Great Alumni: Sports
Individuals are listed only with the degree(s) they earned from the University of Minnesota.
Bill Baker, D.D.S., member of 1980 U.S. gold medal olympic hockey team; former professional hockey player
Bernie Bierman, coached Gopher football team to five national titles in an eight-year span from 1934-41 (see article on U's national champions here)
Bobby Bell, student '60-'62, 1963 Gopher All-American; 1983 inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame (see article on Bell's 1961 Rose Bowl team)
Patty Berg, B.A. '51 (UMD), attended Twin cities campus in '30s, cofounder and first president of the LPGA; three-time Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
Herb Brooks, B.A. '62, coach of the 1980 olympic gold medal-winning hockey team; coached Gophers to three NCAA titles; coached several NHL teams
Neal Broten, student '78-'81, NHL all-star, 1980 olympic gold medalist, U of M's first Hobey Baker award winner
Tony Dungy, B.S. '78, head football coach for the Indianapolis Colts, formerly with Tampa Bay, led Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI, the first African-American coach to win the NFL title (See biography)
Carl Eller, former Viking football player; five time all-pro, NFL Hallof Fame member, (See article)
Verne Gagne, '48, professional wrestling pioneer and promoter, two-time NCAA wrestling champ, ten-time world champion, Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame See article (scroll down to "Wrestling with History")
Paul Giel, B.S. '54, former Gopher football player and athletic director; College Football Hall of Fame member (deceased) See article (Scroll down to "Remembering Paul Giel")
Bud Grant, student '46-'49, former Minnesota Vikings coach; 1994 inductee Pro Football Hall of Fame
Gretchen Hegener, B.A. '99, former American record holder and NCAA champion in the 100 breaststroke (see archived Minnesota Daily article)
Stephanie Klaviter, B.S. '99, professional softball player; 2000 Women's Professional Softball League Pitcher of the Year
Tom Lehman, B.S. '82, 1996 British Open golf champion; 1996 PGA Player of the Year (see article on Lehman Family/Children’s Cancer Research Fund)
John Mayasich, student '51-'55, voted best player in history of WCHA; still holds record for Minnesota goals (144) and points (298); earned Olympic silver (1956) and gold (1960) medals
Janel McCarville, number one overall pick in 2005 WNBA draft (see article, scroll down to "Strength and Will")
Kevin McHale, NBA Hall of Fame member, vice president of basketball operations and general manager of Minnesota Timberwolves
Karl Mecklenburg, B.S. '83, all-pro linebacker, played for Denver Broncos
Paul Molitor, student '75-'77, collected more than 3,000 hits as major league baseball player; 1978 Rookie of the Year; seven-time all-star; played for Minnesota Twins 1996-1998
Bronko Nagurski, student '26-'33, 1963 inductee to Pro Football Hall of Fame; 1929 first-team all-American on offense and defense (deceased)
Leo Nomellini, B.A. '50, 1969 inductee to Pro Football Hall of Fame (deceased)
Alan Page, J.D. '78, 1988 inductee to Pro Football Hall of Fame; Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice
Marie Roethlisberger, B.S.'91, M.D. '96, 1990 NCAA gymnastics champion on uneven bars; four-time All-American; seven-time Big Ten champion; now a physician in Madison, Wisconsin
John Roethlisberger, B.S. '94, three-time Olympic gymnast, five-time NCAA champion
Phil (Flip) Saunders, B.S. '83, head coach for Detroit Pistons of the NBA.
Bruce Smith, '42, 1941 Heisman Trophy winner; posthumously nominated for sainthood in 1967 for his work with children with cancer (deceased)
Robb Stauber, student '86-'92, Hobey Baker award winner in 1989, former NHL goalie
Terry Steinbach, student '80-'83, former all-star baseball catcher with Oakland and Minnesota Twins
Calvin Stoll, B.A. '50, former Gopher football coach (deceased)
Mychal Thompson, all-time leading scorer for Gopher men's basketball; first pick in 1978 NBA draft
Lindsay Whalen, all-time leading scorer for Gopher basketball, first three-time All-American and four-time team MVP for the Gophers, starting guard with the Connecticut Sun, WNBA runners-up in 2004 and 2005.
Charles "Bud" Wilkinson, B.A. '37, longtime coach of Oklahoma Sooners football team; won national titles in 1950, '55, '56; once had a 47-game winning streak (deceased)
Dave Winfield, student '69-'70, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame 2001; played for San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Minnesota Twins
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