Minnesota and Iowa play in the Metrodome on Saturday in the 100th football game between the two schools. Through the years the rivalry has sometimes been bitter. Nothing symbolizes the emotions of the Gopher-Hawkeye rivalry like Floyd of Rosedale, the famed bronze statue of a pig that goes to the winner of the Minnesota-Iowa game each year.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz recalled that back in 1981 he was a young assistant coach with the Hawkeyes and not that familiar with the rivalry. Ferentz’s roots had been out east, playing football at Connecticut and coaching as an assistant at his alma mater and at Pittsburgh. In his first season at Iowa, 1981, Ferentz watched the Gophers defeat the Hawkeyes and saw the Minnesota players come charging across the field to claim Floyd.
“I figured out real quick how important that (rivalry) was,” Ferentz said. “Then the other thing that really jumped out, and not quite so much now, but back in the 80’s there seemed to be almost a bitter rivalry between the states just in general. There were a lot of Minnesota jokes about Iowa, and Iowa jokes about Minnesota. That type of thing. …”
The 1981 Gophers were coached by Smokey Joe Salem who had a dismal career record at Minnesota, 19-35-1, but was 3-2 against Iowa. As a player, Salem had helped quarterback the No. 3 ranked Gophers to a 27-10 win over No. 1 rated Iowa in 1960, a game that moved Minnesota toward the national championship. As Gopher coach, Salem always wanted badly to beat the Hawkeyes and those around him said during Iowa week he had a different look in his eyes.
As a kid, I recall my parents telling stories about Gopher games in Iowa City during the 1930s when fans threw whiskey bottles at the Minnesota players. In 1935 both the Gophers and Hawkeyes were undefeated going into their game in Iowa City. The year before, according to the Gopher media guide, the Gophers had “roughed up” Iowa star Ozzie Simmons so badly he had to leave the game. As a prelude to the 1935 game, Iowa governor Clyde Herring said, “If the officials stand for any rough tactics like Minnesota used last year, I’m sure the crowd won’t.”
Minnesota governor Floyd Olson was alarmed and responded, “Minnesota folks are excited over your statement about Iowa crowds lynching the Minnesota football team. I have assured them you are law abiding gentlemen and are only trying to get our goat. …I will bet you a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota wins.”
The bet eased tensions and the Gophers won 13-6 in a game without major incidents. The Gophers’ prize was a real pig, provided by Rosedale Farms near Fort Dodge, Iowa. Later Olson commissioned the creation of the bronze pig, Floyd of Rosedale.