List of Iowa Hawkeyes football honorees explained

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.

National honorees

Annual awards

Individual award winners

Nile Kinnick1939

Nile Kinnick1939

Chuck Long1985

Nile Kinnick1939

Brad Banks2002

Chuck Long1985

Brad Banks2002

Alex Karras1957

Kahlil Hill2001

Dallas Clark2002

T. J. Hockenson2018

T. J. Hockenson2018

Desmond King2015

Josh Jackson2017

Josey Jewell2017

Josey Jewell2017

Nate Kaeding2002

Shonn Greene2008

Shonn Greene2008

Desmond King2015

Cal Jones1955

Alex Karras1957

Robert Gallery2003

Brandon Scherff2014

Tyler Linderbaum2021

Jack Campbell - 2022

Tory Taylor - 2023

Coaching award winners

Eddie Anderson1939

Kirk Ferentz2002

Kirk Ferentz2002

Kirk Ferentz2015

Kirk Ferentz2015

Kirk Ferentz2015

Hayden Fry2005

Hayden Fry1981

Team Awards

Iowa2016

Iowa2017

Iowa2017

Heisman Trophy nominees

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]

SeasonPlayerHeisman Finish
1939 First
1955 Tenth
1956 Ninth
1957 Second
1958 Second
1984 Seventh
1985 Second
1997 Seventh
2002 Second
2008 Sixth

Hall of Fame inductees

College Football Hall of Fame

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
NamePositionTenureYear 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

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Five Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:[3]

Pro Football Hall of Fame
NamePositionTeamsYear Inducted
1967
1998
2008
2020
2020

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

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
NamePositionTeamsYear Inducted
1975
1982
1985

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame

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
NameYear InductedNameYear 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

University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame

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
NameYear InductedNameYear 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

Retired numbers

Iowa Hawkeyes retired numbers
No.PlayerPositionTenure
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]

All-American selections

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.

SeasonPlayerRemarks
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 DuncanUnanimous selection
1958
SeasonPlayerRemarks
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 LongUnanimous selection
1985 Larry StationUnanimous selection;
Second consensus selection;
Third selection
1986
1987
1988
1988 Second selection
1990
1990
1991
1992
SeasonPlayerRemarks
1996
1997
1997
1997 Second first-team selection
1998 Second selection
2002
2002 Dallas ClarkUnanimous selection
2002
2002
2002
2003 Robert GalleryUnanimous selection
2003 Second first-team selection
2003
2004
2004
2005 Second selection
2008 Shonn GreeneUnanimous selection
2008
2009
2009
2010
2011
2014 Brandon ScherffUnanimous selection
2015 Desmond KingUnanimous selection
2016 Second selection
2017 Josey JewellUnanimous selection
2017 Josh JacksonUnanimous selection
2018
2019
2019
2019
2020 Daviyon NixonUnanimous selection
2021 Tyler LinderbaumUnanimous selection
2022 Jack CampbellUnanimous selection
2023 Cooper DeJeanUnanimous selection
2023 Tory TaylorUnanimous selection
2023
*—Unanimous selection

Big Ten honorees

Most Valuable Players

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]

InductedPlayer
1929 Willis Glassgow
1933 Joe Laws
1939 Nile Kinnick
1951 Bill Reichardt
1956 Ken Ploen
InductedPlayer
1958 Randy Duncan
1985 Chuck Long
1990 Nick Bell
2002 Brad Banks
2008 Shonn Greene

Annual individual honors

Coaches and media of the Big Ten also make annual selections for additional individual honors:[15]

Big Ten Conference AwardRecipient(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)

All-conference selections

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]

