The Iowa Hawkeyes football team was founded in 1889 to represent the University of Iowa in intercollegiate competition, and it has participated in the sport every season since. 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, the Doak Walker Award, the Jim Thorpe Award, and the Heisman Trophy. 92 Hawkeyes have been named a first-team or second-team All-American, and 28 have been named consensus first-team All-Americans.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have had ten players win the Big Ten Most Valuable Player Award, and 219 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 244 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.
The most prestigious of these individual awards is the Heisman Trophy. Nile Kinnick won the award in 1939, and four other Hawkeyes have placed second in the voting. In all, nine Hawkeye players have finished in the top ten in the Heisman Trophy balloting, with Chuck Long doing so twice:[1]
| Season | Player | Heisman Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | First | ||
| 1955 | Tenth | ||
| 1956 | Ninth | ||
| 1957 | Second | ||
| 1958 | Second | ||
| 1984 | Seventh | ||
| 1985 | Second | ||
| 1997 | Seventh | ||
| 2002 | Second | ||
| 2008 | Sixth |
Nile Kinnick, Duke Slater, and coach Howard Jones were all inducted in the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame class in 1951. In all, eleven players and six coaches now represent Iowa in the College Football Hall of Fame:[2]
| College Football Hall of Fame | ||||
| Name | Position | Tenure | Year Inducted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | 1916–23 | 1951 | ||
| 1918–21 | 1951 | |||
| 1936–39 | 1951 | |||
| 1920–22 | 1960 | |||
| Coach | 1939–49 | 1971 | ||
| 1919–21 | 1973 | |||
| Coach | 1943–44 | 1974 | ||
| 1952–55 | 1980 | |||
| 1954–57 | 1981 | |||
| 1956–58 | 1997 | |||
| 1981–85 | 1999 | |||
| Coach | 1952–60 | 2000 | ||
| Coach | 1979–98 | 2003 | ||
| 1982–85 | 2009 | |||
| 1979–82 | 2021 | |||
| Coach | 1983-87 | 2021 | ||
| 2000-03 | 2023 | |||
Five Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:[3]
| Pro Football Hall of Fame | ||||
| Name | Position | Teams | Year Inducted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | ||||
| 1998 | ||||
| 2008 | ||||
| 2020 | ||||
| 2020 | ||||
Three Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame for their play in the Canadian Football League:[4]
| Canadian Football Hall of Fame | ||||
| Name | Position | Teams | Year Inducted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | ||||
| 1982 | ||||
| 1985 | ||||
The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, honors outstanding athletes and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in Iowa or gained prominence while competing for a college or university in Iowa. Aubrey Devine, Nile Kinnick, and Duke Slater were three of the five football players inducted when the Hall was founded in 1951. 25 Hawkeye players and 3 Hawkeye coaches have been inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame:[5]
| Iowa Sports Hall of Fame | ||||
| Name | Year Inducted | Name | Year Inducted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 1983 | |||
| 1951 | 1985 | |||
| 1951 | 1986 | |||
| 1956 | 1987 | |||
| 1958 | 1988 | |||
| 1959 | 1989 | |||
| 1961 | 2000 | |||
| 1962 | 2001 | |||
| 1965 | 2002 | |||
| 1971 | 2003 | |||
| 1973 | 2004 | |||
| 1975 | 2006 | |||
| 1976 | 2013 | |||
| 1977 | 2014 | |||
The University of Iowa started an Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989. Ten football players were inducted in the initial class, and it has since expanded to include 50 football players and coaches:[6]
| University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame | ||||
| Name | Year Inducted | Name | Year Inducted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 1998 | |||
| 1989 | 1998 | |||
| 1989 | 2000 | |||
| 1989 | 2000 | |||
| 1989 | 2001 | |||
| 1989 | 2002 | |||
| 1989 | 2003 | |||
| 1989 | 2004 | |||
| 1989 | 2005 | |||
| 1989 | 2005 | |||
| 1990 | 2006 | |||
| 1990 | 2006 | |||
| 1991 | 2007 | |||
| 1991 | 2008 | |||
| 1992 | 2009 | |||
| 1992 | 2010 | |||
| 1993 | 2011 | |||
| 1993 | Sherwyn Thorson | 2011 | ||
| 1993 | Bashir Yamini | 2012 | ||
| 1993 | 2013 | |||
| 1995 | 2013 | |||
| 1995 | 2014 | |||
| 1996 | 2015 | |||
| 1996 | Willie Brashier | 2015 | ||
| 1997 | 2016 | |||
| Iowa Hawkeyes retired numbers | ||||
| No. | Player | Position | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1936–39 | |||
| 62 | 1952–55 | |||
Two numbers have been retired by the Hawkeye football program, Nile Kinnick's #24 and Cal Jones' #62. Both Kinnick and Jones were consensus first team All-Americans, and both men died in separate plane crashes before their 25th birthday.
