Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry

(Redirected from Minnesota-Nebraska football rivalry) American college football rivalry

Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry
Statistics
Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers
First meeting	November 29, 1900 Minnesota, 20–12
Latest meeting	August 31, 2023 Minnesota, 13–10
Next meeting	October 18, 2025 in Minneapolis
Trophy	$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy
Meetings total	64
All-time series	Minnesota leads, 37–25–2 (.594)
Trophy series	Minnesota leads, 7–3–0 (.700)
Largest victory	Nebraska, 84–13 (1983)
Longest win streak	Nebraska, 16 (1963–2012)
Current win streak	Minnesota, 5 (2019–present)

200km
125miles

Nebraska

Minnesota Locations of Minnesota and Nebraska

The Minnesota–Nebraska football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota and the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team of the University of Nebraska.

History

The rivalry can be separated into distinct eras, the first two being Minnesota's glory days, followed by Nebraska's rise to prominence. These match-ups took place when the schools were non-conference rivals, facing each other on a semi-regular basis from 1900 to 1974, then on a more intermittent basis until 1990. The Big Ten era started in 2011, when Nebraska joined the conference and played in the Legends Division (now the West Division) with Minnesota. The trophy era began in 2014 with the creation of the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy.

Minnesota leads the series 36–25–2, due in large part to a 29-6-2 record against Nebraska from 1900 to 1960. Minnesota gave Nebraska their worst home loss ever with a 61–7 win in 1945. From 1960 to 2018, Nebraska went 19–3 against Minnesota, winning 16 straight games from 1963 to 2012, with an average margin of victory over 30 points. However, since that time, the Gophers have won five consecutive games against the Cornhuskers.

1983

On September 17, 1983, No. 1 Nebraska, coming off a 44–6 week one win over No. 4 Penn State, traveled to Minneapolis. Nebraska racked up 790 yards of offense, nearly 600 of them rushing, en route to an 84–13 win over the Gophers, the worst loss in Minnesota history. Nebraska wide receiver Irving Fryar, who would go on to be the top pick in the 1984 NFL draft, managed 230 yards of offense on five touches (three carries for 92 yards; two receptions for 138 yards). Future Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier carried 15 times for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Nebraska's entire 60-man travel roster had entered the game before the end of the third quarter.

The Cornhuskers would go on to set the all-time NCAA scoring record, while the Gophers lost their final ten games and finished 1–10.

$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy

The origin of the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy is rooted in November 2014 banter between the Twitter accounts for Minnesota mascot Goldy Gopher and "Faux Pelini", a parody account of then-Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini. Goldy suggested a wager on the game with this tweet: "Hey @FauxPelini, how about a friendly wager for this weekend's game? Team that gets the most points gets a conference win? Seem fair?" Faux Pelini responded "OK how about if we win you give me $5, if you win I get to smash a wooden chair over your back". This prompted Goldy to start crowdsourcing Twitter followers and Reddit's college football community to design the "$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy". Many designs were quickly presented and eventually Goldy created a real trophy, which was brought to the 2014 game in Lincoln. Minnesota won 28–24 to take the trophy, their first victory in Lincoln since 1960; it also gave Minnesota their first winning streak against Nebraska since their 3-game streak from 1951 to 1954.

The trophy received widespread acceptance from both fanbases, but both universities' administrations remained silent. The trophy changed hands for the first time on October 17, 2015, after Nebraska defeated Minnesota 48–25 in Minneapolis. Although Nebraska distanced itself from the trophy, in the weeks following the Cornhuskers' 2015 victory, the chair was seen with players and coaches, and made several appearances on the school's social media pages. It was also taken to Minnesota spirit events by fans.

In 2016, after Nebraska defeated Minnesota in Lincoln, the trophy seemingly disappeared. Inquiries to the Nebraska and Minnesota athletic departments revealed that neither school formally recognized the trophy as official, in a similar manner to the Floyd of Rosedale or Little Brown Jug. This essentially temporarily ended the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy in any major capacity.

On September 12, 2017, it was announced, via Twitter, that Nebraska and Minnesota would again play for the $5 Bits of Broken Chair trophy, likely as an unofficial trophy game. Following an initial Reddit post where Huskers fans brainstormed ideas to keep the trophy alive, a new trophy was built. The trophy now serves as the focal point of fundraisers for Nebraska's Team Jack Foundation and Minnesota's Masonic Children's Hospital. The image of Faux Pelini on the $5 bill has been replaced with Herbie Husker. The other $5 bill still bears a picture of Goldy Gopher.

