The Iowa football program is filled with incredible tradition, rich history and great players. Here are the top 30 Hawkeyes of all time.
Since 1899, the Iowa football team has been a consistent player in the college football landscape, as they racked up 651 wins (40th all time). Although the 40th all time doesn’t seem impressive, there’s one important caveat to know.
Out of the 39 teams in front of the Iowa football program, only one (University of Florida) was founded at the same time or after the Hawks. The other 38 teams had slight, to sometimes, significant, head starts.
The other numbers don’t lie though.
In their shorter lifespan, the Iowa football team has produced one Heisman Trophy Winner (18th all time), 27 consensus All-Americans (28th best) and 257 NFL draft picks (also 28th best), while spending the 24th most weeks in the AP Polls.
But it’s not just numbers that make this program special. It’s the fans, it’s the righteousness of how the program does things and it’s the beauty of Kinnick Stadium on an autumn Saturday morning.
It’s these things that truly make the Iowa football program special. In the 120 seasons of play, this special program has had a ridiculous amount of talent play in the black and gold.
It’s truly hard to comprehend how many great players have walked through Kinnick Stadium or donned the TigerHawk on their helmet. It’s even more difficult to define which of these great players is better than others, but we did it.
Here are the top 30 players all time in Hawkeyes history.
Nailing down the final spot on the list of the top 30 players in the history of the Iowa football program was no easy feat. Recency bias may have been a factor, but what T.J. Hockenson did this past season was nothing short of incredible.
As a redshirt sophomore, Hockenson caught 49 passes for 760 yards and 6 touchdowns and it earned him quite a few conference and national awards. The Chariton, Iowa native was First-Team All-Big Ten, Second-Team All-American, the Ozzie Newsome Award Winner, the John Mackey Award Winner and the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year.
Although his tenure with the Hawkeyes was short (he redshirted his freshman year), he made a profound impact on the Iowa football program that is already paying immediate dividends, as Kirk Ferentz and his staff attempt to recruit tight ends in the class of 2020. Hockenson’s season along with running mate Noah Fant’s season and former Hawkeye George Kittle’s Pro Bowl year solidified Iowa’s spot as Tight End U.
After his impressive season, Hockenson became the third-highest draft pick from the Hawkeyes in the modern era of professional football when he was selected No. 8 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft.
His time in Iowa City may have been short, but the pure dominance of his final season, including the collection of numerous national awards is what got him the 30th spot on this list.
Unless you’re a Hawkeyes’ history buff, you may not know the tale of Duke Slater, one of the greatest players to ever play for the black and gold.
Hailing from Clinton, Iowa, Slater played four years for the Iowa football program on the guidance of Howard Jones. Despite standing at just 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Slater was downright dominant on the offensive line for the Hawks and was a monumental catalyst for one of the greatest seasons in history.
In his senior season, Slater protected All-American quarterback Aubrey Devine and paved the way for fullback Fred Lohman, as the Hawks went a perfect 7-0 and won the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 1900.
The diminutive tackle was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten selection, two-time All-American, and when the Hawks were playing defense, he also starred on that side of the ball, too.
Duke Slater was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1951. He had such a big impact in the Iowa City community and for the University of Iowa that his name was one of the top choices considered when naming the football stadium.
While the stadium name went to Nile Kinnick, the University of Iowa ultimately named a residence hall after him called Slater Hall.
An argument could be made for Slater to be higher on this list but for now, he clocks in at 29th overall.
Quarterback Aubrey Devine was another integral member of the 1921 Iowa football team that claimed the Big Ten Championship. A three-year starter at quarterback, Devine compiled a 16-3 record, which includes the undefeated 7-0 season in 1921.
Devine, a Des Moines native, was small in stature at just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, but carried the Hawkeyes’ offense for three seasons. He was named First-Team All-Big Ten three times and First-Team All-American once in his senior year.
He holds the single-season rushing yards record for a quarterback and led the Iowa football team in both rushing and passing in each of his three years under center. His style of play is something we may likely never see again from an Iowa quarterback, given his fantastic dual-threat ability out of the backfield.
Aubrey Devine is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame (inducted in 1973) and a member of the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Maybe even most impressively, while starring for the football team, he was also a three-year letter winner in track and basketball.
