George Kittle hilariously pays up on annual Iowa-Iowa State bet with Brock Purdy

Brock Purdy and George Kittles's alma maters have one of the more fun crosstown rivalries in college football. The former attended Iowa State, while the latter went to Iowa. Fittingly, the now-San Francisco 49ers teammates have vicariously maintained the feud with a friendly wager for the two schools' annual showdown.

As of last year, Purdy and Kittle bet on the winner of the Cy-Hawk Series, with the All-Pro tight end drawing first blood. But in 2024, the quarterback got revenge, thanks to Iowa State's 20-19 win over Iowa.

Because of the Hawkeyes' loss, Kittle had to wear Purdy's smelly, way-too-small-for-his-head helmet from his playing days as a Cyclone while addressing the media.

George Kittle hilariously pays up on the annual Iowa-Iowa State bet with Brock Purdy

Kittle can barely get the words out as he eats a mouthful of Purdy's presumably odorous chin strap while admitting defeat. The helmet is so amusingly tightly pressed onto his dome that the visor fogs up whenever he speaks. 

"Iowa lost to Iowa State. It's tough -- at home. You hate to see it," Kittle said in response to being asked why he's donning a skull up of his collegiate foe. "But, unfortunately, the better Iowa team won that day."

The Hawkeyes held a "big lead" going into halftime of the contest at Kinnick Stadium, as a reporter alluded to in the succeeding question. Iowa led 13-0, though an early quarter interception by signal-caller Cade McNamara led to a Cyclones touchdown the following possession.

Ultimately, Iowa found the end zone on the ensuing drive, only to let up another score afterward. It was a back-and-forth affair that saw Iowa State come out on top, so Kittle paid his dues.

Conversely, Purdy wore the Hawkeyes mascot head to a press conference during the 2023 college football/NFL campaigns after Iowa State's 20-13 defeat to Iowa.

Purdy and Kittle's college tenures didn't overlap. Nonetheless, they both take pride in their respective universities and show it via a good-natured, comradely gamble. It's a low-stakes (albeit gut-wrenching for each of them) thing between a couple of 49ers stars.