Minnesota Golden Gophers football under Henry L . Williams Henry L . Williams was the head football coach at the University of Minnesota for 22 seasons , from 1900 through 1921 . The team had a 136 - 33 - 11 overall record . In the Big Ten , the Golden Gophers had a 50 - 25 - 5 record and won 8 conference championships . Thirteen players were awarded All - American status . Thirty - one players were named All - Big Ten first team . 1900 season . In 1900 , the University of Minnesota hired its first full - time salaried coach , Dr . Henry L . Williams . The team went won 10 games , lost none and tied two . The Golden Gophers won its first Big Ten championship . 1901 season . The 1901 team lost only one game but finished 3rd in the Big Ten . Wisconsin was the only team that scored against them all year . 1902 season . The 1902 team finished 3rd in the Big Ten with a 3 - 1 record . The 102 point scoring output against Grinnell marked the first 100 point output in team history . 1903 season . The 1903 season featured the game with Michigan that saw the creation of the Little Brown Jug , one of the best known college football trophies . The game ended up in a tie , and the Gophers were Big Ten co - champions with Michigan . Tackle Fred Schact was named an All - American by the Associated Press . 1904 season . The 1904 team went undefeated and won a share of the Big Ten championship . The 146 point victory over Grinnell represents both the largest point total and the largest margin of victory in Gopher history . End Moses Strathern was named an All - American by the Associated Press . 1905 season . The 1905 team finished second in the Big Ten , winning ten games and losing one game all year . 1906 season . The 1906 team went undefeated in conference play , winning another Big Ten co - championship and only lost one game all season . Tackle George Case , end Bobby Marshall and guard Theodore Vita were named All - Big Ten first team . 1907 season . The 1907 team was not as successful as the teams of the previous seasons and it ended up in 5th place in the Big Ten . End Harry Capron and tackle George Case were named All - Big Ten first team . 1908 season . The 1908 season was the first season in which the Minnesota football team was outscored by its season opponents . The team finished with three wins , two loses and one tie . Center Orren Safford was named All - Big Ten first team . 1909 season . The 1909 team lost only one game and won the Big Ten championship . Quarterback John McGovern was named an All - American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Look Magazine . McGovern , center H . E . Farnam , fullback Earl Pickering , halfback Reuben Rosenwald and tackle James Walker were named All - Big Ten first team . 1910 season . Much like the 1909 season , the 1910 Gophers lost only one game - the season closing match up with Michigan . They also were Big Ten co - champions . Tackle James Walker was named an All - American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Look Magazine . Fullback Lisle Johnston , quarterback John McGovern , halfback Reuben Rosenwald and tackle James Walker were named All - Big Ten first team . 1911 season . The 1911 team went undefeated and claimed the school ' s third consecutive Big Ten championship . Center Clifford Morrell and halfback Reuben Rosenwald were named All - Big Ten first team . 1912 season . The 1912 team finished third in the Big Ten , winning two games and losing two games . 1913 season . The 1913 team finished second in the Big Ten with its only conference loss coming to Big Ten champion Chicago . Fullback Clark Shaughnessy and end Lorin Solon were named All - Americans by the Associated Press . Shaughnessy and Solon were also named All - Big Ten . 1914 season . The 1914 team finished second in the Big Ten with its only loss coming to conference champion Illinois . Lorin Solon was named an All - American by the Associated Press . Solon was also named All - Big Ten first team . 1915 season . The 1915 team went undefeated , with the only blemish on its record being a tie with Illinois . The two teams shared the Big Ten championship . End Bert Baston , fullback Bernie Bierman and guard Merton Dunningan were named All - Americans by the Associated Press . Baston was also named an All - American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Look Magazine . Baston , Bierman and Dunnigan were named All - Big Ten first team . 1916 season . The 1916 team lost only one game all season , and it was a surprising loss to Illinois which cost the Gophers a share of the conference title . End Bert Baston and quarterback Shorty Long were named All - Americans by the Associated Press . Baston was also named an All - American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation . Baston , guard Conrad Eklund tackle Frank Mayer and fullback Arnold " Pudge " Wyman were named All - Big Ten first team . 1917 season . The 1917 season was almost canceled due to the United States entering World War I , but over the summer , the decision was made to go ahead and play a reduced football schedule . The team finished second in the Big Ten . Tackle George Hauser was named an All - American by the Associated Press . Hauser was also named All - Big Ten first team . 1918 season . The 1918 team ended up in fourth place in the Big Ten . The conference had to suspend its normal eligibility requirements due to the large number of students who had entered the military . Fullback Norman Kingsley was named All - Big Ten first team . 1919 season . The 1919 team finished in fourth place in the Big Ten and beat Michigan in its first season back in the conference . Halfback Arnold Oss was named All - Big Ten first team . 1920 season . The 1920 season was a down year for the team . It featured the school ' s first ever six game losing streak and it finished tied for last place in the conference . Guard Festus Tierney was named All - Big Ten first team . 1921 season . In his last season as coach for the University of Minnesota , Dr . Williams led the team to a record of three wins and four losses , resulting in a sixth place finish in the conference . References . Media Guide History Section