Iowa football: 30 greatest players in Hawkeyes history

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2 Oct 1988: Quarterback Chuck Long of the Detroit Lions looks to pass the ball as a pair of San Francisco 49ers players attempt to tackle him during a game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game, 20-13. Mandatory Credit /

The easiest part of this daunting task of listing out the top 30 Iowa football players of all time was determining the No. 1 and No. 2 players.

Chuck Long is the best quarterback to ever play for the Hawkeyes. He still holds at least nine team records to this day, although he could be losing a couple after the 2019 NCAA season depending on how Nate Stanley performs.

During Long’s tenure as the starting quarterback, which spanned four seasons, the Hawkeyes won no less than eight games a season and made it to four consecutive bowl games, two of which they won.

Outside of Long’s redshirt freshman season, the Iowa football team finished ranked No. 16 or better. The Hawkeyes were ranked in the top five at one point or another throughout each of those three seasons.

The Illinois product was a three-time All-Big Ten player, Big Ten Player of the Year, the Davey O’Brien Award winner and the Maxwell Award Winner. He also was in two Heisman Trophy races, finishing seventh in 1984 and second in 1985. The second-place finish was of the closest ones in Heisman history with Long losing to the great Bo Jackson by a mere 45 points.

After the glory days of Iowa football, Long was selected in the first round and had a pretty forgettable career before transitioning into coaching and eventually broadcasting.

He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.

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