Picking four guys to be on the Iowa football team’s Mount Rushmore was no easy task, but we did it. Here are the four most deserving guys.
The Iowa football program is rich in history. Its history includes 620 wins, 16 bowl wins, 13 conference championships, and 1 Heisman Trophy winner. Furthermore, the Iowa football team has had just two coaches in the last 40 years, a feat that is truly incredible in this world’s college football landscape.
There have been many first round draft picks (and likely two more this upcoming NFL draft), and NFL players in general, that have come through Iowa City and walked through the tunnels of Kinnick Stadium.
Numerous All-Americans have played in the black and gold, and many more players have earned All-Big Ten honors.
So to pick just four players from this wide list of great football players is not an easy task. There will likely be controversy, but that can be expected with a list like that identifies the four best players in Iowa football history.
Here are our four players that belong on the Iowa football team’s Mount Rushmore.
Nile Kinnick
This is undoubtedly the least surprising inclusion on this list. After all, there’s a reason why Nile Kinnick’s name also serves as the name of the Iowa football team’s stadium.
Kinnick is the only man in the history of Iowa football to win the Heisman Trophy award, and he is the most revered former player in Hawkeyes history.
The former student body present of the University of Iowa, Kinnick carried a beleaguered Iowa program that won just two games total in the past two seasons to six wins in 1939 and a final ranking of 9th in the nation. Kinnick wasn’t just the quarterback, he was the cornerback, punter and kick returner. He literally did it all, and he was a great student to boot. As the years have passed, the legend of Nile Kinnick continues to grow about what this kid couldn’t accomplish.
Unfortunately, Kinnick was killed during World War II. Even before that, however, his football career was over after he chose to pursue law and politics.
Post-humorously, Kinnick was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and was named to Sports Illustrated’s All-20th Century team.
Kinnick is the first guy that would be put up on the Iowa football team’s Mount Rushmore.
Larry Station
Larry Station doesn’t have as much name recognition as the other guys on our version of the Iowa football team’s Mount Rushmore but his contributions were impressive nonetheless.
As a four-year starter with the Hawkeyes, Station led the team in tackles all four years and was twice named a consensus first-team All-American. He also played a large role in leading the Hawks to the 1985 Big Ten title and Hayden Fry’s second Rose Bowl appearance.
At the conclusion of his Iowa football career, Station had 492 total tackles, which still is the best mark all-time in Hawkeye history, however, he only played one season in the NFL due to a back injury.
He is only one of two former Hawks to be named consensus All-American twice, and he was elected to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
Consider this, there have been dozens of great linebackers that have come through the Iowa football program including most recently, Josey Jewell, yet none of them have come close to Station’s tackle record. The closest player, Andre Jackson was more than 25 away and Jewell was over 55 away.
Station deserves a spot on Iowa’s Mount Rushmore
Chuck Long
Chuck Long is the best quarterback in the history of the Iowa football team (although Nate Stanley could change that narrative this year), and he led to the Hawkeyes to a #1 ranking during the 1985 season. In four seasons, the Oklahoma native threw for 9,671 passing yards and 70 touchdowns while completing 64.9% of his passes and achieving a passer rating of 150.5.
The first three stats are all still standing as school records and his passer rating is second only to Brad Banks, who played in three fewer seasons than Long did.
He also was a Heisman Trophy runner-up, a Davey O’Brien Award winner, a Maxwell Award winner, and three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree.
His place in history is cemented as it should be, and there hasn’t been another quarterback since Long that has been better. Sure, Brad Banks had one incredible season but Long played for four years and consistently successful.
Tim Dwight
Tim Dwight was an explosive return man and a great wide receiver for the Iowa football program in the late 1990s. During his tenure, the Iowa football team won 24 games and finished the season ranked in the top-25 twice. It is not a small coincidence that those wins coincided with Dwight’s superb career as an All-American returner.
Although diminutive in stature (5’8” 185 pounds), Dwight was lightning fast and also competed on the track team where he was the Big Ten champion in the 100 meters, 4×400 meter, and 4×100 meter relays.
In his Iowa football career, Dwight had over 2,000 total return yards and 5 touchdowns while averaging 15.7 yards per punt return and 20.7 yards per kick return in his career. His senior year was the most impressive as he averaged 28.6 yards per kick return and 19.3 yards per punt return in route to his second All-American honors.
His 1,051 career punt return yards ranks 6th best in the Big Ten and his 15.7 yards per punt return average ranks 6th all-time in the NCAA. Moreover, his 5 career punt return touchdowns rank 2nd in the Big Ten and 16th in the NCAA.
The Big Ten considered Tim Dwight’s career with the Hawks so impressive they named the Specialist of the Year Award after him and Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers.
He was also a standout wide receiver pulling in 127 receptions (9th best all-time in Iowa football history) for 2,075 receiving yards (4th best) and 21 receiving touchdowns (2nd best).
After his Hawkeye’s career, Dwight went on to have a distinguished 10-year NFL career where he scored 27 total touchdowns.
This was the toughest selection for our Iowa football Mount Rushmore but how Dwight impacted the return game and the offense for the Hawkeyes was too much to not include him on this list.
Honorable Mention
There were so many guys that were considered for our version of the Iowa football team’s Mount Rushmore, but only four could be selected. Here are a few guys that we considered.
Alex Karras – Karras was a two-time All-American defensive tackle for the Iowa football team in the mid-’50s.
Cal Jones – The late Cal Jones was an outstanding guard for the Iowa Hawkeyes earning consensus All-American honors twice in his career and winning the 1955 Outland Trophy. He was inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1980. Jones passed away in 1956 when he was on board a flight that crashed in Canada.
Dallas Clark – Dallas Clark was an integral figure in helping Kirk Ferentz bring the Iowa football team back to prominence. He was a consensus All-American and the John Mackey Award winner in 2002. The Big Ten honors Clark now by naming the Tight End of the Year Award after him, which TJ Hockenson won this year.
Ricky Stanzi – Ricky Stanzi is third all-time in Iowa history in passing yards and passing touchdowns and fourth in career QB rating. What’s more impressive is that he led the Hawks to three bowl victories in his three years as a starter while compiling 27 career wins.
Andre Tippett – Tippett was a two-time All-Big Ten selection and an All-American defensive end for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the early-’80s. He is also a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Marv Cook – Cook is one of the first great tight ends in Iowa’s rich tight end history. He is first in Iowa football history for tight end receiving yards and second in tight end catches.
Bob Sanders – Last but not least is Bob Sanders, another instrumental figure in the rise of the Hawkeyes under Kirk Ferentz. The three-time All-Big Ten player developed a reputation for destroying offensive players with massive hits. He went on to have a successful, yet short NFL career.