Iowa Hawkeyes football

Iowa Hawkeyes football
2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
200px
First season	1889
Athletic director	Gary Barta
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz 17th year, 127–87 (.593)
Stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Seating capacity	70,585
Field surface	Field Turf
Location	Iowa City, Iowa
NCAA division	NCAA Division I (FBS)
Conference	Big Ten (1899–present)
Division	West
Past conferences	WIUFA (1892–1897) Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1907–1910)
All-time record	625–543–39 (.534)
Bowl record	14–14–1 (.500)
Claimed nat'l titles	1 (1958)
Unclaimed nat'l titles	4 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1960)
Conference titles	13 (11 Big Ten, 1 MVIC, 1 WIUFA)
Division titles	1 (2015)
Heisman winners	1
Consensus All-Americans	25
Current uniform
Colors	Black and Gold
Fight song	Iowa Fight Song
Mascot	Herky the Hawk
Marching band	Hawkeye Marching Band
Outfitter	Nike
Rivals	Iowa State Cyclones Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers Wisconsin Badgers
Website	hawkeyesports.com

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the college football team representing the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes are currently coached by Kirk Ferentz, who has begun his 17th season as the head coach and is also tied for the second-longest current tenured coach in NCAA Division I FBS (he is tied with University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops). The Hawkeyes compete in the West division of the Big Ten Conference (Big Ten). They have been a member of the Big Ten since 1899, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Hawkeyes play their home games at Kinnick Stadium, with a capacity of 70,585.

History

Main article: History of Iowa Hawkeyes football

Football was first played as a club sport at Iowa in 1872, with intramural games against other colleges played as early as 1882, but it was not until 1889 that the University of Iowa first officially recognized a varsity football team. In 1899, Iowa completed its first undefeated football season, which led to an invitation to join the Western Conference, now known as the Big Ten Conference. In 1900, the Hawkeyes secured another undefeated season and won a share of the Western Conference title in their first year in the league. In 1907 Iowa helped form the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They participated in football in the league, while still holding membership in the Western Conference. Iowa would tie with Nebraska in 1907 for the league championship in its first season of competition. They would leave the conference after the 1910 football season.

Iowa claimed consecutive Big Ten titles in 1921 and 1922. The Hawkeyes won 20 straight games in the early 1920s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones. Jones soon left Iowa and established a powerhouse at Southern California, and the Hawkeyes were abysmal for most of the 1930s. As a result, little was expected of Iowa’s 1939 team, led by new coach Eddie Anderson. Nicknamed the “Ironmen”, the 1939 Hawkeyes scored several upset victories and vaulted into the national rankings. Though Iowa fell a game short of the Big Ten title, team MVP Nile Kinnick won almost every major national award, including the 1939 Heisman Trophy.

Forest Evashevski was hired as Iowa’s head coach in 1952. He lured Calvin Jones to Iowa, where Jones became the first Hawkeye – and the first African-American – to win the Outland Trophy in 1955. From 1956 to 1960, Evashevski led Iowa to four finishes in the top five of the national rankings, three Big Ten Conference titles, two Rose Bowl victories, and the 1958 FWAA national championship. After the 1960 season, Evashevski left coaching to become Iowa’s athletic director, and his various successors thereafter went nineteen consecutive seasons from 1962 through 1980 without a winning record.

Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry was hired after the 1978 season to try to reverse Iowa’s fortunes. After decades of losing, Fry revived the Iowa program. In 20 years at Iowa, he led the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl games, including three Rose Bowl appearances, and won three Big Ten titles. Among the legends that Fry left behind is the iconic pink visitors locker room, as well as a statement he made the day he started as Iowa Head Coach that he would take the team to a bowl game within four years, or he would step down. He would not only succeed in his boast, by sending Iowa to the 1982 Rose Bowl, he would do it in three years, coming in one year under his statement. Fry retired in 1998, turning the program over to his former assistant Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz led Iowa to three consecutive top ten finishes from 2002 to 2004 and two Big Ten titles. The Hawkeyes have played in eight bowl games in the past nine seasons and in 22 bowl games over the last 29 seasons. Iowa has cracked the top 25 at the end of the season six times during the Kirk Ferentz era - No. 8 in 2002–04, No. 20 in 2008, No. 7 in 2009, and No. 5 in 2015. In 2015, Iowa began its 127th season of football, and its 116th season in the Big Ten.