Kinnick won the University of Iowa's only Heisman Trophy in 1939 and is the man for whom Kinnick Stadium is named. Jones was the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy and is the only Hawkeye to be named first-team All-American three times.[7]
Each year, numerous publications and organizations release lists of All-America teams, hypothetical rosters of players considered the best in the nation at their respective positions.[8] The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) uses officially recognized All-America selectors to determine the consensus selections. Over time, the sources used to determine the consensus selections have varied. Currently, the NCAA uses five "major" selectors to determine consensus All-Americans: the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF).[9] Many other publications and organization compile their own "minor" All-America teams in addition to the selectors listed here.
Clyde Williams is often referred to as "Iowa's first All-American". Williams, who led the Hawkeyes to its first Big Ten championship in 1900, was named a third-team All-American by Walter Camp that season. Williams was the first player west of the Mississippi River to garner All-American honors.[10] [11] However, since the following list constitutes only first-team and second-team All-Americans, Williams is not included here.
Iowa has had 77 first-team All-Americans and 33 second-team All-Americans. Of Iowa's 77 first-team All-Americans, 33 were consensus first-team All-American selections (31 individuals as Cal Jones and Larry Station won the award twice), while 15 were unanimous first-team selections.[12] [13] As of 2023, Iowa's 15 unanimous All Americans is tied for 11th most in college football history.
| Season | Player | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | |||
| 1916 | |||
| 1919 | |||
| 1919 | |||
| 1920 | Second selection | ||
| 1921 | |||
| 1921 | |||
| 1921 | Second selection | ||
| 1922 | |||
| 1922 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 1924 | |||
| 1925 | |||
| 1926 | |||
| 1928 | |||
| 1928 | Peter Westra | ||
| 1929 | Second selection | ||
| 1933 | |||
| 1933 | |||
| 1934 | |||
| 1935 | Second selection | ||
| 1939 | |||
| 1939 | |||
| 1940 | |||
| 1948 | |||
| 1951 | |||
| 1953 | |||
| 1953 | |||
| 1954 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 1955 | Second consensus selection; Third first-team selection | ||
| 1956 | |||
| 1956 | |||
| 1956 | |||
| 1956 | Don Suchy | ||
| 1957 | |||
| 1957 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 1958 | Randy Duncan | Unanimous selection | |
| 1958 |
| Season | Player | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | |||
| 1960 | |||
| 1960 | |||
| 1960 | Mark Manders | ||
| 1961 | Bill Van Buren | ||
| 1963 | |||
| 1964 | |||
| 1964 | |||
| 1965 | |||
| 1965 | Second selection | ||
| 1971 | |||
| 1975 | |||
| 1975 | |||
| 1979 | |||
| 1980 | |||
| 1981 | Pat Dean | ||
| 1981 | |||
| 1981 | |||
| 1982 | |||
| 1982 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 1983 | |||
| 1983 | |||
| 1984 | |||
| 1984 | |||
| 1984 | Second selection | ||
| 1985 | Second selection | ||
