123. The Man of a Thousand Moves

Kevin McHale played basketball at UMN Twin Cities before joining the Boston Celtics, where he so perfected low-post offense that defenders called it his “torture chamber.”

124. Bad News for the Pipers

UMN Twin Cities played its first football game against the Hamline Pipers in 1882 and won 4-0.

125. Queen of the Court

Lindsay Whalen led UMN Twin Cities to its first women’s Final Four before winning WNBA titles and Olympic gold medals as a point guard.

126. The Original Football Superstar

Bronko Nagurski was one of pro football’s original superstars—after first excelling on the field at UMN Twin Cities from 1927 to 1929. Nagurski is celebrated in both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

127. Slap Shooter

Brett Hull developed his booming slap shot while playing hockey at UMD and went on to become one of the greatest scorers in NHL history, winning two Stanley Cup titles.

128. Super Bowl Champ as a Player and Coach

Tony Dungy played quarterback at UMN Twin Cities—he was MVP in 1975 and 1976, and won the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1977—before winning a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a cornerback and becoming the first Black head coach to win a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts.

129. The Gopher Golfer

Patty Berg attended UMN Twin Cities before cofounding the LPGA and winning 15 major championships, one of the highest totals in women’s golf history.

130. Miracle Man

Herb Brooks was a standout hockey player at UMN Twin Cities before moving into his legendary career in coaching. He led the Gophers to three NCAA titles and Team USA to the gold medal in the 1980 Olympics, defeating the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” game.

131, 132. Grappling Brothers

Dennis and Duane Kozlowski are twin brothers who both wrestled for UMN Morris before going on to compete in the 1988 Olympics. Dennis won both a silver and a bronze medal.

133. Heisman Winner

Bruce Smith became the only UMN Twin Cities football player to win the Heisman Trophy in college football in 1941.

134. The Natural

Dave Winfield played two sports at the UMN Twin Cities before being drafted by four teams in three professional sports. He chose baseball and became a Hall of Fame performer, launching a game-winning two-run double and winning the 1992 World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays.

135. Champ at all Levels

Amanda Kessel won three NCAA hockey titles between 2012 and 2016 at UMN Twin Cities, and five gold medals and five silver medals in international play.

136. Seven Hobey Baker Winners

Must be something in the (frozen) water: UMD has seven Hobey Baker winners in college hockey, 19 alums who have played in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and 70 alums who have played in the National Hockey League.

137. Gender Equity in Wrestling

One of the nation’s first women’s collegiate wrestling programs was established on the UMN Morris campus in 1995. At left is the team in 1997.

138. The First Cheerleaders

During the 1898 football season, after three consecutive UMN Twin Cities losses, a school newspaper editorial beseeched readers to come up with a plan that would instill enthusiasm for the games. Medical student Johnny Campbell thought “organized yells” might do the trick if he took to the field to lead the fans in cheers. On November 12 of that season, in a game against Northwestern, the crowd responded and cheered in unison. The Gophers won 17-6 and cheerleading was born. Above is the cheer squad in 1938.

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