota Gophers are home to 5 National Championships.

Duane Bennett and Eric Lair Signed with Green Bay

Two former Golden Gophers football players signed with the Green Bay Packers as undrafted free agents.

Duane Bennett (running back) and Eric Lair (tight end) will bring the border rivalry to the forefront of their lives as the 2011 seniors hope to make the Green Bay roster for 2012.

Neither player is a Minnesota Native. Duane Bennett is from St. Louis, while Lair is a Houston Native.

Congratulations to the two Golden Gophers football players!

Williams Arena Facts

Construction of Williams Arena building began in 1927 and was completed in 1928, when it was dedicated as the University of Minnesota Field House. The building features a barrel-vaulted roof, maximizing the number of seats in the arena."The Barn" is ranked in the top five of College Basketball Arenas in the country by Inside Sports writers and it is one of just six 1920's era collegiate basketball arenas still in use. The raised floor, one of only a handful in the country, and the deafening roar of 14,000-plus Williams Arena fans unquestionably has something to do with it. Minnesota basketball fans love Williams Arena!

TCF Bank Stadium Facts

TCF Bank Stadium's cost total $288.5 million of
which the U of M paid 52% and the state of Minnesota, the remaining 48%. TCF Bank

Stadium has a "horseshoe" style stadium which organizers say have a "traditional collegiate look and feel." The first stadium has approximately 50,200 seats, with the design able to support future expansion to 80,000 seats. There is 39 suites, 59 loge boxes and 300 indoor club seats. On December 7, 2006, the U of M announced that TCF Bank Stadium's field will be laid out in an east-west configuration, with the open end of the stadium facing the campus. This layout provides a view of downtown Minneapolis. TCF Bank Stadium also incorporates a tribute to the university's veterans, similar to that of Memorial Stadium.

Coaching Spotlight: Bill Miller

Bill Miller is the assistant head coach-linebackers for the Minnesota Gophers football team.

Miller's previous experience at Minnesota was from 1986-88, when he served as the Gophers' defensive backs coach. Miller has been on staff with five teams that have won conference championships, while having coached in 10 bowl games.

Coaching Spotlight: Jerry Kill

Jerry Kill will be Tim Brewster's replacement as Head Coach of the Golden Gopher Football Team.

Kill, born on August 24, 1961, went 10-3 in his 2010 season at Northern Illinois. There he earned a 25 ranking.

Before his coaching gig at Northern Illinois, Kill was the head coach at Southern Illinois, Emporia State and Saginaw Valley State.

Jerry Kill enjoyed five straight playoff appearances in Southern Illinois.

Gary Tinsley Remembered

Gary Tinsley, 22, was found unresponsive in his apartment on
the University of Minnesota campus Friday. The cause of death for the former Minnesota linebacker wasn't immediately

released.

Tinsley was recruited by former coach Tim Brewster from First Coast High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was known for his fiery demeanor, both on and off the field. He emerged as a team leader during his junior season and was set to get his business degree in marketing education this spring.

Tinsley completed his eligibility at the end of the 2011 season. He lettered all four years and started every game over his final two seasons with the Gophers. He was No. 2 in total tackles with 87 last season and finished with 198 total tackles for his career.

Gary Tinsley had hoped to catch on as a NFL rookie free agent in an attempt to continue his playing career.

Golden Gophers Sports History: Football

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities has a long history of academic and athletic excellence. The U of M sports teams go by the moniker of the Golden Gophers. The University adopted the Gopher team name early on and deemed it appropriate since Minnesota is known as the Gopher State in the union.

The 'golden' adjective was added to the University of Minnesota's football team name in the 1930's when KSTP-AM radio announcer Halsey Hall coined the term 'Golden Gophers' referring to the team's all-gold pants and jerseys on the field. The golden name stuck and the University amended their formal moniker to the Golden Gophers. The University of Minnesota's colors today include maroon, white and gold.

Gophers Hockey Could Start Riots

The Gophers men’s hockey team has to win Thursday before it can advance to the championship round of the NCAA Frozen Four. However, there have still been anticipatory warnings for the possibility of potential riots in the event of a Gophers win on Saturday.

The national championship wins of 2002 and 2003 sparked riots in the streets of Minneapolis. Rioters overturned cars, started fires and looted stores.

The 2003 riots alone resulted in 27 arrests.

Now that the Gophers have another shot at a national title, the University of Minnesota is making preparations for another potential riot.

Bahaha. Yea, right. Good luck.

Stanford Seals the Deal with Resurgence

The Stanford Cardinals cruised past Minnesota,
75-51, to win the National Invitation

Tournament at Madison Square Garden. The win sealed Stanford's first N.I.T. title since 1991.

Minnesota hit 5 of its first 7 shots, but then went nearly nine minutes without a field goal. The Cardinals then used their size advantage to prevent the Gophers from getting any scoring in transition.

Minnesota's season ended on a low note after the Gophers won six of their last seven games to make an impressive run at the N.I.T. title.