Goldy Gopher, a hearty, joyous, and naughty mascot of the University of Minnesota, is usually seen rolling out on his majestic scooter, taking everyone with awe and surprise, whether it is a match or homecoming parade, Goldy is there to glad-hand with the crowd, hug the little kids, torment the cheerleaders and generally add a friendly Minnesota flavor to the event. He glides through the crowd., reminding everyone of their duties to cheer endlessly for their team and Instilling patriotism and energy in an already charged atmosphere of bitter yet sweet rivalries between their own gophers and who’s who since antiquity.

As the Minnesotans chant for their team with fervor and a sense of hope and silent prayers of yet another victory for their gophers, he leaves a trail of smiles behind with his every passing maneuver, leading one to think of the origins of gophers.

Well, there are several reasons behind this moniker: –

1. In 1857, a political cartoon satirically admonished the $5 million Railroad Loan Project. The cartoon showed railroad barons as gophers pulling a railroad car carrying the Territorial Legislature members toward their doomed fates.
2. Halsey Hall, a great Minnesota sportswriter, and broadcaster, in 1934, dubbed Bernie Bierman‘s team as the Golden Gophers because of the color of its uniform. Bernie Bearman was the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football program, who led the team to win five national championships.
3. The first Goldy Gopher mascot was born in 1952 when University of Minnesota assistant bandmaster Jerome Glass wore a gopher suit made up of wool with a papier-mâché.

The band member playing the role of Goldy was forbidden to remove his head and divulge his identity but was given free will to connect with the public with his personality.

From 1952 through 1992, the role of Goldy was played by a member of the marching band. Post 1992, the charge was taken over by the athletic department’s Spirit Squad. An athletic student was chosen because of the physically demanding effort and work that goes into playing this role.

A signature move of Goldy is head spinning, brought on by the chanting crowd since the 1990s. This has been commonly followed by the chants of spinning off the body and tail, with Goldy obeying it.

LOGO

The first official logo was sketched by a sports merchandiser George Grooms, who presented it to then U of M bookstore manager Harold Smith. The sketch depicted a smiling chipmunk wearing a hat with letter M on it.

Events associated with Goldy: –

An event like “Finding Goldy’s Ucard” is organized by the Ucard office every year, for the undergraduates and sometimes faculty alike to search and locate Goldy’s missing Ucard by following the clues posted on their social media handles. The winner gets to keep the card with $100 scanned inside it. This year it was held from October 2 till October 17, with Ucards missing and then found by the undergrads on all three UMN campuses- St. Paul, the west bank, and the east bank

SOME INTERESTING FACTS OF GOLDY: –

• Goldy has won 19 cars from golfing hole-in-ones, but donated them all to the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right.
• Goldy has made over 1,000 appearances a year, including almost all home games for University teams.
• Goldy was a UCA National Champion Mascot in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2018.
• Goldy was a Capital One All American Mascot Team member in 2004, 2007, and 2010.
• Goldy was the Star Tribune Best Minnesota Mascot in 2016.
• Goldy’s stripes came from a rodent misidentification.
• Goldy’s striped tail has been mistaken for a squirrel.