Claim: In their first year under head coach Joe Salem (born May 1, 1938) the Golden Gophers compiled a 4–6–1 record, Fullback Mark Carlson received the team's Most Valuable Player award and Keith Edwards was awarded the Defensive MVP Award.
Evidence: The 1938 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1938 Big Ten Conference football season. Fullback Larry Buhler was awarded the Team MVP Award. In their seventh year under head coach Bernie Bierman, the Golden Gophers compiled a 6–2 record and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 97 to 38.