The Iowa vs Minnesota football rivalry is one of the oldest rivalries in the history of American college football. The rivalry is between the two college football teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes football team of the University of Iowa and the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team of the University of Minnesota. The two teams fight each other for the trophy called Floyd of Rosedale, which is at stake this week when the two teams face off against each other.
The coveted trophy is not just an award given to the winning team. It was introduced as an effort to reduce rising tensions and cool down heated emotions surrounding the Iowa-Minnesota game in 1935.
Iowa vs Minnesota Football Rivalry History
Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers have been fighting for Floyd of Rosedale (introduced in 1935), ever since 1891 as their first meeting. The trophy is a bronze trophy which is given to the victor of the match between the two teams. One of the notable games between the two was the 1934 game which ended up in controversy.
The game is still remembered over the treatment of Iowa star halfback Ozzie Simmons, who was one of the black players of that era in football. According to reports, Simmons was compelled to exit the game many times following multiple rough hits by the Gophers when Minnesota managed to bag the victory in their favor with a score of 48-12.
Another game to remember about the rivalry is the 1960 college football season. It was the year when the two undefeated teams, the No. 3 Minnesota and No. 1 Iowa faced off against each other in Minneapolis. The highly awaited game was not just a normal rivalry game but for the Big Ten Conference championship, the 1961 Rose Bowl berth, and for the No. 1 ranking which Minnesota bagged after winning 27-10.
Iowa vs Minnesota Football Rivalry Head-to-Head Stats
The two teams, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, first met each other on November 2, 1891, when the Gophers won the match by a huge margin with a score of 42-4. Their most recent meeting was on September 21, 2024, when Iowa managed to seal the deal for a 31-14 victory.
As of November 2024, Minnesota leads the head-to-head record with 63–53–2. Check out the important stats below:
| Stat | Iowa | Minnesota |
| First Meeting | November 2, 1891 Minnesota, 42–4 | |
| Total Meetings | 118 | |
| All-Time Wins | 53 | 63 |
| Largest Victory | Minnesota, 75–0 (1903) | |
| Longest Win Streak | Minnesota, 12 (1891–1916) | |
| Floyd of Rosedale | 45 | 43 |
Iowa vs Minnesota Winner Year-by-Year
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 1 | November 2, 1891 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 42–4 |
| 2 | October 26, 1901 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 16–0 |
| 3 | October 25, 1902 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 34–0 |
| 4 | October 17, 1903 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 75–0 |
| 5 | November 28, 1904 | Cedar Rapids, IA | Minnesota | 11–0 |
| 6 | October 21, 1905 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 39–0 |
| 7 | October 2, 1909 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 41–0 |
| 8 | October 28, 1911 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 24–6 |
| 9 | October 26, 1912 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 56–7 |
| 10 | October 24, 1914 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 7–0 |
| 11 | October 23, 1915 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 51–13 |
| 12 | October 28, 1916 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 67–0 |
| 13 | November 9, 1918 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 6–0 |
| 14 | October 25, 1919 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 9–6 |
| 15 | November 13, 1920 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 28–7 |
| 16 | November 5, 1921 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 41–7 |
| 17 | November 11, 1922 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 28–14 |
| 18 | November 27, 1923 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 20–7 |
| 19 | October 25, 1924 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 13–0 |
| 20 | November 14, 1925 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 33–0 |
| 21 | November 6, 1926 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 41–0 |
| 22 | October 22, 1927 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 38–0 |
| 23 | October 22, 1928 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 7–6 |
| 24 | November 9, 1929 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 9–7 |
| 25 | October 24, 1931 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 34–0 |
| 26 | October 22, 1932 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 21–6 |
| 27 | October 28, 1933 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 19–7 |
| 28 | October 28, 1934 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 48–12 |
| 29 | November 9, 1935† | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 13–6 |
| 30 | November 7, 1936 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 2 Minnesota | 52–0 |
| 31 | November 6, 1937 | Iowa City, IA | No. 14 Minnesota | 35–10 |
| 32 | November 5, 1938 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 12 Minnesota | 28–0 |
| 33 | November 18, 1939 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 13–9 |
| 34 | October 26, 1940 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 6 Minnesota | 34–6 |
| 35 | November 15, 1941 | Iowa City, IA | No. 1 Minnesota | 34–13 |
| 36 | November 14, 1942 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 16 Minnesota | 27–7 |
| 37 | November 13, 1943 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 33–14 |
| 38 | November 18, 1944 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 46–0 |
| 39 | November 17, 1945 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 20–19 |
| 40 | November 16, 1946 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 16–6 |
| 41 | November 15, 1947 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 13–7 |
| 42 | November 13, 1948 | Iowa City, IA | No. 14 Minnesota | 28–21 |
| 43 | November 5, 1949 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 9 Minnesota | 55–7 |
| 44 | November 4, 1950 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 13–0 |
| 45 | November 3, 1951 | Iowa City, IA | Tie | 20–20 |
| 46 | November 1, 1952 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 17–7 |