Some good and some "lean" years

Iowa has had several successful coaches. Forest Evashevski won the Rose Bowl twice (in 1957 and 1959) when he coached from 1952 through his retirement following the 1960 season. Hayden Fry came to Iowa in 1979 following many years of losing seasons, and is widely credited for resurrecting the program as he led Iowa to several league titles and Rose Bowl berths in 1982, 1986 and 1991. Kirk Ferentz has been the head coach since Hayden Fry's retirement after the 1998 season, and has led the team to a number of Bowl appearances, including two Orange Bowls and the 2016 Rose Bowl.

In the 18 seasons between the tenures of Evashevski and Fry, however, the Hawkeyes went without a single winning season. After Evashevski retired, Jerry Burns coached from 1961 though 1965. He had a 16-27-2 record. Ray Nagel followed from 1966-1970 with a 16-32-2 record. Frank Lauterbur followed, coaching from 1971 -1973 with a 4-28-1 record, with a 0-11 record in 1973. Bob Commings coached the Hawkeyes from 1974-1978. His record was 18 wins and 37 losses.

All-time record vs. Big Ten opponents

Main article: Iowa Hawkeyes football series records

This is the Hawkeyes football record against current Big Ten Conference opponents. This list takes into effect games against current Big Ten teams before they were members of the Big Ten.

School	Total Games	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	First Year	Last Year	Streak
Illinois	71	31	38	2	.451	1086	1389	1899	2015	Won 2
Indiana	76	44	28	4	.605	1756	1266	1912	2015	Won 2
Maryland	2	1	1	0	.500	62	53	2014	2015	Won 1
Michigan	59	14	41	4	.271	841	1462	1900	2013	Won 1
Michigan State	46	23	21	2	.522	891	979	1954	2015	Lost 2
Minnesota	109	45	62	2	.422	1847	2463	1891	2015	Won 1
Nebraska	46	14	29	3	.337	528	774	1891	2015	Won 1
Northwestern	77	50	24	3	.669	1963	1103	1897	2015	Won 3
Ohio State	64	14	47	3	.242	893	1677	1922	2013	Lost 5
Penn State	25	12	13	0	.480	420	594	1930	2012	Lost 1
Purdue	86	37	46	3	.448	1483	1635	1910	2015	Won 3
Rutgers	0	0	0	0	–	0	0	N/A	N/A	N/A
Wisconsin	89	43	44	2	.494	1511	1572	1894	2015	Won 1
14 Opponents	750	328	394	28	.456	13,261	14,957	1900	2015	117 Seasons

The University of Chicago was a Big Ten Conference member from 1896-1946.

School	Total Games	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	First Year	Last Year
Chicago	14	3	9	2	.286	106	243	1894	1938

Championships and rankings

National championships

Iowa finished the 1958 regular season ranked #2 in the AP and Coaches Polls, behind 11–0 Louisiana State, although both votes were taken before the bowl games. Iowa convincingly won the 1959 Rose Bowl, 38–12, setting or tying six Rose Bowl records. The Football Writers Association of America gave their national championship trophy, the Grantland Rice Trophy, to Iowa.

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl Game
1958	Forest Evashevski	Football Writers Association of America	8–1–1	Rose Bowl

Conference championships

Iowa has won 13 major conference championships in school history. Iowa was a member of the Western Interstate University Football Association prior to joining the Western Conference, now known as the Big Ten Conference, in 1900. Iowa was also a concurrent member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1907– 1910. Iowa currently claims 11 Big Ten Conference championships:

Year	Coach	Conference Record	Overall Record	Outright/Shared	Bowl Game
1896	Alfred E. Bull1	3–0–1	7–1–1	Outright
1900	Alden Knipe	2–0–1	7–0–1	Shared
1907	Mark Catlin, Sr.2	1–0–0	3–2–0	Shared
1921	Howard Jones	5–0–0	7–0–0	Outright
1922	Howard Jones	5–0–0	7–0–0	Shared
1956	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	9–1–0	Outright	Won Rose Bowl
1958	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	8–1–1	Outright	Won Rose Bowl
1960	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	8–1–0	Shared
1981	Hayden Fry	6–2–0	8–4–0	Shared	Lost Rose Bowl
1985	Hayden Fry	7–1–0	10–2–0	Outright	Lost Rose Bowl
1990	Hayden Fry	6–2–0	8–4–0	Shared	Lost Rose Bowl
2002	Kirk Ferentz	8–0–0	11–2–0	Shared	Lost Orange Bowl
2004	Kirk Ferentz	7–1–0	10–2–0	Shared	Won Capital One Bowl
11-time Big Ten Champions

¹ Iowa was a member of the Western Interstate University Football Association.
² Iowa was a member of the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Appearances in the final Associated Press Poll

