I was 14-years-old when I first heard the term, “Goofer.”
I was sitting in the stands with my father at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005. It was at least an hour before the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, led by then head coach Glen Mason, would take the field for the kickoff.
I had never seen the Gophers play in person before. These were the nascent years of my fandom, and I was excited to see my team in action for the first time. As soon as we took our seats, it didn’t take long before a couple fans sitting nearby took notice of my Gopher gear and began offering some family-friendly trash talk directed at the “Goofers.