Iowa vs. Minnesota Football Rivalry Bobblehead Unveiled to Celebrate Saturday’s Game

This morning, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a limited-edition Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Rivalry Bobblehead ahead of Saturday’s game between the two rivals in Minneapolis. The bobblehead features Iowa’s mascot Herky the Hawk and Minnesota’s mascot Goldy Gopher with a replica Floyd of Rosedale Trophy. The bobblehead commemorates the rivalry, which dates back to 1891.

The special edition bobblehead, which is being released in conjunction with the 118th meeting between the Hawkeyes and Golden Gophers on Saturday, September 21st at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is available exclusively from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the University of Iowa and University of Minnesota.

All the details are below, and you can find pictures and graphics of the bobblehead that you can use at this Dropbox link. The bobbleheads are now available exclusively in our online store at the following link.

• The bobbleheads are now available in the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store at this link.
• The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in January, are $50 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
• Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024.
• The bobblehead is being released in conjunction with the 118th meeting between the teams on Saturday, September 21st at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
• Standing side-by-side on a football field base that reads “HAWKEYES” in one end zone and “GOLDEN GOPHERS” in the other end zone, Iowa mascot Herky the Hawk and Minnesota mascot Goldy Gopher are wearing their respective uniforms while giving the No. 1 signal and holding a football adorned with their school logo. Positioned in between Herky and Goldy is a replica of the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy. The front of the base features the logos for each team.
• Tied for the fourth-longest rivalry in the Big Ten Conference, Iowa and Minnesota have been squaring off on the football field since 1881. Minnesota leads the all-time series, 63-52-2, but the Hawkeyes have won eight of the last 10 meetings and 15 of the last 20. The Golden Gophers snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes with a 12-10 upset victory last year in Iowa City. One of the most notable games in the rivalry was in 1960 when No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Minnesota – both undefeated – played for the Big Ten championship, the 1961 Rose Bowl berth, and the No. 1 ranking. Minnesota won the game, 27-10.
• The unique Floyd of Rosedale trophy, which was introduced in 1935 and is awarded to the winner of the game, is a giant, bronze pig that commemorates its namesake. After the 1934 matchup was filled with controversy over the treatment of Iowa star running back Ozzie Simmons, the lead-up to the 1935 game was filled with back-and-forth barbs. To lighten the mood, Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson sent a telegram to Iowa Governor Clyde L. Herring on game-day morning, which read, “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 Iowa governor accepted, and Minnesota won the incident-free game, 13-6. Governor Herring obtained an award-winning prize pig, which had been donated by Allen Loomis, the owner of Rosedale Farms. Dubbed Floyd after Minnesota Governor Olson, a few days later Governor Herring collected “Floyd of Rosedale” and personally walked him into Governor Olson’s carpeted office. Floyd died of cholera just eight months after making headlines. Since the two schools could not continue wagering a live pig, Governor Olson commissioned Saint Paul sculptor Charles Brioschi to capture Floyd’s image. The result is a 98-pound bronze pig trophy, which is 21 inches long and 15 inches high.
• “We’re excited to unveil this limited-edition Iowa vs. Minnesota Rivalry Bobblehead ahead of tomorrow’s game in Minneapolis,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “This bobblehead will be the perfect way for Iowa and Minnesota fans, alumni, students, faculty, and staff to show off their school and state pride!”
• The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st. St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country.