Post college, Devine didn’t play professional football, instead deciding to coach basketball in Colorado before leaving the game altogether and becoming a lawyer.
Marvin McNutt may not stake claim to as many national awards as many of the guys on this list, but he was one of the best wide receivers to ever play for the Iowa football team and certainly the best to ever play for the legendary Kirk Ferentz.
McNutt joined the Hawkeyes as a quarterback, but after redshirting a year and then spending time as a backup for part of his redshirt freshman season, he transitioned over to wide receiver and never looked back.
Over the course his Iowa football career, he amassed 170 catches, 2,861 yards and 28 touchdowns. The yards and touchdowns rank first in program history, while the catches rank second.
In his senior year alone, he caught 82 balls for 1,315 yards and 12 touchdowns, all single-season records for the Hawks.
As a result of putting up impressive statistics in a relatively conservative Iowa offense, McNutt took home Second-Team All-Big Ten Honors his junior year and First-Team All-Big Ten honors his senior year. He was also named an All-American by several outlets and took home the Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year Award for the Big Ten.
Brandon Scherff is one of the most decorated offensive linemen to play for the Iowa football team. In his five-year career (he redshirted his freshman season), Scherff made 36 career starts and was named First-Team All-Big Ten twice.
His senior season was one to remember though, as he was arguably the best offensive lineman in the nation and the awards bestowed upon him would agree. He won the Outland Trophy, given to the best college football interior lineman. He was also a unanimous All-American and he won the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the year award.
After a stellar career with the Hawkeyes, the Denison, Iowa native went on to be drafted No. 5 overall by the Washington Redskins to play left guard. As the second-highest pick in the history of the Iowa football program (in the modern era of football), he has not disappointed one bit.
In four seasons, he has been named to the All-Rookie Team and made two Pro Bowls. Despite being missing half of last season due to injury, if he can show he’s fully recovered in his fifth season, he is likely in line to set the record for the highest paid guard in the history of the NFL.
Jared DeVries, unfortunately, had to endure one of the worst seasons in Iowa football history when the Hawks went 3-8 in Hayden Fry’s final season. Despite the shortcomings of the team, DeVries was a bright spot, as he terrorized opposing team’s quarterbacks.
The Aplington-Parkersburg native started all four years for the Hawkeyes. DeVries put on quite an impressive pass rushing display, which earned him First-Team All-Big Ten three times, Second-Team All-American (1997) and Consensus All-American (1998) once.
He left the Hawkeyes with the career record for sacks with 43, the career record for tackles for a loss with 79 and the career record for tackles for loss yardage with 409. Given his tenure as a four-year starter, those are records that may never be broken. Few guys start four years in the Iowa football program and the ones that do start out as a freshman are more likely to leave after their junior season for the NFL Draft.
DeVries didn’t have the same level of success from a pass-rushing perspective at the next level, only managing to get 16.5 sacks. Yet, he still carved out a nice 10-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions after being their third-round selection in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Lester Belding was another key member of the 1921 Iowa football team that went undefeated and basically annihilated all opponents en route to winning the Big Ten Championship. The 1921 squad outscored opponents 185 to 36, which includes a 10-7 win over the legendary Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second game of the season.
Although not official, some say the 1921 Iowa football team should have been that year’s national champions.
The Mason City, Iowa native is one of the best wide receivers to ever play for the Hawks (although stats are obviously not comparable given the era of football he played in). As a wide receiver, he was honored three times as First-Team All-Big Ten, and he was a Consensus All-American in 1919, which was a first for an Iowa Hawkeye player.
Belding also competed on the University of Iowa track team while in his time with the Hawks. After finishing his collegiate career, he went on to coach football and basketball at the collegiate level before moving over into an athletic director role.
Belding was elected into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
It may have just been one year, but Brad Banks senior season with the Iowa football team was remarkable. He led the Hawkeyes to an 11-2 record and Kirk Ferentz’s first appearance in a BCS Bowl (which the Hawks did lose to the USC Trojans).
Banks, a transfer from Hinds Community College, was largely unknown heading into his final year in Iowa City, but he made sure to change that, as he tossed the ball for 2,573 yards and 26 touchdowns to only five interceptions.