Game results

Minnesota victories

Nebraska victories

Tie games

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
1	November 29, 1900	Lincoln	Minnesota	20–12
2	October 12, 1901	Minneapolis	Minnesota	19–0
3	October 18, 1902	Minneapolis	Nebraska	6–0
4	October 29, 1904	Minneapolis	Minnesota	16–12
5	November 18, 1905	Minneapolis	Minnesota	35–0
6	November 3, 1906	Minneapolis	Minnesota	13–0
7	October 19, 1907	Minneapolis	Minnesota	8–5
8	October 17, 1908	Minneapolis	Tie	0–0
9	October 16, 1909	Omaha	Minnesota	14–0
10	October 16, 1910	Minneapolis	Minnesota	27–0
11	October 21, 1911	Minneapolis	Minnesota	21–3
12	October 19, 1912	Minneapolis	Minnesota	13–0
13	October 18, 1913	Lincoln	Nebraska	7–0
14	October 11, 1919	Minneapolis	Tie	6–6
15	October 15, 1932	Minneapolis	Minnesota	7–6
16	October 3, 1934	Minneapolis	Minnesota	20–0
17	October 12, 1935	Lincoln	Minnesota	12–7
18	October 10, 1936	Minneapolis	Minnesota	14–9
19	October 2, 1937	Lincoln	Nebraska	14–9
20	October 1, 1938	Minneapolis	Minnesota	16–7
21	October 7, 1939	Lincoln	Nebraska	6–0
22	October 5, 1940	Minneapolis	Minnesota	13–7
23	November 8, 1941	Minneapolis	Minnesota	9–0
24	October 17, 1942	Lincoln	Minnesota	15–2
25	October 2, 1943	Minneapolis	No. 9 Minnesota	54–0
26	September 30, 1944	Minneapolis	Minnesota	39–0
27	October 6, 1945	Lincoln	Minnesota	61–7
28	September 28, 1946	Minneapolis	Minnesota	33–6
29	October 4, 1947	Lincoln	Minnesota	28–13
30	October 2, 1948	Minneapolis	Minnesota	39–13
31	October 1, 1949	Lincoln	Minnesota	28–6
32	October 7, 1950	Minneapolis	Nebraska	32–26
33	October 20, 1951	Minneapolis	Minnesota	39–20

No.	Date	Location	Winner	Score
34	November 15, 1952	Lincoln	Minnesota	13–7
35	September 25, 1954	Minneapolis	Minnesota	19–7
36	September 26, 1959	Minneapolis	Nebraska	32–12
37	September 24, 1960	Lincoln	Minnesota	26–14
38	September 28, 1963	Minneapolis	Nebraska	14–7
39	September 26, 1964	Minneapolis	Nebraska	26–21
40	September 30, 1967	Lincoln	No. 7 Nebraska	7–0
41	September 28, 1968	Minneapolis	No. 9 Nebraska	17–14
42	October 4, 1969	Minneapolis	Nebraska	42–14
43	October 3, 1970	Minneapolis	No. 6 Nebraska	35–10
44	September 18, 1971	Lincoln	No. 1 Nebraska	35–7
45	September 30, 1972	Lincoln	No. 7 Nebraska	49–0
46	October 6, 1973	Minneapolis	No. 2 Nebraska	48–7
47	October 5, 1974	Lincoln	No. 6 Nebraska	54–0
48	September 17, 1983	Minneapolis	No. 1 Nebraska	84–13
49	September 15, 1984	Lincoln	No. 1 Nebraska	38–7
50	September 23, 1989	Minneapolis	No. 3 Nebraska	48–0
51	September 22, 1990	Lincoln	No. 8 Nebraska	56–0
52	October 22, 2011	Minneapolis	No. 13 Nebraska	41–14
53	November 17, 2012	Lincoln	No. 16 Nebraska	38–14
54	October 26, 2013	Minneapolis	Minnesota	34–23
55	November 22, 2014	Lincoln	No. 25 Minnesota	28–24
56	October 17, 2015	Minneapolis	Nebraska	48–25
57	November 12, 2016	Lincoln	No. 21 Nebraska	24–17
58	November 11, 2017	Minneapolis	Minnesota	54–21
59	October 20, 2018	Lincoln	Nebraska	53–28
60	October 12, 2019	Minneapolis	Minnesota	34–7
61	December 12, 2020	Lincoln	Minnesota	24–17
62	October 16, 2021	Minneapolis	Minnesota	30–23
63	November 5, 2022	Lincoln	Minnesota	20–13
64	August 31, 2023	Minneapolis	Minnesota	13–10
Series: Minnesota leads 37–25–2

