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Corn Monument Fan Favorite: History (1981-2010)

The Corn Monument has been a Hawkeye Engineer tradition dating back to 1919.
History of the Corn Monument 1981-2010

1981

1981 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Indiana: 42 - 28

1984

1984 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Illinois: 21 - 16

1988

1988 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Wisconsin: 31 - 6

1988 was Hayden Fry's 10th Season as the Head Coach. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported when he was first hired he wanted to change the look for the team with "Where I come from, it's called selling the sizzle before the steak." Making a brand that the fans could be proud and excited about and symbolized success with the look of a champion before on field success began. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the dominate team in the 1970's and they also wore Black & Gold. Fry wanted a black helmet with something on it and from this idea the well-known Tigerhawk design was developed for the 1979 season.

The 1988 Corn Monument was a two sided medallion that spun with one side "Looking Back" with the cartoon Herky  and the opposite side "Moving Ahead" with the Tigerhawk Logo.

1991

1991 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Illinois: 24 - 21

1982

1982 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Northwestern: 45 - 7

The 1982 Homecoming Game was played on October 2 of that year. Per a Daily Iowan article, this coincided with the start of National Higher Education Week where the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education had a campaign called "America's Energy is Mindpower". The imagery used for this campaign was a light bulb shaped like a human head.

Scans of the brochure and campaign icon provided by the CASE Library and Archives.

1986

1986 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Wisconsin: 17 - 6

1989

1989 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Michigan: 12 - 26

1989 marked the 100 years of college football at the University of Iowa.  “The state university football team hereby challenges any college or other team in the State of Iowa to a game of football.” This notice appeared in the university newspaper, the Vidette-Reporter, on October 6, 1889, thus announcing the genesis of university-sanctioned intercollegiate football at the University of Iowa. Within a few days a response to the challenge came from Grinnell College. A game was agreed upon, to be played November 16 at Grinnell. 

1987

1987 Homecoming Game
Iowa vs Purdue: 38 - 14