| 1985 | Chuck Long | Unanimous selection | |
| 1985 | Larry Station | Unanimous selection; Second consensus selection; Third selection | |
| 1986 | |||
| 1987 | |||
| 1988 | |||
| 1988 | Second selection | ||
| 1990 | |||
| 1990 | |||
| 1991 | |||
| 1992 |
| Season | Player | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | |||
| 1997 | |||
| 1997 | |||
| 1997 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 1998 | Second selection | ||
| 2002 | |||
| 2002 | Dallas Clark | Unanimous selection | |
| 2002 | |||
| 2002 | |||
| 2002 | |||
| 2003 | Robert Gallery | Unanimous selection | |
| 2003 | Second first-team selection | ||
| 2003 | |||
| 2004 | |||
| 2004 | |||
| 2005 | Second selection | ||
| 2008 | Shonn Greene | Unanimous selection | |
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| 2009 | |||
| 2010 | |||
| 2011 | |||
| 2014 | Brandon Scherff | Unanimous selection | |
| 2015 | Desmond King | Unanimous selection | |
| 2016 | Second selection | ||
| 2017 | Josey Jewell | Unanimous selection | |
| 2017 | Josh Jackson | Unanimous selection | |
| 2018 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 | Daviyon Nixon | Unanimous selection | |
| 2021 | Tyler Linderbaum | Unanimous selection | |
| 2022 | Jack Campbell | Unanimous selection | |
| 2023 | Cooper DeJean | Unanimous selection | |
| 2023 | Tory Taylor | Unanimous selection | |
| 2023 |
The Chicago Tribune Silver Football has been awarded since 1924 by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Conference. Ten Hawkeyes have won the Big Ten MVP award, the third largest number of winners by any school, trailing only Michigan and Ohio State:[14]
| Inducted | Player |
|---|---|
| 1929 | Willis Glassgow |
| 1933 | Joe Laws |
| 1939 | Nile Kinnick |
| 1951 | Bill Reichardt |
| 1956 | Ken Ploen |
| Inducted | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Randy Duncan | |
| 1985 | Chuck Long | |
| 1990 | Nick Bell | |
| 2002 | Brad Banks | |
| 2008 | Shonn Greene |
Coaches and media of the Big Ten also make annual selections for additional individual honors:[15]
| Big Ten Conference Award | Recipient(s) and year received | |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive Player of the Year | Chuck Long (1985); Nick Bell & Matt Rodgers (1990); Tavian Banks (1997); Brad Banks (2002); Shonn Greene (2008) | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Leroy Smith (1991); Josey Jewell (2017); Daviyon Nixon (2020); Jack Campbell (2022) | |
| Offensive Lineman of the Year | Mike Haight (1985); Dave Croston (1986); Mike Devlin (1992); Eric Steinbach (2002); Robert Gallery (2003); Bryan Bulaga (2009); Brandon Scherff (2014); Tristan Wirfs (2019); Tyler Linderbaum (2021) | |
| Receiver of the Year | Marvin McNutt (2011) | |
| Tight End of the Year | T. J. Hockenson (2018); Sam LaPorta (2022) | |
| Defensive Lineman of the Year | Paul Hufford (1984); Dave Haight (1987); Leroy Smith (1991); Jared DeVries (1997); Mitch King (2008); Daviyon Nixon (2020) | |
| Linebacker of the Year | Josey Jewell (2017) Jack Campbell (2022) | |
| Defensive Back of the Year | Micah Hyde (2012); Desmond King (2015); Josh Jackson (2017); Amani Hooker (2018); Riley Moss (2021); Cooper DeJean (2023) | |
