ROCHESTER — It was a golden era for the Golden Gophers and it meant the world to Jerry Macken.

It was 1960 the last time that the University of Minnesota football team won a national championship. Macken, a 1958 graduate of then-football power Rochester High School, was a member of that team. So were Rochester graduates Tom Robbins, Roger Hagberg, Steve Kereakos, Dick Miller (Lourdes) and Blooming Prairie grad Jack Jelinek.

Many of them have now passed, Macken most recently. The former Gophers center and friend-of-all-friends died at the age of 85 on Feb. 5, 2025, after suffering the last few years with cancer type multiple myeloma and kidney failure, among other health troubles.

Few appreciated Macken more than his son, Jerry Jr. But he noted that his father’s time had mercifully come to an end.

“I am slightly relieved,” said Jerry Jr., who also played for the Gophers, from 1998-2001, a fullback. “My dad was a tough old bird. But the last year and half, he’d really been battling health stuff.”

A couple of things defined Jerry Macken. One was his instinct to battle, the other was his being as true of a friend, father and husband as there is.

Macken was loyal, even fiercely so.

“My dad was thought really highly of by most people,” Jerry Jr. said. “He was the best dad I could imagine having. He was just such a great example in so many ways. It was the way he treated people. He was very kind and always had time to help. He’s a guy who’d pull over to the side of the road if he ever saw someone who needed help. He’d head over there, just to see what was wrong.”

All of those instincts worked perfectly on that 1960 national championship team. It was as together, tough and motivated a team as Macken could have imagined.

In an interview in 2010, he recounted the brotherhood and drive of that championship team.

“There was so much commitment that year,” said Macken, who played sparingly that season but Jelinek noted how he gave everything when he did. “No matter where anyone played, everyone was giving 100 percent. When you had your chance, you did your best. Everyone got into it. It was an attitude thing. We had the attitude that we wanted to be the best.”

Jelinek knew Macken well and had frequent contact with him over the past year. He first got to know him when he joined the Gophers, part of that southeastern Minnesota collection on that team that stayed close through the years.

Jelinek described Macken, who played behind future longtime NFL center Greg Larson on that title team, as among the best and most loyal friends he’s ever had.

He could certainly vouch for Macken’s toughness.

“Jerry was so tough and strong,” Jelinek said. “He didn’t start fights, but there were sometimes little guys who wanted a medal so they’d take him on. They’d made a mistake when they’d pick on Jerry. Jerry was a tough guy and a fun guy. One time he dyed himself green on St. Patrick’s Day.”

The loyalty that Macken showed to his family was his most intense. He has always been there for Jerry Jr., keeping track of him as he coached football at Cretin-Derham Hall and the last two years at Rosemount.

The father and son would have frequent football conversations, Jerry Sr. offering whatever advice he could. It was always one of his favorite ways to stay connected with his son.

“We talked a lot about football,” said Jerry Jr., a coach for the last 23 years. “He was always offering his advice, telling me whatever he thought we needed.”

That advice also extended to Jerry Jr.’s freshman son at Rosemount, Finn Macken, a budding star quarterback and safety and considered one of the top young prospects in the state.

The Macken football legacy lives on. That made nobody happier than Jerry Sr.

And looking ahead four years, where might Finn Macken wind up? If Jerry Sr. was offering advice on that one, the answer would seem obvious.

“My dad always had a big sense of pride in having played at Minnesota,” Jerry Jr. said. “He really enjoyed playing for his home state. And he always liked when Minnesota had success.”