His senior year helped to put the Iowa football team back on the map and Banks earned quite a bit of credit after the season winning the Davey O’Brien Award, AP Player of the Year and the Big Ten Player of the Year Award. He was also named First-Team All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy race, the first to do so since the great Chuck Long.
Brad Banks career passing efficiency of 155.53 is the current Hawkeyes record and his passer efficiency rating of 157.1 his senior year was a record before Ricky Stanzi broke it by .53 points.
Post college, Banks received minimal interest from the NFL and bounced around a bit in Canada and the Arena Football League.
Although seemingly underrated by mainstream media, Banks put on one of the finest displays of quarterbacking in the last 20 years of college football.
Nate Kaeding is the best kicker to ever play for the Iowa football team. He was instrumental in the revival of the Hawkeyes under Kirk Ferentz in the early 2000s.
A native of Iowa City, Kaeding didn’t have to go far to play for Iowa and ended up being Iowa’s full-time kicker all four seasons in college.
He left the Hawks with as the career leader in field goals made, field goals attempted, PATs made, PATs attempted and most importantly, scoring.
In his career, Kaeding hit 79.8 percent of his field goal attempts, but it wasn’t until his junior season when he kicked it into high gear. During the Iowa football team’s 2002 Orange Bowl run, he hit 87.5 of his field goal attempts to score an Iowa single-season record of 120 points.
The following year, he missed just one field goal and turned in a 95.2 field goal percentage, which led to him being named First-Team All-Big Ten (for the second time), Consensus All-American and the Lou Groza Award Winner.
After finishing his career with Iowa, Kaeding spent nine seasons in the NFL, mostly with the then-San Diego Chargers, where he had moderate success making the All-Pro Team twice.
He is now retired, but he recently returned to the world of kicking to assist the Minnesota Vikings.
Tavian Banks didn’t have the luxury of starting for multiple seasons with the Iowa football team, but he made the most of one season as a full-time starter.
After backing up Sedrick Shaw (spoiler alert: he will not be showing up on this list) for three seasons, Banks broke out in a big way in 1997 when he rushed for 1,639 yards on 246 carries, good for a 6.7 yard per carry average and 17 touchdowns. He also added 200 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the passing game as well.
The 1,639 yards and 17 touchdowns were both team records until 2008 when Shonn Green surpassed both of those marks.
Despite not getting much time in his first three years, he still managed to accumulate over 1,000 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. His cumulative stats for his Iowa football career were 2,773 yards and 36 total touchdowns, which still stands as a career record for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
After his Hawkeyes career, Banks was drafted in the fourth round and spent several seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints before injuries ended his promising career.
The Bettendorf native was elected into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
This might be the most controversial conclusion to this point, but what Ricky Stanzi did for the Iowa football program went above statistics or postseason awards. Stanzi was a winner, and all he did for the Hawkeyes was win in his three seasons as the starting quarterback.
Stanzi’s career record was 28-10, but his bowl game record was a perfect 3-0, which included Kirk Ferentz’s first BCS Bowl game victory when the Hawks knocked out the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 2010 Orange Bowl. Furthermore, that 2009 Iowa football team finished the season ranked No. 7 overall, the best finish ever by a Kirk Ferentz squad.
For some Hawkeye fans, they almost look at the 2009 NCAA season as a disappointment because Stanzi got injured and missed a game and a half, both of which were losses. That’s how important he was to the team that year.
For his career, Stanzi threw for 7,377 yards and 56 touchdowns, both third best in the history of the program.
Again, while this selection for Stanzi at No. 20 may be controversial, I placed a lot of stock in him being undefeated in bowl games, which is something no Iowa quarterback has done before (although Nate Stanley has a shot if the Hawks win their bowl game this season).
Adrian Clayborn was one of the most dominating defensive ends to have ever suited up for the Iowa football team. In his career, he racked up 192 tackles (37.5 of which were for a loss), 19 sacks and forced seven fumbles.
The giant of a human at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds was twice named First-Team All-Big Ten and he was named a consensus All-American his senior season.
His junior year though, was arguably more dominant, statistically speaking, as he collected 11.5 sacks and helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 2010 Orange Bowl, which was the biggest win of Kirk Ferentz’s career.
