Great Moments In Iowa-Iowa State History: 1977
by RossWB on Sep 7, 2011 10:00 AM CDT
in Iowa Hawkeyes Football
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PrintIf you're reading this blog, you probably already know that the Iowa-Iowa State football rivalry lay dormant for over 40 years in the middle of the 20th century, owing to plenty of bad blood on both sides. But eventually time passed and cooler heads prevailed and the series was resumed in 1977. To mark the occasion, Iowa State whipped up some special uniforms, which is a big reason the game is fondly remembered around these parts. After all, they inspired this classic image:
But thanks to the impressive efforts of The Hawkeye Historian, we have more than just a few images and game write-ups to remember that game by: we have actual video footage.
Goddamn, I love these old highlight videos. A few random thoughts:
* #19 Iowa State. Yes, really. Iowa State was ranked and Iowa was not (well, the second part of that sentence isn't so strange; the late '70s were not kind to Iowa football) at the time they played. In case you were wondering, yes, this was the very last time that has ever happened.
* Everything was just a little... off. The uniforms weren't radically dissimilar to what Iowa wears now (aside from the gold "script Iowa" helmet, which is a pretty radical departure from our current black and gold tigerhawk lid). The sleeves were a little (OK, a lot) longer and the stripes on the pants were a little narrower. (On the other hand, just try imagining Paul Rhoads rocking a gold shirt and red polyester pants on the sidelines like Earle Bruce was in these highlights.)
But the other elements of the gameday experience were a pretty far cry from what we've grown accustomed to now. Just look at the awful astroturf, which looks like a thin layer of green paint over concrete (actually...). Or the field itself, which has endzones barren of any design elements, but a modestly-sized "I" in the middle of the field. Things look a little different today. But by far the biggest change was the individual player introductions (although a few seem to be missing on that video), which are an interesting touch. Anyone know if that was that unique to this game or was it something they did often back in the day? The best one? Mike Brady! He was even from California.
* Special teams was an issue back then, too. As evidenced by that punt Iowa State returned for a touchdown (1:15), some things never change. In fact, it was a triple whammy for Iowa in the special teams department: not only did they give up that punt return touchdown (the only touchdown Iowa conceded, in fact), but they missed an extra point on their first touchdown (more on that in a moment), which then caused them to chase those points and go for two after the second touchdown (they failed to convert).
* Holy shit, Dennis Mosley! Speaking of that first Iowa touchdown (2:20)... it was a thing of beauty. Mosley displayed great patience in bouncing the play outside and waiting for the hole to open and once he hit the open field it was all BANG ZOOM TO THE END ZONE, ALICE. Mosley had a weird career at Iowa. Despite runs like that, he wasn't Iowa's leading rusher in '77 or '78 (fullback Jon Lazar was -- no, really, a fullback). But when Hayden Fry arrived in '79, Mosley had a breakout season. He became the first Iowa running back to crack 1000 yards in a season, scooting for 1267 yards and setting a single-season record that would stand for 16 years. His breathtaking run in the '77 game may not have even been his greatest highlight against ISU: he destroyed them to the tune of 229 yards (another record at the time) in the '79 game, a 30-14 Iowa win. No disrespect to Lazar, who was a hell of a running back by all accounts, but it remains a complete mystery to me why Mosley was so underutilized at Iowa until 1979.
* Defense: it's what for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The similarities between the Iowa defense in the video and the Iowa defense we've watched in recent years are downright uncanny. Seriously, just watch them stringing plays out and swarming to the ball: if you squint a little, you'd swear Karl Klug and Pat Angerer had traveled back in time to bitchmake the Iowa State offense. Or watch Iowa State try to run an option play (7:25) and tell me you don't get flashbacks of the 2010 Orange Bowl. Old or new, it's a beautiful thing to watch. Also, even back then Iowa State players liked giving the ball up to Iowa players (see 4:00 for one of many examples). Why, Iowa State quarterbacks even liked throwing the ball to Iowa guys wearing #9 (9:00)... that pick was so spectacular it might have inspired a Dave "Motherfucking" Becker 'shop. You know, if Photoshop had been around back then. Or the interwebs.
* "Take a look at that honey." File that one away under "Things You'll Never Hear On A Broadcast Today (Unless Ron Franklin Is In The Booth)."
* Football in the '70s, man. Barefoot kickers! Offensive and defensive linemen that looked like real people (albeit large real people), not hulking demigods from a comic book! The T-formation! What a strange and wonderful time that must have been. (Unless you enjoyed seeing Iowa actually win football games, that is. The '70s weren't so wonderful on that front.)
* Finally: ALL OUR GOALPOST ARE BELONG TO US! (12:00)
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"But it remains a complete mystery to me why Mosley was so underutilized at Iowa until 1979."
Two words: Bob Commings.
and botas, botas, botas!
Private Joker, he's silly and he's ignorant, but he's got guts and guts is enough. Now you ladies carry on!
the way that ball bounces off the field
I really believe that it is concrete painted green. Also, what was it about the guy who had his own fanclub and you had to pay $1 to get in and a signed picture of him. that guy was TP before TP.
He sired a baseball team... An orchestra, if you count the bastards!
by SaturdayMorningKegStanzis on Sep 7, 2011 10:24 AM CDT reply actions
Having played on astroturf in the 70's
I wish it were just painted concrete. It felt more like green sandpaper glued to concrete. You did not want to slide bare skinned on that stuff, it hurt like the dickens and turf burns were common and ugly.
I swear the "robbed a place" was actually not ment as a smart ass remark. I just forgot that he actually robbed a place for a second. ~ justsomehawkeyefan
I imagine it wasn't much better in the 90's.
The astroturf I played on had been rained on for about a week straight so it wasn’t as rough, but damn, it was still hard as hell to fall on. On the plus side, you got to make a squishy noise when you hit the ground, which was the ONLY good thing about it.
"No I'm not going to 'limber up'. You ever see a lion stretching before it takes down a gazelle?"
Agreed
In the 90s it would still tear your skin up. These days the best Field Turf is just amazing, but new installations still cut you up. Any NYC Hawks who play flag, beware the Octagon Field turf on Roosevelt Island. Wear long songs and bring a first aid kit, at least.
The Chelsea turf is fantastic though, so I guess it all depends. I think Kinnick has the best stuff going now, right?
I played a pickup football game on the old UNI-Dome turf once.
Until recently, I still had the scar on my elbow from where I hit the turf diving for the end zone on a run.
I love those oversized pads in the 70's
everyone looked so big.
I swear the "robbed a place" was actually not ment as a smart ass remark. I just forgot that he actually robbed a place for a second. ~ justsomehawkeyefan
Good to know that
the University uses as exciting of a promo now as they did in 77.
ABC used to do player intros like that
maybe not all the time, but often as I remember, and particularly in big games. Oklahoma/Nebraska seemingly always had it in the 70’s, and I’m pretty sure Michigan/Ohio State did too. Of course, you had a total of three or four games on national television, so it was kind of a big deal. For everything else, it was “College Football Today” hosted by Bill (?) Fleming, at about 11 the following Sunday morning, before the NFL games. Each team’s featured drives had very old traditional versions of their fight songs playing in the background.
The whole production was a promotion of the “tradition and pageantry” of college football. I presume they stopped the player intros because guys started hamming it up.
FOUR. THREE. COVER. TWO.
Thanks for the info.
It makes sense that the player intros were an ABC thing.
"I want to be a cowboy. I don't want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!"
Old 70's games I've seen have the intros.
Florida Georgia with Hershcel Walker did. So did the 70’s Penn St at Iowa game which is on youtube.
"Take a look at that honey"
That’s some mighty fine chauvinism.
It’s like watching a game with Roger Sterling.
The delivery really sells it too.
It’s like the guy was mentally removing the stars and stripes, while wishing he was still in college. It was either he talk about her “honey” or say “Mmmmm, Golden Girls!” which, years later, would have also been very creepy indeed (say waht you will about Bea Arthur).
Sorry if I took a simple quip that was meant as a rebuke for a single-minded poster and turned it into a completely uninteresting and inconsequential tangent.
-McCann't
by Eyeheartfreedumb on Sep 7, 2011 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions
It was the age that ushered in "Little Darlings"
I swear the "robbed a place" was actually not ment as a smart ass remark. I just forgot that he actually robbed a place for a second. ~ justsomehawkeyefan
Oh man... the 70s hair
I remember having a mop like that in high school too.
God, I’m old.
Thanks for posting this. :)
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
All games started at 1:05
I miss that. The announcers only needed/got 5 minutes of pre-game hype, and you watched the game during the warmest 3 hours of a fall afternoon. You could sleep in until 10, and still have enough time to prepare an everclear based refreshment, guzzle a couple glasses, fill your botas and walk to Kinnick. Once you got there, the only way you got hassled is if you had an empty Jack Daniels bottle in the same hand as your ticket.
We're gonna need a montage. Ooh, it takes a montage.
by The Mario Pace Experience on Sep 7, 2011 11:16 AM CDT reply actions
Without a doubt...
1:05 was my favorite start time. Granted, I would still get up at 7 to start drinking. However, it allowed you to ease into the day with some keg and eggs, before ramping up with the bloodies or screwdrivers and then loading bota full of SoCo or Jack for the game.
Tell her that you want your privates and her privates to do a high-five.
by three and out the kok story on Sep 7, 2011 12:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh man I remember the botas
They really didn’t crank down on the alcohol restrictions much into the 80s either… I remember sitting in Kinnick in 86 watching us lose to tOSU bombed out of my mind on schnapps… it was still pretty easy to take in whatever you wanted then. And I would argue that the crowd behavior hasn’t changed, its just the attitude of the Anti-Fun Police.
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 12:40 PM CDT up reply actions
For botas, all you needed was a jacket
and some days it seemed like you didn’t need that.
FOUR. THREE. COVER. TWO.
I saw people walk in with them around their necks
Of course, that was before they closed in the corners and people would slide down the grass/mud in the rain to get thrown out by security at the bottom.
I also miss the days that we DIDN’T have a net behind the goal posts… so the trainers were relying entirely on the crowd to throw the ball back after PATs and FGs. I think it was the Minnesota game – don’t know which year, but the score Iowa 62-0 sticks in my mind – or something like that – where after every Iowa score, the crowd was passing the football around the stadium and the cops and the trainers were chasing the ball, it was making the gendarmes really agitated… whoever would finally give the ball back got BOOED. LOL
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Perfect hiding spot
I had a pair of shorts and jeans that were each 3 inches too big in the waist. With an unducked t shirt and the pants a riding a little high, the bota looked like nothing but a harmless beer gut.
Tell her that you want your privates and her privates to do a high-five.
by three and out the kok story on Sep 7, 2011 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Since we had been up 'till 1 or 2 or 3 the previous night
We got up, parked my roommate’s loaded-up station wagon on the open field just south of the field house at about 7:30, drove back to the apartment and crashed for a couple hours, then came back to the wagon for tailgating. 11:00 just sounds awful to me.
FOUR. THREE. COVER. TWO.
Pack, I'll tell you what's weird - watching a game WITHOUT TV being present
Not all of the games were televised and it actually could get ponderous – since most of them didn’t have TV – waiting through the TV timeouts – when you add in all of the alcohol coming in, “FUCK THE TV TIMEOUTS” tended to get shouted louder and louder by random fans as the game wore on.
Plus, I remember a few where my feet like, um, froze. Kinnick – the only place I’ve been to where at the beginning of the season you can be mopping your face with your tshirt and by the end you’re grabbing random girls – even the fugly ones – and pressing them against your body so you don’t freeze solid.
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions
I've seen games without TV coverage (I'm not THAT young)
Went to several Iowa-WI games in the mid-80s when those games were meaningless bloodbaths (in the good way).
Best Iowa game I ever saw not on TV
1985 Illinois game. Long just destroyed the Illini secondary. It was like 35-0 at halftime. That game was not on TV because the Illwhini had fucked up and pissed off the NCAA. I still maintain that Chuck would have gotten the HT had that game been televised. He had ALL fucking day to pass and just stood back and ripped the secondary new asshole after new asshole. It was awesome.
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 12:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Aw man watching this is making me sniffle
I miss home. I grew up in the late 70s and graduated from Iowa in 84 and 87.
/weenie mode on…
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
into the weenie mobile, weenie man away!
/mst3k’d
Darkness warshed over the Dude - darker'n a black steer's tookus on a moonless prairie night. There was no bottom.
by AcrimoniousAngerererer on Sep 7, 2011 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Those were the days my friends...
we’d thought they’d never end…
by Stay thirsty, my friends. on Sep 7, 2011 11:30 AM CDT reply actions
Good lord
80% of those players introduced at the start appeared to be in their mid 30’s. Including what I’m pretty sure was a homicide detective, two state patrolmen, and an FBI agent.
by encopresis on Sep 7, 2011 12:29 PM CDT reply actions 5 recs
People had way better mustache game in the '70s, that's for sure.
"I want to be a cowboy. I don't want to be a panda. Pandas are boring, stupid and boring. Bad panda!"
I wonder how much Dwight played at...
Timmy might’ve weighed that much with all the gear on…
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 12:50 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah... I was trying to listen to the vid and work at the same time
"u r awesome" ~ my daughter
by The Bird Cult on Sep 7, 2011 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Not Enough Halftime
I couldn’t find me in the band. Oh well. It was my freshman year, back in the days when the band got good seats.
Along with the rest of the students. (I spent two+ years in the grass corners, back when we openly smoked dope, ate mushrooms, and generally had a lot of fun)
Nostalgic aroma
Right, back in the day you could always catch the scent of reef from various directions. I read in the Daily Iowan last week that some kid got fined $500 for pot in his room. He wasn’t causing a problem, kept his door closed, but still the dorm Nazis nabbed him. The article also said the University scored $147,000 in alcohol and pot fines at the dorms last year. I’ll mention that the next time the Alumni association calls my house.
We're gonna need a montage. Ooh, it takes a montage.
by The Mario Pace Experience on Sep 7, 2011 4:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I was a student at that game
It was such a huge deal that game. Coming after such a long hiatus. And we had little to cheer about or look forward to in those days. Funny I don’t remember much about the game but I do remember having trouble concentrating during a physics lecture that week as I was excited about the upcoming game.
Other than ghat one though, things really sucked until Hayden.
by GuttedSnowBird on Sep 7, 2011 1:09 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
i think Oregon got the idea for their uniforms from the cheerleaders at the end of the video
"So, the caterpillar has emerged from its cocoon as a shark, with a gun for a mouth" - M. Burns
I just love the Iowa- ISU rivalry.
I get a seven day woody every year during Hate Week that only a win over the cyclones can ease. This is so much better than the Minnesota rivalry; except for the trophies, everything about this game is so much more fun from the jokes to the actual game. Now I know that somebody(s) will say that a conference game is much more important than this game but I really don’t care; this is just a great game…and more competitive than some want to admit.
Beat State!!
I swear the "robbed a place" was actually not ment as a smart ass remark. I just forgot that he actually robbed a place for a second. ~ justsomehawkeyefan
Areed.
I love it. Screw the “we should drop the series” stuff. No way, it’s waaaaaay too much fun.
"Oh, glorious cheeseburger, we bow to thee. The secrets of the Universe are between the buns."
by Bucketochicken on Sep 7, 2011 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions
You might want to consulte your doctor about that...
I think you might be taking too many of the little blue pills
"He lowballed us and said: 'Take it or leave it. If you don't take our offer, you are rolling the dice.' I said: 'Consider them rolled.' " - Jim "Huge Brass Balls" Delaney
by ClaybornSmash on Sep 7, 2011 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Watch the fumble recovery at 4:00
Number 47 for Iowa jumps up and gives an Iowa State player a playful slap across the facemask.
by Hayden Fry's Moustache Ride on Sep 7, 2011 5:32 PM CDT reply actions
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