Throwback Thursday: Middle Tennessee Edition

Whadddup from Grand Marais, Minnesota ya'll. I'm on vacation so this article is gonna be short. But I figured since the mighty double G's (Golden Gophers) are playing Middle Tennessee, I'd share some stuff about Tennessee's greatest gift to Gopher Nation: Murray Warmath.

Coach Warmath was born in Humboldt, Tennessee on December 26, 1912. After playing and coaching with University of Tennessee legend General Robert Neyland, Murray coached for two years at Mississippi State before coming to the U of M.

WATCH an interview from 1956 with Murray before the homecoming game against Pittsburgh (they won the game, and even in the 1950s "coach speak" was in full effect)

Warmath had an up and down career in his 17 years (1954-1971) as the Gophers head honcho. One of the most popular stories about him is the 1959 last place season, and how fans hung him in effigy. What's often missed in that story is that it was quarterback Sandy Stephens' first season and the next two seasons 1960, and 1961 would be two of the best seasons in Gopher history.

Murry Warmath's two trips to the Rose Bowl is a subject for another time, but in my humble opinion the biggest game Murray ever won was his 1960 upset of #1 Iowa to keep them from possibly winning a national championship. 

If you want to read more about Murray I'd point you towards his obituary and another 2011 Star Tribune article on him.Also his biography The Autumn Warrior is a quick, great read.

THIS WEEK IN GOPHER HISTORY