| Kicker of the Year | Keith Duncan (2019) | |
| Punter of the Year | Tory Taylor (2020 & 2023) | |
| Return Specialist of the Year | Ihmir Smith-Marsette (2018); Charlie Jones (2021); Cooper DeJean (2023) | |
| Coach of the Year | Hayden Fry (1981, 1990, & 1991); Kirk Ferentz (2002, 2004, 2009 & 2015) | |
| Chuck Long (1986) |
Through the 2023 season, Iowa has had 256 first team All-Big Ten selections, comprising 190 players, starting with Clyde Williams and Joe Warner in 1900. There have been 56 players named multiple years, 10 of whom were three-time selections.[16]
| Season | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Joe Warner | |
| 1900 | Clyde Williams | |
| 1912 | Jim Trickey | |
| 1913 | Ralph McGinnis | |
| 1916 | Fred Becker | |
| 1918 | Harry Hunzelman | |
| 1918 | Ronald Reed | |
| 1919 | Lester Belding | |
| 1919 | Aubrey Devine | |
| 1919 | Fred Lohman | |
| 1919 | Duke Slater | |
| 1920 | Lester Belding | |
| 1920 | Aubrey Devine | |
| 1920 | Duke Slater | |
| 1921 | Lester Belding | |
| 1921 | Aubrey Devine | |
| 1921 | John Heldt | |
| 1921 | Max Kadesky | |
| 1921 | Gordon Locke | |
| 1921 | Chester Mead | |
| 1921 | Duke Slater | |
| 1922 | Gordon Locke | |
| 1922 | Paul Minick | |
| 1922 | George Thompson | |
| 1923 | Lowell Otte | |
| 1924 | William Fleckenstein | |
| 1924 | John Hancock | |
| 1924 | Lowell Otte | |
| 1924 | Leland Parkin | |
| 1925 | Dick Romey | |
| 1926 | Emerson Nelson | |
| 1927 | Emerson Nelson | |
| 1928 | Richard Brown | |
| 1928 | Willis Glassgow | |
| 1928 | Fred Roberts | |
| 1928 | Peter Westra | |
| 1929 | Willis Glassgow | |
| 1929 | Fred Roberts | |
| 1933 | Joe Laws | |
| 1933 | Francis Schammel | |
| 1934 | Ozzie Simmons | |
| 1935 | Ozzie Simmons | |
| 1937 | Nile Kinnick | |
| 1937 | Robert Lannon | |
| 1938 | Erwin Prasse | |
| 1939 | Mike Enich | |
| 1939 | Nile Kinnick | |
| 1939 | Erwin Prasse | |
| 1940 | Mike Enich | |
| 1942 | Tom Farmer | |
| 1946 | Earl Banks | |
| 1946 | Dick Hoerner | |
| 1948 | William Kay | |
| 1950 | Bill Reichardt | |
| 1951 | Bill Reichardt | |
| 1952 | Bill Fenton | |
| 1953 | Jerry Hilgenberg | |
| 1953 | Cal Jones | |
| 1954 | Cal Jones | |
| 1955 | Cal Jones | |
| 1955 | Eddie Vincent | |
| 1956 | Frank Gilliam | |
| 1956 | Alex Karras | |
| 1956 | Ken Ploen | |
| 1956 | Donald Suchy | |
| 1957 | Frank Bloomquist | |
| 1957 | Randy Duncan | |
| 1957 | Jim Gibbons | |
| 1957 | Alex Karras |
| Season | Player | |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Dace Richardson | |
| 2009 | Tyler Sash | |
| 2009 | Amari Spievey | |
| 2010 | Adrian Clayborn | |
| 2010 | Derrell Johnson-Koulianos | |
| 2010 | Shaun Prater | |
| 2010 | Tyler Sash | |
| 2011 | Marvin McNutt | |
| 2011 | Shaun Prater | |
| 2011 | Riley Reiff | |
| 2012 | Micah Hyde | |
| 2013 | B.J. Lowery | |
| 2013 | Brandon Scherff | |
| 2013 | C. J. Fiedorowicz | |
| 2014 | Brandon Scherff | |
| 2015 | Desmond King | |
| 2015 | Jordan Walsh | |
| 2016 | Jaleel Johnson | |
| 2016 | Desmond King | |
| 2017 | Josey Jewell | |
| 2017 | Josh Jackson | |
| 2017 | Sean Welsh | |
| 2018 | Noah Fant | |
| 2018 | T. J. Hockenson | |
| 2018 | Amani Hooker | |
