Goldy Gopher Goldy Gopher is the mascot for the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus and the associated sports teams , known as the Golden Gophers , as well as the defending UCA Mascot National Champion . During the year , Goldy makes over 1000 appearances and is at virtually all home games for University teams , usually wearing the appropriate sporting attire . History . Minnesota became known as the ` Gopher State ' in 1857 , the result of a political cartoon ridiculing the $ 5 million Railroad Loan which helped open up the West . The cartoon portrayed shifty railroad barons as striped gophers pulling a railroad car carrying the Territorial Legislature toward the " Slough of Despond " . The first U of M yearbook bearing the name " Gopher Annual " appeared in 1887 . Minnesota ' s athletic teams became widely known as the " Gophers " by the 1920s but it was not until 1934 that the immortal Halsey Hall , great Minnesota sportswriter and broadcaster , dubbed Bernie Bierman ' s all - gold uniformed team " The Golden Gophers " ( Bierman chose the gold color because the football blended in with the uniforms ! ) . The embodiment of the Gopher mascot came to life in 1952 when U of M assistant bandmaster Jerome Glass bought a fuzzy wool gopher suit with a papier mache head and asked one of the band members to climb into it . " Goldy " Gopher ( the first name seems to have appeared sometime in the ' 60 ' s ) became a fixture with the Marching Band and Pep Band , as each year a bandmember was chosen to don the suit for that season . Wherever these two bands performed , Goldy was there to glad - hand with the crowd , hug the little kids , torment the cheerleaders and generally add a friendly Minnesota flavor to the event . During the early 1960s Goldy was actually written into the football pre - game and halftime shows with a specific place to be . Limited visibility from within the suit made it difficult to see out , and woe be to the suit ’ s wearer with glasses that would fog up while trying to peer out the mouth hole , as the eyeholes were useless . One benefit though – during those cold games at Memorial Stadium in November , Goldy Gopher was one of the few fans that stayed warm ! Each bandmember who through the years was allowed the joy of being the Gopher developed an individual personality , a unique way of relating to the crowd . And the mystique of Goldy Gopher became a tradition that absolutely prohibited removal of the head while in public , maintaining an illusion for the younger children that maybe , just maybe , Goldy Gopher was a real live huggable animal . The style of the gopher suit changed many times through the years , sometimes by chance , sometimes by design . Until the early 1970 ' s , the head was narrow and pointy - nosed , reminiscent of the real animal . Then in 1972 , Goldy suddenly grew chubby cheeks and a wider , forward - looking face , almost cherubic in appearance . In fact , the gopher of the ' 70 ' s and early ' 80 ' s was comparable in appearance to a teddy bear , a favorite of children and grandmothers . For a brief period in 1985 , a fierce - looking ` mega - rodent ' appeared , with barrel chest , clown feet and sinister eyes . This look didn ' t last long , and Goldy soon again became a lovable , friendly character . From 1952 until 1990 , the Gopher appearing at U of M sports events was a member of the Marching Band , and a symbiosis developed through the years that on more than one occasion kept Goldy out of trouble . With a propensity for attracting tail - pulling kids , Goldy relied on the band to save him from their clutches . And when the opposing team ' s cheerleaders or bandmembers managed to ` kidnap ' the unfortunate rodent ( a Big Ten tradition , it seems ) , bandmembers would always come to the rescue . In the late 1980s the U of M Athletic Department began to make use of Goldy at an ever - increasing number of events , and actually held University - wide tryouts to secure a number of students who could cover the busy schedule . The marketing wing of the Athletic Department officially took charge of Goldy in 1992 . The students that portray Goldy maintain anonymity throughout their tenure . They are also recognized as student athletes due to their vigorous schedule and amount of work that goes into it . Portions of the above are from the U of M Marching Band Centennial Book , Minnesota Hats Off to Thee , ©1992 by The University of Minnesota Band Alumni Society https : / / music . umn . edu / ensembles / marchinggoldy National Competitions . Goldy also competes in the UCA Mascot National Championships , and regularly makes the top 5 . He placed 3rd in 2009 and 2010 . Goldy won his first National Championship in 2011 . In 2012 , Goldy placed 5th , but in 2013 , he won the championship again , giving him 2 wins in three years . Goldy won the 2013 UCA Mascot National Championship , making it the second time he had won in three years . Goldy was nominated to and made the 2004 , 2007 and 2010 Capital One All - American Mascot Team . In 2007 he finished second to Zippy from the University of Akron .