SeasonPlayer
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
SeasonPlayer
1958 Randy Duncan
1958 Willie Fleming
1959 Bob Jeter
1959 Bill Lapham
1959 Don Norton
1960 Larry Ferguson
1960 Wilburn Hollis
1960 Mark Manders
1962 Larry Ferguson
1963 Wally Hilgenberg
1963 Mike Reilly
1964 Karl Noonan
1964 Gary Snook
1965 John Niland
1968 Jon Meskimen
1968 Ed Podolak
1969 Jon Meskimen
1971 Craig Clemons
1973 Brian Rollins
1974 Earl Douthitt
1975 Joe Devlin
1975 Rod Walters
1977 Tom Rusk
1979 Jay Hilgenberg
1979 Dennis Mosley
1979 Leven Weiss
1980 Andre Tippett
1981 Mark Bortz
1981 Mel Cole
1981 Pat Dean
1981 Ron Hallstrom
1981 Lou King
1981 Reggie Roby
1981 Andre Tippett
1982 Mark Bortz
1982 Reggie Roby
1982 Bob Stoops
1983 John Alt
1983 Paul Hufford
1983 Chuck Long
1983 Dave Moritz
1983 Larry Station
1983 Mike Stoops
1984 Ronnie Harmon
1984 Paul Hufford
1984 George Little
1984 Chuck Long
1984 Devon Mitchell
1984 Larry Station
1984 Mike Stoops
1985 Jeff Drost
1985 Mike Haight
1985 Ronnie Harmon
1985 Rob Houghtlin
1985 Chuck Long
1985 Jay Norvell
1985 Hap Peterson
1985 Larry Station
1986 Rick Bayless
1986 Dave Croston
1986 Jeff Drost
1986 Dave Haight
1986 Bob Kratch
1987 Kerry Burt
1987 Marv Cook
1987 Quinn Early
1987 Dave Haight
1987 Chuck Hartlieb
1987 Rob Houghtlin
SeasonPlayer
1988 Marv Cook
1988 Dave Haight
1988 Deven Harberts
1988 Chuck Hartlieb
1988 Bob Kratch
1988 Joe Mott
1988 Brad Quast
1989 Jim Johnson
1989 Brad Quast
1990 Nick Bell
1990 Melvin Foster
1990 Merton Hanks
1990 Jim Johnson
1990 Matt Rodgers
1991 Mike Devlin
1991 Leroy Smith
1992 Alan Cross
1992 Carlos James
1992 Mike Wells
1993 Carlos James
1993 Mike Wells
1995 Nick Gallery
1996 Jared DeVries
1996 Nick Gallery
1996 Damien Robinson
1996 Sedrick Shaw
1996 Ross Verba
1997 Tavian Banks
1997 Jared DeVries
1997 Tim Dwight
1997 Mike Goff
1998 Jared DeVries
2001 Aaron Kampman
2001 Bob Sanders
2001 Eric Steinbach
2002 Brad Banks
2002 Fred Barr
2002 Dallas Clark
2002 Colin Cole
2002 Robert Gallery
2002 Howard Hodges
2002 Nate Kaeding
2002 Bruce Nelson
2002 Fred Russell
2002 Bob Sanders
2002 Eric Steinbach
2003 Robert Gallery
2003 Abdul Hodge
2003 Nate Kaeding
2003 Matt Roth
2003 Bob Sanders
2004 Jonathan Babineaux
2004 Chad Greenway
2004 Abdul Hodge
2004 Matt Roth
2004 Drew Tate
2005 Chad Greenway
2005 Kenny Iwebema
2005 Jovon Johnson
2006 Mike Jones
2007 Mitch King
2008 Shonn Greene
2008 Mitch King
2008 Brandon Myers
2008 Seth Olsen
2009 Pat Angerer
2009 Bryan Bulaga
2009 Adrian Clayborn
2009 Tony Moeaki
SeasonPlayer
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
SeasonPlayer

All-time team

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
PositionPlayer
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
PositionPlayer
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
PositionPlayer
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
PositionPlayer
E Lester Belding
LB Wally Hilgenberg
DB Devon Mitchell
DE Joe Mott
LB Brad Quast
DB Bill Reichardt
DB Bob Stoops
DB Mike Stoops

NCAA FBS all-time records

The following is a list of team and individual NCAA FBS records that are held by the Iowa Hawkeyes.

[18]

NFL draft picks

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]

Hawkeye head coaches

Several former Hawkeye players have later been named NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches:[20]

CoachTeam & 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

Other notable players

A few notable players not previously mentioned:

Notes and References

  1. http://www.heisman.com/handbook/winning-margin.html Heisman history
  2. Web site: College Football Hall of Fame.
  3. http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/colleges.html Pro Football Hall of Fame
  4. http://cfhof.ca/hof-players/ Canadian Football Hall of Fame
  5. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080625155222/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/SPORTS11/60207008 Iowa Sports Hall of Fame
  6. http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/supplement.pdf Iowa Football Fact Book
  7. http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/supplement.pdf Iowa Football Fact Book
  8. http://dictionary.infoplease.com/all-american All-American
  9. http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/football_records/DI/2008/Awards%20compiled.pdf Award Winners and All-Americans
  10. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090213222922/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19560401/SPORTS11/50711013 Williams' State of Iowa Hall of Fame bio
  11. 75 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, by Bert McCrane & Dick Lamb (ASIN: B0007E01F8), Page 25.
  12. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2013/FBS.pdf, "2013 NCAA Football FBS Records", NCAA.org
  13. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Factbook11.pdf, 2011 Iowa Hawkeye Football Media Fact Book, Iowa Sports Information Department
  14. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Factbook11.pdf, 2011 Iowa Hawkeye Football Media Fact Book, Iowa Sports Information Department
  15. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Factbook11.pdf, 2011 Iowa Hawkeye Football Media Fact Book, Iowa Sports Information Department
  16. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Factbook11.pdf, 2011 Iowa Hawkeye Football Media Fact Book, Iowa Sports Information Department
  17. http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/a-ah-all-time-iowa-team.html Iowa All-Time team
  18. http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2011/FBS.pdf
  19. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/misc_non_event/Factbook11.pdf, 2011 Iowa Hawkeye Football Media Fact Book, Iowa Sports Information Department
  20. http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/coach_records.php College Football Data Warehouse - Coaching Records