A heated football rivalry was once cooled by a wager involving a prize pig
In short: In 1935, tensions between Iowa and Minnesota football fans reached a boiling point over the treatment of a black player. To prevent a riot, two governors made a high-stakes bet involving a live hog. The resulting trophy, Floyd of Rosedale, remains a symbol of this unusual diplomatic intervention.
The rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Minnesota Golden Gophers turned volatile following the 1934 game. Iowa halfback Ozzie Simmons, one of the few black players of the era, was subjected to repeated rough hits and late tackles by Minnesota. By the time the teams were set to meet again in 1935, Iowa Governor Clyde L. Herring publicly warned that the crowd would not tolerate similar tactics, a statement Minnesota officials interpreted as an incitement to violence.
To de-escalate the situation, Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson proposed a wager: a prize hog from Minnesota against one from Iowa. The bet successfully shifted the public focus, and the 1935 game proceeded peacefully, with Minnesota winning 13–6. Governor Herring fulfilled the wager by delivering a pig from Rosedale Farms, which was named Floyd in honor of the Minnesota governor. The pig's journey even sparked legal controversy, as a social crusader attempted to prosecute the governors for violating gambling laws, though the case was ultimately dismissed.
The original live pig, unfortunately, died of cholera just eight months after the game. To preserve the tradition, Governor Olson commissioned sculptor Charles Brioschi to create a permanent bronze likeness. The resulting trophy, weighing 98 pounds, has been awarded to the winner of the annual contest ever since. While the rivalry has featured high-stakes matchups, such as the 1960 game that decided the Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl berth, the bronze pig remains the most enduring legacy of the 1935 diplomatic effort to calm a volatile sporting atmosphere.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Iowa–Minnesota football rivalry
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