Iowa’s governor wants ‘great rivalry’ of Iowa-Iowa State game to continue (AUDIO)

DES MOINES — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds doubts the long-running Iowa-State football rivalry game will be discontinued.

“I just really don’t believe that that’s even an option,” Reynolds said this morning during a question-and-answer session with reporters in Des Moines. “I have full confidence in the two universities sitting down and being able to figure this out.”

AUDIO of Reynolds talking about the Iowa-Iowa State game, 1:33

Some Hawkeye band members say they were assaulted in Ames last weekend. University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld told the student newspaper yesterday he’s “not convinced” the game should be played again until there are assurances the fans, the marching bands and the athletes are protected in and outside of both stadiums.

“I’m very confident that the two universities will be able to sit down at the table and work through a process that allows this tradition to carry on in a manner that protects those that are attending,” Reynolds said today.

The University of Iowa’s president told The Daily Iowan something happened last Saturday in Ames that wasn’t right and he’ll meet with Iowa State University’s president to develop a new policy for game-day security.

“I know they’ll be able to sit down and work through that and we’ll see this great rivalry continue moving forward,” Reynolds told reporters.

Reynolds has not talked directly with the leaders of either university.

“I certainly can reach out to them, but I think it goes without saying and I believe that that’s where the two of them are at, too,” Reynolds said, “so I think that we’re going to see this continue.”

The Iowa-Iowa State football series was in hiatus for decades until the annual rivalry games resumed in 1977. Reynolds, a 2016 graduate of Iowa State University, attended a family wedding and missed this past weekend’s game in Ames.