Thank George Kittle for the Sight of Michigan Alum Rich Wearing an Iowa Hawkeyes’ Helmet

Rich made a bet with George Kittle. Rich lost. And so a Michigan man spent 10 minutes and one second on live television with an Iowa Hawkeyes helmet squeezing his skull.

It started innocently enough. The show is always asking the 49ers for Kittle's time, and he is always kind enough to grant it. Before Kittle's most recent appearance, Rich noticed out loud that Michigan was playing Iowa that week, so he brought it up. The terms: if Michigan lost, Rich would do an entire Thursday segment in Iowa gear. If Iowa lost, Kittle would do the same at his press conference, which Kittle said runs "8 to 12" minutes.

Then Kittle raised the stakes. "I'm sending you my old college helmet," he said. Rich doubted he would actually wear it. "You're going to wear the helmet," Kittle told him. "You'll look good in it."

Michigan led throughout, and it looked like another ranked Michigan team beating Iowa at home. Then Iowa did "the Iowa things," as Rich put it: hanging around, playing tough, scoring a special teams touchdown and getting the ball back with hardly any time left, needing 91 yards to win. Iowa got there with no time left, "which delighted everybody on planet Earth that has been carping on Michigan for the Western Michigan victory."

Rich wondered how focused Kittle really was on the game. The answer arrived at 4:04 p.m. Pacific, as a text from Kittle: an "uh-oh moment." The helmet arrived by Tuesday.

It is the real thing. Kittle's number 46. The ANF, America Needs Farmers, sticker that Hayden Fry started putting on helmets in the mid-'80s and Kirk Ferentz kept going. Visible scratches. "This deserves to be in a museum, not on my desk," Rich said.

When Rich asked Kittle what was required beyond wearing it for a full 10-minute segment, Kittle had a request. "How about you cut a nice promo on Kirk, as in Ferentz, and Phil Parker, their defensive coordinator, and how they're at Iowa for so long and you are envious at the stability of the program." With a smiley face.

TJ was named official timer, and announced he would set the clock for 10 minutes and one second, since Michigan is "used to getting the extra second." Getting the helmet on was its own production. "My ears are coming out," Rich said. "Okay, the chin strap is on and my jaw, I'm going to break my jaw. Start it. Good lord."

Then came the promo. "Boy, do I love Iowa Hawkeyes football," Rich began. "I love the continuity that they have. Kirk Ferentz has been there since 1999." Rich noted Ferentz brought Phil Parker with him, that Parker coached defensive backs before becoming defensive coordinator, and that "when you're taking on Iowa, they're going to play good defense." He saluted the tradition of waving to the children's hospital, too.

A little later, Rich asked how much time was left. "8 minutes and 21 seconds." "I'm not talking more about the program," Rich said. "What more do I need to say?"

The crew helped. Talk about the tight ends. Rich got there, with assists, through Kittle, Dallas Clark, Sam LaPorta, Scott Chandler, Brandon Myers and Tony Moeaki, with 14 tight ends drafted in the Kirk Ferentz era. He briefly claimed Heath Miller before catching himself. "Heath Miller went to Virginia, right?" He did. One member of the crew threw in a shout-out to Iowa basketball legend Acie Earl.

Then the phone lines opened. Tanner from Iowa called to say "go Hawks" and promised to be at Saturday's game to watch Iowa beat Ohio State. Rich, who could not move his jaw, told Tanner he had to watch it back on YouTube. Then came Miss Rhonda from Indiana, who told Rich she loved him and that "this gives me joy," because she enjoyed seeing Michigan lose. "In volleyball when this kind of happens, when somebody kind of cheats us out of a point and then we get the point back, we call that ball don't lie, baby," she said. "That's what y'all get for messing over them babies in Western Michigan."

Turzo, a 49ers fan pulling for the Hawkeyes, told Rich he looked "so red on the TV right now," calling it one of the best things he had seen all day.

"How do you play football?" Rich asked. "How do you be an All-American in this thing?"

With under a minute left, someone grabbed a ball and threw it across the studio. Rich, helmeted and red faced, caught it. "Dime piece," came the call. "George, I hope this satisfies the wager," Rich said. "And go Hawkeyes. Certainly this week."

TJ counted down from 10, through one, and then the extra second. Rich's first question afterward: "How red is my head?"

Wager paid in full. Kittle, you win this one.