Clayborn’s performance in Iowa’s thrilling victory earned him the Orange Bowl MVP. He had the most solo tackles of the game with 9 and added in 2 sacks, which was not an easy task to do given the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ reliance on the run game.
After his Hawkeyes career, he was selected in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl last year as a member of the New England Patriots.
Whenever Kirk Ferentz retires, Clayborn will likely go down as the greatest edge rusher to ever play during his tenure (barring A.J. Epenesa doing something crazy this year).
Bryan Bulaga was a dominant offensive tackle for the Iowa football team from 2007 to 2009. He was huge in keeping junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi clean during the Hawkeyes’ Orange Bowl run.
Bulaga joined the Hawks as a four-star recruit from Crystal Lake, Illinois and ended up starting games in his true freshman season, but it was until his sophomore year when he really shined. Starting all 13 games, Bulaga helped pave the way for Shonn Greene and his amazing 2008 NCAA season. For his efforts, he was named Second-Team All-Big Ten.
In his junior season, Bulaga stepped it up a notch. He started 10 out of the 13 games (he missed three due to an injury), and was named First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten. The offensive tackle also took home the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year award, which given the Big Ten’s ability to develop offensive lineman at an absurd rate, is quite an honor.
After a stellar two seasons as a full-time starter, Bulaga declared for the NFL Draft and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In eight seasons, when healthy, Bulaga has been one of the best tackles in the game.
Dallas Clark is the guy that put the Iowa football team back on the map from a tight end perspective. He is the original in what is now a long line of great tight ends of the Kirk Ferentz era. Clark was a catalyst for the Hawks’ turnaround under Ferentz.
Just two seasons into a position switch from linebacker to tight end, Clark had one of the best seasons ever for a Hawkeye tight end, as he caught 43 passes for 742 yards and four touchdowns. He was the second leading receiver on a Hawkeyes team that went 11-2 and made it to the Orange Bowl.
At the conclusion of the season, he was named First-Team All-Big Ten, a unanimous All-American and the winner of the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end.
His dominance in the early 2000s led to the Big Ten even partly naming their annual tight end award after him.
Clark would go on to be drafted in the first round of the NFL, where he would go on to catch 505 balls for 5,665 yards and 53 touchdowns.
The Twin River Valley product set a standard for tight ends to come and helped propel the Iowa football team back into the national conversation after a few tough seasons.
Today, he is a finalist for election into the College Football Hall of Fame.
While some players are on this list because of impressive personal accomplishments while playing for the Iowa football team, others such as Bob Sanders are here because they changed a culture.
Sanders patrolled the Hawkeyes secondary for four seasons and earned the moniker hitman for his ability to destroy anyone attempting to catch a ball near him.
At 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, Sanders embodied what it means to be an Iowa football player. Lightly recruited, undersized and a bit slow coming out of high school, Sanders worked his way into becoming one of the most dominating safeties in college football and eventually the NFL, where he played eight seasons and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.
In his four years in Iowa City, he was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten once and First-Team All-Big Ten three times, as well as being named Second-Team All-American his senior season.
During Sanders’ tenure, the Iowa football team went from 3-9 in his freshman season to having back-to-back 10-win seasons and winning the 2003 Outback Bowl.
His value to the program is immense, which is why he is our 16th best player in Iowa football history.
Shonn Greene’s 2008 NCAA season was truly legendary. Every time he touched the ball that season, Iowa football fans everywhere would hold their breaths in anticipation about what he was about to do because most of the time, it was something spectacular.
With Ricky Stanzi coming into his own as a first-year starter, Greene carried the Hawkeyes to a 9-4 record, which included an Outback Bowl victory.
Greene finished the 2008 NCAA season with 1,850 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, both single-season records for a Hawkeye. He also tied the season record for most points scored in a season with 120.
The incredible performance in 2008 led to Greene receiving the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back, and being named First-Team All-American. He also finished sixth in the 2008 Heisman Trophy voting.
Had the Hawkeyes done better as a team and the Heisman candidate list not been relatively loaded, Greene could have had a decent shot at actually winning the award outright.
After a great junior year, Greene declared for the NFL Draft and was selected in the third round by the New York Jets.