Iowa has made 301 appearances in the Associated Press poll over 37 seasons, including 116 weeks in the top 10. Iowa has finished the year ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season 21 times:

Year Ranking Record 1939 9 6–1–1 1953 9 5–3–1 1956 3 8–1 1957 6 7–1–1 1958 2 7–1–1 1960 3 8–1 1981 18 8–4

Year Ranking Record 1983 14 9–3 1984 16 8–4–1 1985 10 10–2 1986 16 9–3 1987 16 10–3 1990 18 8–4 1991 10 10–1–1

Year Ranking Record 1995 25 8–4 1996 18 9–3 2002 8 11–2 2003 8 10–3 2004 8 10–2 2008 20 9–4 2009 7 11–2

The forgotten season

Main article: 1960 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

In 1960 the Hawkeyes held on to the #1 ranking for much of the season. The Hawkeyes defeated #8 Ohio State, #15 Michigan State, and #10 Purdue. Iowa lost to rival #3 Minnesota. The game was the only loss of the year for the 1960 Hawkeyes and they shared the Big Ten title with Minnesota. However, at that time, the Big Ten did not allow their teams to go to any bowl except for the Rose Bowl. As such, Minnesota was picked over Iowa to go to Pasadena and Iowa was left out, despite a #2 ranking in the Coaches' Poll and a #3 ranking in the AP. Minnesota went on to win the National Championship. This season is known as the "Forgotten Season", for despite ending the season with a #2/3 ranking and a share of the Big Ten title, the Hawks were left out of January play.

All-time records

Season records

Main article: List of Iowa Hawkeyes football seasons

The Hawkeyes began playing football as a club sport in 1872, and began playing intramural games against other colleges in 1882, but it was not until 1889 when Iowa challenged Iowa College to an interscholastic varsity football game. Since then, the Hawkeyes have played over 1,200 games, including 29 bowl games.

Head coaching records

Main article: List of Iowa Hawkeyes head football coaches

Bowl games

Iowa has appeared in 29 bowl games, including 27 bowl games since 1982. In bowl games, Iowa has a 14–14–1 record:

Date	Bowl	W/L	Opponent	PF	PA
January 1, 1957	Rose Bowl	W	Oregon State	35	19
January 1, 1959	Rose Bowl	W	California	38	12
January 1, 1982	Rose Bowl	L	Washington	0	28
December 31, 1982	Peach Bowl	W	Tennessee	28	22
December 30, 1983	Gator Bowl	L	Florida	6	14
December 16, 1984	Freedom Bowl	W	Texas	55	17
January 1, 1986	Rose Bowl	L	UCLA	28	45
December 30, 1986	Holiday Bowl	W	San Diego State	39	38
December 30, 1987	Holiday Bowl	W	Wyoming	20	19
December 31, 1988	Peach Bowl	L	North Carolina State	23	28
January 1, 1991	Rose Bowl	L	Washington	34	46
December 30, 1991	Holiday Bowl	T	BYU	13	13
December 31, 1993	Alamo Bowl	L	California	3	37
December 29, 1995	Sun Bowl	W	Washington	38	18
December 29, 1996	Alamo Bowl	W	Texas Tech	27	0
December 31, 1997	Sun Bowl	L	Arizona State	7	17
December 29, 2001	Alamo Bowl	W	Texas Tech	19	16
January 2, 2003	Orange Bowl	L	Southern California	17	38
January 1, 2004	Outback Bowl	W	Florida	37	17
January 1, 2005	Capital One Bowl	W	LSU	30	25
January 2, 2006	Outback Bowl	L	Florida	24	31
December 29, 2006	Alamo Bowl	L	Texas	24	26
January 1, 2009	Outback Bowl	W	South Carolina	31	10
January 5, 2010	Orange Bowl	W	Georgia Tech	24	14
December 28, 2010	Insight Bowl	W	Missouri	27	24
December 30, 2011	Insight Bowl	L	Oklahoma	14	31
January 1, 2014	Outback Bowl	L	LSU	14	21
January 2, 2015	TaxSlayer Bowl	L	Tennessee	28	45
January 1, 2016	Rose Bowl	L	Stanford	16	45
Total	29 Bowl Games	14–14–1		699	716

