Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry
 | |
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | November 26, 1891 Iowa, 20–0 |
| Latest meeting | November 28, 2025 Iowa, 40–16 |
| Next meeting | November 27, 2026, Iowa City |
| Trophy | Heroes Trophy |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 56 |
| All-time series | Nebraska leads, 30–23–3 (.563)[1] |
| Trophy series | Iowa leads, 11–4 |
| Largest victory | Nebraska, 57–0 (1980) |
| Longest win streak | Nebraska, 8 (1931–1941) |
| Current win streak | Iowa, 3 (2023–present) |
The Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry, also known as the Heroes Game, is an American college football rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers.[2][3][4] The game is held annually on Black Friday.
History
Non-conference series
Iowa and Nebraska first met on November 26, 1891, in Omaha, Iowa's first-ever game outside its home state. Nebraska credits Iowa assistant Theron Lyman, who was sent to Lincoln days early to prepare an inexperienced NU team to face the more experienced Hawkeyes, as its head coach for the game, though he likely did not attend Iowa's 22–0 win.[5] The following year, the schools became founding members of the short-lived Western Interstate University Football Association, one of college football's first conferences.[6]
The proximity of the two teams played an important role in the early days of the game, with exclusive trains running between Iowa City and Lincoln to allow fans to travel.[7] The series was paused for decades until being renewed from 1979 to 1982.[8] In 1979, No. 7 Nebraska overcame a two-touchdown second-half deficit to beat unranked Iowa, resulting in a standing ovation from fans of both teams.[9] Two years later, Iowa upset No. 7 Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium in what head coach Hayden Fry called "the biggest win since I've been here."[10]
Conference series
Nebraska has played a rivalry game on the day after Thanksgiving since 1990, first against Oklahoma and later against Colorado.[11] Iowa became NU's traditional Black Friday opponent when the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. Established as the "Heroes Game," it is used to recognize individuals from both states for acts of heroism in their communities.[12]
In 2017, the Big Ten announced that the Iowa–Nebraska game would not take place on Black Friday in 2020 or 2021.[13] After significant pushback from fans and public opposition from NU athletic director Bill Moos, the change was reverted.[14][15]
Iowa has won ten of the eleven meetings since 2014, the year Nebraska fired Bo Pelini one day after a regular season-finale win over the Hawkeyes.[16] The series is played annually as one of twelve Big Ten protected rivalries; even-year games are played in Iowa City and odd-year games in Lincoln.[17]
Game results
| Iowa victories | Nebraska victories |
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See also
References
- ^ a b "Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers football series history". Winsipedia.
- ^ "Rivalry results: Iowa-Nebraska football". Sioux City Journal. November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Looking back at the Nebraska-Iowa rivalry". The Daily Nebraskan. Lincoln, Nebraska. November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Nebraska's Black Friday rivalry game with Iowa will return in 2022". Omaha World-Herald. August 30, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Nebraska Football Part II – The 1891 Season". Omaha Exploration. January 5, 2025. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Mark Fricke. "Nebraska Football In The 1890s" (PDF). library.la84.org. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ "A Battle Royal Thanksgiving Day". Omaha Daily Bee. Omaha, Nebraska. November 12, 1893. p. 10. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
- ^ "Huskers stand tall over Hawkeyes in all-time series". Omaha World-Herald. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "NU-Iowa Grit Gets Standing Ovation". Omaha World-Herald. September 22, 1979. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ "Hawkeyes Paint the Big Red Blue". Omaha World-Herald. September 12, 1981. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ Steven Elonich (November 26, 2019). "8 quick facts about Husker football's history on Black Friday". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ "Pioneer to Honor Local Heroes as Title Sponsor in Iowa-Nebraska "Heroes Game"". Iowa Athletics. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Parker Gabriel (September 12, 2017). "NU-Iowa leaving Black Friday after 2019; rivalry rotation likely". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ Steven Sipple (May 6, 2018). "Moos says of NU-Iowa becoming permanent on Black Friday: 'Not quite there but close'". Lincoln Journal Star. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
- ^ Chad Leistikow (February 5, 2021). "Revised 2021 Big Ten football schedule returns Iowa-Nebraska to Black Friday". Hawk Central. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Connor O'Gara (November 27, 2020). "The curse of Bo Pelini? Nebraska's 6th consecutive loss to Iowa puts things into perspective". Saturday Tradition. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ "Big Ten Conference Announces Future Football Schedule Formats for 2024-28". Big Ten Conference. October 3, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2025.