The Best Logo in College Sports

When John Hayden Fry set foot on campus at the University of Iowa in 1979, he knew he had his work cut out for him. The Iowa football program had endured 17 non-winning seasons and was mired in mediocrity.

But Fry knew you could change the culture with a change in perception, so that's what he did.

He changed the uniforms to resemble those of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

He brought innovation to the playbook -- making the game more fun to watch.

And, maybe best of all, he had a new logo created.

That logo became the Tigerhawk.

It was modern. It was streamlined. It was unique. It was genius.

I think the Tigerhawk is the best logo in college sports. There's nothing even close to it, in my book.

I remember watching the Senior Bowl several years ago. The players get to decorate their helmets with other schools' logos. The announcers said Iowa's logo was by far the most popular -- every player wanted the Tigerhawk on their helmets. That's pretty cool.

Other schools have even tried to copy it over the years, but the U of I is very protective of the logo and will sue at the drop of a dime.

Coach Fry came in with a vision for this program, but he knew he had to express it with a great image and atmosphere before any games were even played. He had to create excitement before wins.

"Where I come from, it's called selling the sizzle before the steak." -- Hayden Fry

Those 232 career victories at Iowa were the steak. The Tigerhawk is definitely the sizzle.