During the last 35 years or so the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry has become much more one-sided in passion and interest among Hawkeye fans. The Gophers have long been one of the most mediocre football programs in the Big Ten Conference while Iowa has won championships and played in major bowl games. Iowa has won the last five meetings between the two schools. The all-time series is in Minnesota’s favor: 38-31-2.
Bill Lester, executive director of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, reminisced about Iowa’s 2002 visit to the Metrodome when Hawkeye fans stormed the field in celebration and tore down part of a goal post with the intent of taking it home as a souvenir. He recalled with humor a quote he made that annoyed Iowa fans. “I told a reporter you have to be from Iowa to think you can get an 18 foot upright from a goal post through a revolving door (out of the dome),” Lester said.
He became the target of “scathing and comical” e-mails from Iowans including a long communication that provoked more teasing from Lester. He noted the length of the e-mail and replied, “Doesn’t anyone have a job down there?”
The 2002 game allowed Iowa to clinch its first conference title under Ferentz. Iowa had not won the conference championship since 1990 and later went on to play in the Orange Bowl. That game in the Metrodome sent some of the more zealous Iowans into a frenzy that included taunting Gopher fans and added to a reputation for poor sportsmanship. (A Big Ten football player told me that around the conference his team is accustomed to abuse but normally it comes from students. In Iowa City it often comes from the adults, he said.)
Through the years there’s been a lot of good football, great players and exemplary sportsmanship among all concerned including fans in this historic college football rivalry. Let’s hope Saturday adds to that legacy.