Simmons was a dominant player for Iowa in the mid-1930s, but he's best remembered for indirectly creating Floyd of Rosedale.
Welcome back to our countdown to the 2026 Iowa football season!
Since May 28, we've been counting down the final 100 days until the Hawkeyes swarm out of the Kinnick Stadium tunnel for their season opener against Northern Illinois on Sept. 5.
Each day has primarily featured an article profiling one of the current members of the roster based on the jersey number that they wear. If they wear No. 70, then the goal is to have an article featuring No. 70.
But as you've probably seen so far, Iowa doesn't issue a jersey number for every single day in the countdown, which forces us to go the historical route and find notable former players and games to feature on the countdown.
Today marks 66 days until kickoff, but as was the case yesterday, no current Hawkeye wears No. 66. So instead of talking about the current team, we're flipping the page back 90 years to take a look at legendary halfback Ozzie Simmons.
The Rundown
Black players were still struggling to gain playing opportunities in college football during the mid-1930s, but Simmons impressed then-Iowa coach Ossie Solem during a workout and earned a spot on the team.
After missing his freshman season due to academic problems, Simmons quickly broke out as one of the top players in the Big Ten, often giving a bad Hawkeye team a sliver of life with his explosive playmaking. Simmons earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in both 1934 and 1935, but his career is unfortunately remembered for a game against Minnesota in 1934.
The Gophers, who made the headlines 12 years earlier for their involvement in Jack Trice's death, constantly picked on Simmons during this matchup, forcing Simmons to be sidelined throughout the entire second half.
Not surprisingly, Iowa was very angry about this. Governor Clyde L. Herring threatened revenge against Minnesota, which in turn offended the Gopher coaches and players.
Both teams were scheduled to face off again in 1935, and Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson contacted Herring via telegram to settle the dispute. Olson told Herring that he would bet a prized hog on the game, and the rest was history.
Minnesota won the game, 13-6, without incident in Iowa City, and Herring awarded the Gophers a prized hog from Rosedale Farms in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The pig, later named "Floyd," passed away a few months later, but the two schools agreed to create a bronze pig trophy named "Floyd of Rosedale."
Floyd of Rosedale has been awarded to the winner of this longtime rivalry ever since. Iowa has currently won the trophy 10 out of the last 11 times, with the 2026 meeting set for Oct. 24 in Minneapolis.
After his playing career ended, Simmons became a physical education teacher for nearly four decades. He died in 2001 at the age of 87, but his legacy will always live on.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
