Kirk Ferentz shares importance of keeping Iowa-Minnesota rivalry alive

The Iowa Hawkeyes renew their rivalry this week with the Minnesota Golden Gophers as the two compete for the Floyd of Rosedale. It’s a rivalry that Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has learned well over the years.

Ferentz recently shared that he feels understanding the history of this game is important for his team and explained how he became familiar with the rivalry himself.

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“We typically do [recap history] just because like 1981, I had no idea,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I was telling someone yesterday when I got here in ’81 like Johnny Carson was on TV and he was funny. He was really funny, in a good way. I mean, I thought he was pretty funny. Anyway, I remember on his show or whatever there was a feature about Iowa and Minnesota, and I didn’t know how it was at that point, so it was like pre-1981.”

Kirk Ferentz first came to Iowa in 1981 as the team’s offensive line coach. At the time, he hadn’t coached in the Big Ten at all and hadn’t appreciated the rivalry as much as he does today.

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“But what I do remember is there was a real rivalry, and when I got here in ’81 there was. I was kind of naïve to it until they came across the field after the 12-10 win out there in 1981, and I thought, boy, they’re pretty enthusiastic about shaking hands, and then I realized they wanted to come get the trophy that was right behind us,” Ferentz said.

“That was my introduction to the trophy game, and once you’re here for a little bit, you figure it out real quickly and what it means. I think this particular one there’s a real deep history, certainly. So, yeah, we’ll do that, give the guys a chance.”

In 1999, Kirk Ferentz became the head coach at Iowa. Since then, the Hawkeyes are 18-7 against Minnesota. However, last season, the Golden Gophers got one over on the Hawkeyes and won the Floyd of Rosedale by a score of 12-10.

“We haven’t seen the pig in a while, so we’ll have pictures and all that and see if we can do something about it,” Ferentz said.

In each of the last three meetings between Iowa and Minnesota, the game has been decided by one score or less. The overall series record is tight too, with the Golden Gophers leading with a record of 63-52-2 over the Hawkeyes.

“It just never seems to come easy. I remember going up there in ’82 after we got beat in ’81, 12-10, and that was one of the most physical games I can ever remember being involved with,” Ferentz said. “Maybe that’s just me, but that’s how it felt. It was a really hard-fought game, and both teams really went at it, and we were able to come out victorious. But I remember that being a real — it was back in the old dome — a tough, tough ballgame.”

Iowa and Minnesota will once again compete for Floyd of Rosedale on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST with the game being played at Minnesota this year.