Seasons
SEASON: 35 | YEAR: 1983
HEAD COACH: JOHN HOFFNER
Game 302 | January 5, 1983 | Paul Molitor
The former Gopher baseball star was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977 and was the team's starting second baseman in 1978 at age 21. He spent 21 seasons in the majors, 15 with the Brewers, three with Toronto and his last three with the Twins. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 3,319 hits and an average of .306.
Game 303 | February 24, 1983 | Murray Oliver, J. P. Parise, Mike Eaves
With the North Stars concentrating on building with younger stars, Lou Nanne added experience to his coaching staff in Oliver and Parise, two of the stronger players in the early years of the franchise. Eaves, a 26-year-old center, had 16 goals and 16 assists, and the team lost to Chicago in the NHL divisional playoffs.
(LtoR) Mike Eaves, J. P. Parise, Jack Hoffner, Murray Oliver
Game 304 | March 17, 1983 | Jerry Noyce
A Dunkers member since 1992, Noyce spent 15 years as Men's Tennis Coach at the University of Minnesota. His teams won three Big Ten conference titles, and, in 1986 he was honored as the National Division 1 "Tennis Coach of the Year." At Minnesota he started the U of M Baseline Club, which has endowed all the tennis scholarships while providing key money for the construction of a new on-campus tennis facility.
Game 305 | May 10, 1983 | Herb Brooks
Only a year after leading the United States to Olympic gold in 1980, Brooks was hired to coach the New York Rangers. He became the fastest coach in Rangers' history to reach 100 wins. He coached the Rangers 1981-1985, the Minnesota North Stars 1987-1988 and the New Jersey Devils 1992-1993.
Game 306 | June 13, 1983 | Tom Brunansky
One of the better young power hitting prospects in baseball, Brunansky made an immediate impression when he joined the Twins from the Angels. He hit 20 home runs in his first season with Minnesota (1982) and came back to hit 28 in 1983. He went on to star for the Twins' 1987 World Champions and left the team in a very unpopular 1988 trade with St. Louis for second baseman Tom Herr.
Game 307 | July 12, 1983 | Dan Chandler, Verne Gagne
This meeting featured two of the top wrestlers in Minnesota history. Chandler dominated the national collegiate scene in the mid-1980s and went on to compete in six World Championships. He later served as the nation's top Greco-Roman coach for two decades. Gagne, who starred in both football and wrestling at Minnesota, became a pioneer in using television to popularize professional wrestling in the 1950s and '60s. Using his trademark "sleeper" hold, Gagne delighted television audiences in matches against the likes of Mad Dog Vachon, the Crusher and Nick Bockwinkel.
Game 308 | August 10, 1983 | Joe Salem
This turned out to be the season for Salem as Gopher football coach. The team opened the season with a victory over Rice, but lost its final lO games. In a brutal stretch against top-ranked teams at the end of the season, the Gophers lost 50-23 to Illinois, 58-10 to Michigan and 61-10 at Iowa.
Game 309 | September 29, 1983 | Bill Mahoney, Brian Lawton
General Manager Lou Nanne made Lawton the first pick of the first round of the 1983 amateur hockey draft. As such, he was the first U.S. born player ever to be selected with the first pick. He played five seasons with the North Stars and contributed 10 goals and 21 assists in his 1983 rookie season. Mahoney succeeded Glen Sonmor and Murray Oliver as head coach and held the job from 1983-1985.
Game 310 | October 6, 1983 | Joe Robbie
This was an encore appearance for the owner of the Miami Dolphins and former Minneapolis resident. After touring the newly constructed Metrodome, Robbie told of plans to build a state-of-the-art stadium for the Dolphins. Four years later Joe Robbie Stadium, financed with all private funds, opened as the first of a new generation of National Football League stadiums.
Game 311 | November 15, 1983 | Jim Dutcher
With Randy Breuer gone, Dutcher faced a rebuilding season in 1983-'84. Guards Tommy Davis and Marc Wilson were the leading scorers on a team that finished 15-13 overall and 6-12 in the Big Ten.