1887 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

The 1887 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota as an independent during the 1887 college football season. It was the second season under head coach Frederick S. Jones. For this season, the Ariel recorded that "The alumni have had their turn and the Minneapolis high school had been met and conquered," but a hoped-for game against Michigan couldn't be arranged and no other recorded games were played this season.^{[1]: 16 }

On one occasion, while getting the team ready to play, Alf Pillsbury noticed that the team was short a man, so he recruited a student from the group of Minneapolis Central students who were on hand. His name was Pudge Heffelfinger and after playing for Minnesota for a year, he went on to Yale and became one of the biggest names in the early days of football.^{[2]: 16 }

Team of 1887: Rushers, Paul Goode (center), Fred M. Mann, John H. Corliss, Birney Trask, William H. Hoyt, Henry S. Morris, Edmund P. Allen; Quarterback, Alf Pillsbury (center); Halfbacks, John F. Hayden, William D. Willard; Back, Alonzo D. Meeds; Substitutes, W. Dann, Walter Heffelfinger.^{[1]: 33 [3]: 1 }