Astounding Fun Facts About University of Iowa Football

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Iowa started playing intercollegiate football in 1889, although club teams had been playing at the school since 1872. It only took them 10 years to record an undefeated season.

“You know what else takes 10 years? Waiting for my girlfriend outside Nordstrom during a sale,” an older gentleman said.

The Hawkeyes became part of the Western Conference (what is now the Big 10) in 1900, and promptly had another undefeated season. In 1907 they participated in helping create another league called the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, but they still stayed part of the Big 10. That’s right, they played in two conferences at the same time.

“My ex-wife did that to me,” one man commented.

Howard Harding Jones coached the Hawkeyes from 1916-1923. He was a legendary coach, going to coach USC for 1925-1940, helping them become a football powerhouse. He played at Yale from 1905 to 1907, during which the Yale Bulldogs lost 0, that’s right 0 games and grabbed national championships every year. His salary at Iowa was $4,500.

An Iowa official explained: “Actually, we still only pay our coaches $4,500. But this is Iowa, we let you have all the corn you want for free. When Hayden Fry was coach in the early 80s, his family was going through maybe 6000 bushels of corn a year.”