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This Matters To Somebody

@tm2s.bsky.social

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Four Minnesotans exploring the world through the sports you didn’t know you’d love LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/tm2s iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-matters-to-somebody/id1831854739 RSS Feed: https://anchor.fm/s/1036c317c/podcast/rss

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This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17d

We need a pin explaining what we're about. So, hi!

We're four friends who met through U of Minnesota sports fandom.

Turns out we also have a shared interest in sports outside of the Big 4 (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), especially sports not common in the US. We think they're great and want to share them.

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This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1m

Speaking of hits, the #Cornhuskers came out strong in the 2nd half and owned the 3rd Quarter, scoring a touchdown on their first drive and outgaining the #Gophers 66-30.

The 4th Quarter swung back on the back of QB George "Sonny" Franck.

Minnesota quarterback George "Sonny" Franck who ran for 116 yards, passed for 84, and threw 2 interceptions but earned plaudits from Nebraska's coaches for his game management and leadership.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 11m

I'm no contemporary pop music expert so it's tough to put into modern terms what this would be like. Ed Sheeran maybe? It's the 1940s version of Ed Sheeran coming to do a halftime show with you.

Gerald Prescott said: "It was a real jazzy number, that was quite a hit with everybody."

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 13m

At halftime, Benny Goodman came onto the field at Memorial Stadium. Standing on a podium at the 50 yard line, in wingtip shoes, white pants, coat and tie, he kept his clarinet under one arm while jauntily snapping his fingers to "conduct" his music as offered by the Pride of Minnesota.

Benny Goodman on the field at Memorial Stadium, photo from the Centennial Band Book 1892-1992

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 15m

But the #Gophers offensive and defensive lines found their stride against the #Cornhuskers. Minnesota dominated the first half. Fullback Bill Daley came into his own that day, snapping off a 48 yard run in the 2nd quarter that would be 15% of the 330 total yards. Score was 7-0 #Gophers at halftime.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 22m

Back to the football.

#Husker fans were confident coming into the game, and #Gopher fans were nervous. The performance against Washington to start the season had been shaky, and Nebraska's lines appeared strong.

Nebraska players circa 1940 barreling towards the camera

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 41m

In 1940, Downbeat (the leading jazz magazine) polled its readers and Benny Goodman won Best Swing Band. He had played Carnegie Hall in 1938 and was at the height of his popularity.

He also had a reputation as a funny guy, and he must have been amused by Prescott's request, because he said "yes"

Cover of the 1950s movie "The Benny Goodman Story" starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 44m

Benny Goodman had already earned the moniker "King of Swing". Compared to most predominantly white bands, his swung harder, played louder, and experimented more. He was heavily influenced by Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and employed Fletcher Henderson as an arranger.

Benny Goodman playing clarinet with Count Basie on piano

Benny Goodman playing clarinet with Lionel Hampton on vibraphones and Gene Krupa on drums

Bandleader and arranger Fletcher Henderson

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 54m

Prescott realized that Benny Goodman's popular band would be in Minneapolis during the weekend of the Nebraska game. So he had Red McLeod (of "Skol! Vikings" fame) arrange a halftime show of Goodman music.

And then he called Goodman's hotel and asked him to come direct the halftime show.

Red McLeod in later years. Red was a clarinet player in the Minnesota band of the late 1920s and stuck with the group as an arranger for decades afterwards. Composter of "Skol! Vikings", he was a fixture of Minnesota music and a member of the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. He loved to get visits at his retirement home from band members and tell old stories about "When I was in the band..." He died in 2007.

Benny Goodman, leader of one of the most popular big bands in the country at the time, and a quiet force for civil rights...his was one of the first "white" bands to feature not just black arrangers like Fletcher Henderson, but also black musicians such as piano player Teddy Wilson and vibraphone player Lionel Hampton.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

The Minnesota Marching Band was being led by the relatively young Gerald Prescott, himself a jazz enthusiast who was trying to move halftime shows from stodgy marches to incorporating more contemporary sounds and inventive drills.

University of Minnesota Marching Band director Gerald Prescott

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

1940 also was the height of the Big Band Era. Pop charts were dominated by 15-20 piece bands ranging from the "sweet" music of Glenn Miller to the Harlem-infused jazz of Duke Ellington.

Minneapolis was a popular stop for these groups, with many venues and a diverse fanbase.

The studious and polished Glenn Miller Orchestra

The loose, inventive, boundary-pushing Duke Ellington band messing around

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

The October 5th game was to be #Nebraska's opener. #Minnesota had beaten Washington the previous weekend 19-14.

The game was to be at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.