He enjoyed brief moments of success in the NFL, but his 2008 NCAA season will always remain immaculate and legendary.
Desmond King is one of the best defensive backs to ever play for the Iowa football team, and he helped put the Hawks back on the map after a few down seasons. He was one of the leaders of a defense that allowed 20.4 points per game, 20th best in the nation for a Hawkeyes team that went on an unbelievable 12-0 run during the regular season.
In that season, King tied the team record for interceptions in a season with eight. He also had 13 passes defended and 72 tackles en route to a unanimous All-American selection.
He didn’t stop there, though. King also collected the Jim Thorpe Award and the Jack Tatum Award, both given to the nation’s best defensive back, the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Award and he was named First-Team All-Big Ten.
His senior year saw a bit of a dip from a statistical perspective with King registering just three interceptions and seven passed defended. That being said, it’s important to note that teams literally just refused to throw the ball to his side of the field. He was again named First-Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten.
At the conclusion of his Hawkeye career, King shared or held four Iowa football records.
King slipped in the NFL Draft due to his speed concerns, but he is enjoying a stellar career in the NFL so far as well. Last season, he was an All-Pro with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Former Iowa football player Robert Gallery and absurd specimen of a human standing at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds. His size was so ridiculous, it sort of spooked Drew Tate the first time he met the guy.
It wasn’t just size that Gallery had, though. He had a mean streak and unimaginable amount of talent. Gallery would go on to be one of the top offensive linemen among a fraternity of incredible lineman.
The Manchester, Iowa native was twice named First-Team All-Big Ten and was named unanimous All-American in his senior year. He also took home the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year award and was just the third Iowa football player to win the coveted Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best offensive lineman.
More importantly than his accomplishments, Gallery was one of the guys who spearheaded Iowa’s movement to the top of the college football landscape. The Hawkeyes won 21 games over Gallery’s final two seasons, including 37-17 Outback Bowl victory over the Florida Gators and two top-10 rankings in the final AP poll.
After his incredible collegiate career, which included three years as a full-time starter and another year as a part-time starter, Gallery would go on to be the earliest selection in the modern era of the NFL Draft when he was picked No. 2 overall by the Oakland Raiders in 2004.
Josey Jewell, otherwise known as the sheriff, was the epitome of Iowa football. He joined the Hawkeyes as a two-star, 200-pound outside linebacker recruit from Decorah, Iowa who would work his way into being one of the greatest middle linebackers this century.
Jewell was named Second-Team All-Big Ten twice and First-Team All-Big Ten once, while leading the team in tackles for three straight seasons. He was a key cog in the wheel of the 2015 Hawkeyes team that made it to the Rose Bowl.
His senior season, though, was one for the history books as he won the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Jack Lambert Award, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. He was also named a unanimous First-Team All-American.
He finished his career with 433 (fourth all time in Iowa football history) tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, six interceptions and 26 passes defended. Jewell was also named a permanent team captain as a sophomore, the first player to ever receive the nomination so early in his college career.
After his Hawkeyes career, Jewell was drafted in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos where is now starting as an inside linebacker for defensive guru head coach Vic Fangio.
You know the way Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers are revered for winning the first two Super Bowls under Vince Lombardi?
That could have been Randy Duncan. Duncan is the only player in Iowa football history to be drafted No. 1 overall, as he was selected by the Packers in that spot in 1959, the first year of Lombardi’s tenure.
This came after an amazing career with the Iowa football team where he was the starting quarterback for two seasons. During that span, Duncan led the Hawks to a 15-2-2 record and final top-10 rankings in both seasons.
In his senior season, after throwing for 1,397 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions (keeping in mind this today’s football is completely different from the 1950s), Duncan was named First-Team All-Big Ten (for a second time), consensus All-American and the Big Ten MVP. He also won the Walter Camp Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy race.
Most importantly though, Duncan led the Hawkeyes to their second (and last) Rose Bowl victory.
After his career, Duncan was elected to the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1976 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
Before there was Randy Duncan, there was Ken Ploen.
Despite starting just one season for the Iowa football team, Ploen led the Hawks to one of the greatest seasons in the history of the program. Iowa went 9-1 with Ploen under center and advanced to their first-ever Rose Bowl bowl game where they beat the No. 10 Oregon State Beavers. The Iowa native was named the Rose Bowl MVP for his performance.
At the conclusion of his senior season, Ploen was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player and was named a consensus All-American. He also finished ninth in the 1956 Heisman Trophy race.
While looking at the stats and longevity may sway the argument significantly in Duncan’s favor to be ranked higher here, the legacy of winning the first-ever Rose Bowl and claiming Iowa’s first Big Ten Conference title in 34 years is too important to me.
Prior to that point, the Iowa football team was stuck in a rut of mediocrity having not won more than six games since their last Big Ten Championship back in 1922. More concerning, they only won between five and six games 10 times in that 34-year span. There’s something to be said for changing a culture, and that’s why Ploen makes the top 10.
After college, he enjoyed a successful stint in the CFL and was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Andre Tippett was the leader of arguably the best defense in Iowa football history. The 1981 Hawkeyes defense could honestly be one of the best run defenses college football has ever seen. With Tippett on the edge, this Hayden Fry led squad allowed just 79.7 yards per game for a ridiculously 2.4 yard per carry average.
Tippett’s contributions helped change the culture of the Iowa football program. In his three years as a letter winner, the Hawks went from 5-6 to 8-4 (Fry’s first winning season in Iowa) and advancing to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 23 years.
He was an All-American and a two-time All-Big Ten defensive end.
Today, you can still find Tippett’s name in the Iowa record book as the single-season record holder for lost yard on tackles for loss with 153 on 20 tackles.
After college, Tippett was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round and ended up becoming one of the best players to ever play in the NFL, as he was a four-time All-Pro, NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowler. He is currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he will likely be joining a few other Hawkeyes in the College Football Hall of Fame after this next induction.
If Dallas Clark was the original in a long line of great tight ends under Kirk Ferentz, Marv Cook is basically the original in a long line of great Iowa tight ends, period. Cook played during one of the most successful four-year periods in Iowa history with the Hawks winning 10 games twice, going to four bowl games and finishing ranked three years in a row.
He is the record holder for receiving yards by a tight end and second all-time for receptions. During his senior season when he caught 55 balls for 645 yards and three touchdowns, he was named a consensus All-American.
Cook also dabbled in punting and kicking, booting 22 balls in his Iowa football career for 825 yards and kicking one extra point in his freshman season.
Post-Iowa, Cook was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots where he became a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro. Now, Iowa football faithful are holding their breath that Cook’s son Drew, can become the next great Iowa tight end after spending most of his career at the quarterback position for the Hawkeyes.
As for the older Cook, when you’re the most revered player at one of the most revered positions in program history, you have to be top-10.
Gordon Locke is one of the few Iowa football players to be named First-Team All-American twice. He was one of the key cogs in an incredible three-year run for the Hawkeyes that resulted in Iowa’s first two Big Ten Championships.
During his tenure with the Hawkeyes, he lost two games total and was a part of two undefeated teams. The final record of the Hawks when Locke played was 19-2, and he collected two First-Team All-Big Ten honors.
His senior season is where he really stood out, though. The 1922 Hawkeyes lost three key starters (all guys who made this list) from the 1921 NCAA season, yet ran the table going 7-0 riding Locke’s shoulders the entire way. That team absolutely obliterated opponents, scoring 208 points to the opponents’ 29.
He is a member of the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
While Locke may not even play in today’s college football, given that he was a 165-pound fullback, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest players of his generation and was truly dominant for three great Iowa football teams. For that reason, Locke is a no brainer at No. 7 on this list.
Tim Dwight is one of my favorite Hawkeyes of all-time. The guy was electric with the ball in his hands as a wide receiver, running back and return man.
During his Iowa football career, he totaled 127 catches for 2,075 yards and 21 touchdowns, while adding 322 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground. In the kick return game, he had another 1,141 yards, and in the punt game, he had 1,051 additional yards with 5 punt returns for touchdowns.
He led the nation twice in punt return for touchdowns and finished top 10 in all four years in yards per return. His career average of 15.7 is still 1st in the Big Ten and 6th overall in the nation. There’s a reason for the Big Ten’s Return Man of the Year award being named after him.
