1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

American college football season

1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	6–5 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	John Gutekunst (4th season)
Captain	Mac Stephens, Darrell Thompson
Home stadium	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Seasons← 1988 1990 →

1989 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 7 Michigan $	8	–	0	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 10 Illinois	7	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Michigan State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
No. 24 Ohio State	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	4	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Indiana	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Iowa	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	2	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Wisconsin	1	–	7	–	0	2	–	9	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	8	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth year under head coach John Gutekunst, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–5 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 283 to 263.

Kicker Brent Berglund, offensive lineman Dan Liimata, tailback Darrell Thompson and defensive tackle Mike Sunvold were named All-Big Ten second team. Punter Brent Herbel was named Academic All-American. Running back Pat Cummings, punter Brent Herbel, offensive lineman Dan Liimatta, offensive lineman Jon Melander, quarterback Scott Schaffner and linebacker Joel Staats were named Academic All-Big Ten.

Darrell Thompson was awarded the Bronko Nagurski Award and Bruce Smith Award. Linebacker Eddie Miles was awarded the Carl Eller Award. Brent Berglund was awarded the Bobby Bell Award. Dan Liimatta was awarded the Butch Nash Award. Jon Melander was awarded the Paul Giel Award.

Total attendance for the season was 237,552, which averaged out to 39,592 per game. The season high for attendance was against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 16	1:00 pm	at Iowa State*	Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA		W 30–20	45,410
September 23	5:00 pm	No. 3 Nebraska*	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		L 0–48	58,368
September 30	1:30 pm	Indiana State*	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		W 34–14	34,280
October 7	1:30 pm	Purdue	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN		W 35–15	36,621
October 14	1:00 pm	at Northwestern	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 20–18	26,849
October 21	1:00 pm	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN		L 18–28	51,069
October 28	2:30 pm	Ohio State	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN	ABC	L 37–41	33,945
November 4	1:30 pm	Wisconsin	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Paul Bunyan's Axe)		W 24–22	39,325
November 11	12:00 pm	at Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI		L 7–21	73,259
November 18	11:30 am	No. 3 Michigan	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug)	ESPN	L 15–49	35,013
November 25	1:05 pm	at Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)		W 43–7	67,700
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Game summaries

At Iowa State

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Nebraska

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Indiana State

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Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers (1–2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (2–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Purdue	0	3	0	12	15
Minnesota	7	7	14	7	35

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 7, 1989
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 36,621

Darrell Thompson injured right knee midway through first quarter and did not return

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Purdue	Passing	Jeff Lesniewicz	13/19, 191 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing
	Receiving
Minnesota	Passing	Scott Schaffner	9/19, 144 Yds, 2 TD
	Rushing	Marcus Evans	102 Yds, TD
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	PUR	MINN
1					Minnesota	Darrell Thompson 7-yard touchdown run, kick good	0	7
2					Purdue	51-yard field goal by Larry Sullivan	3	7
2	4:16		84		Minnesota	Marcus Evans 2-yard touchdown run, kick good	3	14
3		2			Minnesota	James King 34-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good	3	21
3					Minnesota	Shane Strain 32-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, kick good	3	28
4					Minnesota	Marquel Fleetwood 3-yard touchdown run, kick good	3	35
4	5:17				Purdue	Jerome Sparkman 20-yard touchdown run, 2-point conversion failed	9	35
4	0:00				Purdue	Rod Dennis 37-yard touchdown reception from Jeff Lesniewicz, 2-point conversion failed	15	35
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							15	35

At Northwestern

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At Indiana

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Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes (4–2) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (4–2)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Ohio St	0	8	10	23	41
Minnesota	17	14	0	6	37

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: October 28
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 33,945
Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
Box Score

Game information

First quarter

MINN – Darrell Thompson 12-yard run (Brent Berglund kick), 12:11. Minnesota 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:18.
MINN – Brent Berglund 30-yard field goal, 4:17. Minnesota 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 9 yards, 3:00.
MINN – Sean Lumpkin 85-yard fumble return (Brent Berglund kick), 3:07. Minnesota 17–0.

Second quarter

MINN – Steve Rhem 29-yard pass from Scott Schaffner (Brent Berglund kick), 9:50. Minnesota 24–0. Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:40.
MINN – Chris Gaiters 5-yard pass from Scott Schaffner (Brent Berglund kick), 4:29. Minnesota 31–0. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 3:36.
OSU – Carlos Snow 1-yard run (pass good), 0:10. Minnesota 31–8. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:19.

