In their first and only season under head coach Jack Minds, the Golden Gophers compiled a 4–5 record (1–2 against Western Conference opponents), finished in fifth place in the conference, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 92 to 73.

[1] The 1898 season for Minnesota was one of adversity, including bad weather and a mid-season injury to the team's captain.

[2]: 27  Coach Jack Minds was a fullback and kicker at the University of Pennsylvania.

[3]: 312 On Thanksgiving Day 1898, Minnesota and Illinois played a football game for the first time in the two programs' history.

A big storm had come through the previous day, but John Pillsbury (the student manager) put together a crew and worked overnight using horse-drawn plows to clear the field.