References

^ "Winsipedia - Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers football series history".
Wehling, Mike (September 12, 2017). "Nebraska Cornhuskers Renew Old-School Rivalry with Minnesota Gophers". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
"Gophers-Nebraska series goes from rivalry to rout-fest". Star Tribune. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
Nebraska vs. Minnesota: Faux Pelini and Goldy Gopher Create A Trophy, The Daily Gopher, November 21, 2014, accessed April 29, 2015.
Gopher, Goldy. "Hey @FauxPelini, how about a friendly wager for this weekend's game? Team that gets the most points gets a conference win? Seem fair?".
Pelini, Fake Bo. "@GoldytheGopher OK how about if we win you give me $5, if you win I get to smash a wooden chair over your back".
The Internet made a Minnesota-Nebraska rivalry trophy actually worth caring about, SB Nation, November 23, 2014, accessed April 29, 2015.
"Minnesota vs. Nebraska - Game Recap - November 22, 2014 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
"Huskers Beat Minnesota 48-25: Broken Chair Trophy Celebration Thread!". SB Nation. October 17, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
The Big Ten's favorite rivalry trophy made an appearance tonight... accessed April 29, 2015.
Furley, Adam (November 18, 2016). "What happened to the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy?". 93.7 FM The Ticket. Archived from the original on December 12, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016. Alt URL
Callahan, Sean (September 12, 2017). "Just learned today the Nebraska vs. Minnesota "Chair Trophy" is coming back! @TeamJack @ @UMNChildrens are involved with it. Stay tuned...pic.twitter.com/Wr10oZrlGE". @Sean_Callahan. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
"The New Bits of Broken Chair Trophy is Designed to Never Die". Hail Varsity. September 19, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
^ Mullin, Luke. "$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy is officially back in action". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved October 13, 2017.

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
Seasons	1882 1883 1884–1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Venues	Lincoln Park (1891–1893) Antelope Field (1894–1908) Nebraska Field (1909–1922) Memorial Stadium (1923–present)
Bowls and rivalries	Bowl games Colorado (Buffalo Head) Iowa (Heroes Trophy) Kansas Kansas State Miami (FL) Minnesota ($5 Bits of Broken Chair) Missouri (Victory Bell) Oklahoma Wisconsin (Freedom Trophy)
Culture and lore	History Herbie Husker Lil' Red "Dear Old Nebraska U" "Hail Varsity" Cornhusker Marching Band Blackshirts Origin of "Cornhuskers" nickname 1939 Kansas State game Game of the Century (1971 Oklahoma game) Fumblerooski 1982 Penn State game Flea Kicker Black 41 Flash Reverse Pass 2009 Big 12 Championship Game Yes Man
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Big Ten Conference football rivalries
Protected conference rivalries	Illinois–Northwestern Illinois–Purdue Indiana–Purdue Iowa–Minnesota Iowa–Nebraska Iowa–Wisconsin Maryland–Rutgers Michigan–Michigan State Michigan–Ohio State Minnesota–Wisconsin Oregon–Washington UCLA–USC
Other conference rivalries	Illinois–Indiana Illinois–Michigan Illinois–Ohio State Indiana–Michigan State Maryland–Penn State Michigan–Minnesota Michigan–Northwestern Michigan–Penn State Michigan State–Penn State Minnesota–Nebraska Minnesota–Penn State Nebraska–Wisconsin Ohio State–Penn State
Non-conference	Alabama–Penn State Chicago–Michigan Chicago–Purdue California–UCLA Colorado–Nebraska Illinois–Missouri Indiana–Kentucky Iowa–Iowa State Kansas–Nebraska Kansas State–Nebraska Maryland–Navy Maryland–Virginia Maryland–West Virginia Miami–Nebraska Michigan–Notre Dame Michigan State–Notre Dame Missouri–Nebraska Nebraska–Oklahoma Northwestern–Notre Dame Notre Dame–Purdue Notre Dame–USC Oregon–Oregon State Northwest Championship (Oregon–Oregon State–Washington–Washington State) Oregon–Saint Mary's Penn State–Pittsburgh Penn State–Syracuse Penn State–West Virginia Old Ironsides (Penn State–Pittsburgh–West Virginia) Princeton–Rutgers Stanford–USC Washington–Washington State

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