I hate the son of a bitch for creating the ANF deal, which was part of his calculated plan to absolutely wipe Iowa State off the face of the planet. He was very public and outspoken in his belief that the state of Iowa couldn't have two competitive programs, so he set out to destroy Iowa State not only on the field, but then off the field. ANF (America Needs Farmers) was a helmet sticker he and the U of I started using in the 1980's during the farm crisis. It looked like a great act of awareness and charity, but it was also a very calculated move to win the support of Iowa's ag community, which had traditionally backed ISU because - you know - we're an actual ag college that actually does research and development into products and methods that improve farmers bottom lines.
It worked. Fry would go on to beat ISU 15 consecutive years, and the ISU football team became a complete and total afterthought. I mean, you have to tip the hat a little bit to the marketing genius, but it doesn't take away how slimy it was. By the time the 90's rolled around, the helmet stickers went away and it was mostly forgot about. Fry finally lost to ISU in 1998, and that game became the catalyst to his retirement at the end of that season. Since that point, the two programs have become much more competitive, and ISU's fanbase has exploded.
In 2011, in the midst of one of the ag economy's biggest booms (and a massive increase in interest in ISU sports), Iowa resurrected ANF. At this point, their motivation was obvious. Farmers were not hurting. Not even a little. But the ANF merch sold like hot cakes, and Hawk fans patted themselves on the back about how they supported farmers, while simultaneously making "Moo U" rips at Iowa State. Wide Right Natty Lite responded with "AHF: Actually Helping Farmers" shirts. Hawk fans lost their minds, and took grave offense. How dare they point out this fact! The U of I cent a cease and desist to WRNL to get them to stop making the shirts. It was obvious protected parody, but this was after WRNL had sold to SB Nation, who controlled the merch side of things, and SB Nation wilted in the face of U of I's massive legal budget.
The ANF thing is still a massive bone of contention in the ISU/Iowa rivalry - especially for ISU educated farmers, like myself. ISU fans like to point out that it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick that in reality does little for the people it claims to promote, and that Iowa State is an unquestioned leader in agricultural development. Iowa fans either get indignant about being called out on this, or respond (correctly) "you should have thought of it first".
So, I'm done rambling. Fry was a dick from my point of view, but the general consensus was he was a pretty good guy. He deserves credit for integrating the SWC. He was definitely a character, and he was one hell of a coach. College football is a big deal in Iowa, and it's 100% because of Hayden Fry - even if you're a Clone.