Harry “Bud” Grant was one of the most beloved coaches in the state of Minnesota, guiding the Minnesota Vikings to perennial success and to four Super Bowl appearances. Before that he was the ultimate multi-sport athlete for the Gophers, playing football, basketball, and baseball and earning nine letters. He played professionally in the NBA, NFL, and CFL before becoming a coach.
One name is most synonymous with the "Miracle on Ice"—iconic coach Herb Brooks. Brooks played at Minnesota, then won three NCAA championships as head coach of the Gophers, in 1974, 1976, and 1979. His most notable accomplishment was taking a team full of recent college players to the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid and upsetting a highly favored Soviet Union team en route to a gold medal.
Few athletes fall into the category of “legendary,” but that's where Bronko Nagurski’s legacy lives. Born in Ontario and reared in International Falls, Nagurski became an All-American tackle and fullback for the Gophers from 1927–29 before a lengthy NFL career with the Chicago Bears. He was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and in 1999 was named one of the 100 best players of all time.
Lindsay Whalen became a legend at the U while leading the Gophers to their only Final Four appearance in 2004. A magician with her no-look passes, #13 is the career leader at the U with 2,285 points. Whalen (along with U teammate Janel McCarville, also pictured), moved on to an illustrious career in the WNBA. Both currently play for the Minnesota Lynx.
Soft-spoken Tony Dungy has found success at every level in football. He quarterbacked the Gophers in the mid-1970s and played defensive back in the National Football league, winning a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy then became the poised, stoic face of the Indianapolis Colts, and was the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl.
A native of St. Paul, Paul Molitor was a baseball star for the Gophers, twice earning All-America honors at shortstop. He went on to a prolific, Hall of Fame career in the major leagues for three teams (Milwaukee, Toronto, and Minnesota), finishing with 3,319 hits and a batting average of .306. In November 2014 he was named manager of the Twins.
Krissy Wendell-Pohl was a star for a Gophers team that won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2004 and 2005, playing on a super-charged line with Natalie Darwitz and Kelly Stephens. She became the first player from Minnesota and from the WCHA to win the Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation's best female collegiate player. Wendell also was the first-ever female starter (catcher) in the Little League World Series.
A native of Hawaii, Lindsey Berg was a four-year starting setter for the Gophers and still ranks second all-time in Big Ten history in both assists (5,913) and service aces (283). She then became a fixture for the national team, and has twice been named USA Volleyball Indoor Female Athlete of the Year. Berg has made three trips to the Olympics, and was captain of Team USA in London in 2012.