Memorial Stadium at full capacity during a game, from the air

Memorial Stadium during a game from approximately this era, in color.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

On the #Nebraska side, Biff Jones was in his 4th season in Lincoln after stints at Oklahoma and LSU. Nebraska's 1939 campaign had ended 7-1-1, 2nd in the Big Six Conference and #18 in the AP Poll. On paper, Nebraska appeared the favorites.

Biff Jones on the left, during his days at West Point

Biff Jones, also pointing during practice

Biff Jones in close-up, looking like he's about to spit.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

Minnesota's was in the midst of its greatest football era. Minnesota native and #Gopher alum Bernie Bierman was in his 9th year at the helm of the Golden Gophers, and had won 3 National Championships during that stretch.

But 1939 had brought his first losing season and there were concerns.

Bernie Bierman pointing during practice, Cooke Hall is behind him.

Bernie Bierman in fedora and winter coat

Bernie Bierman pointing a different way in practice

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

Minnesota and Nebraska both ran the most common offense of the day: the Single Wing. Now a mostly outdated offense, aspects of the Single Wing persist in the RPO and modified option offenses.

Great explainer below:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xdxq...

The Single Wing Formation - Football's Lost Masterpiece

YouTube video by Hardcore College Football History

www.youtube.com

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

Compared to yesterday's 1908 game, by 1940 American football looked more like it does today. Incomplete forward passes weren't penalized, touchdowns were 6 points, field goals 3, and punting on 1st Down wasn't a common strategy anymore.

Army vs. Michigan in 1940s football action

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 1h

7 days from the Chair Game and the #Gophers are in the lead!

We're celebrating by taking a look at a game from one of Minnesota's National Championship seasons that featured a special guest and unforgettable experience for the Minnesota Band:

October 5th, 1940: Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7

$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy @chairtrophy.bsky.social · 13h

8 days away from Friday Night Lights, here are the Chair-ity totals so far.

$1850 for Team One Four/Gophers

$176 for Team Jack/Huskers

We're over $2000 in the fight against pediatric cancer. Let's kick this up a notch! Thank you, and keep sharing the link!
Brokenchairtrophy.com

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 11h

RIP Sister Jean

Loyola University Chicago @loyolachicago.bsky.social · 12h

Loyola University Chicago is greatly saddened to confirm the death of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. This is a tremendous loss of someone who touched the lives of so many people. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts & prayers during this difficult time. For more information: https://bit.ly/4o7eIUk

Reposted by This Matters To Somebody

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 14h

Absolutely brutal way for the Phillies to lose, Dodgers win the series

65 130 660

Reposted by This Matters To Somebody

$5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy @chairtrophy.bsky.social · 18h

These historical rivalry look-backs are fantastic, and a great way to count down to this year's game! Follow TM2S podcast, enjoy these threads on old Husker/Gopher matchups from the early 1900s, and DONATE!
Brokenchairtrophy.com

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This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

Tomorrow we’ll move to the War Years where a surprise guest at the game created an unforgettable moment for the band on the field at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis.

No, not that one. Stay tuned!

Bo Pelini carrying a cat onto the field during a Nebraska Spring Game, one of the great moments in Coaches Who Get The Joke

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

#Nebraska finished 7-2-1, 2nd place behind Kansas in the MVC. Highlights included wins over Iowa and Iowa State, but they lost to champion Kansas. The #Huskers also finished their season against Jim Thorpe’s Carlisle, but met a 37-6 defeat on a cold December day in front of only 2,000 people.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

#Minnesota’s lack of size doomed them. They lost to Chicago and Wisconsin without scoring, then squeaked an 11-6 win over Jim Thorpe's famous Carlisle team to finish 3-2-1 and tied with Northwestern for last in the Western Conference. It was the first season the #Gophers had ever been outscored.

All-American, Olympian, and multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe during his Carlisle days.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

Coach Cole offered no excuses: “I am well satisfied that the Nebraska boys kept the Gophers from scoring…there was no muckerism and we left Minneapolis feeling that we had been nicely treated…”

The Minnesota papers eagerly predicted a win against Chicago in two weeks based on the tie.

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

Meanwhile the Lincoln papers were complained that one of the officials (“Umpire Gale, the former Chicago player…”) had called an off-sides on Nebraska setting up a tipped pass. #Cornhuskers felt instead it should have been what is now offensive pass interference.

Remember that Chicago thing?

a referee wearing glasses and a striped shirt stands on a field

ALT: a referee wearing glasses and a striped shirt stands on a field

media.tenor.com

This Matters To Somebody @tm2s.bsky.social · 17h

The Minneapolis Journal called into question whether Coach Cole of Nebraska was cheating by signaling his quarterback during the game, with dripping sarcasm: “Of course no one is willing to believe that the Nebraska coach would signal his team in direct opposition to the rules of football.”

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