Goldys Almanac: Gophers vs Oregon St 1954

This story originally appeared in 2016. To compare Oregon St and Minnesota’s programs visit winspedia.

On November 6, 1954 the Gophers played a late season non conference home game against Oregon St. Murray Warmath had Minnesota playing well ranked 14 in the country when the Beavers came to town. Here is the game synopsis from the school yearbook.

The Gophers conveniently sandwiched Oregon State, a weak sister, between the Michigan State and Iowa “toughies.” The non-conference Beavers were probably wishing that they had stayed at home before Minnesota’s 44 to 6 romp was over. The Gophers scored first before four minutes of the first quarter had elapsed and from that point on the game’s outcome was never in doubt. Shorty Cochran had his best scoring day against State. He crossed the double stripes three times, twice after catching passes of 34 and 22 yards, and once on a 29-yard run. Bob McNamara played another outstanding game, running for two touchdowns and 161 yards, which was almost half of the team’s net yardage.

Perhaps the most interesting moment of the game was whatever the band decided to do for halftime which they claimed was a tribute to fathers...

U of M

Also this is terrifying. Suffering a broken nose a Gopher player played with a metal facemask. Never heard of metal mask before...

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