Third quarter

OSU – Pat O'Morrow 25-yard field goal, 10:04. Minnesota 31–11. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:56.
OSU – Carlos Snow 15-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:20. Minnesota 31–18. Drive: 11 plays, 98 yards, 4:52.

Fourth quarter

MINN – Brent Berglund 32-yard field goal, 11:24. Minnesota 34–18. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 3:56.
OSU – Carlos Snow 27-yard pass from Greg Frey (pass good), 9:51. Minnesota 34–26. Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:33.
MINN – Brent Berglund 42-yard field goal, 5:15. Minnesota 37–26. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 2:10.
OSU – Greg Frey 1-yard run (pass good), 3:04. Minnesota 37–34. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:11.
OSU – Jeff Graham 15-yard pass from Greg Frey (Pat O'Morrow kick), 0:51. Ohio St 41–37. Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 1:01.

Top passers

OSU – Greg Frey – 20/31, 362 yards, 3 TD, INT
MINN – Scott Schaffner – 13/18, 154 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

OSU – Carlos Snow – 23 rushes, 74 yards, TD
MINN – Darrell Thompson – 29 rushes, 133 yards, TD

Top receivers

OSU – Jeff Graham – 6 receptions, 104 yards, TD
MINN – Steve Rhem – 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD

Wisconsin

See also: Paul Bunyan's Axe Wisconsin Badgers (2–5) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (4–3)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Wisconsin	7	15	22
Minnesota	10	14	24

Date: November 4, 1989
Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 39,325

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wisconsin	Passing
	Rushing	Robert Williams	21 Rush, 129 Yds, TD
	Receiving
Minnesota	Passing
	Rushing	Darrell Thompson	32 Rush, 143 Yds, TD
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	WISC	MINN
1	10:20	11	86		Minnesota	Darrell Thompson 1-yard touchdown run, Brent Berglund kick good	0	7
2	0:38				Wisconsin	Lionell Crawford 2-yard touchdown run, kick good	7	7
2	0:00				Minnesota	39-yard field goal by Bert Berglund	7	10
					Wisconsin	Touchdown	14	10
					Minnesota	Chris Gaiters 17-yard touchdown reception from Scott Schaffner, Bert Berglund kick good	14	17
					Minnesota	Interception returned 73 yards for touchdown by Ron Goetz, Bert Berglund kick good	14	24
			80		Wisconsin	Robert Williams 6-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good	22	24
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							22	24

At Michigan State

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Michigan

See also: Little Brown Jug #3 Michigan Wolverines (8–1) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan	0	28	7	14	49
Minnesota	7	0	8	0	15

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date: November 18, 1989
Game time: 11:30 a.m. CDT
Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Game attendance: 35,103
Referee: Jerry Hendrickson
TV: ESPN
Box Score

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Michigan	Passing	Michael Taylor	12/16, 231 Yds, 4 TD
	Rushing	Leroy Hoard	11 Rush, 90 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Greg McMurtry	7 Rec, 165 Yds, 3 TD
Minnesota	Passing	Marquel Fleetwood	11/23, 100 Yds, 2 INT
	Rushing	Darrell Thompson	18 Rush, 50 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Pat Tinglehoff	7 Rec, 77 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MICH	MINN
1	10:08	12	76	4:52	Minnesota	Darrell Thompson 1-yard touchdown run, Brent Berglund kick good	0	7
2	9:24	7	88	3:23	Michigan	Greg McMurtry 34-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good	7	7
2	4:14	5	59	1:43	Michigan	Greg McMurtry 34-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good	14	7
2	2:06	1	44	0:15	Michigan	Leroy Hoard 29-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good	21	7
2	0:45	3	75	0:23	Michigan	Greg McMurtry 25-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good	28	7
3	9:48	10	77	5:12	Michigan	Allen Jefferson 3-yard touchdown reception from Michael Taylor, J.D. Carlson kick good	35	7
3	0:00	10	36	5:10	Minnesota	Marquel Fleetwood 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point run good	35	15
4	11:03	8	80	3:57	Michigan	Allen Jefferson 15-yard touchdown run, J.D. Carlson kick good	42	15
4	3:43	6	60	3:07	Michigan	Desmond Howard 19-yard touchdown reception from Elvis Grbac, Gulam Khan kick good	49	15
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							49	15

At Iowa

See also: Floyd of Rosedale Minnesota Golden Gophers (5–5) at Iowa Hawkeyes (5–5)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Minnesota	7			30	37
Iowa	0	0	7	0	7

at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa

Date: November 25, 1989
Game time: 1:05 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 67,700
TV: None

