University of Minnesota Alumni Association

	Alumni Association Home > Past Issues > 2004 > January-February 2004   Letters 1/14/2004 Letters Truly a Bronko Myth The letter by A.B. Savage ("More Bronko Lore," September-October 2003) created some untrue Bronko lore. Bronko Nagurski (Minnesota, 1927-29) and Red Grange (Illinois, 1923-25) could not have met as college players. They were teammates for the Chicago Bears in the early 1930s. However, Savage did recall an unfortunate occurrence. As a Minnesota fan, I remember reading that the Gophers stopped Grange by running him out-of-bounds rather than trying to tackle him head-on. When I moved to Urbana, the story was that Bob Zuppke, the Illinois coach, refused to play Minnesota for the rest of his career after the game where Grange was apparently targeted and deliberately injured. A blot on the sportsmanship record for the Gophers. Nagurski and Grange are reunited this year on stamps honoring football greats. Curtis Wilson (B.S. '48, M.S. '51) Urbana, Illinois Perfect Stadium Climate, No Dome Atmosphere I moved to Minnesota in March 1992. I am originally from Arizona, where I used to have season tickets to Arizona State University football. The climate in Arizona is not good for playing football in the daytime, let alone outside. The home games were played at night, and the atmosphere of the on-campus stadium was great. Football should be played outside, and Minnesota has the perfect climate for football. I was saddened to learn of the demise of Memorial Stadium. From the pictures I have seen, it looked like the classic brick stadium. I have attended many games at the Metrodome over the years. The latest was the Michigan-Minnesota game. My son and I sat next to several Michigan fans. They remarked how the Dome had no atmosphere and I had to agree. When I compare my experience from Arizona State's stadium to the Metrodome, Arizona State's is 100 percent better. I really think the Golden Gopher football program can take that final step, winning a Big Ten championship, with an on-campus stadium. We have a great coach and a good football program, but a stadium on campus would really put the program over the top. Eric Russell Wyoming Township, Minnesota A Creative Title The U of M has an "associate professor of time and interactivity" ("Art Matters," November-December)? Wow. It's OK with me, but are you sure you want the general public to know? Paul Nelson (J.D. '77) St. Paul More Science, Less Art From reading Minnesota magazine, a person would get the impression that the U of M is now dedicated almost entirely to the arts and only slightly to science and technology (e.g., agriculture production). It is science and technology that has been largely responsible for improvement in our quality of life and longevity. Put more emphasis on what the U of M is doing to improve life by advances in science and technology. Good philosophers should be put ahead of modern artists. The U of M should not put much effort into programs whose product or effort cannot be measured by some yardstick of progress. Lloyd Halvorson (B.S. '39, Ph.D. '43) Warrenton, Virginia