Notable games

1953: #20 Iowa vs #1 Notre Dame

On Nov. 21, 1953 undefeated and #1 Notre Dame were set to face the Hawkeyes in South Bend. The score was 0-0 when, in the first quarter, Iowa defensive back Dusty Rice intercepted the Irish. The Hawkeyes drove the ball 72-yards for an Iowa touchdown and a 7-0 lead. With only 2 seconds left in the first half, Irish tackle Frank Varrichione fell down with an injury. This stopped the clock (Notre Dame had no time outs left). Varrichione went in that same play and the Irish scored on a touchdown pass to Dan Shannon, to tie the game 7-7 at the half. With the score still deadlocked late into the fourth quarter, Iowa intercepted a pass on their own 48-yard line. The Hawkeyes then scored on a touchdown pass to end Frank Gilliam to give the Hawkeyes a 14-7 lead with 2:06 left in the game, with Notre Dame having no time outs remaining. With only 6 seconds left and the clock ticking away Frank Varrichione came down with another injury which stopped the clock (again he went back in that very same play). Notre Dame then scored a touchdown to tie the game up and stay unbeaten. After the game, sportswriters such as Grantland Rice and others were infuriated calling it unfair, and the Irish earned the label: "The Fainting Irish of Notre Dame". Iowa head coach Forest Evashevski said after the game: "When the One Great Scorer comes to write against our name, He won't write whether we won or lost, but how come we got gypped at Notre Dame". The Hawkeyes, who were ranked #20 before the game, jumped teams with better records to gain the #9 ranking. Varrichione has since admitted that the injuries were fake, in Steve Delsohn’s book, TALKING IRISH. In addition, Notre Dame Heisman winner Johnny Lattner praised his team's tactics calling it "Pretty smart thinking, wasn't it?". Because of this game, the NCAA changed the rules making players sit out at least one down before returning to the game.

1959 Rose Bowl

Main article: 1959 Rose Bowl

With their win in the Rose Bowl in 1959, the Iowa Hawkeyes won their first, and only, National Championship. However, although Iowa won the Grantland Rice Trophy as awarded by the Football Writers Association of America following the Bowl games, LSU was voted #1 in both major polls, the AP and Coaches polls, which were tallied before the Bowl games were played.

This game was lopsided and by the end of the third quarter, with a 22-6 advantage over the California Golden Bears, Iowa could smell victory. The championship, however, is disputed. The AP, whose poll came out before the bowl games, had picked LSU as their National Champion. In addition, the 1958 LSU team refused to play teams with any African Americans, leaving fewer and inferior available opponents. Because of this, many believe that the Iowa Hawkeyes rightfully hold the 1958 National Championship.

1960: #1 Iowa at #3 Minnesota

The battle for Floyd of Rosedale between the Big Ten's two 6-0-0 teams, Iowa against Minnesota, took place in Minneapolis, The top-ranked Hawkeyes lost to #3 Minnesota, 27-10. With both the AP and UPI finishing their voting before the bowl games, the national championship ultimately was determined in December. The AP writers divided among Minnesota (8-1-0), Mississippi (9-0-1) and Iowa (8-1-0), and some voters split their choices. As such, the Minnesota Gophers received 17½ votes for #1, Mississippi got 16, and Iowa 12½. Minnesota had 433½ poll points, ahead of 411 for Ole Miss and 407½ for Iowa. Minnesota was also the #1 choice in the UPI coaches poll. Minnesota was awarded the berth in the 1961 Rose Bowl.

1981: #7 Nebraska vs Iowa

Main article: 1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Official recap—There weren't many among the 60,160 who jammed Iowa's Kinnick Stadium who thought they were watching a matchup of the eventual Midwest entries in the Rose and Orange Bowls. There probably weren't a whole lot more who thought Iowa would avenge a 57-0 slaughter the Hawkeyes had suffered in Lincoln the year before. However, Iowa took advantage of excellent field position to jump to a 10-0 first-half lead, then held on to win a 10-7 stunner over the seventh-ranked Huskers.

The Hawkeye defense held the Huskers to their lowest total offense output of the season—234 yards—and stopped the Nebraska offense three straight times in Iowa territory after Roger Craig's one-yard TD had pulled the Huskers within 10-7 early in the final period. NU was stymied in the fourth quarter by a missed 30-yard field goal, a fumble, and Lou King's diving interception, which secured Iowa's victory with 39 seconds remaining.

In the first half, the Hawkeyes capitalized on a short punt and an interception to set up a two-yard TD run by Eddie Phillips and a 35-yard field goal by Lon Olejniczak. Meanwhile, the Huskers were held scoreless through three quarters for the first time since 1973 and didn't get out of their own territory until late in the second period, partly because of Iowa punter Reggie Roby's 50-plus yard average. NU quarterbacks Mark Maurer and Nate Mason completed only 8-of-18 passes for 81 yards and rushed 12 times for minus-2 yards.