| 47 | November 14, 1953 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 27–0 |
| 48 | November 13, 1954 | Minneapolis, MN | #13 Minnesota | 22–20 |
| 49 | November 5, 1955 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 26–0 |
| 50 | November 10, 1956 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 7–0 |
| 51 | November 9, 1957 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 44–20 |
| 52 | November 8, 1958 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 28–6 |
| 53 | November 7, 1959 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 33–0 |
| 54 | November 5, 1960 | Minneapolis, MN | #3 Minnesota | 27–10 |
| 55 | November 11, 1961 | Iowa City, IA | #5 Minnesota | 16–9 |
| 56 | November 10, 1962 | Minneapolis, MN | #10 Minnesota | 10–0 |
| 57 | November 9, 1963 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 27–13 |
| 58 | November 7, 1964 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 14–13 |
| 59 | October 16, 1965 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 14–3 |
| 60 | October 15, 1966 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 17–0 |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score |
| 61 | November 4, 1967 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 10–0 |
| 62 | November 2, 1968 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 35–28 |
| 63 | November 1, 1969 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 35–8 |
| 64 | October 31, 1970 | Minneapolis, MN | Tie | 14–14 |
| 65 | October 16, 1971 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 19–14 |
| 66 | October 21, 1972 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 43–14 |
| 67 | October 20, 1973 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 31–23 |
| 68 | October 19, 1974 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 23–17 |
| 69 | October 25, 1975 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 31–7 |
| 70 | October 23, 1976 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 22–12 |
| 71 | October 8, 1977 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 18–6 |
| 72 | October 14, 1978 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 22–20 |
| 73 | October 20, 1979 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 24–7 |
| 74 | October 25, 1980 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 24–6 |
| 75 | October 24, 1981 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 12–10 |
| 76 | October 23, 1982 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 21–16 |
| 77 | November 19, 1983 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 61–10 |
| 78 | November 17, 1984 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 23–17 |
| 79 | November 23, 1985 | Iowa City, IA | #3 Iowa | 31–9 |
| 80 | November 22, 1986 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 30–27 |
| 81 | November 21, 1987 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 34–20 |
| 82 | November 19, 1988 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 31–22 |
| 83 | November 25, 1989 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 43–7 |
| 84 | November 24, 1990 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 31–24 |
| 85 | November 23, 1991 | Iowa City, IA | #8 Iowa | 23–8 |
| 86 | November 21, 1992 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 28–13 |
| 87 | November 20, 1993 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 21–3 |
| 88 | November 19, 1994 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 49–42 |
| 89 | November 25, 1995 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 45–3 |
| 90 | November 23, 1996 | Minneapolis, MN | #24 Iowa | 43–24 |
| 91 | November 22, 1997 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 31–0 |
| 92 | November 21, 1998 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 49–7 |
| 93 | November 20, 1999 | Iowa City, IA | #17 Minnesota | 25–21 |
| 94 | November 18, 2000 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 27–24 |
| 95 | November 17, 2001 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 42–24 |
| 96 | November 16, 2002 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 6 Iowa | 45–21 |
| 97 | November 15, 2003 | Iowa City, IA | No. 20 Iowa | 40–22 |
| 98 | November 14, 2004 | Minneapolis, MN | No. 19 Iowa | 29–27 |
| 99 | November 19, 2005 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 52–28 |
| 100 | November 18, 2006 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 34–24 |
| 101 | November 10, 2007 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 21–16 |
| 102 | November 22, 2008 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 55–0 |
| 103 | November 21, 2009 | Iowa City, IA | No. 13 Iowa | 12–0 |
| 104 | November 27, 2010 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 27–24 |
| 105 | October 29, 2011 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 22–21 |
| 106 | September 29, 2012 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 31–13 |
| 107 | September 28, 2013 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 23–7 |
| 108 | November 8, 2014 | Minneapolis, MN | Minnesota | 51–14 |
| 109 | November 14, 2015 | Iowa City, IA | No. 5 Iowa | 40–35 |
| 110 | October 8, 2016 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 14–7 |
| 111 | October 28, 2017 | Iowa City, IA | Iowa | 17–10 |
| 112 | October 6, 2018 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 48–31 |
| 113 | November 16, 2019 | Iowa City, IA | No. 20 Iowa | 23–19 |
| 114 | November 13, 2020 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 35–7 |
| 115 | November 13, 2021 | Iowa City, IA | No. 20 Iowa | 27–22 |
| 116 | November 19, 2022 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 13–10 |
| 117 | October 21, 2023 | Iowa City, IA | Minnesota | 12–10 |
| 118 | September 21, 2024 | Minneapolis, MN | Iowa | 31–14 |
FAQ's on Iowa vs Minnesota Football Rivalry
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A. Minnesota is one of the biggest rivals of Iowa.
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A. Wisconsin Badgers are known as the biggest rivals of the Minnesota Gophers.
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A. The Minnesota are called the Golden Gophers due to the team's all-gold attire on the field.
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A. Floyd of Rosedale, which was introduced in 1935, is a bronze trophy in the shape of a pig which is awarded to the winner of the match between Iowa and Minnesota.