| 2018 | A. J. Epenesa | |
| 2018 | Ihmir Smith-Marsette | |
| 2019 | A. J. Epenesa | |
| 2019 | Keith Duncan | |
| 2019 | Tristan Wirfs | |
| 2020 | Tyler Goodson | |
| 2020 | Tyler Linderbaum | |
| 2020 | Alaric Jackson | |
| 2020 | Chauncey Golston | |
| 2020 | Daviyon Nixon | |
| 2020 | Tory Taylor | |
| 2021 | Tyler Linderbaum | |
| 2021 | Riley Moss | |
| 2021 | Dane Belton | |
| 2021 | Jack Campbell | |
| 2021 | Charlie Jones | |
| 2021 | Caleb Shudak | |
| 2022 | Sam LaPorta | |
| 2022 | Jack Campbell | |
| 2022 | Cooper DeJean | |
| 2022 | Tory Taylor | |
| 2023 | Jay Higgins | |
| 2023 | Cooper DeJean | |
| 2023 | Tory Taylor |
| Season | Player |
|---|
In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football. Twelve starters and eight honorable mentions were selected on both offense and defense, along with a Most Valuable Player:[17]
| Offense | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | |
| E | Marv Cook | |
| E | Jim Gibbons | |
| OL | Mike Enich | |
| OL | Calvin Jones | |
| OL | Jerry Hilgenberg | |
| OL | John Niland | |
| OL | Duke Slater | |
| QB | Chuck Long | |
| RB | Ozzie Simmons | |
| RB | Aubrey Devine | |
| RB | Ronnie Harmon | |
| PK | Rob Houghtlin | |
| Honorable Mention | ||
| Position | Player | |
| OL | Dave Croston | |
| OL | Joe Devlin | |
| QB | Randy Duncan | |
| RB | Larry Ferguson | |
| RB | Joe Laws | |
| RB | Ed Podolak | |
| RB | Bill Reichardt | |
| E | Erwin Prasse | |
| Defense | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | |
| E | Frank Gilliam | |
| E | Andre Tippett | |
| DL | Mark Bortz | |
| DL | Dave Haight | |
| DL | Alex Karras | |
| LB | Mike Reilly | |
| LB | Larry Station | |
| DB | Craig Clemons | |
| DB | Willis Glassgow | |
| DB | Gordon Locke | |
| DB | Ken Ploen | |
| P | Reggie Roby | |
| Honorable Mention | ||
| Position | Player | |
| E | Lester Belding | |
| LB | Wally Hilgenberg | |
| DB | Devon Mitchell | |
| DE | Joe Mott | |
| LB | Brad Quast | |
| DB | Bill Reichardt | |
| DB | Bob Stoops | |
| DB | Mike Stoops | |
The following is a list of team and individual NCAA FBS records that are held by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL draft since 1978. Through the 2023 NFL draft, Iowa has had 290 draft picks: 276 in the NFL, 21 in the AFL, and seven in the AAFC (the AFL and AAFC both later merged with the NFL). Iowa has had the following 26 first round NFL Draft selections:[19]
Several former Hawkeye players have later been named NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches:[20]
| Coach | Team & Years |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin, 2006–2012 Arkansas, 2013–present | |
| Indianapolis Colts, 2009–2011 Detroit Lions, 2014–2017 | |
| Iowa, 1974–1978 | |
| Kansas State, 1935–1939 | |
| Northwestern, 1981–1985 Stanford, 1989–1991 Minnesota Vikings, 1992–2001 Arizona Cardinals, 2004–2006 | |
| Iowa, 1909 | |
| San Diego State, 2006–2008 | |
| Iowa State, 1995–2006 North Texas, 2011–2015 | |
| Nevada, 2017–present | |
| Iowa, 1950–1951 | |
| Oklahoma, 1999–2016 | |
| Kentucky, 2013–present | |
| Arizona, 2004–2011 | |
| Iowa State, 1907–1912 | |
A few notable players not previously mentioned: