30 Days - 30 B1G Years - 1981
We're still 30 days from reaching the Thursday night kickoff of the Big Ten season. In the meantime, we're going to be looking back at the last 30 years. That starts us in 1981, and there is no better place to begin.
ESPN may begin the history of all sports with its birth in 1979, but it makes a lot of sense to begin Big Ten history two years later. After the decade of tyranny imposed by Michigan and Ohio State, finally, one of the other eight schools got to head to Pasadena. After stunning #7 Nebraska in their opener, Iowa fought to an 8-3 (6-2) season and finished tied with the Buckeyes atop the Big Ten standings. Iowa would win the tiebreaker and head to California for its first Rose Bowl in 23 seasons. The gates had been opened, and within 14 years, every Big Ten team not located in Minnesota or Indiana would find their way to the Rose Bowl.
How About Them Hawkeyes.
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You can't walk 10 feet in Iowa without tripping over one of those commemorative bottles.
You can’t mention those bottles and that season though without including a link to this doozy of a song. The Fabulous Fryers singing “Bringing Home the Roses.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9w_pnHQ9g4
In many ways 1981 in Iowa was closer to the 50’s than to 2011.
Really?
I thought that picture was one I posted on BHGP a while back, then I realized it’s better than the picture I took. I thought most people had at least seen them
It never gets to be easy.
Why the fuck doesn't it ever get to be easy?
by chitownhawkeye on Aug 2, 2011 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
"In many ways 1981 in Iowa was closer to the 50’s than to 2011."?
I’m guessing you are talking about the musical style of the song, or the culture of Iowa? Maybe thinking more 50’s than contemporary at the time and now?
Culturally I would guess that Iowa in 1981 felt more similar to Iowa in 1955 than Iowa in 2011
I don’t live in Iowa now, but when I visit there it seems the internet has people much more “up to speed” culturally. Growing up in the 70’s-80’s Iowa was definitely 5+ years behind the coasts in cultural trends. I’ve been impressed with how up to speed and business-like Des Moines is the past few times I’ve been there.
How up-to-speed Des Moines is?
5+ years behind the coasts in cultural trends.
You surely must be talking about the east and west coasts of Lake Michigan.
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
Iowa is ahead of at least one coast now...
You can now get gay-married among the cornstalks!
If you think IU football fans are long-suffering, you clearly haven't been tailgating with us lately.
by HoosierCheesehead on Aug 3, 2011 8:45 AM CDT up reply actions
Still tied with old 9-3 Earle Bruce for the B1G title
anyone know how they decided the tie-breaker, since the teams didnt play each other?
With the #1 overall pick in the Rapture Draft, God chooses the Macho King Randy Savage
I thought it used to be "team who hadn't gone to the Rose Bowl more recently".
by Albino Tornado on Aug 2, 2011 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions
This led me to look up Indiana's 1968 Rose Bowl because I thought that's how they went
Turns out I was wrong. But this sentence from Wikipedia is one you won’t see for a while:
“A three-way league title championship was created when Indiana, Minnesota, and Purdue all finished with 6–1 league records, each defeating and losing to one of the other. Indiana’s better overall record of 9–1 compared with two at 8–2 gave them the Rose Bowl berth”
by chops1221 on Aug 2, 2011 7:22 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
So...
1968 was like the Bizarro Big Ten?
The more you know!
"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 Aug 2, 2011 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Checked the ever useful Wikipedia to no avail
Maybe they went by ranking or who went last? In Hayden’s book he says that they expected to go to the Liberty Bowl because Michigan was favored to beat tOSU and win the B1G. Then, tOSU bailed us out and because of that we were sent to the Rose Bowl. Hooray tOSU!
Pretty lame tie-breaker
another reason to be happy that Jimmy rolled the dice
With the #1 overall pick in the Rapture Draft, God chooses the Macho King Randy Savage
It used to be worse
From the ’40’s through the ’70’s (I believe – someone correct me on the date), no B1G team was allowed to go in consecutive years. How would that feel, to play an entire season knowing that you weren’t even eligible for the big prize because you were too good last year.
And don't forget
That was the only bowl game allowed by the B10. It truly was Rose Bowl or bust.
60s
it ended when tOSU gave up their bid and it fell to Minny who had gone the year before. Of course it wasn’t until Bo went on a rant in the early 70s that they allowed teams to go to bowls not located in Pasadena, CA.
In the name of the Woody, the Bo, and the Mustache Ride. Amen.
by Pariahwulfen on Aug 2, 2011 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Iowa sucks.
Ever Grateful. Ever True.
by PurdueMatt on Aug 2, 2011 11:08 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs
That's the spirit, Boilerfuckers.
1981 also marked the end of Purdue’s 20-game winning streak over Iowa.
You probably need to read that again for it to sink in.
Purdue’s 20-game winning streak over Iowa
Yes we were that bad in the 60s and 70s, but Purdue had some solid teams in the mid-to-late 60s, and the Boiler squad that Hayden’s boys whipped 33-7 in 1981 was coming off of three consecutive bowl bids — and bowl wins. We beat Michigan, Nebraska and UCLA that year, but the Purdue win was, psychologically, just as important as any of them.
Since then it’s been 17-6-1 in favor of Iowa. So yes, OMHR, hate the 1981 Hawkeyes and the two decades of irrelevance they cursed you with. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
by EastLosRandy on Aug 23, 2011 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions
Even as a poison nut
there is something awesome about the man who gave the conference a Mustache Ride.

In the name of the Woody, the Bo, and the Mustache Ride. Amen.
by Pariahwulfen on Aug 2, 2011 1:15 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Man, that was a nice re--OH MY GOD, HARMON FUMBLED AGAIN
/lovespissingonaparade
The first round, a 5.56-mm. bullet, struck bin Laden in the chest. As he fell backward, the SEAL fired a second round into his head, just above his left eye. On his radio, he reported, "For God and country—Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo."
Just wait
We’ll get to 1985 soon enough.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
C'mon now
It’s been fashionable for over 70 years.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Aug 3, 2011 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
You mean he was getting paid to not play football.
Hey Dolph, you look like I need a beer.
by Give Eddie a Beer on Aug 3, 2011 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs






























