Gophers to hold one spring practice open to public, no public Spring Game
Head coach P. J. Fleck of the Minnesota Golden Gophers huddles with his team during their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Memorial Stadium on September 16, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team announced Tuesday it will host one spring practice open to the public, and it will not have a Spring Game.
The Gophers, coming off a 6-7 season and win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl, will open spring practice on March 21. They will have one practice open for members of Dinkytown Athletes, the school’s name, image and likeness collective. That is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at Huntington Bank Stadium.
The one practice open to the general public is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, at Athletes Village. The Gophers will also host a fan event during a fall training camp practice, with details coming later.
The team will host its annual Diaper Drive during both open practices. Fans coming to watch the Gophers practice are encouraged to bring disposable diapers. Since 2017, the Gophers have donated more than 127,000 diapers to families in need.
The Gophers will not host a public Spring Game. The last time they did was in 2017. The 2018 game was moved up to Thursday due to weather, and the 2019, 2022 and 2023 games were moved indoors and closed to the public due to weather. The 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19.
P.J. Fleck enters his eighth season at Minnesota, and is 50-34 overall, including a 29-32 mark in Big Ten play.