First win versus Iowa since 1984
Biggest win versus Iowa since 1949

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Minnesota	Passing
	Rushing	Darrell Thompson	122 Yds
	Receiving
Iowa	Passing
	Rushing	Nick Bell	19 Rush, 133 Yds
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	MINN	IOWA
1					Minnesota	Chris Gaiters 14-yard touchdown reception from Darrell Thompson, Brent Berglund kick good	7	0
3					Iowa	Mike Saunders 12-yard touchdown reception from Matt Rodgers, kick good		7
4					Minnesota	Marquel Fleetwood 22-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed	19	7
4					Minnesota	39-yard field goal by Brent Berglund	22	7
4	8:45				Minnesota	Interception returned 30 yards for touchdown by Eddie Miles, kick good	29	7
4	4:42				Minnesota	James King 5-yard touchdown run, kick good	36	7
4		4			Minnesota	Marcus Evans 1-yard touchdown run, kick good	43	7
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							43	7

Personnel

1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`42`	Patrick Cummings	Sr
G	`74`	Mark Drabczak	Jr
RB	`7`	Marcus Evans	Jr
QB	`14`	Marquel Fleetwood	Fr
WR	`2`	Chris Gaiters	Sr
WR	`19`	Kevin Grant	Jr
OL	`58`	Craig Hendrickson	Jr
WR	`85`	Paul Hopewell	So
RB	`22`	James King	So
OL	`67`	J.J. Lennon	Sr
OL		Dan Liimatta
OT	`65`	Jon Melander	Sr
FB	`34`	Rick Meyer	So
WR	`48`	Steve Rhem	Fr
QB	`10`	Jeff Rosga	Fr
QB	`15`	Scott Schaffner	So
RB	`31`	Al Settembrino	So
RB	`33`	Tyrone Stenzel	Sr
TE	`89`	Shane Strain	Sr
OL	`60`	Chris Thorne	Jr
RB	`39`	Darrell Thompson	Sr
WR	`86`	Pat Tinglehoff	Jr
TE	`84`	Trey Whitson	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL	`80`	Skeeter Akre	Jr
DL	`95`	Anthony Bryant	So
DL	`51`	Bob Coughlin	Jr
DB	`13`	Derek Fisher	Fr
DB	`4`	Fred Foggie	Jr
LB	`37`	Ron Goetz	Sr
DB	`45`	Frank Jackson	Jr
OL	`56`	Jon Leverenz	Sr
DB	`26`	Sean Lumpkin	So
DL	`28`	Eddie Miles	Sr
DB	`6`	Les O'Hara	Jr
FS	`25`	Matt Sheldon	So
LB	`55`	Joel Staats	So
LB	`94`	Mac Stephens	Sr
DL	`79`	Mike Sunvold	Jr
DB	`1`	Andre Thaddies	So

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`3`	Brent Berglund	Jr
P		Brent Herbel

Head coach

John Gutekunst

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

"1989 Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
Keiser, Jeff (2007). "2007 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 180.
^ Keiser, Jeff (2007). "2007 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 182.
^ Keiser, Jeff (2007). "2007 Media Guide" (PDF). p. 181.
Keiser, Jeff (2007), 2007 Media Guide (PDF), p. 160
"Thompson wears out Sycamores". St. Cloud Times. October 1, 1989. Retrieved January 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
"Minnesota 35, Purdue 15". UPI Archives. October 7, 1989. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
"Minnesota 35, Purdue 15". UPI Archives. October 7, 1989. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
Matt Youmans (October 11, 1989). "Loss to Minnesota sidelines key PU starters". The Purdue Exponent Archives. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
"Minnesota 24, Wisconsin 22". UPI. November 4, 1989. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
"Minnesota adds insult to injury in 43-7 romp" (PDF). The Daily Iowan. November 27, 1989. p. 1B. Retrieved November 18, 2018.

v t e Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Venues	Athletic Park (1892–1898) University of Minnesota Armory (1892–1898) Northrop Field (1899–1923) Memorial Stadium (1924–1981) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982–2008) Huntington Bank Stadium (2009–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa Michigan: Little Brown Jug Nebraska Penn State: Governor's Victory Bell Wisconsin
Culture & lore	Goldy Gopher Marching band Spirit squad "Minnesota Rouser" "Minnesota March" "Go Gopher Victory" "Minnesota Fight" "Our Minnesota" "Hail! Minnesota" "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Minnesota shift T formation Smith of Minnesota
People	Head coaches Annual awards NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold

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