Pink Wolverines spotted in Iowa City.
This week the news circulating around the Big10 was Iowa’s reputation for defeating AP top-five teams at home in Kinnick Stadium. Even Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said Iowa is the place top-five teams go to die. While Iowa was not able to add 2022 Michigan to their list of defeated AP top-five teams, where does this reputation come from?
What is it about Kinnick stadium that the Hawkeyes have been so successful in dropping teams from the top five? Kinnick is not the largest arena in the Big10, that is Wolverines, which is why Michigan has been nicked named The Big House. And anyone that has been in Beaver Stadium for a White Out game knows that Penn State has the title for the loudest arena in the Big10. So what is it that Iowa has at home, what is this advantage they hold?
Three words: Pink Locker Room.
The origin of the pink locker room began in 1979 with former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry. Fry’s undergraduate degree was in Psychology and he had read that pink had a calming effect on people. He then decided he would take every possible advantage over his opponents. not just paint the locker room pink, but the sinks, urinals, lockers, and carpet had to all be pink as well. At this point in time, visitors are well aware of the notorious pink locker, but less well known is Michigan’s personal history with the locker room.
Former Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler despised Iowa’s pink locker room. It was rumored that his hatred ran so deep he wouldn’t even look Fry straight in the eye. He decided to take things into his own hands and to put a stop to Iowa’s mind games. When Schembechler came to Iowa City his crew would redecorate the locker room covering as much pink as possible with Michigan gear. Yet this strategy didn’t prove to be a successful one, Schembechler’s record at Kinnick was 2-2-1. In Harbaugh’s 2016 visit to Iowa City, he kept up the redecorating tradition of his predecessor and left with a loss.
This year Harbaugh took a new approach and he left with a win. Instead of fighting it, Harbaugh decided to lean into the pink locker room. The team took a full dive into the world of pink and Wolverine player Gemon Green started his teammates waving around pink towels on the sidelines. Whether the pink locker room has been successful as a distraction or truly does calm rivals, Michigan found the Achilles heel.
The pink locker room has not been without its controversy. In 2005 when the stadium was updated there were those who cited the pink locker room as demeaning to women and the LGBTQ community. Yet, Hawkeye fans fled the scene in support of keeping the locker room pretty in pink. In a society with blurring lines, the pink room may be losing its edge. It may be time for Harbaugh to get creative and try something new with the locker room.
Would love to hear what other Hawkeyes think about this, DM me @emmiwitdahoops
