17 Times UW Has Gone Down the Gopher Hole

Minnesota was the first Big Ten opponent the University of Washington football team went head to head with before taking on the Michigans, Ohio States and Iowas. It's been a 90-year series and now they're fellow conference members.

These two sides initially got together during tough times in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, playing before 36,864 people at Husky Stadium while others stood in food lines elsewhere.

The Huskies have encountered Minnesota between the lines more than any other Big Ten member -- 17 times -- and done so in Minneapolis, Seattle and Pasadena.

They've beaten the Gophers with the help of Hugh McElhenny, Bob Schloredt and Warren Moon, but lost to the them with McElhenny and Moon in the lineup, as well.

The only No. 1-ranked team the UW has upended in its football history was Minnesota in the 1961 Rose Bowl.

Even with so much history between these schools, they haven 't met on the football field for nearly half a century. The series stands at 7-10, favoring Minnesota.

It's time to get reacquainted again, beginning with Saturday night's UW-Minnesota game at Husky Stadium, which kicks off at 8 p.m., with everyone certain to feel the wind and the chill coming off Lake Washington.

Here's what happened in their previous 17 match-ups, with the Gophers winning the first seven:

THE UW-MINNESOTA SERIES

1936, Minnesota 14, at UW 7 -- The Gophers beat this Rose Bowl-bound team after the UW's By Haines fumbled away a fourth-quarter punt at his own 30. Three plays later, the visitors scored the game-winner on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Andy Uram to tight end Ray King. Minnesota finished 7-1 and captured its third consecutive national title and the first one determined by Associated Press voters that season.

1938, at Minnesota 15, UW 0 -- The home town team picked up a 32-yard field goal from George Faust in the opening half and wrapped this one up with a 77-yard interception return in the third quarter by a reserve guard named Bob Johnson.

1940, at Minnesota 19, UW 14 -- George Franck's 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter put the Gophers ahead for good at 17-14 and they tacked on a second-half safety for the final margin. Minnesota finished 8-0 and claimed its fifth national title.

1941, Minnesota 14, at UW 6 -- The Gophers led 7-6 after the Huskies scored and muffed a kick conversion snap in the first half, and All-American running back Bruce Smith wrapped this one up with a late 1-yard touchdown run. Minnesota finished 8-0 and accepted its sixth national title of seven.

1947, at Minnesota 7, UW 6 -- Defensive end Bud Grant, who later became the Minnesota Vikings head coach, returned a fumble 18 yards for a first-quarter TD for the Gophers, who converted the extra point and it held up as the game-winner. The UW missed a third-quarter conversion kick after scoring a TD and a pair of fourth-quarter field goals.

1948, Minnesota 20, at UW 0 -- The teams were scoreless until the fifth play of the fourth quarter when Gophers running back Everette Faunce broke a 67-yard touchdown run on his way to a 16-carry, 175-yard rushing effort, opening the gates.

1949, at Minnesota 48, UW 20 -- In his second Husky game, Hugh McElhenny returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a score, but the Gophers responded with five unanswered touchdowns in the first half, including a 6-yard blocked punt runback by the aforementioned Bud Grant, later that NFL coaching icon.

1950, at UW 28, No. 18 Minnesota 13 -- The Huskies beat their Big Ten opponent for the first time in eight tries as quarterback Don Heinrich scored on two short runs and Hugh McElhenny rushed for a game-high 93 yards and scored on his own third-quarter plunge in Seattle.

1951, No. 8 UW 25, at Minnesota 20 -- Hugh McElhenny scored on runs of 2 and 56 yards among his 119 yards rushing and provided the game-winner on an 18-yard TD reception with 12:38 left to play as the Huskies won in Minneapolis for the first time. The UW missed three extra-point kicks.

1952, at UW 19, Minnesota 13 -- Fullback Jack Kyllingstad's 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter proved to be the winning points for the Huskies, who survived a 5-interception afternoon by quarterback Don Heinrich at home.

1955, UW 30, at Minnesota 0 -- End Jim Houston caught a 4-yard touchdown pass and scored again on a fumble recovery in the Gophers' end zone as the Huskies posted a shutout in Minneapolis and won their fourth in a row over this opponent.

1956, Minnesota 34, at UW 14 -- Former Husky quarterback Bobby Cox threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to break a 7-7 tie in the second quarter and give his new team the lead for good as the Gophers came up with three unanswered scores.

1957, at No. 6 Minnesota 46, UW 7 -- Bobby Cox recovered a Husky fumble on the first series and threw a 10-yard touchdown pass on the ensuing possession to get the rout started against his former teammates.

1958 -- at UW 24, Minnesota 21 -- George Fleming's 16-yard field goal to close the first half gave the Huskies a 24-14 lead at the break and the eventual game-winner, and UW quarterback Bob Hivner ran for two short touchdowns and threw for a third.

Minnesota and the UW met in the 1961 Rose Bowl. | Dan Rale

1961 -- No. 6 UW 17, No. 1 Minnesota 7 -- After missing five games with a broken collarbone, quarterback Bob Schloredt came off the bench in the Rose Bowl to throw for a touchdown and run for another to bring down the top-ranked Gophers and win game MVP honors.

The Huskies finished 10-1 while Minnesota, crowned the national champ by AP at the end of the regular season, was left with an 8-2 ledger.

The 1960 Huskies were front-page news after their Rose Bowl win. | Dan Raley

1976, at UW 38, Minnesota 7 -- Running back Ronnie Rowland rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown, fullback Robin Earl supplied 112 yards and 2 scores and quarterback Warren Moon added a fourth TD run as the Huskies piled up 339 yards rushing.

1977, at Minnesota 19, UW 17 -- Ahead 17-10 at halftime, these Rose Bowl-bound and Moon-led Huskies got beat with five seconds left on a 32-yard field goal by Paul Ringold, who kicked four three-pointers in Minneapolis.

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