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MINNEAPOLIS — On the east bank of the Mississippi River in the neighborhood of Dinkytown, the University of Minnesota feels much the same on a football game day as many other Big Ten campuses.
But on the edge of December, one cannot forget that Minnesotans use a different thermometer than their counterparts across college football. For those unfamiliar with the Upper Midwest, a stiff northern wind first bites your nose, then freezes your soul. Here, it’s winter. Elsewhere, it’s torture.
On Saturday, before the Gophers hosted rival Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, fans braved a wind chill that dropped below 10 degrees, but nary a complaint was heard. The front yards outside the fraternity houses along University Avenue featured a live DJ, table games and perhaps 100 students who shrugged off the elements as though it were 50 degrees warmer.
Perpendicular to an alley that separates Chi Omega from Kappa Sigma and just west of Williams Arena, the Golden Gophers’ basketball home, also known as The Barn, a group of former Minnesota football players set up their tailgate six hours before kickoff.
Mike Piel played defensive line at Minnesota for “Smokey” Joe Salem and Lou Holtz in the early 1980s. On Saturday morning, Piel’s former linemate Anthony Burke joined him. Both are big enough to jolt a seven-man sled and proud enough to try, despite their old football ailments. Piel, always a good teammate, helped Burke — who recently underwent a spinal fusion procedure — get into his winter coverings. Once he was layered up, Burke was in game mode.
“Five years from now, we’ll remember the outcome of the game, but we’re not gonna remember the score,” said Piel. “I can tell you about all the different things and tailgating more than I can the games. We remember practices more than we do games. You know, stupid stuff.”
To some, cooking fish in the middle of a snowstorm might not sound like a smart decision, but in Minnesota, tailgaters find ways to turn stupid into splendid.
To beat the winter weather, Piel drove the three hours to the Twin Cities from his home in Wausau, Wis., on Friday night. Around 8:30 a.m. on game day, Piel and Burke combined two tents, completely wrapped the east side with a tarp and brought in a portable heater for a respite from the cold. They set up a television showing the Ohio State-Michigan game, which displayed comparable weather conditions, and strategically placed two long tables filled with food against the tarp.
“It brings out ingenuity,” said Burke, who lives in the Minneapolis suburbs.
Many tailgates featured similar set-ups and a few had insulation, but most Gopher fans refused to burrow inside their tents. At this location, most described fitting long johns under their jeans as critical. The secret to keeping warm feet at the stadium, Dave Kleyman said, is to stand on cardboard. He learned that trick while watching the Gophers’ bitterly cold outdoor men’s hockey game against Ohio State in 2014.
Hot food also helps. When he’s not attending football or women’s basketball games, Piel fishes and hunts, and those excursions supplied nearly all of Saturday morning’s fixings. About two hours before kickoff, Piel stepped into the tent with a plate full of freshly cooked walleye, which he caught in Eagle Lake in Ontario. It’s so tender that a restaurant could charge $30 a plate for it.
“Wait until you try the halibut,” Piel said.
The title of best-tasting fish at the tailgate turned into a small rivalry for those involved. The halibut comes from two trips: Alaska and Lake Erie. For good measure, Piel slow-cooked venison tenderloins in a crockpot, which added warmth and — most important — aroma. Outside of renowned summer sausage from Schmidt’s in Nicollet, Minn., the tailgate has become a smorgasbord sourced from Piel’s freezer.
“Usually this time of year, when it’s cold out, it’s kind of surf-and-turf weekend,” said Piel, wearing camouflaged pants and boots to go along with a Minnesota letterman’s jacket. “I was gonna bring some pheasant wild rice soup, but there’s too much going on. When I’m gonna cook, I’m making stuff that’s usually harvested.”
Gophers fan Mike Piel shows off his walleye. (Scott Dochterman for The Athletic)
Around 90 minutes before kickoff, another former Gopher defensive lineman, Craig Paulson, entered the tailgate along with his son, Aaron. Paulson goes by the nickname “Spud,” which belies his barrel-chested physique and mountain man efficacy. The group eventually moved from its warm shelter to a tall table out in the elements, where the snow was getting heavier. Paulson’s off-white Minnesota sweatshirt covered up his Green Bay Packers sweater, which was just as well. Only one football feud at a time.
On a day this cold, snowy and windy, the former Gophers needed something a bit stronger than beer, and Paulson’s Irish whiskey hit the spot. Other friends and former Gophers continued to gather, and the falling snow could not stop the mini-reunions at a gathering that had surpassed two dozen attendees.
“For me, it’s just the camaraderie with guys that I’ve been through the wringer with, 40-plus years later,” said Paulson, who lives in rural central Wisconsin. “The other side of it is, it’s kind of tradition. I grew up in Wisconsin, going to Packer games. We played in a lot of games with this kind of weather later on in the season.
“It’s just part of your DNA. There’s kind of that ingrained toughness. You’re playing the opponent, but at the same time you’re battling the elements.”
They collectively shrugged off the cold until it was time to pack up about an hour before kickoff. Piel and Burke sometimes debate whether to break down the tailgate before kickoff or wait to clean up after the game. On Saturday, the weather made the decision easy. Not even these hardy men wanted to pack up their wares in the dark as the temperatures continued to fall.
By the evening, around six inches of snow had fallen in the Twin Cities. During every media timeout, maintenance crews shoveled yard markers and hashmarks for visibility, only for them to quickly be covered again. The weather prevented a full turnout at Huntington Bank Stadium, but it didn’t dampen the atmosphere. If anything, it intensified things, with snowballs launching all game from within the student section. After all, this is the one location where residents embrace early winter over summer because the mosquitoes finally leave them alone.
Minnesota held off Wisconsin in a snowy battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. (Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)
As time expired on a 17-7 Gophers’ victory, fans rushed the field. Students squealed with mocking delight when the loudspeaker belted House of Pain’s “Jump Around,” a staple of Badgers home games, as they surrounded the Minnesota players who were pantomiming chopping down the goalposts. Defensive end Anthony Smith hauled Paul Bunyan’s Axe off the field, up the tunnel and into his locker room. Linebacker Derik LeCaptain held the axe upright with the golden side of the head facing forward during postgame interviews.
“Huntington Bank Stadium is a very, very difficult place to play, and it’s because of our crowd,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “It’s because of our fans, our supporters, our student body. I can’t thank them enough. They were just home for Thanksgiving, and they’re full. It’s snowing sideways, 20 degrees. It’s awesome. I can’t thank them enough. And they create that atmosphere, 7-0 at home. I love that.”
Three hours after the regular season concluded, Dinkytown had turned quiet and the tailgate lots had emptied. Minnesota now has the edge in the FBS’ most-played series at 64-63-8, so Gophers alums like Piel, Burke and Paulson went home happy. Next year they’ll be back, regardless of the weather. And if it snows, all the better.
“It’s a sense of pride, sense of just being hearty, right?” Piel said. “It’s the same thing when I go hunting and stuff. It’s like, there’s no elements that’s gonna stop me. Not gonna happen.”