Your eyes aren't deceiving you: the Steelers did not accept an invitation to the Orange Bowl against Georgia Tech on Tuesday night. But seeing a quarterback with the number 12 and running backs #32 and 36 sure do play mind games with you in those uniforms. I wonder if they have a #14 with a penchant for dropping passes?
Anyway, I had always heard there was some connection between the university and the Steelers concerning the similarly-colored uniforms, so with that on my mind, I went a-googling. And it did not take long to find an answer. Wikipedia says....
"In 1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tigerhawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets. Since both teams shared the colors of black and gold, Fry gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant NFL program of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers Defensive Tackle "Mean" Joe Greene for a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steeler Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team."
So there you have it; Joe Greene re-routed Hayden Fry to the Rooneys, and the rest is Big Tenleven history. As long as they don't rip off the Terrible Towel, everything will remain cool with Steeler Nation.
Anyway, I had always heard there was some connection between the university and the Steelers concerning the similarly-colored uniforms, so with that on my mind, I went a-googling. And it did not take long to find an answer. Wikipedia says....
"In 1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tigerhawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets. Since both teams shared the colors of black and gold, Fry gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant NFL program of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers Defensive Tackle "Mean" Joe Greene for a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steeler Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team."
So there you have it; Joe Greene re-routed Hayden Fry to the Rooneys, and the rest is Big Tenleven history. As long as they don't rip off the Terrible Towel, everything will remain cool with Steeler Nation.
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