The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest and most storied programs in college football history that compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. Their athletic director is Joel Maturi and the head coach is Tim Brewster. They played their first game on September 29, 1882, a 4-0 victory over Hamline University, and in 1890, they played host to Wisconsin in a 63-0 victory. The Gophers and Badgers have played each other every year since then, with the exception of 1906, and the 117 games played against each other is the most played rivalry in Division I-A college football

Their official uniform colors are maroon and gold and their mascot is Goldy Gopher. They went on a run of winning three straight National Championships, and the last Division I team to accomplish this feat, from 1934 to 1936, and went unbeaten in 28 straight games, 21 of which were consecutive victories. The Gophers would not win 8 games in a season, until they went 8-4 in 1999, after their 8-2 record in 1967, and their 10-3 record in 2003 gave them the first 10 win season since 1905. The Gophers are playing their home games in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, and in 2009 will move back to campus when their new home, TCF Bank Stadium, opens. Tim Brewster was officially announced as the next head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers on January 16, 2007.