At Iowa, he was twice named First-Team All-American and even finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy race at the conclusion of the 1997 NCAA season, which is impressive given that the award historically has gone to quarterbacks or elite running backs.
As of today, he is second all-time in receiving touchdowns and third in receiving yards for the Hawks.
After his Iowa career, he went on to play a decade in the NFL.
Alex Karras is the best defensive lineman to ever play for the Hawkeyes, no question about it. He was a two-time First-Team All-American for the Hawkeyes in 1956 and 1957. During his time as a full-time starter, the Iowa football team went 16-2, making their first appearance in the Rose Bowl, which the Hawkeyes also won.
His dominance on the defensive line led him to be a runner-up in the 1957 Heisman Trophy race and winning the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman.
After playing for the Hawkeyes, Karras made a successful transition to the NFL where he was a nine-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, while playing in 161 games. His transition after football might be what he is best known for though as he developed into an incredibly successful actor post-football.
He was inducted in the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1991.
It was tough to not include him in the top four, otherwise known as the Mount Rushmore of, players in Iowa history but his level of play does get him right in the top five of the top 30 Hawkeyes of all time.
The Hawkeyes were just beginning a solid decade of dominance in college football. Cal Jones just strengthened that dominance from the interior of the offensive line. Jones was superior as an offensive lineman for the Hawkeyes and a bright spot on those early 1950s teams that were just gaining their footing.
As an offensive lineman, he was named First-Team All-American three times, with two of those being consensus and he managed to finish 10th in the 1955 Heisman Trophy voting.
Even though times were a bit different back then, an offensive lineman being even considered for the Heisman is incredibly rare, but that’s the kind of player Jones was for the Hawks. He even received a first overall vote.
Jones’ impact on the field expanded beyond it too, as he became the first African-American to win the coveted Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best defensive player. He became the first college player to ever be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
After college, Jones played one year of professional football before being killed in a plane accident. Posthumously, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Iowa retired his No. 62.
Larry Station was a tackling machine with the Iowa football program. It’s pretty impressive that two of the best Hawkeyes of all time (Chuck Long is the other) played during the same time period together.
In his four years with the Iowa football team, Station was a four-year starter and led the team in tackles every single season. Not surprisingly, he holds Iowa’s all-time record for tackles in a career and solo tackles in a career.
With the Hawkeyes, he was a two-time All-American and a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten linebacker. In conjunction with Long, led the Hawks to one of their best seasons ever in 1985.
That season, the Hawks went 10-2, losing to the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 13 UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl, but were ranked No. 1 overall for five straight weeks. He was a finalist for the Butkus Award (which went to Brian Bosworth that season) and the Lombardi Award (which went to Tony Casillas).
Unfortunately, Station was injured during the 1986 Rose Bowl and his NFL career lasted just one season because of it, but his greatness with the Hawkeyes will live on forever.
He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
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.
Anyone who would choose anyone but the great Nile Kinnick for the top player in Iowa football history is crazy.
In Kinnick’s first three years in Iowa City, the Hawks won just five games combined, but at no fault of his own. He was the truest form of an iron man, a guy who could play injured and play every single minute of the game.
He was the quarterback, halfback, defensive back, punter and kicker, which is something we are never likely to see again.
What really separates Kinnick from every other player on this list though was his magical 1939 season when he carried the Iowa football team to a 6-1-1 record and ninth place finish in in the finall AP poll.
In that season, he was Iowa’s leading passer and leading rusher, while also punting the ball exceptionally well. Kinnick hauled in eight interceptions, an Iowa record that still stands to this day. He also happened to lead the nation in kick return yards as well.
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Kinnick would finish his career with 18 interceptions, which is also still an Iowa record to this day, but that’s not what he is most known for.
No, he is most known for being the Iowa football team’s only Heisman Trophy winner in the long history of the program.
After that remarkable senior year, Kinnick won the Heisman, the Walter Camp Award, the Maxwell Award and the Big Ten MVP Award. He was also named the AP Male Athlete of the Year.
Posthumously, Kinnick was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Oh, and don’t let me forget to mention, the historic Kinnick stadium is named after him.
There is no better way to finish up this list than to talk about the greatest player to ever play for the Iowa football team, Kinnick.