Iowa used its upset win as a launching pad to defeat such teams as UCLA, Michigan and Purdue and post its first winning season since 1961.

“At this minute, this is the greatest victory of my life," Iowa coach Hayden Fry said. "I’m getting to be an old man and I don’t want to hurt any of my other teams that pulled off some upsets. But while I’ve been at Iowa, this is far and away the greatest victory.

“If you stay with this game long enough, the worm is bound to turn. Don’t think we didn’t earn this one, either. We did it fair and square, plus we showed a lot of character.”

1985: #2 Michigan vs #1 Iowa

Main article: 1985 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The Hawkeyes trailed 10-9 late in the fourth quarter, in what may be considered the greatest game ever played at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa got the ball, with 5:27 left, on their own 22-yard line. Led by their All-American Quarterback, Chuck Long, Iowa drove the ball to the Michigan 12-yard line. As the clock expired, kicker Rob Houghtlin sent one through the uprights, to give Iowa the win. The Hawkeyes would go on to accept an invitation to the 1986 Rose Bowl.

2003: #15 Miami (OH) vs #12 Iowa

Main article: 2003 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

RedHawks were led by their Heisman Trophy hopeful, and future two time Super Bowl Champion, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Hawkeyes defeated the Redhawks, 21-3. However, the game is significant in that the Hawkeyes held Roethlisberger to no touchdown passes. In addition, the Hawkeyes, intercepted this future NFL great a total of 4 times. The RedHawks went unbeaten after the loss to Iowa. However, that loss kept them out of a BCS Bowl Game and Roethlisberger out of Heisman contention.

2005 Capital One Bowl: Iowa vs. LSU ("The Catch")

Main article: 2005 Capital One Bowl

The game has gone down in Hawkeye history known simply as "The Catch". Iowa was set to play the defending National Champion LSU Tigers. Despite leading the entire game, Iowa found itself down 24-25 and got the ball with only 46 seconds left on the clock. With only a few seconds left in the game, Iowa found itself on their own 44-yard line facing a 2nd and 6. Iowa Quarterback Drew Tate threw the ball 56 yards to Warren Holloway for an Iowa touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes a 30-25 victory over Nick Saban's defending champion Tigers. The touchdown was Holloway's first and only career touchdown.

2008: #3 Penn State vs. Iowa

Main article: 2008 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

The undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions came into the game ranked #3 in the country with hopes of a BCS national championship. The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, were 5-4 and coming off a tough loss at Illinois. The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early lead following a Penn State fumble on their first drive, but the Nittany Lions would come back to take a 13-7 lead into halftime. With less than four minutes left in the game, and trailing 23-21, Iowa strong safety Tyler Sash intercepted Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark's pass inside Iowa territory. The Hawkeyes drove to within field goal range where kicker Daniel Murray made a 31-yard field goal with :01 left to play. Iowa would go on to win 24-23 and hand Penn State its only regular season loss of the year. The Hawkeyes would go on to beat South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. The win would be the first in a 13-game winning streak for Iowa stretching into the 2009 season.

2015 Big Ten Championship Game: #5 Michigan State vs. #4 Iowa

Main articles: 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and 2015 Big Ten Football Championship Game

Positioned as a de facto play-in game for the College Football Playoff, the 2015 Big Ten Championship Game between #5 Michigan State (11-1) and #4 Iowa (12-0) was a classic conference title matchup for the ages. The Spartans won the East Division title with gutsy road victories at Michigan and Ohio State, while the Hawkeyes won the West Division after completing their first unbeaten regular season in 93 years.

Iowa turned the ball over twice in the first half - a fumble leading to the Spartans first points and an interception in the end zone - but led 6-3. Michigan State dominated the third quarter in time of possession and yardage, and tacked on two field goals to lead 9-6. Trailing entering the 4th quarter for the first time all season, the Hawkeyes responded in a big way with an 85-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Beathard to Tevaun Smith that gave Iowa a 13-9 lead with 14:49 remaining. After exchanging punts, Michigan State marched 82 yards in an epic 22-play drive that took 9:04 off the clock. The game-winning score came on a 1-yard touchdown run with 27 seconds left. The Spartans converted five third downs and a fourth down on the drive to win 16-13.

Michigan State was selected as the #3 seed for the 2015 College Football Playoff, while Iowa was rewarded with its first Rose Bowl appearance in 25 years.

