Gophers honoring Sid Hartman with helmet sticker Saturday vs. Michigan

Sid Hartman loved to cover Gophers football and did so for all of his 76-year career as a newspaper columnist and Minnesota media icon. Hartman, who died Sunday at age 100, will be honored Saturday by the University of Minnesota football program with a helmet sticker on the back of the Gophers' gold helmets for their primetime, season-opening game against Michigan.

The U is also planning to honor Hartman's seat in the TCF Bank Stadium press box, a place that was renamed in 2018: The Sid Hartman Press Box.

6:30 p.m. • TCF Bank Stadium • ABC (Ch. 5), KFAN (100.3-FM)

Forecast: 29 degrees and cloudy at kickoff, according to Weather.com. Sunset is at 6:14 p.m.

Crowd: Under Minnesota Department of Health guidelines, the game would be restricted to 1,500 fans, separated into pods of 250. But the Gophers say the crowd will be closer to 800-900. All Big Ten teams are prioritizing families for ticket access. Minnesota and Michigan players were given access to up to four tickets apiece.

B1G initiative: The Big Ten is launching a "United as One" social justice campaign with several promotions in Week 1. The Gophers will have HERE (Helping End Racisism with Education) helmet stickers. Michigan players will have the word "Equality" on their helmets with multi-colored fists.

Fan cutouts: The Gophers have been selling fan cutouts — $25 for current students, $50 for all others — so some of the seats will have those.

Nod to Sid: Sid Hartman will be on the minds of many on Saturday, and on the helmets, too. The Minnesota media icon and Star Tribune columnist died Sunday at age 100. A constant presence around Gophers football for most of his life, Sid will be honored with a helmet sticker on the back of the Gophers' gold helmets Saturday.

Band: The Gophers marching band, spirit squad and Goldy the mascot will not attend the game. The band and Goldy will be on hand for ESPN's "College GameDay" telecast in the morning. The band will divide into two 180-person pods and take turns inside the stadium.

JOE CHRISTENSEN