Bernie Bierman first played football for the U of M in 1913-1915, went away and learned his coaching chops, and came back to coach for the Gophers in 1932. Similar to the transition from Tracy Claeys to PJ Fleck, Minnesota was coming off a fairly successful season. In 1931 the Gophers won 7 games, but the fans hated Coach Fritz Crisler and he hated living here. Exit Fritz, and enter Bernie Bierman. Comparing the 1931-2 coaching switch to the present day has its limits. PJ Fleck’s personality is the polar opposite of the shy Bierman. There was a ton of hype around the 1932 Gophers but it was the local press building up Minnesota as a conference favorite.
Bernie Bierman’s First Game #TBT
