A few weeks ago, we dove into some of the history of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. I want to do the same this week, except this time we’re heading to Big 10 country. One of my favorite things about the Big 10 is the plethora of rivalries that pass trophies back and forth with each winner. It feels like every other week in conference play has a trophy changing hands – everything from buckets and jugs to turtles and axes. We have two of these games taking place this week, so let’s take a look at the games and the trophies that are up for grabs.
The Floyd of Rosedale – Minnesota @ Iowa
If you’ve watched Minnesota and Iowa play each other in recent years, you probably imagine a slow, low scoring affair that most likely a one score game the entire time. There are certainly exceptions, but these teams love to play each other super close. They are as Big 10 as Big 10 teams come, with persistent running games and tough defenses. The game has been played 118 times, beginning in 1891. Minnesota leads the all-time series 63-53-2, but Iowa has dominated in recent years, winning 9 of the last 10 meetings. Each year, the teams play for Floyd of Rosedale, a 98(!) pound bronze pig, which has been a part of the rivalry since 1935. You may be familiar with the pig, but you may not be as familiar with its origin story.
The Floyd of Rosedale was actually born out of controversy. Iowa had a star running back named Ozzie Simmons, who was a black player during an era in which there weren’t nearly as many black players as there are today. Simmons took a number of big hits in the game, and he felt that many of them were late and unnecessary, as did the Iowa fan base. Minnesota won that game, and going into the 1935 matchup, both teams were undefeated. Before the game, the Minnesota coach received threats from the Iowa fanbase regarding the previous year’s controversy. Tempers were flaring, as political officials from both sides got involved, with the Iowa side threatening to get involved from the stands if the unnecessary roughness continued, and the Minnesota side threatening to pull out of the game.
The Minnesota Governor stepped in, and in an effort to ease the hostility, he made a bet with the Iowa Governor. He sent a telegram to the Iowa Governor with an offer: the winner of the game would receive a prize hog from the other state. Iowa accepted, and word quickly spread. The result was a 13-6 win by Minnesota, without any extracurricular activity, and an Iowa farmer, owner of Rosedale Farms, sent Minnesota a prize pig. The pig was named Floyd, after Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson, hence the name “Floyd of Rosedale”.
It was decided that the schools couldn’t continue to swap live pigs, so Governor Floyd found a sculptor to memorialize Floyd in trophy form. He produced a 98-pound bronze pig, standing at 15 inches tall and 21 inches long, and the two programs have played for the pig every year since. Floyd has changed hands 34 times since 1935, with Iowa currently in possession after a 31-14 victory last season. Both teams are coming off big wins; Iowa beat Penn State on a late fourth quarter touchdown, and Minnesota took down Iowa with a convincing 24-6 victory. It’s shaping up to be another textbook showdown between these two, as both will look to establish the run against stout defenses. Points may come at a premium on Saturday!
The Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy – Michigan @ Michigan St
Who doesn’t love a good old fashioned in-state rivalry? Ohio State may be Michigan’s fiercest rivalry, but there is no love lost between the Wolverines and their fellow Michiganders the Michigan State Spartans. These teams have met 116 times in their history, and every year since 1945. Michigan leads the series 74-38-5 and has won the last three meetings since Kenneth Walker led the Spartans to a win in 2021. The winning team of this game takes possession of a nine-foot-tall wooden trophy that displays the fairytale lumberjack Paul Bunyan. Paul himself is four feet tall, and he stands on a five-foot base. The trophy was introduced in 1953.
Believe it or not, the Paul Bunyan Trophy was not too popular between the two teams when he was first introduced. The Michigan athletic director originally wanted to refuse the trophy if the Wolverines won in 1953, but Michigan State ended up winning the game. The next year, Michigan won the game but proceeded to leave the trophy on the field for an hour and a half after the game, not showing a ton of interest. Paul was put in an equipment locker at Michigan Stadium. They won again the next two seasons and didn’t even bother to engrave the scores into the trophy. Michigan State regained possession in 1956 and went on to win the next eight years. Over the years, the trophy became more ingrained in the rivalry, and it now serves as ultimate bragging rights for each game’s winner.
This rivalry has also given us some iconic moments in its history. In the last 25 years, we had the “Little Brother” controversy between Michigan running back Mike Hart and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio in 2007, the infamous “Trouble with the snap” blocked punt to win the game in 2015 (my personal favorite), the aforementioned top ten matchup in 2021, and the controversial assault in the tunnel in 2022, just to name a few. Both teams have been inconsistent this season, and Michigan is a heavier favorite going into Saturday’s game, but you can never count out the underdog in a rivalry like this. We’ll see who gets to claim Paul Bunyan when the clock hits zero.