Individual honors

Main article: List of Iowa Hawkeyes football honorees

Retired numbers

Iowa Hawkeyes retired numbers
No.	Player	Position	Tenure
24	Nile Kinnick	QB	1936-39
62	Cal Jones	OG	1952-55

Over the course of the team's history, individual Hawkeye players of exceptional ability have received many accolades. Iowa has had several players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Individual Hawkeyes have won many prestigious national awards, including the Outland Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, Doak Walker Award, Jim Thorpe Award, and the Heisman Trophy. 96 Hawkeyes have been named a first-team or second-team All-American, and 22 have been named consensus first-team All-Americans.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have had ten players win the Big Ten Most Valuable Player Award, and 226 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 268 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.

The only two players to have their numbers retired by the Hawkeye football program are Nile Kinnick #24 and Cal Jones #62. Kinnick won the University of Iowa's only Heisman Trophy in 1939, while Jones was the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy in 1955. Neither Kinnick, or Jones saw the retirement of their numbers, having died long before, Kinnick's number 24 was retired in 1972, 30 years after his death in a training accident in the Caribbean (the same year that Iowa Stadium changed its name to Kinnick Stadium), and Jones number 62 was retired in 1985, 30 years after his death in a plane crash near Hope, British Columbia, Canada.

Heisman voting

Ten Hawkeyes have finished in the top ten for the Heisman Trophy. Iowa has only one winner, four have come in second.

Season	Player	Heisman Finish
1939	Nile Kinnick	First
1955	Cal Jones	Tenth
1956	Ken Ploen	Ninth
1957	Alex Karras	Second
1958	Randy Duncan	Second
1984	Chuck Long	Seventh
1985	Chuck Long	Second
1997	Tim Dwight	Seventh
2002	Brad Banks	Second
2008	Shonn Greene	Sixth

Current Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Main article: 2015 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Current coaching staff

Name	Position	Seasons	Alma Mater
Kirk Ferentz	Head Coach	17	Connecticut (1978)
Greg Davis	Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Coach	4	McNeese State (1977)
Phil Parker	Defensive Coordinator	17	Michigan State (1986)
Brian Ferentz	Offensive Line Coach	4	Iowa (2006)
Bobby Kennedy	Wide Receivers Coach	3	Northern Colorado (1989)
Reese Morgan	Defensive Line Coach	16	Wartburg College
Jim Reid	Defensive Assistant	3	Maine (1973)
Seth Wallace	Defensive Assistance Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator	4	Coe College (2001)
Chris White	Running Backs and Special Teams	3	Colby College (1990)
LeVar Woods	Linebackers Coach	8	Iowa (2000)
Chris Doyle	Strength and Conditioning	17	Boston University (1990)
Nick DiMarco	Fitness Coach	1	William Penn (2014)

Uniforms

Iowa's home jersey is black with white numerals, with gold and white stripes on the sleeves. The away jersey is white with black numerals, and gold stripes on the sleeves. Players' names are located above the numerals on the back of the jersey. Gold pants with a black stripe are worn with both the home and away jersey. Iowa's helmets are black with a black facemask. They also have a gold stripe and the gold Iowa Hawkeye logo included on both sides of the helmet.

In 1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tiger Hawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets. Since both teams shared the colors of black and yellow gold, Fry sought and gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant National Football League (NFL) team of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene for a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team; others include the Blue Devils of Duke University whose football uniforms resemble those of the Indianapolis Colts. Although the uniforms appear substantially the same, there are subtle differences, mainly in the font of the numerals, the scheme of the white away jerseys, and the width of the jersey stripe, while the Steelers jerseys have the player names in yellow and the Hawkeyes use black or white.

The Hawkeyes have removed the Tiger Hawk helmet logo and the single yellow gold stripe from their game helmets on several occasions as a symbolic gesture of mourning. The first instance was on November 2, 1991, in recognition of the six victims of a fatal campus shooting. The second occasion was for a December 29, 1996, appearance in the Alamo Bowl. It served to commemorate the family of linebacker Mark Mitchell, who were involved in a fatal vehicle accident while en route to the game. The accident resulted in the death of Mitchell's mother and severe injuries to his father and two brothers. Third, being on Veterans' Day 2011 when they used a red, white, and blue tiger hawk on one side and left the other side blank in honor of our fallen heroes against Michigan. All three games resulted in Iowa victories. Fourth, and most recent September 12, 2015 when they honored #9 Tyler Sash, former Iowa Safety and NFL Veteran, who had passed away on September 8, 2015.

The Iowa Athletic Director has okayed only five stickers on the helmets over the last thirty years, the first, in 1985, when a gold disk appeared, with the black letters "ANF," Which stands for America Needs Farmers, this sticker has remained in place since it was first placed onto the helmet. The second was a small black sticker on the back of the helmet, with white letters that spelled out "EVY," the nickname of legendary Iowa head coach, and Athletic Director, Forest Evasheski, to commemorate his passing in 2009. The third was in memory of Iowa high school football coaching legend Ed Thomas, who was killed in his team's weight room by a former player. A small gold sticker with the black letters "FFF" placed near the crown of the helmet represents Faith, Family, Football, a motto Coach Thomas preached to his players to represent what his players priorities should be not only through the season, but throughout life. The fourth being a small green sticker, with the number 30 on it to honor former Hawkeye Safety Brett Greenwood, who had recently fallen into a coma while working out at his old high school. The final sticker is a small black sticker with a gold "TS", worn on the back of the helmet to commemorate the passing of former Hawkeye safety Tyler Sash.

Kinnick Stadium

Main article: Kinnick Stadium

Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa. It opened as Iowa Stadium in 1929; prior to that time, Iowa played its home games at Iowa Field. Iowa Stadium was renamed Kinnick Stadium in 1972 in honor of Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and the only Heisman winner in university history, who died in service during World War II. It currently holds up to 70,585 people, making it the 27th largest college football stadium in America and the 86th largest sports stadium in the world.

Trophy Games

Iowa plays trophy games against Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Iowa State

Main article: Iowa-Iowa State football rivalry

Iowa plays Iowa State annually for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, which began in 1977. The teams first meeting was in 1894. The teams quit meeting after the 1934 season until they renewed their rivalry in 1977. It was in 1977 when the tradition of the Cy-Hawk Trophy began, when the Des Moines Athletic Club donated a trophy dedicated to the rivlary. It was quickly dubbed the "Cy-Hawk Trophy". Iowa leads the overall series 41-22, and Iowa also leads the trophy series 25-14.

Minnesota

Main article: Iowa–Minnesota football rivalry

Iowa plays Minnesota annually for the Floyd of Rosedale, which is Iowa's oldest trophy that began in 1935. The teams first meeting was in 1891. Minnesota leads the overall series 62-45-2, and also leads the trophy series 42-36-2. Floyd of Rosedale was created in 1935 after Minnesota Governor Floyd Olson bet a prize pig that the Gophers would win the game, a goal which the Gophers would accomplish that year. After the death of the pig, its image was cast in bronze, and the Floyd of Rosedale trophy was created.

Nebraska

Main article: Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry

Iowa plays Nebraska annually for the Heroes Trophy, which began when Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. Iowa won the most recent meeting on November 27, 2015, defeating Nebraska in Lincoln by a score of 28-20. Nebraska leads the overall series 29-14-3, and also leads the trophy series at 3-2.

Wisconsin

Main article: Iowa-Wisconsin football rivalry

Iowa has played Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy since 2004. The teams' first meeting was in 1894. Wisconsin leads the overall series 44-43-2, and Iowa leads the trophy series 5-4.

Traditions

Songs

Iowa's official fight song is the Iowa Fight Song which is sung by the marching band and the fans. Iowa's school song is On Iowa. Iowa also plays a third fight song, entitled Roll Along Iowa. After victories the band plays the Im Himmel gibt's kein Bier Polka, which translates to "In Heaven There is No Beer". Before the game (since 2005) the team has exited the tunnel together to Back in Black by AC/DC before joining hands and running onto the field in unison to Enter Sandman by Metallica.

Mascot

Iowa's mascot is Herky the Hawk, a black and gold caricature of a Hawk. Herky was created as a cartoon in 1948, and first appeared at a sporting event in 1959. Herky was actually named after the Greek God Hercules. The term "Hawkeye" originally appeared in the book The Last of the Mohicans and was later used in its plural form to describe the people of Iowa. The University of Iowa adopted this as the nickname for its athletic teams.

Hawkeye Marching Band

Originally founded in 1881, the Hawkeye Marching Band now performs at all Iowa Hawkeye home football games. The band also travels with the team to usually one away game per year and any post-season bowl games.

Iowa and the NFL

Current NFL players

This list includes players on active team rosters, this list does not include free agents or players on practice squads.

