March Madness: Remembering the Gophers’ 1997 Final Four* Run
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Then Jan Gangelhoff happened. Specifically, the St. Paul Pioneer Press published a story the day before the Gophers were set to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the opening round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament detailing an academic cheating scandal for the Gophers. Gangelhoff was paid to write papers for some of the Gophers players, and she agreed to a story with the Pioneer Press to break the news. Coach Clem Haskins originally denied but ultimately admitted to the allegations. It was awfully curious timing, as four players were then suspended for the Gonzaga game and the Gophers lost. Haskins was forced to resign after the season and was effectively banned from the NCAA for seven seasons. He never coached again. Meanwhile, the Gopher program was docked scholarships, stripped of their Final Four berth and 1998 NIT Championship and did not recover for years. This is why we can’t have nice things.
The scandal never really troubled me that much other than the sanctions placed on the team. Not because I think cheating is okay, just that academic integrity is a joke in major college sports anyway. The Gophers just got caught. Even though it did not happen according to the record books, the Gophers’ run in the 1997 NCAA Tournament was real to me.
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Feb 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers mascot Goldie Gopher in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena. The Minnesota Gophers beat the Purdue Boilermakers 62-58. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports