gophers illustrated & viking reader
Reviewed by Dick Crepeau, University of Central Florida
OCTOBER 7, 2009 archive
The University of Minnesota Press is unleashing a pair of football books for those who would like to relive the glory days, and the not so glory days, of Minnesota Viking and Minnesota Gopher football. If you are a diehard fan of Minnesota football of either the professional or semi-professional (sometimes referred to as intercollegiate) variety, these books are for you. If you are not a diehard fan and wish to get some sense of the history of the Vikings or the Gophers, these books are for you. If you are a serious sport historian looking for illumination and insight, then perhaps they will not be as satisfying.
Al Papas, Jr. has created a very nice volume on Gopher football that begins with the first season of the university game in 1896 and carries through the 2008 season. Along the way, Papas supplies an abundance of information about coaches, games, great players, and the birth of what became traditions. Some of the information is revealing, some fascinating, some mundane, and some obscure. Whatever the case, it is offered either in short narrative lines or simply as nuggets of information.
Throughout the book, non-traditional print is used in what appears to be hand-printed lettering. This accompanies drawings done by Papas of coaches and players rendered in the style of the sports pages of the first half of the twentieth century. There are play diagrams, game summary scoring charts, and stadium diagrams along with sketches of the various trophies, such as The Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale, and the Paul Bunyan Axe, and the more obscure Slab of Bacon.
There are sketches of cheerleaders, drum majors, and game programs. It includes the original sheet music for the Minnesota Rouser and an explanation of the origins of "Sky-U-Ma" [a reference that all Minnesotans know and which, I assume, like myself have no idea where it came from or what it means].
There is a load of information here and those who have a memory of any era in Gopher football will find this a charming and nostalgic adventure. Things long forgotten will be brought back and things you never knew will amaze and amuse veterans of the frozen tundra.
The Vikings Reader is a very different kind of book. It is, indeed, a reader with items reproduced from a wide variety of printed sources. The pieces are well chosen to cover the fifty years of Viking football and to deal with more than the games on the field, whether at Metropolitan Stadium or the Metrodome.
The largest number of selections comes from the Twin City newspapers, but there are stories from newspapers from other NFL cities, from national publications, from biographies and other sports books. There are game stories, profiles of players, coaches, and others associated with the team. Throughout the collection, Armand Peterson offers excellent introductions and explanations of the pieces, providing both context and understanding.
In this excellent collection, you can relive the glory and the agony of Viking football, which probably has offered more agony than glory. The Vikings have offered some excellent football played by great and memorable players. The agony has come in heavy doses at the Super Bowl and most Viking fans carry scar tissue from those dreadful performances. For those who remember games at the Metropolitan Stadium, this volume is another reminder of just how playing outdoor games in December defined the Vikings and their football culture.
The first coaches, the Dutchman, Norm van Brocklin, and Gopher legend, Bud Grant, a towering figure in Viking memory, helped establish the Viking football culture and cast a large shadow over those who have come after them. This reader will bring back all the great names, great plays, and not so great moments in Viking lore.
As a historical work, The Vikings Reader offers insight into the early history of the team, ownership and coaching changes, the stadium issue, and some of the internal machinations of the front office. Like the Gopher history, it will bring back many memories long forgotten as well as letting you relive those games and plays burned into your memory.
If you know a Minnesotan or anyone else who cares anything about Gopher or Viking football, you can recommend these two books to them. If it is someone for whom you are trying to find a gift, this pair of books is the answer.
Al Papas, Jr., Gophers Illustrated: The Incredible Complete History of Minnesota Football. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009. 224 pages. Hardcover. Illustrations. $24.95.
Armand Peterson, ed. The Vikings Reader. Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota Press, 2009. 384 pages. Hardcover. $25.95.
Copyright © 2009 by Richard C. Crepeau.