Name Year Debuted Position Team Jonathan Babineaux 2005 DT Atlanta Falcons Bryan Bulaga 2010 OT Green Bay Packers Scott Chandler 2007 TE New England Patriots Adrian Clayborn 2011 DE Atlanta Falcons Mike Daniels 2012 DT Green Bay Packers Carl Davis 2015 DE Baltimore Ravens Andrew Donnal 2015 OT St. Louis Rams James Ferentz 2014 C Denver Broncos C. J. Fiedorowicz 2014 TE Houston Texans Charles Godfrey 2008 S Atlanta Falcons Chad Greenway 2006 LB Minnesota Vikings Anthony Hitchens 2014 LB Dallas Cowboys Micah Hyde 2013 S Green Bay Packers Christian Kirksey 2014 LB Cleveland Browns Karl Klug 2011 DE Tennessee Titans Tony Moeaki 2010 TE Atlanta Falcons Brandon Myers 2009 TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers Riley Reiff 2012 OT Detroit Lions Allen Reisner 2011 TE Baltimore Ravens Brandon Scherff 2015 OT Washington Redskins Matt Tobin 2013 OT Philadelphia Eagles Julian Vandervelde 2011 C Philadelphia Eagles Marshal Yanda 2007 OG Baltimore Ravens

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Three Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Inducted Player Position Teams 1967 Emlen Tunnell Defensive back New York Giants, Green Bay Packers 1998 Paul Krause Safety Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins 2008 Andre Tippett Linebacker New England Patriots

NFL draft picks

Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978. Through the 2015 NFL Draft, Iowa has had 277 draft picks. 249 in the NFL, 21 in the AFL, and 7 in the AAFC (the AFC and AAFC both merged with the NFL). and 75 players have gone in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Iowa has had 20 first round NFL Draft selections:

Season Player Team Selection 1936 Dick Crayne Brooklyn Dodgers 4th 1958 Alex Karras Detroit Lions 10th 1959 Randy Duncan Green Bay Packers 1st 1966 John Niland Dallas Cowboys 5th 1973 Craig Clemons Chicago Bears 12th 1976 Rod Walters Kansas City Chiefs 14th 1982 Ron Hallstrom Green Bay Packers 22nd 1984 John Alt Kansas City Chiefs 21st 1986 Chuck Long Detroit Lions 12th 1986 Ronnie Harmon Buffalo Bills 16th 1986 Mike Haight New York Jets 22nd 1997 Tom Knight Arizona Cardinals 9th 1997 Ross Verba Green Bay Packers 30th 2003 Dallas Clark Indianapolis Colts 24th 2004 Robert Gallery Oakland Raiders 2nd 2006 Chad Greenway Minnesota Vikings 17th 2010 Bryan Bulaga Green Bay Packers 23rd 2011 Adrian Clayborn Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20th 2012 Riley Reiff Detroit Lions 23rd 2015 Brandon Scherff Washington Redskins 5th

NFL coaches

Name Team Position Ties to Iowa Charlie Bullen Miami Dolphins Assistant Defensive Line Coach Grad Assistant from 2009-2011 Jim Caldwell Detroit Lions Head Coach Played Defensive Back from 1973-1976, Grad Assistant 1977 Mike Devlin Houston Texans Offensive Line Coach Played Offensive Line from 1989-1992 Pat Flaherty New York Giants Offensive Line Coach Tight Ends/Special Teams/Recruiting 1999 Jonathan Hayes Cincinnati Bengals Tight Ends Coach Played Tight End from 1981-1984 Ken O'Keefe Miami Dolphins Senior Offensive Assistant Offensive Coordinator from 1999-2011

Future non-conference opponents

2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
vs Miami (OH)	vs Wyoming	vs Northern Illinois	vs Miami (OH)	vs Northern Illinois
vs Iowa State	at Iowa State	vs Iowa State	at Iowa State	vs Iowa State
vs North Dakota State	vs North Texas	vs Northern Iowa

References

18. http://tourtheten.com/iowa/traditions/game-day-traditions/nile-kinnick-statue/#.U_PG5dxOnFo

Additional sources

• 75 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, by Bert McCrane & Dick Lamb (ASIN: B0007E01F8)
• 25 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, 1964–1988, by Al Grady (ASIN: B0006ES3GS)
• Hawkeye Legends, Lists, & Lore, by Mike Finn & Chad Leistikow (ISBN 1-57167-178-1)
• University of Iowa Football, by Chuck Bright (ISBN 0-87397-233-3)
• Black & Gold Memories, by George Wine (ISBN 0-615-12398-8)
• Greatest Moments In Iowa Hawkeyes Football History, by Mark Dukes & Gus Schrader (ISBN 1-57243-261-6)
• Tales From The Iowa Sidelines, by Ron Maly (ISBN 1-58261-574-8)
• Stadium Stories: Iowa Hawkeyes, by Buck Turnbull (ISBN 0-7627-3819-7)

External links

• Official website