Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Bank

The last post was getting long, so I thought it would be helpful to start a new one which it deserves. I'm referring to the new Gopher Football stadium sponsored by TCF but whose current and most popular nickname is "The Bank". Time will tell if that nickname holds up and what new traditions will develop and what old traditions will hang on.

The Gophers played off-campus at the Metrodome for almost 30 years. That's essentially the last time any major sporting event was played outdoors in the Twin Cities as the Viking and Twins all moved into the Dome with the Gophers.

Atmosphere is very important for college activities, it's more important then football which showcases professional athletes. The colors, the cheerleaders, and the band are the backbone of a college football game.

Melissa has Camp Randall and we've enjoyed quite a few fun days there together but we're long over due for another game.

There are three of us who split four season tickets and we all attended the opening game with a guest who used to serve in the Air Force, who was our opponent. We rented a hotel on campus for the weekend but I wasn't feeling well so I showed up for the evening to walk around the campus and attend a ceremony at the stadium before heading home to get some sleep.

It was a magic moment, sitting outside for the opening ceremony on the Friday before the game. There was a ceremony behind us in the plaza of the horseshoe at the stadium but we spent most of the time staring into the stadium. There were a few World War I planes that flew overhead.

The first game was around 6 pm, so that the it was light during the opening of the game and the sunset and the lights came on. That weekend it was 80 degrees, and quite hot. People wore shorts and tee-shirts and people were on campus all day Saturday. I made it down in time to wake everyone up for lunch at the Big 10. Then we walked around campus checking out different venues.

A new, and my favorite new, tradition was the Victory walk where the team and band walk from the Alumni center to the Stadium. On opening weekend there were so many people, thousands and thousands that the street (University and Huron - a major intersection) became shut down from the masses. The team and bank could only manage a single file line through the crowd and there were getting pummeled by slaps on the back.

The stadium itself is beautiful with Minnesota spelled out across the top and a gold M on the lower sections of the stadium. They list all 6 years that the Gophers were National Champions and the 18 years they won the Big 10. They were before my time, but most people don't realize how good the team used to be.

The team ran out on the field to fireworks just as a flyover with military jets came through. There was a mistake that caused the gameclock - countdown to kickoff to start late such that they got off schedule. The planes were supposed to fly over during the National Anthem but they came when the team came out. People went ballistic when the team came with quite a few misty eyed people and many actual tears. The Minnesota Rowser was probably the loudest I've ever heard at a football game (and that's without a roof) as everyone spelled out M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A. It was the first sell out with almost exclusively Gopher fans that I can remember after watching them for almost two decades. The stadium seats 50,000 but is designed to hold up to 80,000 by stacking another 30,000 on top of the existing bleachers without having to fill in the horseshoe.

The game was close and everyone will remember when Nate Triplett, in the gold top and bottom (bright) uniform grabbed a fumble that was kicked off the foot of an offensive player in stride and ran it back uncontested for a defensive touchdown. The place went absolutely nuts. It was a magical moment for a magical weekend for any Gopher fan who has had to suffer some not so great seasons, many unbelievable collapses, and an absolutely sterile environment at the metrodome. Good riddance. Ski-U-Mah (another new cheer that I hope catches on).

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