The 1889 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota as an independent during the 1889 college football season.
[1]: 5 The McCords, like Coach Peebles, had played football at Princeton.
Before 1889, there wasn't any kind of official connection between the football team and the student body, which sometimes resulted in player shortages and required recruitment from other schools in order to have enough men to play in the games.
[2]: 17 Once again, an attempt was made to schedule a game with the University of Michigan, but "Michigan wanted Minnesota to pay all of the expenses of the trip, which would amount to two hundred dollars.
"[2]: 17 Team of 1889: Quarterback, Alf F. Pillsbury (captain); Halfbacks, George K. Belden, John F. Hayden; Fullback, Grant Rossman; Rush Line, Birney E. Trask (l.e.