Bernard. W. (Bernie) Bierman Head Football Coach Gophers enjoying Professor of Physical Education 1932-1941: 1945-1950 excellent year The 1976-77 sports year has proven to be a good one for BERNARD W. (Benlle) BIERMAN UM teams, especially in Big Ten championship meets. _ I!ImDan brought 10 the UnIva"oIty 01 MIn.-ota. .... The football team tied for third in Big Ten play and with 32 .... ma.... the Golden ES. 01 Gopher lootbo1l. returning lettermen, prospects point to another fine season. TIle Stair 01 MlnnMOta proudlv claim. 8e~ .. "It. own" Returning for 1977 are 8 of 11 defensive starters and 4 of 11 10' h. "'.. born In Sprlnglleld. Ma'ch 11. 1894. H. "9'_ up" In offensive performers. Utch/leld .nd Oetrol' Lak... late, matnwlallng at the U_tv 01 Also finishing third during fall competition was the cross­ MIn.-.to whe,. he ""cdIed In loo'balI. baaIldball. and trad. For hIo profldency In athidlca and acholarah1p he "'.. country team. Unfortunately because of a rule change, only • w.rded the Weate:m ConineACe' Medal. the top two finishers in the Big Ten cross-country champion­ B6ennan came to Mlnnaola from Tulane ships qualified their whole team. Consequently the Gophers U-tv In 1932 10 bola'•• the Maroon and could not compete in the NCAA finals. Gold lootball program. It dIdn·' long. Tbe Record-setting is the only way to describe the per­ Golden horde 01 1934 1..",rIng a _ tlng atngIe- IIIIng .ttad "'.. undd..1ed and proda1med "Nallonal formances of the winter sports teams. In basketball, the O>amplon." Mo.. than 40 y.... later thIo tum Ia oUII ,_,dec! single-season victory record was broken when the Gophers 1ft authorttattw quarun .. one of the greatnl co09 ~ of aD finished 24-3 and claimed second in the final Big Ten Con­ _. Tbe 1935 tum _led the .... By thJa lime the Golden Gophen _ f\nDfy ..tabIlahod _ one 01 the nallon'a elite. ference standings. Mike Thompson set the all-time scormg and I!ImDan being haIJod wkWy _ the ooachIng genIuo record in his junior year and Ray Williams broke his old he had p hlmaaIf 10 .... PIaudIta refarlng 10 him - assist mark in his final season. lba "Grey f.aIlo" and "_ Foa" - appearing ....._ Min-. 0flI0yed unp'-Ied The wrestlers, led by senior co-captains Evan Johnson and _..-pubIdly. Mike McArthur, finished with a 16-7 record and sixth-place _to.... _ NaIIouI o..atpIoaa national ranking for the regular season. The Big Ten .lbalint __.....pol. 1956 -S championships found the Gophers in the runner-up position lba __-led GopIwn ~..... - hoM<_ .-...... _ ... 1940 _1941 bofon _._ for the second straight year with two individual champions, off lD ....... 10' lba -.d__........... lba - Cotpa. two seconds and two thirds. Also for the second year in a row Ita -..ad lD lba UM ........ 1945. _ .._- a Minnesotan was named the meet's outstanding wrestler. ...................-s-...-......Ita __,... ooachIalIallba...... ­ McArthur followed last year's meet MVP (now assistant .......-ofnDI .... 195O_._ coach Larry Zilverberg) to that award in 1977. Six Gophers qualified for the NCAA finals, a record number. They WAlllIEIlIIICE· _ Ooopo __WmY W... finished fourth with Pat Neu claiming a championship at AU.-11ME COACHING IlECOIID ·161_ " _ u _ 134 pounds and Johnson and McArthur both finishing as _ "IlEOOIID-ft_"_ 6_ ""TIQNN.. mus • 19M. 1955. I•• lMO. lML runners-up. CO!Q'E1l1'NCE mus -19". 1m. 193'. 1... lMO.1Ml. IlNlIEJ'EI'TED SEMONS • 1,"It ~. 19M. 1m. lMO. lMl. In winning the Big Ten title for the second time in as many LOI'IGEST WIN STIIEI\KS ·111 __093S-M1; 11 _ OtsS-MI. years, the Gopher gymnasts scored a record-setting 422 ML IIMERll:.'NS, £ado - -.lANm 1IIna Taddoo-DId<_.EdW_. U ~.IlkIo-........ _ points. With a 10-3 regular season record, the only losses c..-.-a.ytDn T_ the team had were to Big Eight opponents Nebraska and GuonIo .II1II_.1Iud_ 8Mb • PutI Lund. Sonny Frard. Bruce .... twice to Iowa State. Against Big Ten teams, the Gophers CO"CHING HONORS· N_F_F.....-1loI 01 F_ tWmJ, Founddon tbI ot F_ were 6-0 during the regular season. As was expected, the P........ ~ooo<hofEMt_.. _EMt.W...... T""" ooo<h of CoOooo AD sr.n ... __ Gopher leader was junior Tim LaFleur, who won his second Co.d\ 01 V.I Awud all-around title in the Big Ten championships. If LaFleur _t.FootbonGoo<t-_ could win his third all-around title nextyear he would join an elite group of only four other Big Ten gymnasts to win three straight. In the NCAA finals held in early April in Tempe, Bernie's death took place March 8, 1977 at Laguna Arizona, the team finished fifth. Hills, California where he and his wife, Clara, resided Despite a ninth-place Big Ten finish in track, the squad since his retirement. was undefeated in dual meet competition, beating such The above plaque is mounted on the case in the lobby schools as Drake, Iowa State, Iowa, Northwestern and South of Bierman Field Athletic Building which containsthe Dakota State. They also won the four-team Northern Iowa bronze bust of Mr. Bierman. The bustwas presented to Invitational. Freshman sprinter Roger Frazier set an indoor The University of Minnesota at impressive cermonies school record in the 60-yard dash with his run of :06.1 last spring at the Minnesota Alumni Club. It was fin­ The Gopher tankers amassed a 7-5 record during the anced by Bierman's former players. The Biermans regular season, the best since 1972 at Minnesota. The record were in attendance as were more than 100 of 'Bernie's could easily have been 8-4 if the one-point loss to Iowa could Boys.' have been reversed. On the way to the 7-5 record, the No public memorial services have been or will be swimmers set nearly 30 new records in both the freshman held. A private graveside service in the Twin Cities and varsity categories combined. will be held at a date to be determined by Mrs. Bierman with only members of the immediate family present. The Bierman family requests memorials to the Henry L. Williams Memorial Fund, Men's Inter­ collegiate Athletic Department, 220 Bierman Field Athletic Building, 516 15th Ave. S. E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. 55455 Stoll pleased with football recruiting results According to head football coach Cal Stoll, this year's our needs by recruiting the best possible athletes we scouted recruiting efforts left little to be desired. from other areas." "We wentafter several com­ The 11 Minnesota high school products recruited this year modities," Stoll says, "but are: Jim Anderson-OT, Fairbliult; Rick Bowen-LB, St. Paul speed was paramount. My Tartan; Chris Bebel-OT, St. Paul St. Thomas; Scott Dowd­ staff and I were able to LB, Park Center; Jim Fahnhorst-TE, St. Cloud Tech; Tom sign what appears to be an Johanson-LB, Cloquet; Kevin Peters-HB, Cloquet; Bill excellent freshman class for Prairie-DB, Rosemount; Greg Pylatiuk-QB, Columbia 1977. Among the 25 new­ Heights; Mike Orgas-OG, Park Center; and Dave Vanzo-FB, comers who accepted tenders LB, Wayzata. Bowen spent last year at Lakewood Junior to attend Minnesota, no less College and will be a sophomore next fall. than eight have been clocked The four "walk-ons," those not originally offered tenders, under 10 seconds for 100 include junior John Kuduk-NG, Minneapolis Edison, and yards. There is also good size sophomore John Hoffman-SS, Duluth Morgan Park. Both and quickness among interior played last season. Two more walk-ons who transferred to linemen, but those at the Minnesota last fall are Elmer Bailey-WR, HB, St. Paul skilled positions appear to be Mechanic Arts, and Jim Marcella-WR, Virginia. our keys." Incoming freshmen recruits from outside Minnesota Besides the newcomers, include: Roy Artis-HB, Lawnside, NJ; Marion Barber-HB, coach Stoll gave tenders to Detroit, MI; Chester Cooper-WR, Paulsboro, NJ; Ken two returning varsity players Stoll Dallafior-T, Madison Hgts., MI; Duane Gregory-HB, from last season who played Chicago, IL; BrentHarms-LN, Rice Lake, WI; Glen Howard­ without aid, and also two additional transfers who came to QB, HB, Paulsboro, NJ; Kurt Mangum-LB, Evanston, IL; Minnesota last fall but had to sit out one calendar year. McKinley Nash-NG, Evanston, IL; Mike Nielson-T, "In total we are very positive about ourrecruitingefforts," Sturgeon Bay, WI; Dana Noel-HB, Wheaton, IL; Brad Stoll adds. "First and foremost we were successful in signing Odegard-OT, Agoura, CA; Jeff Snodgrass-T, Valparaiso, the key products we recruited from Minnesota high schools. IN; and Garry White-HB, Rockdale, TX. That, to us, is the top line every year. Then we filled out Memorial Stadium Paul Olson joins UM returns to grass football coaching staff Memorial Stadium at the University of Minnesota is tak­ The University of Minnesota has completed its football ing on a new look ... or is that an old look? At any rate, the coaching staff. Paul Olson was named April 4 to join Cal Stoll home of the Golden Gophers is getting a face lifting as the and the Gophers as assistant offensive line coach, with that Tartan Turf is removed and replaced by real grass. appointment pending final approval from the U of M's Board The decision to make the change resulted from a U of M of Regents. study which deemed player safety as the number one factor. Olson, 26, has served as head football coach at Woodbury "Our artificial turf had been in use for seven seasons," High School the past two years.